Charity warns home becoming ‘increasingly

HOME has become “increasingly unsafe” for children as alerts to police and councils have surged by 40% in lockdown.

NSPCC Scotland’s helpline made more than 480 referrals to Scottish agencies in three months following lockdown.

During the past three months, the helpline has heard from more than 22,000 adults across the UK concerned about the wellbeing of a wchild.

It is an increase of almost a third (32%) on the monthly average for the three months prior to lockdown, with May seeing 8287 contacts – the highest to the adult helpline in a month on record.

Matt Forde, NSPCC Scotland head of service, said: “The increase in referrals from our helpline during the lockdown highlights how some families have been driven to crisis point and the home has become an increasingly unsafe place for some children.

“Putting children at the heart of recovery planning and taking this action quickly will mean the crisis does not scar the childhoods of a whole g eneration.”