Record number of children are at risk of abuse or neglect this Christmas
A record number of children in Leicestershire are at risk of abuse or neglect - and the NSPCC is appealing for your help this Christmas.
New government figures have revealed that there were 4,975 children under the age of 18 considered to be “in need” across the area at the end of March.
Of those, social services had identified 3,146 children who needed protection against abuse or neglect in particular.
That’s up from 3,061 deemed at risk at the end of March 2019 and 2,745 at the end of March 2018 - putting the number at an eight-year high.
The figures mean one child in 72 living in Leicestershire is known by social services to be either abused or neglected, or at risk of such.
Charities have warned that the pandemic is only exacerbating the problem.
During the first national lockdown between April and July, the NSPCC helpline received an average of
1,066 contacts a month about physical abuse, compared to an average of 696 a month pre-lockdown.
They also received an average of 1,099 contacts a month about neglect, up from an average of 775, and 1,175 a month about emotional abuse, compared to 568 before lockdown.
Andrew Fellowes, NSPCC Public Affairs Manager, said: “Cases of child abuse and neglect were consistently high before the pandemic struck and since March we have seen a surge in reports to our helpline about children exposed to difficult and traumatic experiences without their normal access to support.
“We cannot allow the crisis to have a lasting impact on a generation of children which is why the Government must make sure schools and local services are able to identify and support children at risk and help them recover from adverse experiences.
“Everyone has a role to play in keeping young people safe so we urge anyone who would like to report a concern or ask for advice to contact the NSPCC helpline to 0808 800 5000, or email help@nspcc.org.uk”
The NSPCC has launched a Here for Children Christmas Appeal where it is calling on the public to donate £20 to the NSPCC so that services like Childline can be here for children this Christmas.
As part of this appeal, a number of iconic UK landmarks including Battersea Power Station turned green from the 7th December to raise awareness of child neglect and abuse this Christmas.
The charity has also launched a new TV appeal which depicts some of the heart-breaking abuse contacts the NSPCC run service Childline expects to take in the Christmas holidays.
A child is defined as being “in need” if they are aged under 18 and need council intervention to prevent harm or to achieve a reasonable standard of health or development - or if they or their parents are disabled.
There may be more than one reason that social services decide to intervene, but the figures are broken down by the main reason at the time of assessment.
As well as the 3,146 children in Leicestershire in need primarily because of abuse or neglect, a further 676 were in need mainly because of family dysfunction.
Some 362 were in need because their family is in acute stress, 179 because of the child’s disability or illness, and 172 because of absent parenting.
A further 158 children were in need because of their parent’s disability or illness, 71 because of socially unacceptable behaviour, and six because of low income.
The remaining 189 cases were other reasons that were not stated.
For more information on the different types of abuse and neglect, and how to spot the signs, see the NSPCC website: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/ what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/ for