Growing up in a “toxic” home

These children are at greater risk of harm particularly during lockdown

THOUSANDS of vulnerable children are being brought up in dysfunctional families. According to a new study from the Office for National Statistics, nearly one in five children aged 10 to 15 are living in a “toxic trio” household (19.3 per cent).

This is when an adult in that household reported going through troubles associated with mental health issues, domestic abuse or substance abuse in the last year.

An estimated 751,000 children are thought to be affected across England and Wales.

The NSPCC says it is now vital the Government puts plans in place to support these children during lockdown, as they are at greater risk of harm.

The data uses responses from the Crime Survey and covers the three year period between March 2017 and March 2019.

The figures show that 10.5 per cent of children were living in families that had experienced problems with substance misuse.

Domestic abuse was present in 7.1 per cent of children’s lives, while 4.8 per cent of households had an adult with mental health difficulties.

These add up to more than 19.3 per cent because some adults reported experiencing more than one of the “toxic trio”.

An estimated 6,000 households, or around 0.2 per cent of those surveyed, had experienced all three at the same time.

The figures suggest that the presence of one or more of these issues can make children more vulnerable to victimisation, and more likely to engage in negative behaviours.

In particular, children in households with adults reporting mental health issues were much more likely to be victims of violent crime.

Bullying was also more commonly experienced by children living in a household with an adult who reported experiencing domestic abuse or mental ill-health.

Children affected by any of the three toxic issues were also more likely to engage in negative behaviour, such as underage drinking, knife carrying and being suspended from school.

However, the ONS stressed that the majority of children with “toxic trio” adults did not experience victimisation or negative behaviours.

Abigail Gill, NSPCC policy manager, said: “Many children going into lockdown are already at greater risk of harm, living in homes with domestic abuse and substance misuse.

“We know that these factors have a concerning impact on young lives and these statistics show that they are also more likely to be a victim of crime.

“Throughout the pandemic many vulnerable children and parents have struggled to access the specialist services they need, including those fleeing domestic abuse.

“It’s vital that the Government puts plans in place to support families as the crisis continues, while services in the community for victims of domestic abuse should be enshrined into law in the Domestic Abuse Bill.”