CHILD ABUSE SOARED
Horrifying increase in harm and trauma, as charity enlists delivery firm to detect signs
A DELIVEROO driver saved a young child from “the worst neglect” police had ever witnessed, the NSPCC has revealed, as it seeks to highlight the catalogue of abuse children suffered during lockdown.
The driver alerted the charity as he made a delivery last year and noticed the child had facial injuries. Police were called and discovered the father had descended into alcoholism during furlough.
The case was one of thousands faced by the charity, which has seen a 25 per cent increase in calls on suicide, self-harm and mental health.
The NSPCC is calling for the Government not only to do more to help children now but to address the “harm and trauma” faced in the past year.
Denise Ellis, service head for the NSPCC helpline, said: “It is a valid question to ask if this could have been avoided.” Denise, who has worked for the helpline for eight years, said: “I’ve never experienced a period like the past 12 months. Calls and online messages have risen to record levels.we had 85,000 calls last year.
“The toxic trio of domestic abuse, mental health and substance misuse is exacerbated or even triggered by lockdown.
“We have had more suicide calls, more calls on self-harm and more calls on mental health.”
She said restrictions meant much of the abuse was out of sight and children were no longer protected by the usual safety nets.
“There are lots of children who are hidden behind closed doors,” she said. “Most GP appointments were done by phone and therefore opportunities to identify signs of abuse, such as bruises, were missed.
“Children were worried about burdening parents who had been put on furlough and some who may have turned to drink or drugs to try to escape their problems.
“Some children used to be able to see a grandparent who would be their protector. During lockdown they couldn’t do that, and they couldn’t even go to school or report anything to the teacher.” Because of these blind spots every avenue was explored to protect youngsters.
Denise said: “Last year, one delivery driver went to a property and when he opened the door the stench of the house was overwhelming.
“He saw a young child with a facial injury and picked up the phone and described the conditions to us.
“The police said it was the worst neglect they had witnessed and the child was put into emergency care.
“The father had become an alcoholic during lockdown.
“People found it unbearable and turned to these substances for escape. In this instance, children’s services became involved and we hope the family will be reunited under supervised conditions.
“Deliveroo has asked its drivers if they would help identify neglect and over 4,000 have signed up to our training course to spot signs of abuse.”
In another instance, Denise told how the helpline was contacted by a 15-year-old girl at Christmas who warned that she was thinking of taking her own life.
Denise explained: “She said she had worries about her education and was concerned about the health of her grandparents as she had lost all contact with them because of the restrictions. She was isolated from her friends. Her mother was on furlough and had started drinking and had developed mental health problems.
“We said that we would send help across to her. We did not tell her that it was the police because we didn’t want to frighten her. We stayed on the phone and heard the police in the background say to her, ‘Hello, my lovely, we hear you’ve been having a tough time’.”
“She said, ‘Thank you’, and the call ended. We contacted the police and they had put help in place with other agencies. It is calls like this one that let us know we are making a difference.
“In February we had a mother who had a three-week-old newborn in her arms. She contacted us to say that she had been assaulted by her violent partner.
“She said she could taste the blood in her mouth but was too scared to leave him. We gave her advice and contacted the police.
“We know we are making a difference to children’s lives but we are there for vulnerable adults too.”
● You can call NSPCC helpline
0808 800 5000 the on