Child cruelty and neglect offences in Northamptonshire more than quadruple in five years

The NSPCC is calling on the Government to invest in a well-resourced child protection system that can respond effectively to reports of cruelty or neglect after a shocking rise in cases, particularly in Northamptonshire.

New police data collected by the NSPCC reveals that recorded offences of adults neglecting, mistreating, or assaulting children across England have doubled over the last five years in England.

Offences recorded by Northamptonshire Police forces have more than quadrupled, with 262 crimes in 2017/18 and 1,121 in 2022/23, the NSPCC said.

NSPCC analysis of Freedom of Information data from police forces across England found that there were 29,422 child cruelty offences recorded in 2022/23. Concerningly, the number of cases has increased steadily year on year.

Of the police forces that provided data over the last five years and could be directly compared, cases had doubled with 29,405 offences recorded between April 2022 and March 2023 and 14,263 offences recorded between April 2017 and March 2018.

The figures from the leading child protection charity come after a series of distressing court cases into the deaths of babies and children, including 18-month-old Alfie Phillips whose mother and partner were found guilty of his murder last week.

The child protection system has been under substantial pressure over the last few years, particularly since the pandemic.

In 2022-23, more than 655,000 child in need assessments were completed by children’s social care to determine whether a child requires support from a service.

Likewise, Childline counsellors hear directly from children about the impact that abuse and neglect is having on their lives.

A 12-year-old child who contacted the service said: “I can’t stop crying and I don’t know who to talk to about this. My mum isn’t looking after me properly. She never has any money, there is never food in the house, and she doesn’t take me to school. She takes drugs a lot and always asks me for money to get more. After she’s taken drugs, she’s in a really bad mood and is mean to me. Some of my relatives know what is happening but they don’t really do much. I just can’t take it anymore.”

A well-resourced and effective child protection system that identifies risks to children as early as possible and is able to take swift action is vital to help improve the lives of children and young people.

The NSPCC is calling on the current Government to accelerate their plans to reform the child protection system and ensure that practitioners across agencies are supported and equipped with the best possible skills and expertise to work directly with families and share information effectively.

Currently, the frontline of child protection, including health, policing and children’s services, are experiencing spiralling costs and high demand. England’s largest councils have reported that they are overspending on their budgets by over £600m due to ‘uncontrollable’ spending pressures driving up the cost of delivering services to vulnerable children.

This is straining the child protection system and is leaving those who work with families unequipped to adequately respond when things reach crisis point.

That’s why, alongside Barnardo’s, Action for Children, The Children’s Society and The National Children’s Bureau, the NSPCC is asking politicians to commit to wholesale reform of children’s social care, backed by significant investment in early intervention and prevention, to improve the lives of babies, children and young people.

Sir Peter Wanless, CEO at the NSPCC, said: “These latest child cruelty figures are a stark wake-up call that our current system is struggling to prevent the horrifying abuse and neglect happening to some of the youngest and most vulnerable in our society.

“The Government has pledged to reform the child protection system to provide earlier support for babies, children and young people and stop families’ problems escalating to crisis point. The figures underline why it is urgent that these changes are delivered at pace alongside significant investment.

“We can not afford for this to be delayed any longer as there is a real danger we will continue to see these offences spiral upwards if significant change doesn’t happen.

“Through reform and investment, politicians can turn these figures around to ensure babies, children and young people don’t experience the scourge of abuse and neglect and, instead, can live safe, happy and healthy childhoods”.

The charity is also asking the public to look out for the wellbeing of children and young people they may know and to contact the NSPCC Helpline with any concerns.

Last year the NSPCC Helpline handled almost 40,000 contacts from adults concerned about the wellbeing of a child due to them being exposed to or experiencing abuse or neglect.

Any adults concerned about a child’s safety or wellbeing can contact the NSPCC helpline at [email protected] or by calling 0808 800 5000. Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or childline.org.uk.