Safeguarding - Behind closed doors

It is estimated that half a million children under five live in a household with domestic abuse, parental mental health problems, or parental drug or alcohol abuse.

The Covid-19 pandemic has compounded these risks and intensified the challenges for all practitioners responsible for keeping children safe from abuse and harm.

Action for Children’s Spring nurseries reported an increased number of referrals to children’s social care during the first and second lockdowns, with neglect the most common reason cited.

Meanwhile, a record number of adults called the NSPCC helpline with concerns about children between April 2020 and March 2021, surging by nearly a quarter, with 47 per cent of calls leading to a referral to an external agency such as the police or children’s services.

In the evidence review Protecting young children at risk of abuse and neglect, the Nuffield Foundation found that incidents of serious harm to children under five where abuse or neglect were known or suspected increased during the early months of the pandemic, while many other children at risk might have been missed due to disruption in the usual pathways for referring children to services.