Incidents of serious harm to children under the age of one increased by 31 per cent - 102 children - and 50 per cent for children aged one to five - 48 children - during the early months of the pandemic, between April to September 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.
In addition, the usual pathways for referring children to services were disrupted, meaning that children at risk of abuse and neglect may have been missed.
Children’s centres were closed, health and GP checks were done via video link, and health visitors were redeployed during the first lockdown, which made the situation even more acute for infants and for babies born in the pandemic, the study, Protecting young children at risk of abuse and neglect, has found.
The review draws on over 140 sources to shed light on changing patterns of abuse and neglect in early childhood in England and Wales over the last 20 years.
It calls for an urgent re-evaluation of the current system, with a focus on how public services and agencies can adopt a holistic and collaborative approach to support young children at risk of abuse and neglect, prevent harm, and promote positive outcomes.
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