Calls to the NSPCC Helpline reporting suspected child abuse and neglect have reached record levels, the charity has revealed.
Last year (April 2010 to March 2011), trained NSPCC counsellors working on the 24-hour freephone service referred 16,385 serious cases to police or social services. This is 37% higher than the previous year and the biggest annual increase in referrals to the Helpline yet recorded.
Recent NSPCC research found nearly one in five secondary school children in the UK has been severely maltreated during childhood, most commonly through neglect. There are currently around 46,000 children of all ages on a local child protection plan or register.
The NSPCC is calling for a major shift in UK child protection policy towards earlier and more effective intervention in child cruelty case.
