Children’s charity Action for Children has welcomed the publication of an NSPCC report revealing that only one in nine of the estimated 520,000 children who were maltreated by a parent or guardian in the UK in 2011 actually received protection from local authorities.
The NSPCC has called for a shift in policy, focusing more on prevention, as well as protection, in order to close this gap.
“We welcome the NSPCC’s call to shift the focus to the prevention of child abuse and neglect,” said Matt Downie, Head of Campaigns and Public Affairs at Action for Children. “Our research shows that it’s vital to provide vulnerable children and families with appropriate support at an early stage, yet recently there have been missed opportunities to provide effective and efficient early help.”
“We know that commitment to early help services is inconsistently translated into practice,” he explained. “Many frontline professionals have told us that they fear their ability to intervene will become even more difficult as spending cuts continue.”
“By intervening at the earliest possible stage and providing targeted support to children and parents, we can work to resolve issues before they become serious cases of child neglect or abuse,” he said. “This gives us the opportunity to protect vulnerable children and transform the lives of their families.”
