NSPCC child abuse claims rise 37% in one year

The NSPCC has reported that calls to its helpline about suspected child abuse and neglect surged by 37% in the last year.

The charity said that its counsellors working on the 24-hour helpline had referred 16,385 serious cases to police or social services in the twelve months to March 2011.

The figures represent the biggest annual increase in referrals so far recorded, the NSPCC said. Almost half (46%) of those who contacted the helpline were reporting concerns that required passing on to the authorities, up from 39% the previous year.

The biggest increase in referrals last year was for neglect, which jumped 81% to 6,438 cases. The NSPCC also referred 4,113 cases of reported physical abuse, 1,520 cases of sexual abuse and 2,932 cases of emotional abuse.
John Cameron, head of the NSPCC Helpline, said: "We must pick up on children's problems as early as we can to stop their abuse. Social workers cannot be in the community all the time. But members of the public can be their eyes and ears.

"The NSPCC Helpline provides advice and counselling to people who have concerns about a child. It also brings abused and neglected children to the attention of local agencies and act as a gateway to local services.

"The increase in referrals over the last year shows more people want to play their part in keeping children safe. We refer only the most serious cases to local agencies for further investigation. More than one in three of these cases involve families previously unknown to local authorities."