Child neglect cases in Shropshire reach record levels

The NSPCC says that in Shropshire the figure has increased by 29 per cent, while in Telford & Wrekin there has been a 61 per cent increase.

In the period 2016/17, the NSPCC Helpline dealt with 79 reports in Shropshire following calls or emails from concerned adults – the highest number the charity has ever had to handle for the local authority area – up from 61 five years ago.

And in Telford & Wrekin, the NSPCC Helpline dealt with 71 reports following calls or emails – up from 44 five years ago. All the cases were referred to police and social services for action.

UK-wide, the NSPCC Helpline made 16,882 referrals to children’s services or the police in the same period – equivalent to 46 a day – and many cases involved children under five.

Child neglect was mentioned in more than a quarter of all UK calls to the NSPCC Helpline in the last year. This rise shows that more people are willing to speak up about the issue.

Neglect happens when a child’s needs aren’t met and is down to several reasons; they range from parents not having the skills, support or funds, to having mental health issues.

A growing number of people contacting the NSPCC Helpline also described parents as having a problem with alcohol and drugs, with some of them regularly leaving their children unsupervised so they could go drinking with friends

These latest figures on neglect cases have been revealed in the NSPCC’s state of the nation report, How Safe are our Children?, and comes as children's social care in England face unprecedented pressures, with more young people being taken into care, and more families needing support.

However, the NSPCC believes the full scale of the problem could be much greater and is urging the Government to commission a nationwide study that measures the extent of child neglect and abuse in the UK.

Sandra McNair, NSPCC head of service for the Midlands, said: "It is vital we understand the true nature and scale of child neglect in the UK so we can collectively tackle the fundamental causes. Therefore, a Government commissioned, nationwide prevalence study on child abuse and neglect needs to be conducted, and sooner rather than later.”