Children are ‘hidden victims of coronavirus crisis’

• More than 480 referrals made by the NSPCC helpline to Scottish agencies in three months following lockdown
• Parental behaviour, neglect and physical and emotional abuse were the top concerns of adults contacting the helpline
• Charity calls on Scottish Government to explain in detail how it will aid children’s physical and mental recovery from abuse and trauma suffered during the lockdown

A 40% increase in referrals made to police and local authorities in Scotland by the NSPCC helpline during lockdown highlights how children have been the hidden victims of the coronavirus crisis.

NSPCC Scotland reveals that in April, May and June the helpline made a monthly average of 161 referrals compared to an average of 114 in the three months prior to lockdown.

Last month, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister John Swinney announced plans for young people to return to school fulltime in August, and the NSPCC is today urging the Scottish Government to ensure the recovery plan addresses the full range of children’s needs. This includes ensuring schools are ready to help all children who need it – particularly those who may have suffered abuse, neglect or other traumatic experiences during the lockdown – and investing in children’s social care.

During the past three months, the helpline has heard from more than 22,000 adults across the UK concerned about the wellbeing of a child. 

This is an increase of almost a third (32%) on the monthly average for the three months prior to lockdown, with May seeing 8,287 contacts – the highest number ever made to the adult helpline in a single month on record.

During lockdown, the main issues confronting NSPCC child safety experts were parental behaviour, physical and emotional abuse and neglect.

Around 40% of the total contacts received were referred on to local authorities or the police for further action.

One adult who spoke to the NSPCC helpline during the lockdown said: “I’ve become increasingly disturbed by the noises coming from one of one my neighbours – it’s been getting worse since the lockdown. I can hear the mother shouting and swearing at her two little ones, it sounds vengeful and aggressive.

“Sometimes the mother locks her kids out in the front garden as punishment – last time this happened the youngest was crying hysterically for half an hour, it was awful. Is there anything you can do?”

These figures released by the charity today back up the findings of a research report it recently published – ‘Social Isolation and the risk of child maltreatment in the lockdown and beyond’ –  which underlines how increasing parental and family stress, reductions in protective services and the intensification of pressures on children’s emotional wellbeing caused by lockdown can increase the risk of abuse and neglect.

These traumatic experiences can have a devastating impact on children’s health and wellbeing and can stop children from learning, with the long-term effects following them into adulthood.

However, with the right support young people can recover and be helped to move on with their lives.

Now the charity is calling on the Scottish Government to urgently commit to a children’s recovery plan which sets out how it will:

• Deliver the long-term investment in children’s services that is needed to provide high quality preventative and therapeutic services for children in every part of the country;
• Invest in rebuilding support for families with babies and young children who have missed out on the normal support from health visitors during the lockdown;
• Support multi-agency partnerships of the local authority, NHS and police to work with schools to review support for children known to the designated child protection lead, and identify those who continue to miss class with a plan to understand and address any barriers to a child’s school attendance;
• Ensure schools are ready to help all children who need it – particularly those who may have suffered abuse, neglect or other traumatic experiences during the lockdown. Schools must be equipped to recognise and respond sensitively to children who have experienced physical or mental harm, trauma or adverse experiences when they return to the classroom. This includes putting in place support for teachers to enable them to support children confidently, including training on child development science and how trauma can manifest in behavioural problems or poor emotional regulation.
• Support recovery services across health, education and social care, including through the provision of additional investment, to develop a coordinated plan to respond to what is likely to be an increase in need for therapeutic services.

Matt Forde, NSPCC Scotland head of service, said: “The increase in referrals from our helpline during the lockdown highlights how some families have been driven to crisis point and the home has become an increasingly unsafe place for some children.

“It is vital that children are now supported to help them recover from any mental and physical harm that many will have suffered these past few months.

“Government’s role is crucial, and it must put in place a detailed recovery plan that makes sure children and young people can receive the expert help they need if they have had difficult or damaging experiences.

“Putting children at the heart of recovery planning and taking this action quickly will mean the crisis of the last three months does not scar the childhoods of a whole generation.”