On 10 June the NSPCC issued a Press Release as to Child neglect concerns being the number one reason for adults reaching out to their Helpline, and they state, ‘We’re calling for neglect to be considered a ‘national emergency’ as well as a new amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to introduce a national neglect strategy’.
Giving more detail the NSPCC write:
“Last year we received almost 18,000 contacts from adults across the UK with concerns about child neglect – a quarter of all contacts to our Helpline.
41% of all contacts were serious enough to require a referral to local safeguarding agencies for additional support.
Our previous research has found that across healthcare, the police, children’s social care and education, over half (54%) said they’d seen an increase in neglect cases during their professional life with 90% saying they believed the rising cost of living and poverty rates was a driving factor”.
Calling for a Neglect National Strategy, the NSPCC wrote:
“Neglect can impact a child’s physical and mental health, hold back their development and disrupt their ability to form secure relationships, which is why it’s so essential families get the support they need early to prevent this harm.
This new Helpline data has been published ahead of a new amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill this week by Baroness Tyler and Baroness Walmsley.
The peers are due to put forward an amendment that would require Government to introduce a national neglect strategy and improved guidance for better tackling neglect.
We’re particularly concerned about the pervasive nature of neglect, as many children go without the support they need to tackle this form of child abuse.
In fact, neglect is the only form of child maltreatment which is defined by its persistence, meaning there is expectation that it must continue for a time before intervention.
When neglect is the primary form of maltreatment it may not necessarily be an individual incident that meets the threshold for serious harm. Instead, it’s often a patchwork of concerning lower-level reports built up over time to form a picture of cumulative harm.
Professionals have previously told us that it can be difficult to assess the point at which thresholds are met, meaning neglect can persist and cause further harm and risk to children.
We’re calling on the Government to treat neglect as an urgent, national emergency and are supporting this new amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
We believe that a national strategy should include the following:
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- information about what neglect looks like and the sharing of local and national best practice in dealing with it
- further upskilling for professionals around neglect as a priority, including a national neglect awareness campaign
- a commitment to looking at the definition of neglect within the working together guidance to remove the word ‘persistent’
- how much money should be put towards dealing with this issue”.
Chris Sherwood, Chief Executive at the NSPCC, said:
“It is profoundly concerning that, in 2025, so many children across the UK continue to suffer from neglect. Unless the Government takes urgent action to address this crisis, children’s opportunities to thrive will continue to be blighted by the devastating consequences of neglect.
Our Helpline staff hear from thousands of adults every year with widely ranging concerns. The fact that a quarter of those have been about child neglect sadly confirms our view that this is a deeply entrenched problem.
The Government must take this moment with the Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill to recognise this as a national emergency and commit to building a neglect strategy that ensures families get support before it causes irreversible harm.”
For the full NSPCC Press Release see here.
Original reporting by Family Law Week