The NSPCC says new figures show that child abuse image crimes increased by 25% in 2022-23. The national children’s charity obtained data from UK police forces which revealed that police recorded more than 33,000 child abuse image crimes last year. These included offences where images were collected and distributed. When comparing data to figures...
Parental alcohol misuse impacts more than 70,000 children
Thousands of children in England are struggling with the impacts of parental alcohol misuse, a national children’s charity has reported. Last year, Child in Need assessments identified 71,580 children as living with a parent who regularly and consistently misuses alcohol, and the NSPCC reports that its helpline regularly receives contacts about this issue. The...
NSPCC launches new campaign to tackle child sexual abuse
The NSPCC has launched a new campaign with the Home Office to tackle child sexual abuse after new data revealed that police recorded almost 87,000 sexual offences against children last year. The national children’s charity said that new research showed that child sexual abuse crimes had reached near-record levels during 2022-23, and they want...
Familial child sexual abuse to be probed by national review
A national safeguarding review has been launched into child sexual abuse within the family environment after a “concerning number” of cases. Safeguarding leaders launched the national review to examine cases in more depth and look at how practitioners and agencies could improve the identification, assessment and response to instances of child sexual abuse within...
Child cruelty offences have doubled in 5 years, says NSPCC
New data released by the NSPCC reveals that reported cases of child cruelty and neglect have doubled over the past 5 years. The data, obtained by the national children’s charity through a Freedom of Information Request to police forces in England, shows that there has been a 106% increase in recorded offences of adults...
Online Safety Bill marks ‘new era for children’s safety’
The landmark Online Safety Bill has finally been passed and will soon be made law, marking what the NSPCC describes as “a new era for children’s safety.” The ground-breaking and “essential” piece of legislation was recently passed following years of campaigning by parents, survivors, MPs and charities and is set to transform the online...
Sexual harassment of girls ‘widespread’ in schools
A group of MPs has called for a government-led strategy to engage boys in relationship and sex education, improve safeguarding and tackle sexual harassment of girls. The Women and Equalities Committee have published a report in which they describe sexual harassment of girls as “a scourge” in England’s schools and claim that it is...
Child sexual abuse victims lack access to specialist support
Analysis conducted by the NSPCC reveals that most victims of child sexual abuse will struggle to access specialist support, as 77% of local authorities do not offer it. The national children’s charity found that less than a quarter (23%) of local authorities in Britain offer specialist, dedicated support – in the form of independent...
9 in 10 teachers report rise in safeguarding concerns
New data from the NSPCC reveals that more than 9 in 10 (93%) teachers have observed an increase in child safeguarding concerns within their schools. The national children’s charity worked with teaching union NASUWT to survey 8,329 teachers and senior leaders across the UK. They found that 93% of respondents had seen an increase...
Child safeguarding needs major overhaul after failings
A safeguarding review panel has made nine recommendations designed to overhaul child safeguarding practices following an inquiry into abuse across three services. The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel have called for Councils to take on a bigger role in monitoring residential settings in their areas to tackle failings in safeguarding children with disabilities and...
NSPCC: online child abuse risks becoming ‘normalised’
The NSPCC has called for effective action to be written into the Online Safety Bill as “alarming” new data reveals a 66% increase in child abuse image offences recorded by UK police forces in the past 5 years. Data obtained from a Freedom of Information Request (FOIR) has revealed that over 30,000 crimes involving...
NSPCC: Online child abuse crimes have risen by almost 80%
The NSPCC is calling for the upcoming Online Safety Bill to be strengthened to “prioritise children” after figures show that online abuse crimes have surged by 78% over the last 4 years. The national children’s charity says that an analysis of police reports reveals that the number of children being sexually abused online has...
New helpline for abuse in education receives hundreds of calls
The NSPCC’s new independently run Report Abuse in Education helpline has received hundreds of calls since it was launched on 1st April this year. Commissioned by the Department for Education, the helpline was set up by the national children’s charity after thousands of testimonies alleging child sexual abuse and harassment in schools were posted...
Childline counsels 90,000 children during pandemic
The NSPCC’s confidential helpline, Childline, delivered nearly 90,000 counselling sessions for young people worried about mental health or abuse during the Covid-19 pandemic. The national children’s charity said they had grown increasingly concerned about the “huge toll” the pandemic has had on young people. Data from Childline for the period 1st April 2020 until...
Public support strict laws to protect children online
A survey commissioned by the NSPCC has found that 90% of adults support the introduction of tougher laws to protect children from online abuse. The YouGov poll questioned more than 2,000 adults and found that the vast majority backed new laws aimed at keeping children safe on social media, with 9 in 10 agreeing...