In 2021/22 the NSPCC’s Helpline for adults made 337 referrals about abuse and neglect to agencies in Northern Ireland such as the PSNI and social services – an average of almost one referral each day.
The most common reason for the charity’s practitioners to escalate their concerns to agencies in NI was neglect, with 132 referrals being made for further investigation.
The NSPCC Helpline receives contacts from the public and professionals who have safeguarding fears about a child. The charity will refer these on to statutory agencies when serious enough to do so, whilst offering advice and assistance in all cases.
The NSPCC is also releasing analysis which estimates that half a million children a year suffer abuse in the UK. That means seven children in a classroom experience abuse before they turn 18.
This comes as the NPSCC launches Childhood Day, the charity’s flagship day of fundraising and action that brings everyone in the UK together to protect children.
The charity says everyone has a responsibility to keep children safe from abuse and neglect, including logging any concerns about a child and contacting the charity if and when they are unsure, Governments across the UK prioritising child protection at a national level and a rallying call for everyone across the UK to unite on the 10 June for Childhood Day, to raise money and awareness for the NSPCC.
Whether it’s by fundraising, donating, volunteering at a collection, or taking action, the NSPCC is asking people to play their part to help keep children safe from abuse. The charity is encouraging people to ‘search ‘Childhood Day’ to find out more.
Emma Frost was abused as a child. She wishes someone spoke out on her behalf and is calling on everyone to support the NSPCC’s Childhood Day, so that the charity can continue to take vital calls via the Helpline. She says:
“I was the eldest of seven siblings and grew up in a chaotic household. I was subjected to emotional and physical torment and made to believe that I was saying, thinking and doing things I wasn’t. I spent four years in care. My father abused me from a young age and in 2011, he was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. I wish someone, at some point, had picked up the phone and called the NSPCC Helpline. I would have got the right help a lot earlier and it wouldn’t have done as much damage.
“The NSPCC is just as important now as it was when I was a little girl. Whatever else is going on, it’s vital we all play our part for children suffering abuse.”
Bronagh Muldoon, head of services for NSPCC Northern Ireland, said:
“At the NSPCC, we are acutely aware of the pressures the children’s social care system in Northern Ireland is currently under, with reports from across the five Health and Social Care Trusts of high numbers of staff vacancies and unallocated cases. Even before Covid-19 hit the country, children’s social care was facing extreme pressures and the impact of the pandemic has placed additional pressure on a system that is approaching crisis point.
“The Independent Review of the Children’s Social Care system in Northern Ireland, which commenced in February this year, presents a golden opportunity to address failings identified in the system and to strengthen it to ensure that it is robust enough to respond to the needs of vulnerable children and young people in Northern Ireland and secure better lifetime opportunities for them.
“We also know that communities can play a big part in protecting children, where thousands of individuals come together in doing what’s right. That’s why we created Childhood Day – a day that brings everyone in Northern Ireland and across the rest of the UK together to emphasise why child protection is a top priority.”
At the start of next month, the NSPCC will launch its Childhood Day TV Appeal. The advert, which will go out on TV from the 2nd May, sees a member of the public contact the NSPCC helpline with concerns about a three-year-old boy who is experiencing physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his mother.
A voiceover from actor and NSPCC ambassador for Childline Natalie Dormer says: “This Childhood Day, help us keep answering the calls that can stop abuse. Search NSPCC to donate £20 now.”
The NSPCC is urging anyone with concerns about a child, even if they’re unsure, to contact the NSPCC helpline to speak to one of the charity’s professionals. People can call 0808 800 5000, email help@nspcc.org.uk or fill in the online form.
