The government must invest in early years services to better protect babies and young children
- Last year, our Helpline referred 11,465 children aged 5 and under to local agencies like the police and social services because of abuse and neglect.
- This is the equivalent to more than 30 babies and young children each day.
- The government needs to invest in early years support to better protect babies and young children.
Our records show that last year, 40% of all referrals to local services like the police and children’s social care from our Helpline were for children aged 5 and under.
The most common concern about these children was neglect. Last year, over 5,000 children aged 5 and under were referred because their basic needs were not being met, leading to fears for their safety.
As part of these neglect concerns, the most common worries were about adult alcohol and drug misuse, and young children being left alone or unsupervised.
The second biggest concern was physical abuse. Our records mention children being smacked, hit, punched, kicked, physically punished, and having non-accidental injuries. This abuse resulted in 2,344 referrals for children aged 5 and under last year.
Before reaching school age, children are the least likely to be visible to professionals who can work to keep them safe.
Government data shows that children aged 5 and under are particularly vulnerable to serious cases of abuse and neglect. In the past year, almost 200 children aged 5 and under died or were seriously harmed in England, representing almost half (48%) of all serious cases.
As parliament gets back to work, the government needs to make sure that early years services - such as health visitors and statutory safeguarding partners - are well resourced and able to work effectively.
