Police made an average of 669 child protection referrals to social services every day last year because of incidents of domestic abuse across England and Wales, a new analysis has disclosed.
The NSPCC has found that data from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) shows there were 244,197 referrals in 2020/21, an 8% increase from the previous year.
The findings come as Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister and lord chancellor, has been urged by charities to ensure all child victims of domestic abuse have access to specialist, therapeutic services in the community to support their recovery. A consultation on the victims’ bill, which aims to improve the government’s response to the victims of crime, is due to close on 3 February.
Police have warned that during the pandemic, many children were trapped in homes experiencing abuse and largely cut off from vital support networks during lockdowns.
Several shocking cases were reported where toddlers and young children were killed despite social services being informed that they were in danger.
Details emerged in December of the murder of six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes from Solihull, West Midlands, who was poisoned, starved and beaten during a campaign of abuse by his stepmother and father. Social workers, notified of bruising to the boy, found “no safeguarding concerns” despite visiting him two months before he was murdered.
In the same month, a public outcry followed the case of Star Hobson, a 16-month-old who was murdered by her mother’s partner after months of “neglect, cruelty and injury” and despite five referrals from concerned family members to social services.
Last week marked the start of children being officially recognised as victims of domestic abuse as part of the Domestic Abuse Act. The NSPCC hopes this will make it more likely that their needs are considered by professionals on the frontline such as social workers and police.
The change to the law came after campaigning by charities to reflect the impact experiencing domestic abuse can have on children.
The NSPCC said it can decimate a child’s confidence and sense of security and can have a devastating impact on their emotional wellbeing and mental health.
Local authorities currently have a statutory duty to provide accommodation-based support services, such as refuges, when families and their children need to leave their homes to escape domestic abuse.
But they do not have the same requirement to provide specialist, therapeutic services in the community for victims who remain at home after suffering domestic abuse.
Provision of support is already patchy across the country, and without a legal obligation this could dwindle further in the future with cash-strapped councils diverting more resources to accommodation-based services despite the majority of victims using community-based services.
Anna Edmundson, NSPCC head of policy and public affairs, said: “Domestic abuse can derail a childhood and it is unacceptable that support to recover remains patchy across the country, and what is available risks being axed by cash-strapped councils.
“We urge Dominic Raab to use the ‘victim’s law’ to address this and ensure young victims of domestic abuse have easy access to professional services within their community so they can rebuild their lives no matter where they live.”
A government spokesperson said: “We are determined to deliver the support that victims of all ages need and through our victims’ law consultation we will ensure no one is left to suffer alone.
“We are also investing £150m in support services and spending £3m this year on specialist help for children who experience domestic abuse, providing practical assistance every step of the way.”
