Reports to NSPCC helpline of physical punishment of children triple in year

One in 10 of the 1,451 calls mentioning physical punishment to the NSPCC helpline in the year to March 2024 were from children. Photograph: MBI/Alamy

Concerns raised to the NSPCC helpline about children being physically punished have more than tripled in a year, the charity has said.

Helpline staff heard about children being hit, slapped and shaken, with 45% of the concerns raised requiring a referral to social services, the police or other agencies.