Sir Peter Wanless

The helpline service received nearly 85,000 contacts from April 2020 to March 2021, a 23 per cent increase on the previous year.

Of these calls, 47 per cent led to a referral to an external agency, such as the police or children’s services.

The top concerns reported to the helpline were:

• adult health and behaviour (including worries about parental alcohol and substance misuse, domestic abuse and parental mental health), which increased 42 per cent to more than 20,400 contacts
• neglect, which increased 15 per cent to more than 12,800 contacts
• physical abuse, which increased 18 per cent to more than 12,600 contacts
• emotional abuse, which increased 40 per cent to more than 11,600 contacts.

Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC CEO, said: “We’ve been hearing first-hand about the immense pressures families have faced during the pandemic and the heavy toll that has taken on children and young people. For some children, this has included experiencing abuse, bereavement and other harm.

“The record number of contacts to our helpline reinforces the need for Governments across the UK to put children at the heart of their recovery plans. These must go beyond education and address the harm some have experienced so the pandemic doesn’t leave a legacy of trauma for children.

But this isn’t just a job for our governments. Everyone has to play their part in keeping children safe. And that’s why we’re planning Childhood Day on 11 June when we’ll celebrate childhood and encourage people to get involved in making sure all children grow up happy and safe.”