The NSPCC will be responding to thousands of child protection concerns during the Christmas countdown and right through the festive period.
Last December the charity’s Helpline received 5,384 contacts from an adult with concerns about a child, with three quarters of these being about emotional, physical and sexual abuse (including online) and neglect.
Around a third of these contacts came from parents or carers and a fifth from neighbours.
In London, the Helpline sent almost 260 referrals to local authorities or emergency services last December, and over 240 of these were related to concerns about abuse.
The Helpline was just as busy across the 12 Days of Christmas – December 24 to January 4 – dealing with almost 2,000 child welfare contacts sent via email and shared over the phone from across the UK.
Nationally, one in six (17%) contacts over the 12 Days of Christmas were deemed so serious that NSPCC practitioners made referrals to the local authorities or emergency services for further attention and action.
A carer told the NSPCC Helpline “I’m calling about the family next door. It’s just the parents and their child who’s around 3 or 4. I can hear them shouting and screaming such awful things at the child, and at each other, pretty much every day. It seems like it’s been getting worse over Christmas. This is no place to raise a child. Is there anything you can do to help?”
The NSPCC Helpline is a dedicated service which helps adults with concerns about children. These can be related to a child’s safety and wellbeing or for adults seeking guidance and support on issues that affect young people.
Child protection specialists are on hand to advise and can, if necessary, refer the concern to a different organisation.
Children are also directly contacting the charity about a range of issues, with Childline delivering over 2,700 counselling sessions related to abuse across the winter period.
A child, aged 13 told the service, “I’m scared of visiting my mum on Christmas. She and her sisters call me names and yell at me. They told me I won’t get any presents because of how I behaved this year, but all my siblings will. It’s so unfair!”
In response the NSPCC is running a hard-hitting campaign shining a light on how, for some children, Christmas is the most dangerous time of year. The campaign advert, now showing on TV and running across radio, is inspired by the true story of a woman who was abused by her father.
Lived Experience Advocate, Sarah, who inspired the Christmas advert, said: Christmas Day used to be so special to me, I used to love dressing up in nice dresses and jewellery, then one day I never wanted to dress up again as my father assaulted me while wearing a new skirt.
“He would use the festive period as another way to exert power over me and manipulate me. He would make me ‘earn’ my presents each year, which he often ended up selling when he ran out of money.
“I was nine when I first called Childline to disclose my abuse and ended up speaking to a wonderful counsellor who made me feel listened to and safe These conversations encouraged me to seek further support and, eventually, my father was convicted of his crimes against me.
“This Christmas, I would urge every child to speak out if something doesn’t feel right. Childline is here for every child who has a concern and they don’t know where to turn to.”
Kam Thandi, Helpline Director, said: “Our Helpline figures reveal how thousands of adults are reaching out to us with concerns about children’s safety as we move through December and into the festive period.
“We know that Christmas can place extra pressures on people with financial strains, increased alcohol consumption, families spending more time together in close quarters all contributing to situations where children are at risk. Behind every one of the contacts we receive throughout December is an adult who cared enough to speak up, and in many cases, that call has led to vital interventions to protect a child.
“While the NSPCC Helpline is there for adults, our Childline service is also available to all children to talk about their concerns. Trained counsellors are here 24/7, including throughout the festive period, to listen to young people’s concerns and provide advice.”
This Christmas, Childline is reminding young people that it is there for them 24/7 via the phone on 0800 1111 and online through the 121 chat on the Childline website.
