Residents and key workers urged to look out for child abuse and neglect during Covid lockdown

Police and partners are urging people to report signs of child abuse and neglect during the Covid lockdown and are calling on local communities and key workers to be alert to any children they see who they think may be at risk.

Safeguarding professionals are concerned some children and young people are more vulnerable while isolating in their homes and that abuse and neglect may go unseen. This is more important than ever as abuse is often seen or reported through schools and social or sports clubs but with these being temporarily closed, there is a need for even greater vigilance.

Chief Inspector Dave Lawson, the head of Child Protection at Northamptonshire Police, said: “We all have a duty to look out for abuse and neglect but with the country in lockdown, some groups of workers are in a position to look out for children as they go about their work – these include key workers like frontline medical staff, pharmacists, teachers, supermarket workers and delivery drivers.

“Now more than ever, we need to work together as a community to be the eyes and ears for children who are otherwise unable to speak up. If anybody sees, hears or is told anything about an issue relating to the well-being of a child or young person, I urge them to pick up the phone or use one of the various online reporting mechanisms so we can act quickly alongside our partners to ensure the child is safeguarded.”

Councillor Fiona Baker, Cabinet Member for Children, families and education, said:

“Safeguarding children in Northamptonshire is vital during these uncertain and worrying times which is why we are calling on the community to be vigilant, curious and proactive in trying to identify hidden harm as early as possible.

“Our Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is fully operational and prepared to deal with concerns and issues relating to the welfare of a child and would encourage anyone who is worried about the well-being of a child to report it to the MASH on 0300 126 1000.”

A spokesperson from Northamptonshire County Council said:

“Like the rest of the country we have seen a decrease in the volume of contacts to children's social care. In the most recent weeks, the number of children attending school has reduced, which accounts for a significant proportion of the decrease as school referrals into the MASH have decreased.

“Safeguarding partners are concerned about the ‘hidden harm’ to children and young people during this time of lockdown. We know that some children are more vulnerable than before during the Covid-19 crisis, both because they are not receiving the same level of contact with professionals and because for some the impact of lockdown with their family will increase risk factors for them.

“A strategic approach has been agreed by the Safeguarding Partnership. This supports agencies to be proactive and share responsibility for identifying risk and harm that may currently be hidden and to support our most vulnerable children and young people. The Safeguarding Partnership are working together to maximise resource and have established locality and countywide multidisciplinary teams to co-ordinate the safeguarding support to the children we are most concerned about.

“Safeguarding children remains a priority during these exceptional times. We continue to ask the community to be vigilant, curious and proactive in trying to identify hidden harm as early as possible.”

Signs of abuse or neglect may include the following:

• Aggressive or repeated shouting
• Hearing hitting or things being broken
• Children crying for long periods of time
• Very young children left alone or are outdoors by themselves
• Children looking dirty or not changing their clothes
• Children being withdrawn or anxious

These signs don't necessarily mean that a child is being abused - there could be other things happening in their life which are affecting their behaviour, but by reporting them, professionals can quickly assess the situation.

Ways to report

Report a concern at http://www.northamptonshirescb.org.uk/worried-about-a-child-/

Report concerns to the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 0300 126 1000.

Call police on 101 or if you have any concerns a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

If you're worried about a child, even if you're unsure, you can contact the NSPCC helpline to speak to one of their counsellors. Call them on 0808 800 5000, email [email protected] or fill in our online form.

Police and partners are urging people to report signs of child abuse and neglect during the Covid lockdown and are calling on local communities and key workers to be alert to any children they see who they think may be at risk.

Safeguarding professionals are concerned some children and young people are more vulnerable while isolating in their homes and that abuse and neglect may go unseen. This is more important than ever as abuse is often seen or reported through schools and social or sports clubs but with these being temporarily closed, there is a need for even greater vigilance.

Chief Inspector Dave Lawson, the head of Child Protection at Northamptonshire Police, said: “We all have a duty to look out for abuse and neglect but with the country in lockdown, some groups of workers are in a position to look out for children as they go about their work – these include key workers like frontline medical staff, pharmacists, teachers, supermarket workers and delivery drivers.

“Now more than ever, we need to work together as a community to be the eyes and ears for children who are otherwise unable to speak up. If anybody sees, hears or is told anything about an issue relating to the well-being of a child or young person, I urge them to pick up the phone or use one of the various online reporting mechanisms so we can act quickly alongside our partners to ensure the child is safeguarded.”

Councillor Fiona Baker, Cabinet Member for Children, families and education, said:

“Safeguarding children in Northamptonshire is vital during these uncertain and worrying times which is why we are calling on the community to be vigilant, curious and proactive in trying to identify hidden harm as early as possible.

“Our Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is fully operational and prepared to deal with concerns and issues relating to the welfare of a child and would encourage anyone who is worried about the well-being of a child to report it to the MASH on 0300 126 1000.”

A spokesperson from Northamptonshire County Council said:

“Like the rest of the country we have seen a decrease in the volume of contacts to children's social care. In the most recent weeks, the number of children attending school has reduced, which accounts for a significant proportion of the decrease as school referrals into the MASH have decreased.

“Safeguarding partners are concerned about the ‘hidden harm’ to children and young people during this time of lockdown. We know that some children are more vulnerable than before during the Covid-19 crisis, both because they are not receiving the same level of contact with professionals and because for some the impact of lockdown with their family will increase risk factors for them.

“A strategic approach has been agreed by the Safeguarding Partnership. This supports agencies to be proactive and share responsibility for identifying risk and harm that may currently be hidden and to support our most vulnerable children and young people. The Safeguarding Partnership are working together to maximise resource and have established locality and countywide multidisciplinary teams to co-ordinate the safeguarding support to the children we are most concerned about.

“Safeguarding children remains a priority during these exceptional times. We continue to ask the community to be vigilant, curious and proactive in trying to identify hidden harm as early as possible.”

Signs of abuse or neglect may include the following:

• Aggressive or repeated shouting
• Hearing hitting or things being broken
• Children crying for long periods of time
• Very young children left alone or are outdoors by themselves
• Children looking dirty or not changing their clothes
• Children being withdrawn or anxious

These signs don't necessarily mean that a child is being abused - there could be other things happening in their life which are affecting their behaviour, but by reporting them, professionals can quickly assess the situation.

Ways to report

Report a concern at http://www.northamptonshirescb.org.uk/worried-about-a-child-/

Report concerns to the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 0300 126 1000.

Call police on 101 or if you have any concerns a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

If you're worried about a child, even if you're unsure, you can contact the NSPCC helpline to speak to one of their counsellors. Call them on 0808 800 5000, email [email protected] or fill in their online form.