Calls for government neglect strategy as charity warns of ‘national emergency’

A charity is warning of a growing ‘national emergency’ of neglect, calling for a new amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to introduce a national neglect strategy.

Between April 2024 and March 2025, NSPCC’s Helpline handled 17,734 child welfare contacts from across the UK where neglect was the greatest risk – accounting for a quarter of all contacts received over the past year.

Adults who got in touch spoke about witnessing children not having access to food, safe shelter, clothing, shoes, being left home alone and not having their emotional and physical needs met, with 41% of contacts deemed serious enough to require a referral to local safeguarding agencies for additional support.

Financial difficulty, a lack of access to essential services, insecure housing and other challenges can create an environment where a child's needs can't be met. When families don't receive the support they need to relieve that pressure and address emerging concerns, significant risks to children often follow.

The new Helpline data has been published ahead of a new amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill by Baroness Tyler and Baroness Walmsley – putting forward an amendment that would require Government to introduce a national neglect strategy and improved guidance for better tackling neglect.

The charity says that the national strategy could share best practice locally and nationally, and ‘upskill’ professionals around treating neglect as a priority, alongside a national neglect awareness campaign.

Chris Sherwood, Chief Executive at the NSPCC, said it was ‘profoundly concerning’ that so many children across the UK continue to suffer from neglect.

“Unless the Government takes urgent action to address this crisis, children’s opportunities to thrive will continue to be blighted by the devastating consequences of neglect.

“Our Helpline staff hear from thousands of adults every year with widely ranging concerns. The fact that a quarter of those have been about child neglect sadly confirms our view that this is a deeply entrenched problem.

“The Government must take this moment with the Children's Wellbeing & Schools Bill to recognise this as a national emergency and commit to building a neglect strategy that ensures families get support before it causes irreversible harm.”

Previous research has found that across healthcare, the police, children’s social care and education, over half (54%) of professionals surveyed said they’d seen an increase in neglect cases during their working life with 90% saying they believed the rising cost of living and poverty rates was a driving factor.