How can we help vulnerable people through this crisis?

As the lockdown continues across the country, experts are worried that children who are at risk of abuse and neglect will go unnoticed – with catastrophic consequences…

I HATE TO THINK OF A CHILD DYING BUT I’M FEARFUL THAT IT WILL HAPPEN

In a normal week, social worker Antonia Field* deals with hundreds of calls from teachers and other adults who are concerned about a child’s well-being. However, since the coronavirus crisis, these calls have halved.

Worryingly, she’s only too aware that the number of children who might be being neglected or abused won’t have diminished – it’s just that they’re slipping through the net.

TELL-TALE SIGNS

Antonia, 35, who’s been a social worker for eight years, says, “One of our biggest problems is that usually teachers are the first to pick up on signs of neglect and abuse. It may be that they notice the child is particularly hungry – indicating that they’re not being fed properly at home – or the child will tell them about abuse, or tell a friend who in turn tells the teacher. Now that children aren’t at school indefinitely, it really worries me who’s going to notice those tell-tale signs.

“The other problem is that we can’t do anything about many of the calls we are getting. A few days ago, we had a call from a mum whose children were with her ex-husband. She was frightened, as he’d turned to alcohol to cope with anxiety over lockdown and catching the coronavirus and she was worried he’d neglect them, forgetting to feed them. But as they weren’t at immediate risk, we just had to write a note at the end of the case report saying it would be dealt with after the current crisis. That family needs help and they can’t access it. I’m terrified that there will be catastrophic consequences for those children and so many others like them.”

Antonia is particularly concerned that children who are already on the “at risk” register may be in danger.

She explains, “Some families are refusing us entry to their property, saying they’ve got symptoms of coronavirus, which means we can’t carry out our normal checks. We can do online meetings, but they aren’t the same – you can’t get a feel for what’s really going on. Our hands are tied and it goes against every fibre of my being that we can’t help. I’m frightened – I hate to think of a child dying, but I’m fearful that it will happen.

“I implore extended families and neighbours to keep an eye out for children they think might be suffering, and to report it. If they are seriously at risk, you may be helping to save a child’s life.”

And Antonia is painfully aware that an already volatile home life could become much worse.

She says, “I believe the extra stress and strain that the coronavirus is putting on everyone will tip many people who were struggling with parenting anyway over the edge. It might be that they self-medicate with drugs or alcohol, and that worsens as they can’t access the services to help them, or that they’re suffering from depression and anxiety and so they spend all day in bed. Either way, the child is neglected. And there is a risk of physical abuse, too. Having all the family at home together not working and desperately worried about money might mean the home becomes a very dangerous place for a child.”

Concerns about money are a huge issue, as some families will struggle to feed their families if they’ve been laid off from work. Safety nets such as foodbanks face difficulties too, with donations down by 25 per cent in some parts of the country.

DESPERATE

Louise Exton, head of the helpline development service at the NSPCC, echoes these concerns. She says, “Parents will have financial worries about job losses and how they will afford to feed their children, which adds a lot of stress to the situation.” She adds, “Families desperately need help. There are understandable and clear guidelines for the elderly and vulnerable, healthwise. But these children are at high risk and they need to be looked after just as much at this time. There is a risk that things may go badly wrong. I urge parents to call us if they need help.”

By Mel Fallowfield

● Sadly, home isn’t a safe place for every child, but the NSPCC is there for children who need them. Please visit Nspcc.org.uk to donate