Holidays mean hard choices for carers

Although the number of youngsters being referred by children’s charity NSPCC Scotland is relatively low, there are fears it could be the tip of a potentially deadly iceberg.

A total of 33 cases in Dundee, Fife and Angus were passed on by the charity last year, almost double the figure for the year before.

The charity has not revealed exactly why concerns were raised but it is not hard to imagine why it has brought to light the worrying scale of the problem.

It must be borne in mind that these are only the instances which members of the public have seen fit to bring to the charity’s attention – it is not everyone who wants to get involved in another person’s domestic arrangements and it cannot be determined how many incidents go unreported.

As the effects of austerity continue to be felt across Tayside and Fife, it is hard to see how this worrying trend can be halted, especially if parents and carers are being forced to choose between working and staying at home to look after their children.

Childcare can be prohibitively expensive and the issue is particularly keen during the long summer school holidays.

Overstretched authorities cannot be expected to detect and prevent every pinch point so it is incumbent on friends and neighbours to raise the alarm where necessary.

And it will rarely be malice which sees children placed at risk – often a helping hand is all that is needed.