Action for Children responds to a record rise in contacts to the NSPCC's Helpline about children impacted by domestic abuse during lockdown

Head of policy and research at Action for Children, Eleanor Briggs, said:

“This alarming new evidence shows that for thousands of children exposed to horrifying physical and psychological abuse under lockdown, the ‘stay at home’ message sadly did not mean ‘stay safe’.

“The lockdown’s impact on our most vulnerable children trapped behind closed doors shows just how vital it is the Government gets this Bill right and recognises them as innocent victims, not just witnesses. Throughout the crisis our frontline workers have been carrying out doorstop visits at a safe distance to give us eyes on families we know are at risk, but what these children desperately need in the long term are the right laws to keep them safe. 

“We urgently need to grasp the once-in-a-generation chance this Bill gives us to shape how society protects and helps children at risk and out of sight, to give them the chance of a safe and happy childhood. Children have to be at the heart of it, along with real investment in specialist services and fresh thinking on how we tackle our wider childhood crisis with a National Childhood Strategy.”