Public must intervene in cases where children appear at risk

Phoning the social work department or a children’s charity because a child is dirty or never appears to have any friends seems like the act of an interfering busybody.

But what if these are the early indications of serious neglect that can lead to abuse?

The reality is that a child of eight can spot the signs that children are not being properly cared for.

A survey by Action for Children has found that children between the ages of eight and 12 could identify classmates who regularly missed school, turned up dirty or in clothes that were the wrong size or did not get regular meals at home. The survey was limited to 250 children so care must be taken when extrapolating from the figures. . Nevertheless, official Scottish Government statistics show that the number of children being referred for help on child protection grounds increased by 6% in 2009-10. Sexual abuse cases were up by 12%, and emotional abuse by 4%. Irrespective of whether the increase in referrals resulted from a greater willingness to report or because more families are struggling as a result of the recession, it amounts to 13,523 children in Scotland causing concern.

At a time of swingeing cuts, it is a reminder of the potentially dangerous consequences of reducing public services. The high-profile deaths of Baby P in London and Brandon Muir in Dundee, who had both been neglected and abused, prompted an increase in reports from members of the public. If vulnerable children are to be protected, that attitude must become the norm.

When resources are spread thinly it becomes more vital than ever that they are properly co-ordinated. The long roll-call of children whose lives were cut short by inadequate, neglectful or deliberately abusive parents is a grim litany of the failure to communicate as much as failure to act. Important progress is being made, however. In Glasgow, pilot schemes in areas with severe problems have run workshops to help parents to set limits for children and cope with difficulties. In Renfrewshire an advertising campaign asking the public to alert the authorities to children at risk plus a child- protection committee with an independent chairman has gained the authority excellent ratings for its child protection strategy and training.

With recent research showing that children’s life chances in the UK are established by the age of five, early intervention is the key to preventing years of unhappiness and future generations with equally blighted lives.

As budgets are squeezed, services for young children must remain a priority, as must effective lines of communication across schools, social work departments, the health service and children’s charities. But equally vital is a public willingness to intervene.