15% increase in calls to NSPCC Scotland

Child abuse charity NSPCC said calls to its helpline rose 15% last year, with more than 50,000 people seeking help.

The organisation said it had witnessed an increase in the willingness of adults to share concern about a child in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal and other high profile sexual abuse cases.

Almost a fifth of the 50,989 calls it received in 2012/13 about sexual abuse related to historic cases.

The figures were published in the NSPCC’s annual report How Safe Are Our Children? The charity deals with all types of child harm including sexual and emotional abuse and neglect.

According to the research there were 3,369 recorded sexual offences against under 18s in Scotland last year. This includes 285 cases of rape or attempted rape of children under the age of 16.

There were 1,463 recorded offences of cruelty and neglect – down almost a quarter since the 2009/10 peak of 1,919 offences.

The number of children on a child protection register (CPR) in Scotland between 2002 and 2012 increased by 34%, the report said. There were 2,706 children on a CPR at the end of July 2012.

The research highlighted the charity’s concern over the rising trend of online abuse, citing an 87% increase in counselling sessions about cyber bullying from 2011/12.

It says more than one in four children aged 11 to 16 with a social networking profile have experienced something “upsetting” on it in the last year.

The NSPCC said 132 children were referred to its Child Trafficking Advice Centre between November 2012 and October 2013.

Matt Forde, national head of service for NSPCC Scotland, said: “This report underlines the importance of the early help services which might support families to stay on track and prevent problems escalating.

“We must make real the vision that child protection is the responsibility of us all: family members, neighbours, friends, and our whole public service infrastructure. It is teachers, nursery workers, police officers, doctors, nurses and all professionals who come into contact with children.”

“Whilst the NSPCC can never afford, and will not attempt, to plug the gaps in government funding we are providing early and proactive support to families. Together with our partners in local authorities, through our local services and through our national helpline, ChildLine Schools Service and public information campaigns we are learning what works in preventing abuse and neglect and stopping maltreatment from escalating.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The NSPCC rightly makes clear that we all have a responsibility to put child protection at the heart of everything we do, and that early action is the best course to preventing problems from escalating. Recent statistics have shown that our approach to early intervention is ensuring that more children are finding safe, stable, permanent and nurturing homes at an earlier stage.

“The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act makes clear how those people involved in a child’s life have a responsibility to look out for their well-being. There is no place for complacency, but the overwhelming support shows that people do care and, with training and guidance, professionals working with children feel more able to intervene to offer families support.”