Rise in referrals about child safety concerns across Shropshire and West Midlands - with 5,500 made in year
A charity referred more than 5,500 calls and emails from adults worried about a child to police and social services in Shropshire and the West Midlands last year.
Contacts to the NSPCC helpline from adults worried about the safety of a child are on the rise, the children's charity has revealed.
In 2018/19 the helpline received 72,812 calls and emails, referring almost half on to police and social services to take further action.
It made 5,562 referrals to agencies in Shropshire and the West Midlands over the 12 months – up from 5,438 in 2017/18.
The service hears from worried adults every day and night of the week, with concerns ranging from child neglect to sexual, physical and emotional abuse.
The overall rise in contacts is also reflected in the figures for sexual abuse, which has seen an 11 per cent jump nationally in the past year.
It comes as the NSPCC has announced a new partnership with Johnson & Johnson Ltd, the makers of Calpol, which will support the helpline to answer 10,000 calls from people worried about a child.
Critical
Mike McGrath, head of partnerships at the NSPCC, said: “Our NSPCC helpline provides a critical service across the UK.
“It’s vital that we can continue to provide this support to adults so that they know there is somewhere they can go if they are concerned for the safety of a child.
“We are delighted to have teamed up with Calpol which is helping us to answer 10,000 calls and be there for children who need us.”
James Gooddy, assistant brand manager at Calpol, said: “For over 50 years Calpol has been helping parents in the UK to look after their children’s health.
“Our purpose is to ‘let kids be kids’ and therefore we are delighted to have partnered with the NSPCC – the UK’s leading children’s charity – to help keep children safe from abuse and neglect.
“This year we will be supporting the NSPCC helpline to help answer 10,000 calls, which will go a long way towards our shared goal of giving kids a brighter future.”
Johnson & Johnson Ltd is donating 5p to the NSPCC for every Calpol product sold in selected stores over the next month to help the NSPCC answer 10,000 calls.
More information can be found at Calpol.co.uk/nspcc
Adults concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC helpline, seven days a week, on 0808 800 5000, or email help@nspcc.org.uk
