NSPCC calls for child protection reforms to focus on children

NSPCC spokesperson, Diana Sutton said: “The NSPCC welcomes the Government’s independent review of child protection in England. It provides a golden opportunity to bring children to the front of social work practice for the first time.

“We agree with Professor Eileen Munro that social workers should spend more time with children and challenge aggressive parents more robustly. They must spend some of this extra time alone with children.

“Abusers can go to great lengths to conceal a child’s ill-treatment. So social workers don’t always see what’s going on through a child’s eyes.

“Reviews of the current system have found that when children are killed or seriously injured, the most significant failure involved professionals not seeing or speaking to children. 

“We want the new government to put a legal duty on social workers to see a child alone without their parents. Social workers would be better able to deal with uncooperative or hostile parents with the force of the law behind them.

“Social workers need more support to do their difficult job. Helping them and improving child protection must remain a political priority and a moral imperative for the new government.

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Notes to editors
The NSPCC is the UK’s leading children's charity specialising in child protection and its vision is to end cruelty to children. The NSPCC runs projects and services across the United Kingdom and Channel Islands, including ChildLine, the UK’s free, confidential 24-hour helpline for children and young people and the NSPCC Helpline for adults concerned about the safety of a child. It helps over 10,000 children and their families every year.