Since 2013, our annual How safe are our children? report has compiled and analysed data from across the UK to show the current child protection landscape. In 2020, for the first time, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) took on this task.1
We took this opportunity to refocus our annual report. This year we have looked in more detail at statistics relating to abuse perpetrated against adolescents. We’ve also included an overview of emerging data on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the safety of children and young people in the UK.
Key findings from 2020
Our 2020 report found:
- rates of police recorded physical, sexual and online abuse offences against adolescents are higher than rates against younger children
- rates of adolescents in care are higher than rates for younger children, with the exception in some nations of infants under the age of one
- rates of adolescents subject to a child protection plan or on a child protection register are lower than rates for younger children
- many of the risk factors associated with abuse and neglect have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, while the support services that would traditionally identify and respond to these concerns have been unable to see many of the children and families they work with face-to-face.
The report also includes expert insight on adolescent brain development, harmful sexual behaviour, sexting, and the importance of relationship and sex education.
Key policy calls from 2020
We’re calling on governments across the UK to:
- ensure all children receive high quality, consistent and age-appropriate education on healthy relationships
- work with local governments and schools to ensure steps are taken to minimise the risk of children not returning to education, given the relationship between exclusion and the risk of criminal exploitation
- bring forward measures to regulate the online environment and keep children safe from online harms
- invest in recovery planning that will provide local multiagency partnerships with the resources to identify and respond to the risks children and young people have experienced in lockdown
- ensure schools are equipped to recognise and respond sensitively and consistently to students who may have experienced abuse, trauma, or adverse experiences during lockdown.
Authors: Holly Bentley, Andrew Fellowes, Stephanie Glenister, Niamh Mussen, Hannah Ruschen, Bethany Slater, Michelle Turnbull, Tom Vine, Paddy Wilson and Sarah Witcombe Hayes; with contributions from Stuart Allardyce, Dr Graeme Fairchild, Professor Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis, Dr Jenny Lloyd, Sian Meader, Dr Emily Setty and Sally Thomas.
References
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2020) Child abuse in England and Wales: January 2020. [Newport]: Office for National Statistics (ONS).
