Number of child cruelty offences double in past five years, analysis shows

Nearly 30,000 child cruelty offences were recorded by police last year

The number of child cruelty offences have doubled in the past five years, with nearly 30,000 cases recorded by police forces in the past 12 months, new analysis shows.

It comes after a series of court cases into the deaths of babies and children, such as 18-month-old Alfie Phillips who was killed by his mother and her ex-boyfriend in November 2020.

The pair were convicted of murder last week after a court heard that young Alfie had been found with 70 injuries, including broken ribs, arms and a leg, while traces of cocaine were found in his body.

A new freedom of information request from children’s charity NSPCC has found that 29,422 child cruelty offences were recorded by police between April 2022 and March 2023 – a rise of 12 per cent on the previous year.

Analysis shows that child cruelty offences have doubled since 2017/18, when 14,263 offences were recorded.

The charity asked police forces to provide data on the number of 11a offences, where a person with responsibility for a child wilfully assaults, ill-treats, neglects or abandons them.

It comes as local councils struggle with rising costs of delivering services to vulnerable children. More than 655,000 “child in need” assessments were completed by children’s social care last year, and England’s largest councils reported that they are overspending their budgets by over £600m to cope.

Alfie Phillips died with a ‘myriad of bruises’ on his body (PA Media)

Snapshots of conversations with the charity Childline show how children are being neglected by their parents, often being left without food and water.

One 12-year-old girl told the service: “I’m not feeling very well as I haven’t eaten. I’m worried about my mum bringing people back home and not having any food. I’m worried about what might happen if I tell someone.

“I’ve been drinking water but I haven’t eaten for a few days. I’m thinking about stealing some food from the shop.”

Another 14-year-old girl said that she had been locked in her house for weeks alone while her parents went away. “I’m too scared to contact the police because they have been involved before when things got violent,” she said.

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes was murdered by his step-mother in June 2020 (PA)

One 17-year-old girl told the charity: “My parents are drug addicts and don’t buy us any food. If they do get us any, it’s usually stolen from somewhere. They always ask me for my work money.”

A 17-year-old boy said his mother hadn’t been home in two weeks. “She’s disappeared in the past, but never for as long,” he said. “We don’t have any gas – I think my mum was supposed to top it up, but didn’t do it before she left. We don’t have any heating or hot water, and we’re not able to cook. I don’t have any credit on my phone. It’s so hard at the moment.”