Rising neglect reports show families are failing children, NSPCC warns

Contacts to the NSPCC from worried neighbours and community members concerned about child neglect rose by almost a third in a year as the charity warned that young people in danger must not “keep slipping through the cracks”.

Almost half of the neglect contacts from these sources were serious enough to require a referral to local safeguarding agencies for additional support – with referral rates up by almost a fifth on the previous year, the NSPCC said.

Last month, a safeguarding report into the death of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, who was murdered by her abusive father and stepmother, noted that neighbours had been fearful of reporting their concerns “about what they heard within the family’s home”.

The report stated: “They feared being branded as being racist, especially on social media. While understanding their point of view, this is concerning that race was a bar to reporting possible child abuse and it needs to be overcome.”

Sara was born in the UK and was of dual Polish and Pakistani heritage.

She was found dead in a bunk-bed at the family home in Woking, Surrey, in August 2023, having suffered what was described as “horrific abuse”, with a lengthy review concluding there had been multiple missed opportunities to save Sara from harm and that she was “failed by the safeguarding system”.

The latest NSPCC data, for the 12 months to March 2025, showed that the charity handled 4,515 contacts from worried community members and neighbours about child neglect.

This made up around a quarter of the 17,734 contacts about neglect in that time period.

Contacts from neighbours and community members about neglect were up by 32% from 3,430 the previous year.

The NSPCC said rates for contacts deemed serious enough to be referred to local safeguarding agencies were also up by 17% on the previous year.

Nick Treloar, senior policy and public affairs officer at the NSPCC, said: “It’s heartening to see the local community stepping up to protect children from neglect and turning to our helpline for support. Their concern shows just how deeply this issue is felt across the country.

“Neglect isn’t always obvious to spot and speaking up might feel hard, but it can be the turning point for a child in danger.

“Without early support, our fear is that children will keep slipping through the cracks. The Government must wake up to the profoundly urgent crisis of child neglect and commit to a national neglect strategy that gives families in England vital support before irreversible harm is done.”

The Government has been contacted for comment.