The charity have published new findings which show child neglect as the main reason for why adults call their helpline.
Published just this morning, the research shows that between April 2024 and March 2025 the NSPCC helpline handled 17,734 child welfare contacts from across the UK where neglect was the greatest risk – this accounted for 25% of the almost 70,000 contacts received by the helpline over the past year.
Some of the adults who got in touch with the charity said they witnessed children not having enough access to food, safe shelter, clothing or being left home alone for long periods of time. What’s more, 41% of contacts were serious enough to require a referral to local safeguarding agencies for support.
One example of someone who has got in touch with the charity regarding child neglect is a neighbour, whose identity remains anonymous, who expressed concerns for three children who aren’t getting enough support from their parents.
‘I don’t think this family are coping,’ they said. ‘The father works away a lot and the mother doesn’t have any community around her. I’d say the three children must all be between two and five-years-old. They’re always out in the garden or street and usually hardly dressed or naked.
‘The garden itself is full of bin bags, dog poo and bottles, it’s not even a nice place for them to play. I don’t know if any support is in place for this family already, but it’s not enough if it is.’
Though this example is a tough read/realisation, cases concerning child neglect can impact both their mental and physical health which is why it’s so important for them to receive support as soon as possible.
And support is vital. Separate research from the NSPCC found that across healthcare, the police, children’s social care and education, 54% said they’d seen an increase in neglect cases, with 90% citing the rising cost of living and poverty rates as to reasons why.
‘It is profoundly concerning that, in 2025, so many children across the UK continue to suffer from neglect,’ Chris Sherwood, CEO at the NSPCC, said. ‘Unless the government takes urgent action to address the crisis, children’s opportunities to thrive will continue to be blighted by the devastating consequences of neglect.’
Against this backdrop, NSPCC are calling on the government to treat child neglect as a national emergency.
‘Our helpline staff hear from thousands of adults every year with widely ranging concerns,’ Chris added. ‘The fact that a quarter of those have been about child neglect sadly confirms our view that this is a deeply entrenched problem.
‘The government must take this moment with the Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill to recognise this as a national emergency and commit to building a neglect strategy that ensures families in England get support before it causes irreversible harm.’
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