Recent research has revealed that poor parental mental health has now surpassed domestic violence as the most frequently cited factor in social worker assessments determining whether a child is at risk of serious harm or neglect. This shift highlights the growing crisis facing children’s social care in England, with parental mental health increasingly affecting both parents and children and driving child safeguarding interventions.
How Are Mental Illness and the Pandemic Affecting Families?
The latest comprehensive survey shows that growing rates of mental illness among both parents and children are becoming a significant driver of child protection work. The report also pointed to the long-lasting effects of the pandemic, housing insecurity, homelessness, gang violence, and rising poverty as key contributors to child safeguarding pressures.
It was stressed that these factors’ profound impact on vulnerable children is undeniable. “The essential foundations that children need to thrive are now absent for a large proportion of children, which results in them arriving at our door in need of help and protection. This isn’t good for children, families, or communities,” stated one prominent leader.
Why Are Child Protection Services Facing Increasing Demand and Rising Costs?
The survey reveals alarming statistics about the increasing pressure on child protection services. Since 2007, there has been an 83% rise in child protection plans and a 28% increase in children in care. The survey highlights that safeguarding assessments in which parental mental health is the main issue have increased by 10% over the past two years. This surge is putting a significant strain on local authorities, which are already facing financial difficulties, with child protection now being the largest area of overspending by top-tier English councils.
A council respondent cited poverty and the lack of accessible NHS mental health services as key factors that have led parents to use “maladaptive and dangerous strategies” to manage their mental health needs, including alcohol abuse and the consumption of class A drugs such as cocaine and opiates. The report indicates that drug use has remained high since the pandemic and shows little sign of returning to pre-Covid levels.
How Are Substance Misuse and Mental Health Challenges Increasing the Risk to Children?
The survey also highlighted a disturbing trend: increasing numbers of infants are at risk of serious harm, including neglect and physical injury, due to parental substance misuse and parental mental health issues. Respondents from local authorities reported that these problems were a significant contributing factor to the rising demand for child protection services.
More than three-quarters of survey respondents noted that children’s mental health and emotional well-being needs were increasingly driving safeguarding cases. Many of these referrals followed unsuccessful attempts by families to access NHS children’s mental health services.
What Is Causing the Surge in Youth Suicides and Mental Health Struggles?
One northern England local authority reported a 40% increase in the number of young people presenting at hospital A&E departments after suicide attempts between 2021 and 2024. Disturbingly, the majority of these young people were girls aged 10-15, many of whom had experienced sexual violence before their suicide attempts. This alarming trend underscores the urgent need for better mental health services for children and the lasting impact of abuse and neglect on young people’s well-being.
How Is the Housing Crisis Impacting Child Protection?
Another major finding from the survey is the unprecedented number of children living in temporary accommodation. Over 150,000 children in England were found to be living in insecure temporary housing in 2024. Many of these children are in poor-quality private-rented homes located in areas of high deprivation and crime. The housing crisis is exacerbating the challenges faced by families already struggling with mental illness, poverty, and substance abuse.
Local authorities in the north of England reported receiving an influx of homeless families from London, often without being notified of any pre-existing safeguarding concerns. This has placed further strain on already overburdened services.
What Is Behind the Rising Threat of Youth Crime and Knife Violence?
The survey also highlighted an increase in child criminal exploitation, knife crime, and other “harms outside the home” affecting young people. One anonymous local authority in the East Midlands reported that while the number of young people carrying knives had not changed, there was now a greater willingness among them to use these weapons. This increase in violence further complicates the efforts of local authorities to protect vulnerable children and prevent them from engaging in criminal activities.
How Is Poverty Continuing to Drive Safeguarding Referrals?
Growing poverty rates among families – including those with one or more parents in employment – are a constant backdrop to the rising demand for child protection services. A Yorkshire council’s analysis found that safeguarding referrals were five times higher in the poorest areas than in wealthier neighbourhoods. This disparity highlights the systemic inequalities that are contributing to the child protection crisis across England.
What Actions Are the Government Taking to Address These Issues?
While the findings paint a grim picture of the current state of child safeguarding in England, there is some hope on the horizon. There is cautious optimism regarding the government’s commitment to investing in children’s services. It was noted, “Evidence presented here shows the stark impact of poverty, the housing crisis, and failing health services on children’s lives and on their childhoods is undeniable.”
A spokesperson from the Department for Education echoed these sentiments, outlining the government’s ongoing efforts to address these challenges. “We are taking further action across government through our Plan for Change to ensure children in our country have the best life chances, including by delivering an ambitious strategy to increase household income, bring down essential costs, and tackle the challenges felt by those living in poverty,” they said.
They also pointed out that the government plans to recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across child and adult services and tackle the housing crisis by delivering the biggest social and affordable housing boost in a generation. Despite these promises, the true extent of the situation and the urgent need for action remains clear.
Add a Comment