Startling statistics were released, revealing that there are over 19,000 babies ‘in need’ due to risk factors at home.
A recent report by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner calculated an estimate of last year’s numbers of 'at risk' children.
These risk factors included babies under one-years-old experiencing abuse and neglect (over 12,000), family dysfunction (over 3,000), parents with severe mental illness (over 850), and those in a stressful environment (over 1,500).
These numbers grew even higher when including all ages under four-years-old, estimating almost 90,000 children living under these threatening conditions.
The report chose to focus in on infants due to their ‘increased vulnerability’ and their sole reliance on their parents to keep them ‘safe and happy’.
Of the 19,000+ at-risk babies, only 5,000 were on child protection plans and nearly 4,000 were being looked after by local authorities.
There are also pre-birth assessments in place by trained nurses, GP staff, and midwives to intervene when babies are deemed at risk in pregnancy stages.
In England, the number of newborns involved in these care proceedings has more than doubled in the past eight years. On average, five babies a day are being taken from their ‘unfit’ parents' care.
One of the worst environments for children to be reared in is a home that has the ‘toxic trio’: domestic violence, parental drug/alcohol addiction, and adult severe mental ill-health.
The report found that over 8,000 under ones and over 40,000 children (aged one to five) were living under these toxic conditions.
Thus, many children at risk are not being recognised by the social system as ‘in need’, leaving them vulnerable to threatening circumstances.
In response to these unsettling numbers, the Department of Education told BBC News that they are working on resolving the current issues through legislation.
“We are working to tackle these issues through our landmark Domestic Abuse Bill to better protect and support victims, as well as reviewing the outcomes for children in need.
"We are also investing up to £270m in children's social care programmes to improve the lives of vulnerable children. We have pledged £8m to support children who are exposed to domestic abuse and £500,000 to expand helplines for children of alcoholics."
