Confusion rife over who to report vulnerable children to

- Domestic violence affects over nine and half million people, placing millions of children in a vulnerable environment -

Leeds, January 18th , 2007 –Domestic violence affects one in four women and one in six men in the UK*, placing a significant proportion of the 10.8 million UK children in a vulnerable environment. Having remained a taboo subject for a number of years, it takes an average of 35 assaults before a victim calls the police, leaving children exposed to threatening behaviour, violence or abuse for a prolonged period of time.

To review how effective the process was for childcare professionals to identify and report early signs of children at risk, research was conducted with 572 UK doctors, childminders, primary and secondary school teachers. It found that more than half (61 per cent) of respondents had experienced a niggling concern or seen an early warning sign that a child may be exposed to domestic violence in the household. Despite 98 per cent of these concerns being reported to the authorities, there was confusion as to who to inform and a lack of co-ordinated response to the concerns raised, according to the research, which was carried out for collaborative software provider LiquidLogic by YouGov in November 2006.

Upon identifying a concern with a child (e.g. recurrent bruising, severe depression, behavioural difficulties) the following groups reported their concern to:

Primary school teacher reported to: teachers (53%), other (36%), social services (30%), parent (11%), police (4%), GPs (1%), didn’t report (1%)
Secondary school teachers reported to: teachers (79%), other (24%), social services (13%), parent (4%), didn’t report (2%), GP (1%)
Medical doctor/ General Practitioner reported to: social services (59%), other (44%), GP (14%), parent (11%), police (5%), didn’t report (3%)
Childminders reported to: other (53%), parent (35%), social services (29%), teacher (12%), didn’t report it (6%)

The survey, conducted amongst the various groups involved in a child’s welfare, was also designed to investigate how quickly and effectively early warning signs were addressed and if professionals were happy with the feedback they received.

While feedback to queries came relatively quickly in the majority of cases, with 30 per cent of concerns being answered within a day and a further 41 per cent within a week - a worrying 8 per cent of queries took between a week to six months to receive a response. 71 per cent saw this timeframe as acceptable and in the instance of delay, the lack of an available case history of a child across localities is likely to account for this discrepancy.

When professionals were asked if they were satisfied with the feedback they received, 69 per cent of care workers felt their concerns were addressed adequately, while 22 per cent did not feel their concern had been dealt with satisfactorily. The response received is often dependant upon which group is following-up on the concern and how closely linked the two groups are, so that a full brief of actions taken are fed back to the concerned professional.

“The sad fact is that millions of adults suffer at the hands of domestic violence at some point in their life, exposing children to either witnessing or suffering from the abuse, often for prolonged periods of time,” said Denise Harrison co-founder of Liquidlogic. “However, if this abuse can be spotted in its early stages, tragedies and long term mental effects can be reduced.”

“Care practitioners are exposed to early warning signs of domestic abuse every day. For example, teachers may notice a child is withdrawn or behaving in a more aggressive manner; while a doctor may come into contact with the mother attending A&E with suspicious or re-occurring injuries. However, alone these niggling concerns may not raise alarm bells, but pieced together they form a picture of concern. If vulnerable children are to be protected from the risk of domestic abuse, it is only through co-ordinated information from all professionals that the completed jigsaw can be formed, enabling care professionals to nip the threat of domestic violence in the bud.”

As part of the Government’s Every Child Matters initiative it plans to introduce an information sharing index (IS Index), in all areas of England by the end of 2008. The IS Index will enable childcare practitioners to share information, particularly in identifying low level concerns that could be easily missed. The aim is to avoid children slipping through the protection net, particularly when they move schools or areas.

However, only a quarter (26 per cent) of those surveyed were aware of the IS Index, and 79 per cent of doctors had no knowledge of the initiative. Nevertheless, 61 per cent felt it would be useful, believing that “children get lost in the system when they move house/school” and that “children are less likely to slip through the net if there is information to help them.” Sceptics worried about previous government IT failures, damage to privacy and an increase in bureaucracy.

- ENDS -

Notes to the Editor

* Statistics taken from: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/reducing-crime/domestic-violence/?version=1

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 572 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 20th - 23rd November 2006. The survey was carried out online. The figures have NOT been weighted.