A RISING tide of contacts to the NSPCC helpline over the last three months has reinforced how children have been the hidden victims of the coronavirus crisis, new data has shown.

This is an increase of almost a third on the monthly average for the three months prior to the lockdown with May seeing 8,287 contacts, the highest number ever made to the adult helpline in a single month on record.

During that three-month period, a total of 1,145 referrals were made from the NSPCC helpline to agencies based in the South West region.

One adult who spoke to the NSPCC helpline during the lockdown said: “I’ve become increasingly disturbed by the noises coming from one of one my neighbours – it’s been getting worse since the lockdown.

“I can hear the mother shouting and swearing at her two little ones, it sounds vengeful and aggressive.

“Sometimes the mother locks her kids out in the front garden as punishment – last time this happened the youngest was crying hysterically for half an hour, it was awful. Is there anything you can do?”

The data release comes a week after the Education Secretary set-out plans to get young people back to school fulltime, and the NSPCC is today urging the Government to ensure the recovery plan addresses the full range of children’s needs.

During the lockdown, the charity has received support from the Government to expand and raise awareness of the helpline and signed a partnership with Deliveroo to train their delivery drivers to spot the signs of child abuse.

The main issues confronting NSPCC child safety experts across this period were parental behaviour, physical and emotional abuse and neglect.

Around 40 per cent of the contacts received were referred on to local authorities or the police for further action, which is also a slight increase on pre-lockdown levels.

Peter Wanless, CEO of the NSPCC, said: “The increase in contacts to our helpline during the lockdown highlights how the home has become an increasingly unhealthy and even dangerous place for some children.

“We must all play our part in supporting children to recover from the mental and physical harm many will have suffered these past few months.

“Putting children at the heart of recovery planning and taking this action quickly will mean the crisis of the last three months does not scar the childhood of a whole generation.”