More cases of child neglect are being reported in Renfrewshire, Police Scotland has revealed.
Officers working in the local authority area say they dealt with eight instances of ‘cruel or unnatural treatment’ of minors in just three months.
In total, they reported eight cases between April and June 2024, an increase from five incidents the year before, and three the year before that. Police chiefs say the problem is not growing in Renfrewshire but rather people are more willing to report child welfare concerns.
Detective Inspector David Hardie said: “It is everyone’s responsibility to keep our children safe and through strengthened partnership working we are able to identify and arrest those who neglect and inflict cruelty on our children.
“There has been a small rise in this type of crime being reported in the area however this can be attributed to non-recent reporting and increased confidence in people coming forward.”
Police investigate crimes of neglect and cruelty under section 12 of the Child and Young Persons Act (1937).
It states an offence is committed when a parent, or someone who has parental responsibilities, “wilfully ill-treats, neglects, abandons or exposes a child a child to harm or unnecessary suffering.”
Natalie Don-Innes, Renfrewshire North and West MSP, is the Scottish Government’s minister for children, young people and The Promise.
She told the Paisley Daily Express: “The rise in the number of instances of ‘cruel or unnatural treatment of children’ crimes in Renfrewshire and across Scotland is disappointing, although it is important that these crimes are being identified and the victims are being supported.
“Protecting children and young people from all forms of abuse and neglect and allowing them to grow up feeling safe, loved, and respected, is a priority for the Scottish Government – this is highlighted through the recent incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law, public services and Scottish Parliament powers.”
Explaining the government is working with partners to ensure welfare concerns are identified quickly, Ms Don-Innes added: “There is also a key focus on prevention and early intervention to help ensure that risk and harm to children and young people is recognised and dealt with quickly and effectively here in Renfrewshire.”
The NSPCC says poverty is one the main risk indicators for child neglect, with financially burdened parents more likely to be stressed and subsequently fail to meet the needs of their children.
Joanne Smith, NSPCC Scotland policy and public affairs manager, said: “We believe the child protection system should be designed to identify and eradicate neglect, by responding to early signs and intervening before it becomes persistent and chronic.
This requires well-resourced, robust help and family support services in a timely, sensitive and appropriate manner.
“National guidance on neglect must also explicitly reference societal risk factors that are out of parental control, such as poverty, and that can make neglect more likely to happen. Research shows that poverty acts directly through material hardship and indirectly through parental stress, feelings of stigma and social isolation.
“Parental stress for example, can overload parents, hindering their ability to meet their child’s needs and giving rise to neglect.”
The child neglect figures were revealed in the quarterly performance report published by Police Scotland every three months.
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