The Issue

The abuse and neglect of children and vulnerable adults is a huge and growing issue.

We exist for those working in and researching child and adult abuse and neglect. We provide access to the latest research, share best practice from the frontline, provide affordable advanced practitioner CPD and training, and enable practitioners and researchers from all disciplines to connect as part of a national community working to support children, vulnerable adults and their families.

1 Child
Every week

Each week one child is killed through neglect or abuse

1 in 20 Children

In the UK have been sexually abused

41%

Newly qualified social workers anticipate quitting in 5 years

NSPCC Child Sexual Abuse: Statistics Briefing 2021 suggests that 1 in 20 children in the UK have been sexually abused.

NSPCC Child Deaths due to Abuse or Neglect Briefing 2021 tells us that on average, 1 child is killed each week through neglect and/or abuse. Children under the age of 1 are the group most likely to be killed.

CommunityCare research 2020 “41% of Newly Qualified Social Workers anticipate quitting profession within 5 years, alongside 37% of Adult Practitioners. 77% reported excessive pressure and stress in their job” The impact of Covid 19 on Child and Adult Protection Professionals has been unprecedented and the AoCPP has seen more and more turn to them for support and networking through this period.

The NSPCC’s most recent How Safe are our Children? report noted:

16% Increase

in police-recorded child sexual offences across the UK

Cruelty & Neglect

Increases in offences in all UK nations except Scotland

Protection Plans

Increasing numbers over the last decade.

Warning Signs

The system that exists to support these vulnerable children and families is under more strain than ever before. There has been a 26% increase in the number of children placed on child protection plans between 2010-11 and 2017-18, with 404,710 children currently identified as in need (National Audit Office, Jan 2019). During this time frontline safeguarding services; local authorities, schools, police, and the health service have faced unprecedented cuts to funding. And at the nexus of delivering services in this context of rising demand and reducing resources are the child and adult protection professionals.

And the issue is equally egregious across the adult safeguarding sector.
That is why in 2020, we changed our constitution to extend support to the Adult Safeguarding field, raising awareness of the myriad of complex issues faced by the sector, and offering support and CPD to all professionals working within it. This brings the AoCPP into line with the national partnerships, which have moved to integrate Children’s and Adult’s safeguarding teams with the aim of securing better outcomes for all, and with a particular emphasis on those transitioning from children’s services into adult services.

In the years 2020-2021, NHS Digital estimated there were 498,260 concerns of abuse against an adult raised in England.

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