https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/characteristics-of-children-in-need<\/a>. Currently, verbal abuse is not defined as a separate category but would fall under emotional abuse. For that reason, the department has not made a specific assessment of the impact of verbal abuse on children, but it is the government\u2019s priority to ensure all children are protected and safe from harm.<\/p>Government ministers and departmental officials have ongoing, regular engagement with the Children\u2019s Commissioner and her office on a range of issues, including safeguarding children. The department has also offered to meet with the charity Words Matter to discuss their report in more detail so that the department can take forward any appropriate action to mitigate against the effects of verbal abuse on children and young people. Once departmental officials have met with Words Matter, the department will be in a better position to make a detailed assessment.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4703", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Barran"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Barran"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-01-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "HL1271"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-01-04T15:35:51.577Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2023-12-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Abuse"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by the charity Words Matter that two in five children experience verbal abuse from the adults around them which can cause anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self-harm, substance abuse and suicide; and what steps they are taking in response.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/2024", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Hunt of Kings Heath"}
], "uin" : "HL1274"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1676815", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1676815/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust guidelines define abuse and neglect as forms of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. All staff have a responsibility to safeguard children at risk of abuse or neglect in the National Health Service. This involves protecting children from maltreatment and preventing impairment of children\u2019s health and development. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust does not hold data on the number of infants admitted in the past five years subject to investigation regarding suspected abuse or the number of infants identified as subjected to abuse. NHS England also does not collect the data requested.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4948", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Markham"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Markham"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-12-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-12-22T14:11:39.777Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2023-12-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Abuse"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask His Majesty's Government how many infants admitted to the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust in each of the past five years were subject to investigation under its guidelines regarding suspected abuse in children; of those, how many were identified as having been subjected to abuse; and whether this figure is similarly reflected in other trusts across the country.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4301", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Hodgson of Abinger"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Hodgson of Abinger"}
], "uin" : "HL1057"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1676948", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1676948/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The National Working Group on Child Abuse Linked to Faith or Belief has been renamed as the National Working Group on Abuse Linked to Accusations of Witchcraft and Spirit Possession. It is independent and the department is invited as an observer.<\/p>
The government is determined to protect children from this abuse, as from any other form of abuse. Where there are concerns that any child is at risk of, or has suffered significant harm, these should be reported to the police or to local authority children\u2019s social care who should take action to safeguard and promote their welfare, following the actions outlined in the \u2018Working Together to Safeguard Children\u2019 guidance.<\/em><\/p>In the Children in Need statistics for the year ending 31 March 2023 published in October 2023, faith-based abuse was identified as an assessment factor in 2,140 episodes of need. Episodes of need are when a child is referred to children\u2019s social care services and is assessed as being in need of children\u2019s social care services. It should be noted that not all episodes of need have assessment factors recorded, but this has improved over time. Nonetheless, there can be differences in the recording practices between local authorities. Therefore, this data should be treated with caution and should not be taken to represent the national prevalence of particular issues.
The government\u2019s \u2018Stable Homes, Built on Love\u2019 strategy, published on 2 February 2023, set out plans to reform children\u2019s social care, including a commitment to deliver a decisive, multi-agency child protection system for all children.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4761", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for David Johnston"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Wantage"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "David Johnston"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-12-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "6058"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-12-18T16:34:08.557Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2023-12-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Abuse"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken with the national working group on Child Abuse Linked to Faith on tackling spiritual and ritualistic abuse.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/114", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Tim Loughton"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Worthing and Shoreham"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Tim Loughton"}
], "uin" : "6057"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1676949", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1676949/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The National Working Group on Child Abuse Linked to Faith or Belief has been renamed as the National Working Group on Abuse Linked to Accusations of Witchcraft and Spirit Possession. It is independent and the department is invited as an observer.<\/p>
The government is determined to protect children from this abuse, as from any other form of abuse. Where there are concerns that any child is at risk of, or has suffered significant harm, these should be reported to the police or to local authority children\u2019s social care who should take action to safeguard and promote their welfare, following the actions outlined in the \u2018Working Together to Safeguard Children\u2019 guidance.<\/em><\/p>In the Children in Need statistics for the year ending 31 March 2023 published in October 2023, faith-based abuse was identified as an assessment factor in 2,140 episodes of need. Episodes of need are when a child is referred to children\u2019s social care services and is assessed as being in need of children\u2019s social care services. It should be noted that not all episodes of need have assessment factors recorded, but this has improved over time. Nonetheless, there can be differences in the recording practices between local authorities. Therefore, this data should be treated with caution and should not be taken to represent the national prevalence of particular issues.
The government\u2019s \u2018Stable Homes, Built on Love\u2019 strategy, published on 2 February 2023, set out plans to reform children\u2019s social care, including a commitment to deliver a decisive, multi-agency child protection system for all children.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4761", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for David Johnston"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Wantage"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "David Johnston"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-12-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "6057"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-12-18T16:34:08.617Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2023-12-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Abuse"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the trends in the level of reports of spiritual and ritualistic abuse against children since 2017.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/114", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Tim Loughton"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Worthing and Shoreham"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Tim Loughton"}
], "uin" : "6058"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1420084", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Attorney General"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1420084/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Child sexual abuse cases are some of the most challenging, complex and sensitive cases. They are dealt with by specially trained prosecutors, working closely with the police to build the strongest possible cases that meet the legal test. In 2020-2021 there were 6,402 prosecutions for cases classified as child abuse. In the same period the conviction rate was 85.6%, an increase of 2.7% on the previous year.<\/p>
<\/p>
The government has successfully rolled out Section 28 for vulnerable victims and witnesses, including children, in all Crown Courts from November 2020. We know that Section 28 provisions which provide for pre-recorded cross-examination can help to improve the experience of victims by enabling them to give their evidence earlier in the process and outside of the courtroom.<\/p>
<\/p>
The CPS has comprehensive Legal Guidance for prosecutors on cases involving child abuse. This Guidance supports prosecutors to build strong cases and bring effective prosecutions. It is currently being updated to take account of the latest developments in law and policy.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4481", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alex Chalk"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Cheltenham"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Alex Chalk"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-02-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-02-15T15:59:00.807Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "88"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Attorney General"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Attorney General"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2022-02-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Abuse"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for the Attorney General, what steps he is taking to help increase the number of successful prosecutions for cases involving child abuse.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4131", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jim Shannon"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Strangford"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jim Shannon"}
], "uin" : "119570"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1416774", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Home Office"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1416774/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Leadership on child safeguarding policy is principally shared between the Home Office, Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care. We have worked closely across Government to ensure we learn what needs to change in the light of Arthur's tragic death.<\/p>
The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel has been asked to deliver an independent review identifying what went wrong in this terrible case, and what needs to be improved nationally as a result. We have also commissioned a Joint Targeted Area Inspection to examine how all the relevant local agencies are working together to protect and safeguard children in Solihull.<\/p>
The Home Office are supporting the police to develop their understanding of the complexity, sensitivity and risk involved in working with vulnerable victims of abuse and exploitation, through:<\/p>
- funding the College of Policing\u2019s training for senior police officers on safeguarding and public protection issues,<\/li>
- funding the police-led Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme, which identifies and promotes good practice and effective interventions to address vulnerability.<\/li><\/ul>
Government also works closely with voluntary sector partners to identify national trends and to ensure sufficient support to children and families at the local level. This was particularly critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the Government has provided additional funding to boost the support provided by children\u2019s charities, including:<\/p>
- £7.6 million for national children\u2019s charities who offered safeguarding services for vulnerable children.<\/li>
- £11.4 million since June 2020 to the See, Hear, Respond programme, which helped vulnerable children and young people whose usual support networks have been impacted by the pandemic.<\/li><\/ul>
- £1.8 million to expand and promote the NSPCC helpline for adults to use to report safeguarding concerns.<\/li><\/ul>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4668", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rachel Maclean"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Redditch"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Rachel Maclean"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-02-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-02-02T12:43:27.203Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2022-01-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Abuse"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking alongside children's charities to safeguard victims of child abuse following the murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4410", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Julian Knight"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Solihull"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Julian Knight"}
], "uin" : "112593"}
], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "next" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?min-answer.dateOfAnswer=2021-05-20&_page=1&hansardHeading=Children%3A+Abuse", "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 10, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]}
}