How many children at risk? UK health visitors count the cost of lockdown

Since lockdown, many services in England have had to stop or severely restrict face-to-face appointments in homes as health visitors have been redeployed to other healthcare roles. This has led to concerns about being able to pick up on vital clues about people’s mental health, particularly new mothers; children’s development; and domestic violence. “We expect children are having a difficult life in households with domestic abuse,” says Jacky Syme, a service development manager at Bedfordshire community health services. “The level has gone up, we’ve seen it on the ground.” Calls to the UK’s national domestic abuse helpline have reportedly risen by 66% during lockdown and visits to its website increased by 950%. Demand for beds in refuges has also rocketed. “There is a lot of concern around vulnerable children behind closed doors,” says Cheryll Adams, chief executive of the Institute of Health Visiting.