62 per cent surge in West Midlands child cruelty and neglect cases

The rise was flagged by NSPCC, who called for urgent improvements to child protection.

Analysis of Freedom of Information requests indicated 8,777 reported offences between April 2022 and March 2023, up from 5,411 in the previous five-year period.

Sir Peter Wanless, CEO at the NSPCC, said: “We cannot afford for this to be delayed any longer as there is a real danger we will continue to see these offences spiral upwards if significant change doesn’t happen.”