Speaking at the National Children and Adults Services Conference today, she raised concerns about the rise in notifications from local authorities about babies that have died or been seriously harmed through abuse or neglect since April.
Every week, Ofsted is seeing more serious incident notifications about harm to babies under the age of one.
Between April and October Ofsted saw over 300 serious incident notifications. A significant proportion of these - almost 40 percent - were about babies, over a fifth more than in the same period as last year.
Tragically, 64 children suffered non-accidental injuries, and eight died as a result.
In her speech, Ms Spielman urged all professionals that work with families, including nurseries, to work together to protect children.
‘Tighter restrictions have brought increased tensions for many, especially in the most troubled families,’ Ms Spielman said. ‘We’re all spending more time at home these days. ‘For most children, that’s a place of comfort at best, boredom at worst. But for some, sadly, it’s a source of danger.
‘The pandemic has brought difficult and stressful times. Financial hardship, loss of employment, isolation, and close family proximity have put extra pressure on families that were already struggling. Poverty, inadequate housing, substance misuse and poor mental health all add to this toxic mix. You’ll be well aware of the increase in domestic violence incidents over the summer – just one symptom of the Covid pressure cooker.’
Local authorities are required to report any serious incidents where a child dies or is harmed through abuse or neglect to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel. The panel shares all notifications with Ofsted and the Department for Education.
Addressing the audience of local authority professionals, she added, ‘Of course, babies can’t tell an adult if there’s a problem.
‘Often, abuse is only uncovered when there’s a critical injury, or it’s too late. Another young life damaged, and in the worst cases, lost, before it’s really had chance to begin… It doesn’t bear thinking about. But we must all be alive to this hidden danger.’
Before the pandemic more than a quarter of all incidents reported to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel last year involved non-accidental injuries to babies.
Children were often being abused by young parents, or other family or household members, who have very little social support, Ofsted said,
As well as babies being intentionally harmed, Ofsted has seen a high number of unexpected infant deaths. This includes preventable tragedies: babies not being put down to sleep safely, for example, sharing a bed or sofa with a parent who has been drinking.
Ms Spielman acknowledged there has been good work to identify high risk babies during lockdown, such as the children of parents misusing substances, or with serious mental health problems. In these cases, professionals who understand the risk factors have acted decisively to give families the help they need.
Ms Spielman said that professionals in the community need ‘to play their role’, including midwives, health visitors, GPs and other health workers who have good relationships with families and can build on that trust.
Staff working in schools and nurseries may have information about a vulnerable infant because an older sibling attends the setting.
‘And help for younger parents is important, but without labelling or patronising them. Building their trust so that they accept advice and learn how to look after their children safely.
‘As ever, we cannot overstate the importance of curiosity here. It may not always be comfortable territory. But the right questions protect children. All professionals who work with a family where there is a new baby have a role to play. Consider how well parents are coping, and if there’s any help that they might need. And we need to make sure that all staff and volunteers understand the risk factors and what to do if they spot them.
‘Continuing restrictions may be hampering face to face visits. But while these children are out of sight, they should never be out of mind.’
Commenting on the chief inspector’s speech, Tom McBride, director of evidence, Early Intervention Foundation, said, ‘The challenges of being at stuck at home combined with rising financial difficulties, has and will continue to, put increased pressure on families, creating conditions in which parental conflict is much more likely.
'The pressures on families and particularly the most vulnerable, exacerbated by lockdown, are affecting children of all ages. While services have worked hard to stay in touch with families, the lack of regular contact and the lack of home visiting, means that the subtler signs of abuse, neglect or domestic violence, for example, are simply much harder to spot.’
Early years
During the speech, Ms Spielman also gave an update on Ofsted's work during the pandemic.
On early years she said that Ofsted's regulatory work had continued over the summer.
Between June and August, Ofsted was able to register 680 childminders and nearly 600 new nurseries and pre-schools.
'We wanted to make sure that there would be a steady flow of new providers to help parents,' she said.
'Quite early in the summer, we started getting back to on site pre-registration visits, so that new childminders could register, new nurseries could open, and new branches of nurseries established.'