The child protection system has been under increasing pressure over the last few years, particularly since the pandemic. In 2022/23, more than 655,000 child in need assessments were completed by children's social care to determine whether a child needs support from a service.

Also, England's largest councils have reported that they are overspending on their budgets by £600 million due to 'uncontrollable' spending pressures driving up the cost of delivering services to vulnerable children.

This is straining the child protection system, leaving those who work with families unequipped to adequately respond when things reach crisis point.