The NSPCC has replied to concerns raised about a campaign the children’s charity ran last month, which aimed to tackle neglect. Parents on social media reacted to the campaign with disappointment, calling the campaign irresponsible and one sided.

The campaign featured a large number of stories published across national and regional publications referencing child neglect data and research but did not offer any insight into how families who find themselves in need often struggle to care for their children. Parents were left feeling demonised by the campaign. It also suggested that child neglect was on the rise, pointing to an increase in phone calls to the charity in which people raised concerns as evidence of the increase. Parents and campaigners were quick to point out that a rise in calls did not automatically equate to an actual rise in verified cases of child neglect.

Michele Simmons, a parent and child rights activist decided to send a Freedom Of Information request to ask the government, who works closely with the charity, for more details about what she suspected was a targeted campaign.

After reading the FOI request, Peter Morris, an equality campaigner wrote to the NSPCC expressing his concerns about the campaign. He received this reply from the children’s charity:

It’s a fair response from the NSPCC, though we see the reply as a missed opportunity to foster good will amongst families.

Our question this week then, is just this: what advice would you offer the NSPCC for any future campaigns they run?

A big thank you to Michele and Pete for sharing these items with us.