The current criminal law on neglect – the most common form of child abuse – ‘fails to protect children and must be urgently updated', according to a report published this week by Action for Children.

The children's charity has called on the Government to review the law, drawn up in 1933, during this Parliament. It wants reforms to create a definition that reflects all forms of neglect – including emotional – and which gives clarity and guidance to parents and the public, and more flexible sentencing guidance to courts.