Parents and caregivers who physically harm children in the UK will soon face tougher, lasting consequences under a new Child Cruelty Register, designed to mirror the monitoring system used for sex offenders.

The register will apply to adults convicted of crimes such as child cruelty, neglect, abandonment, female genital mutilation (FGM), and infanticide. Those listed will be required to inform police if they move house, change identity, travel abroad, or resume living with children after serving their sentence.

The initiative follows years of campaigning by Paula Hudgell, whose adoptive son Tony suffered life-altering injuries due to severe abuse by his birth parents. Tony, now a double amputee, was left untreated for days as an infant, leading to catastrophic health complications. His parents were jailed for 10 years in 2018.

The government tabled amendments to the Police and Crime Bill on Monday to establish the register.

Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips said: “It is unforgivable that someone who is supposed to take care of a child would hurt them instead. We’ve listened to the Hudgells, and to the many families who feel the system hasn’t done enough to protect some of the most vulnerable people in society, and we are taking vital action.”

Sentencing Minister Jake Richards added: “Child abusers do not deserve shielding; children do. The Child Cruelty Register will ensure these offenders are visible to the police, allowing authorities to see and act when risks arise. I thank Paula Hudgell for her remarkable fight to ensure no child should go through the life-altering abuse that her son Tony did.”

Alongside the register, the government is introducing additional safeguarding measures, including stronger oversight under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), statutory child sex offender disclosure by police, and improved information-sharing powers.

Officials say the combined measures will provide the “best-ever police visibility” of offenders who have harmed children, ensuring authorities can act quickly to prevent reoffending and better protect vulnerable children. (Vanguard)

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