THE latest NSPCC report on child abuse appears to be making some wild claims. The NSPCC set up the Commission which resulted in the report two years ago, with partial funding from Channel 4. The Commission decided to redefine the term as "anything which individuals, institutions or processes do, or fail to do, which directly or indirectly harms children, or damages their prospects.

Within this flabby definition is likely to fall every parental failing. But the real danger is that a lack of hard guidelines leaves the interpretation of "child abuse" to individuals.

There are some sensible points in the report: the appointment of a minister for children and commissioners to promote children's interests at local and national level is welcome.

However, the most important element of the report is that it does not hide the very real national problem of finding the best ways to tackle child abuse, and prevent it.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.