Neighbour screaming at kids (and sounded like she hit them)

Please ignore this. Safeguarding children is everyone's responsibility - lack of reporting is how so many awful cases have gone on unnoticed. It might be a single report that sits on a file with no further action but it could be another in a long line or reports that triggers a much needed action. Your job is not to decide if it justifies reporting or whether it constitutes abuse, this is what the professionals do based on evidence gathered or provided.

It is the right thing. Sometimes mums are poor/overworked/lonely/stressed etc and it all gets too much and they lose it. Those people need support

Others believe they are allowed to hurt and bully their kids and they need re educating and the kids protecting.

Who hasn’t had a meltdown occasionally?

But some people communicate through screaming/anger and punishment and they create a cycle of abuse and disfunctional relationships. The two are not the same.

If this is the first and only time you've heard something like this, I'd go knock on her tomorrow and ask her if she's ok and needs any help? She may have reached the end of her tether and need to talk to someone. You have no evidence that she hit them.

I'd only report if it was an ongoing thing.

Well Done, I’m Asian, dv family next were Sri Lankan. Any culture can do this abuse, well done for asking here

Well done for reporting OP. I worked it children's services and it was reports like these that helped to build a picture of a child's home life.

Well done, remember to keep yourself safe as well. If she suspects the report came from you it could trigger animosity but unless people like you speak out nobody will know what's going on behind closed doors x

Call 999 and ask for a welfare check.. poor kids.

I’ve worked in Safeguarding for 30+ years - you absolutely did the right thing in reporting it.

Please do report if it is a regular occurance. You find your local social services number and you phone them.

I was that child (as was my sister) that may wouldn't have been abused for as long as we were if someone had phoned them up.

It isn't about getting the children taken away, just support given where needed.

I've phoned the nspcc in the past and action was taken

You’ve done the right thing OP.

Well done OP.

Report it each time and keep a record too. This is a major child protection / safeguarding issue here

And this is why children fall through the cracks despite being abused throughout their childhood. Nice one.

Go on the nspcc website and report it anonymously. They’ll send it on to social services and they’ll then contact the school, doctors etc to see if there’s any other concerns about the children that will give them an idea of what might be happening in the home.

Thankyou and well done @storypushers a you have absolutely done the right thing

We had to report neighbours. We heard them abusive screaming worried about domestic violence Trust your instinct and report
https://www.police.uk/pu/contact-us/what-and-how-to-report/how-to-report/

they don’t release that it was you who reported

If this is honestly the first time you have heard anything like this then I wouldn't report. If she's approachable I would probably ask if she was ok saying something about how you over heard her the other night and she sounded distressed. It sounds like she needs some support. I'd report if it's a frequent occurrence or keeps happening.

Did you all miss the part in the OP where she says 'it sounded like she hit one or both of them a few times' ?!?!

I wouldn't report off hearsay.

Walls may be thin, but you definitely can't say for 100 percent.

FFS heartbroken her kids won't just get taken away - you are discouraging someone from doing the right thing!!

This needs to be reported for the children's safety and potentially for the mothers support.

What a heartbreaking, deeply affecting accusation to make based off assumptions.

A diary is a much better idea, we don’t report Mums for shouting at their kids once in a while.

To be honest I wouldn't report this as a one off. A pattern sure but not once.

Have a word with her and create a diary. No point reporting and her kids getting taken away because you thought she may have hit a child. Again what makes you think she did?