Safeguarding children Care 2 Health 2 What is abuse and recognising it

All children deserve the opportunity to achieve their full potential All children deserve the opportunity to achieve their full potential. They should be enabled to: be as physically and mentally healthy as possible; gain the maximum benefit possible from good-quality educational opportunities; live in a safe environment and be protected from harm; experience emotional well-being;

feel loved and valued, and be supported by a network of reliable and affectionate relationships; become competent in looking after themselves and coping with everyday living; have a positive image of themselves, and a secure sense of identity including cultural and racial identity; develop good inter-personal skills and confidence in social situations.

All families may experience difficulties from time to time for a whole host of reasons which may have an impact on their children. These reasons may include the death of a family member, physical or mental ill health in the family, the breakdown of marital or other significant relationships, sudden loss of employment, multiple births, or having a child with special educational needs.

Not all adults are well prepared for the daily upheavals and stress of bringing up a child. Some parents may find one particular stage in their child's life especially stressful, for example adolescence. Many cope well enough with one problem but a combination of problems can have a cummulative debilitating effect.

The families referred to or seeking help from social services will have differing levels of need. Many will be helped by advice or practical services or short term intervention. A smaller group will have problems of such complexity and seriousness that they require more detailed assessment leading to appropriate plans and interventions

It shall be the general duty of every local authority – to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need; and so far as is consistent with that duty, to promote the upbringing of such children by their families, by providing a range and level of services appropriate to those children’s needs. Children Act 1989 s17(1)

Children Who are Suffering or are Likely to Suffer Significant Harm Some children are in need because they are suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Concerns about maltreatment may be the reason for referral of a family to social services or concerns may arise during the course of providing services to a family. In such circumstances, the local authority is obliged to consider initiating enquiries to find out what is happening to a child and whether action should be taken to protect a child. This obligation is set out in Part V s47 of the Children Act 1989 (Protection of Children):

Good enough parenting Patterns of family life vary and there is no one, perfect way to bring up children. Good parenting involves caring for children’s basic needs, showing them warmth and love and providing the stimulation needed for their development, within a stable environment where they experience consistent guidance and boundaries.

Abuse and Neglect Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting; by those known to them or, more rarely, by a stranger.

Physical abuse Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer feigns the symptoms of, or deliberately causes ill health to a child whom they are looking after. This situation is commonly described using terms such as factitious illness by proxy or Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

Emotional Abuse Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional ill-treatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person.

Recognising Abuse There are no clear signs of abuse taking place, but there can be indicators. Remember some situations may have medical reasons or other explanations It is important to remember that presence of these indicators does not automatically mean abuse, rather that issues need to be considered These are general indicators and are not situation specific

Physical Unexplained bruises Frequent bruises Unexplained burns or scalds Unexplained fractures Cigarette burns Bites marks Internal injuries

Behavioural Indicators Withdrawn or overly compliant Aggressive Poor social skills Low self esteem Unusually fearful Hyper alert to environment In school situation unwilling to change for P.E Disclosure

Emotional abuse Attention seeking Withdrawn and isolated Inability to have fun Low self esteem tantrums at inappropriate age For younger children an inability to play Indiscriminately affectionate Fearful of parents/carers Self harming Poor concentration Disclosure

Sexual Abuse Physical signs- complaining of discomfort etc. Pregnancy Eating disorders Sexually transmitted diseases Nightmares Compulsively seeking attention from both boys and girls Overly co-operative/aggressive Destructive or anti social behaviour Poor relationship with other young people Self harming Unusual secretive behaviour Unusual sexual knowledge disclosure

Neglect Poor hygiene Inadequate clothing Untreated medical conditions Underweight/hungry Lack of interest/difficult to stimulate Persistently late to school Withdrawn Low self esteem disclosure

The sustained abuse or neglect of children physically, emotionally or sexually can have major long-term effects on all aspects of a child’s health, development and well-being. Sustained abuse is likely to have a deep impact on the child’s self-image and self-esteem, and on his or her future life.

The Children Act 1989 introduced the concept of significant harm as the threshold that justifies compulsory intervention in family life in the best interests of children. The local authority is under a duty to make enquiries, or cause enquiries to be made, where it has reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or likely to suffer significant harm (s.47).

What you need to do if you suspect a young person is a child in need or experiencing abuse You need to be aware of who in your organisation you should speak to. If a child is in need and not experiencing abuse, you need to liase with the family before making any referal to social services.

Parents’ permission should be sought before discussing a referral about them with other agencies, unless permission-seeking may itself place a child at risk of significant harm. (Working together to safeguard children)

If you suspect that the young person or child is experiencing abuse it is important that you discus this with the designated person in your organisation. Need to discus why you feel there is abuse- there may be explanations for certain events/ behaviour- the school may have knowledge Concerns need to be accurately recorded and passed on to the relevant person

Is the family in need of support or is the child in need of protection? If support, what support is available? Throughout the education service: all schools and colleges should have a designated member of staff with knowledge and skills in recognising and acting upon child protection concerns. He or she should act as a source of expertise and advice, and is responsible for co-ordinating action within the institution and liasing with other agencies;

If in doubt speak to someone and discuss your concerns If in doubt speak to someone and discuss your concerns. This may be the designated teacher in a school or the duty officer in the social services team. If you think the child and family is in need of support because of various factors, you need to discus this with the family before making a referal. If you feel the child is at risk of significant harm or abuse then this needs to be refered to social services/out of hours social workers and in certain circumstances the police Professionals who phone the social services department should confirm referrals in writing.

Dealing with disclosures It is possible that in your career a child or young person may disclose abuse to you Never promise to keep a secret or confidentiality Listen calmly to the young person Do not make comments or judgements Reassure the young person, but do not ask any leading questions or give opinions (this can invalidate evidence should it come to court) Follow your agency procedure for dealing with suspected child protection issues

(Working together document) Promoting children’s well-being and safeguarding them from significant harm depends crucially upon effective information sharing, collaboration and understanding between agencies and professionals. (Working together document)