CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 Child protection

CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 What is child protection? Child protection means protecting children from physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect. It also means helping children to grow up into confident, healthy and happy adults.

CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 The categories of child abuse are: Physical abuse Emotional abuse Neglect Sexual abuse

CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 Physical abuse Physical abuse or Non-Accidental Injury (NAI) involves someone deliberately harming a child. This may take the form of: Bruising: from being slapped, punched, shaken or squeezed. Cuts: scratches, bite marks, a torn frenulum (the web of skin inside the upper lip). Fractures: skull and limb fractures from being thrown against hard objects. Burns and scalds: cigarettes, irons, baths and kettles.

CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 Emotional abuse Emotional abuse occurs when a child consistently faces threatening ill treatment from an adult. This can take the form of verbal abuse, ridiculing, mocking and insulting the child. It is difficult to find out how common this form of abuse is because it is hard to detect.

CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 Signs of emotional abuse include: withdrawn behaviour – child may not join in with others or appear to be having fun attention-seeking behaviour low self-esteem and confidence stammering and stuttering tantrums beyond the expected age telling lies and even stealing tearfulness.

CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 Emotional neglect means that children do not receive love and affection from the adult. They may often be left alone without the company and support of someone who loves them.

CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 Neglect Physical neglect occurs when the adult fails to give their child what they need to develop physically. They often leave children alone and unattended.

CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 Signs of physical neglect include: being underweight for their age and not thriving unwashed clothes which are often dirty and smelly child may have poor skin tone, dull matted hair and bad breath a baby may have a persistent rash from infrequent nappy changing.

CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 being constantly tired, hungry and listless or lacking in energy frequent health problems, and prone to accidents low self-esteem and poor social relationships: delay in all areas of development is likely because of lack of stimulation. Signs of physical neglect (continued):

CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 Sexual abuse Sexual abuse means that the adult uses the child to gratify their sexual needs. This could involve sexual intercourse or anal intercourse. It may involve watching pornographic material with the child. Sexual abuse might also mean children being encouraged in sexually explicit behaviour or oral sex, masturbation or the fondling of sexual parts.

CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 Signs of sexual abuse include: bruises or scratches as in a Non-Accidental Injury or physical injury itching or pain in the genital area wetting or soiling themselves discharge from the penis or vagina.

CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 poor self-esteem and lack of confidence may regress and want to be treated like a baby poor sleeping and eating patterns withdrawn and solitary behaviour. Signs of sexual abuse (continued):

CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 Your role in reporting suspected abuse You need to be aware of the indicators of child abuse as outlined above. However, it is important not to jump to conclusions. If you have any cause for concern, you should always talk to your immediate superior or to the head of the nursery or school. Every child care setting has a policy for dealing with suspected child abuse.

CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 If you suspect child abuse in the home setting, then you should contact your local Social Services or the NSPCC (The National Society for the Protection of Children).

CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 If a child tells you he or she has been abused You should: reassure the child, saying that you are glad that they have told you about this. believe the child. Tell the child that you will do your best to protect them, but don’t promise that you can do that.

CACHE Level 2 Child Care and Education © Hodder Education 2008 remember that the child is not to blame, and that it is important that you make the child understand this. do a lot of listening; don’t ask questions. report your conversation with the child to your immediate superior. write down what was said by the child as soon as possible after the conversation. If a child tells you he or she has been abused (continued)