Categories of abuse Categories of (The following definition is taken from Working Together to Safeguard Children 2013. Physical Abuse: • Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child or young person • Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces illness in a child Neglect: The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development Neglect can occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance misuse. Once the child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to: • Provide adequate food and clothing, shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment) • Protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger • Ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or • Ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to a child’s basic emotional needs. Emotional Abuse The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyber bullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger or the exploitation or corruption of children.
If you consider or suspect maltreatment it is good practice to follow the process outlined below – A Quick Reference Guide Listen and observe... Take into account the whole picture of the child or young person. Sources of information that help to do this include: Seek an explanation... for any injury or presentation from both the parent or and the child or young person in an open and non-judgemental manner. in the child or young person’s clinical re- cord exactly what is observed and heard from whom and when. Record why this is of concern. CONSIDER child maltreatment... CONSIDER means maltreatment is one possible explanation for the alerting feature or is included in the differential diagnosis. At any stage during the process of considering maltreatment the level of concern may change and lead to exclude or suspect maltreatment. SUSPECT Child maltreatment... if an alerting feature or considering child maltreatment prompts you to suspect maltreatment refer the child or young person to children’s social care, following Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. EXCLUDE child maltreatment... if a suitable explanation is found for the alerting feature. This may be the decision after discussion of the case with a more experienced colleague or gathering collateral information as part of considering maltreatment. all actions taken and the outcome. Remember you are accountable for ensuring that appropriate help is provided to the child following any referral.
AAssseessssmmeent off Neeeedd/MMaanagemeennttooffRRisiksk Assessment Framework Triangle health • education • emotional • & behavioural development • identity • • basic care • ensuring safety • emotional warmth • stimulation • guidance & boundaries family & social • afeg rdi g • stability relationships • social • presentation & p o f ti g selfcare skills • fa ily & environmental factors
• Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to interagency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children (2013) • Children Act 1989 (2004) • Information sharing: Guidance for practitioners and managers (2008) • Framework for Assessment of Children in Need (2000) • If you consider or suspect child maltreatment (NICE Guidance 2008) • Building Partnerships, Staying safe – The health sector contribution to HM Governments Prevent strategy (2011) • Statutory guidance on making arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children under section 11 of the Children Act 2004 • Care Act 2006 • The Munro Reviews of Child Protection 2011/2012 • Safeguarding Children and People: Roles and Competence for Health Care Staff (Intercollegiate document 2010) • UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) • Health Visitor Implementation Plan (2011) • Getting it Right for Children, Young people and Families, maximising the contribution of the school nursing team: Vision and Call for Action (2012) • Statutory Guidance on promoting the Health and Wellbeing of Looked Children (2009) This prompt card was inspired by NHS East Midlands.