5 - Safeguarding Flashcards
Define children in need.
Those who require additional support or services to achieve their full potential
Define child protection.
Activity to protect specific children who are suffering, or at risk of suffering, significant harm
Define safeguarding children.
measures taken to minimise the risk of harm to children
- protecting children from maltreatment
- preventing impairment of children’s health or development
- ensuring children are growing up in a safe and caring environment
Define child abuse and neglect.
Anything those entrusted to look after children do, or fail to do (neglect), which damages the prospects of the safe and healthy development of a child
What elements must be present to constitute child abuse?
3
- significant harm to child
- carer has some responsibility for said harm
- significant connection between carer’s responsibility for child and the harm to the child
What is GIRFEC?
- getting it right for every child
- named person for every child to be the point of contact regrading the child’s wellbeing
- shared approach to identifying concerns, recording and sharing information about the child
What are the factor that allow a child to be “ready to succeed”?
- nurtured
- achieving
- healthy
- safe
- included
- responsible
- respected
- active
What is the UNCRC?
- right to respect
- right to information about yourself
- right to be protected from harm
- right to have a say in your life
- right to a good start in life
- right to be and feel secure
What are contributing factors to child abuse? (adult)
- drugs
- alcohol
- poverty
- unemployment
- marital stress
- mental illness
- disabled
- domestic violence
- step parents
- isolation
- abused a child (intergenerational cycle)
- unrealistic expectations
- violence towards pets
What are contributing factors to child abuse? (child)
- crying
- soiling
- disability
- unwanted pregnancy
- failed expectations
- wrong gender
- product of forced or coerced sex
What are contributing factors to child abuse? (community)
- dwelling place
- housing conditions
- neighbourhood
What are the big 3 concerns in parenting capacity?
- domestic violence
- drug and alcohol misuse
- mental health problems
What are the categories of child abuse?
- physical
- emotional
- neglect
- sexual
- non-organic failure to thrive
Which children are most at risk of child abuse?
- under 5s
- irregular attenders
- medical problems and disabilities
What is the effect of neglect of nutrition?
- failure to thrive
- short stature
What is the effect of neglect of warmth, shelter and clothing?
- inappropriate clothing
- cold injury
- sunburn
What is the effect of neglect of hygiene and health care?
- ingrained dirt (finger nails)
- head lice
- dental caries
What is the effect of neglect of stimulation and education?
Developmental delay
What is the effect of neglect of affection?
- withdrawn
- attention seeking behaviour
What is the typical victim of neglect?
- child under 1yr deprived of food and drink
- older independently mobile child being inadequately supervised (preventable accidents)
What are the short term effects of neglect?
- physical health
- emotional health
- social development
- cognitive development
What are the long term effects of neglect?
- arrest
- suicide attempts
- major depression
- diabetes
- heart disease
Define dental neglect.
Persistent failure to meet a child’s basic oral health needs, likely to result in serious impairment of child’s oral or general health or development
What effects can dental neglect have on a child?
- toothache, disturbed sleep
- difficultly eating or changed preferences
- absence from school
- teasing due to appearance
- severe infection, repeated antibiotics
- repeated XGA
Describe wilful dental neglect.
After problems have been pointed out:
- irregular attendance
- repeated failed appointments
- repeated late cancellations
- failure to complete treatment
- returning in pain at repeated intervals
- repeated XGA
What are the 3 stages of managing dental neglect?
- preventative dental team management
- preventative multi-agency management
- child protection referral
Describe stage 1of managing dental neglect.
- preventative dental team management
- raise concerns with parents
- offer support
- set targets
- keep records and monitor progress
Describe stage 2 of managing dental neglect.
- preventative multi-agency management
- liaise with other professionals (health visitor, GP etc) to see if concerns are shared
- common assessment framework (CAF)
- check if child is subject to child protection plan
- agree joint plan of action, reviewed at regular intervals
- send letter to HV of children <5 to fail appointments
Describe stage 3 of managing dental neglect.
- child protection referral
- in complex or deteriorating situations
- referral is to social services by phone then followed up in writing
What are examples of physical abuse?
- over chastisement (cultural)
- acute / compassionate (eg shaking)
- chronic / pathological (way of life)
Describe acute / compassionate abuse.
- typically spontaneous and uncalculated reaction
- remorse usually felt, take appropriate action taken
- child’s needs are priority
Describe chronic / pathological abuse.
- way of life
- help is sought but not actively
- no remorse
- child’s needs are not priority
Where do accidental injuries typically occur?
- bony prominences
- match the history and description
- in keeping with the development of the child
Where do non-accidental injuries typically occur?
- both sides of body
- soft tissues
- patterns
- doesn’t match description of injury
- delay in presentation
- untreated
What are oro-facial signs of physical abuse?
- bruising to face (punch/slap/pinch)
- bruising to ears (pinch/pull)
- abrasions and lacerations
- burns and bites
- choking marks on neck (hand or cord)
- eye injuries
- hair pulling
- fractures (nose>mandible>zygoma)
What are intraoral signs of physical abuse?
- contusions
- bruises
- abrasions and lacerations
- burns
- tooth trauma
- frenal injuries in nonmobile children
What is expected of the dental team when referring a child to social services?
- observe
- record
- communicate
- refer for assessment
- NOT expected to diagnose abuse
What happens after referral if the child is in immediate danger?
- child protection order
- exclusion order
- child assessment order
- removal by police or authority of JP
