Child Safeguarding Flashcards
What does the word children mean?
Children and young people from birth to their 18th birthday
What states that children have the right to be protected from being hurt and mistreated physically and mentally?
The UNCRC 1989
What are some key UK laws about the support and expectations provided to children?
(7)
Children’s Act 1989
Modern Slavery Act 2015
Sexual Offences Act 2003
What to do if you’re worried about child is being abused 2015
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023
FGM Act 2003
Children and Social Work Act 2017
What do all staff and volunteers have an important role to do?
(2)
Protect the most at risk from harm and exploitation
Recognising signs of possible abuse, neglect and exploitation
What does safeguarding mean?
Protecting children from abuse and maltreatment or harm to children’s health or development
What are examples of situations that can be considered as child abuse, maltreatment or harm?
(8)
The exploitation of children and young people, including trafficking
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse including sexual exploitation and gang sexual violence
Domestic abuse and violence
Psychological harm
Neglectful behaviour
Grooming including over the internet
Indoctrination (brainwashing) of a child or young person
What is exploitation/trafficking?
Where children and young people are tricked, forced or persuaded to leave their home and then are moved elsewhere and then exploited
What are some reasons as to why children are trafficked?
(5)
Sexual exploitation
Benefit fraud
Forced marriage
Domestic slavery like cleaning, cooking and childcare
Forced labour in factories or agriculture
What things might traffickers say and do to force a child to be exploited?
(2)
They may promise the children and their families that they’ll have a better future elsewhere
They may threaten the families with violence or threats
What type of crime is trafficking?
Economic crime
How often does a child go missing or run away from home in the UK?
Every 5 mins
What factors could increase the likelihood of child abuse and a child’s vulnerability of exploitation and violence?
(4)
Stress
Social disadvantage
Mental illness, substance abuse and domestic abuse
Intellectual/physical disability of the child
Why would stress increase a child’s likelihood of abuse or vulnerability to violence?
There could be financial problems in the parents’ relationships. So the parents may be unable to control aggressive feelings towards their children or to care for their children properly
Why would social disadvantage increase a child’s likelihood of abuse or vulnerability to violence?
If they live on a low income or in inadequate housing or are being discriminated against because of ethnicity, religion, disability or sexual orientation, this could affect the parents’ ability to care for their children properly
Why would mental illness, substance abuse and domestic abuse increase a child’s likelihood of abuse or vulnerability to violence?
Parents can struggle to take care of their own needs, which makes it particularly difficult for them to meet their children’s needs
Why would intellectual/physical disability of a child increase the likelihood of abuse or vulnerability of exploitation?
Children with a disability are at an increased risk of further developmental delay, neglect and maltreatment
What are the categories of child abuse?
(4)
Physical
Emotional
Neglect
Sexual
What are some forms of harm that are inflicted on children and young people?
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Modern slavery
Trafficking
Honour-based violence
Forced marriage
Child sexual exploitation
Peer impact
Bullying
FGM
Internet abuse
What is physical abuse?
Deliberately hurting a child and causing injuries such as bruises, broken bones, burns or cuts
What is fabricated/induced illness (FII)?
When parents or carers make up or cause symptoms of illness in their child, e.g. giving them medicine they don’t need and making the child feel unwell
The NSPCC says 1 in … children have been physically abused
1 in 14
How does physical abuse impact a child?
(4)
The child will feel immediate pain and suffering
There may be medical problems caused by the physical injury
The emotional pain will last long after the bruises and wounds have healed
The child can die in the instance of severe physical abuse
What are some signs of physical abuse?
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Bruising
Cuts and scratches
Bite marks
Burns and scalds
Broken bones (without a good explanation)
Shaken babies (abusive head trauma)
They may be fearful
They may shy away from touch
They may be reluctant to change for PE
They may appear to be afraid to go home
What should health and care professionals always take into account in child abuse?
(2)
The origin of bruising in babies and children can be hard to identify. The child’s age and stage of development can be a helpful guide, e.g. a non-mobile infant shouldn’t have bruises anywhere unless there’s a clear diagnosis such as a recent injury. Whilst a school aged child may have bruising on their limbs cased during normal play. If you’re not sure, seek advice from someone who can support you.
The child’s explanation and the parent/carer’s explanation are important. The parent’s explanation may not fit with the injury seen, seem very vague or change every time they’re asked about the injury. The child may have been trained to echo the parent’s explanation
What is neglect?
The persistent failure to met a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs. This is likely to seriously impair a child’s health or development. It could be deliberate or not deliberate
How can neglect occur during pregnancy?
As a result of maternal alcohol/substance abuse
What are examples of neglect in children?
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Not providing adequate food, clothing and shelter
Not protecting a child from physical and emotional harm or danger
Not ensuring adequate supervision
Not ensuring access to appropriate medical care or treatment
What % of young people claim to have been neglected at some point in their childhoods?
15%
How could neglect impact a child or young person?
(4)
They’re always feeling hungry
They’re not growing properly
They’re being rejected at school by other children because of their dirty clothes and smell
They’re living in a filthy house without a clean bed to sleep in, no proper bedtime so they’re always feeling tired
What are some physical signs of neglect?
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Dirty clothes and shoes
Not dressed warmly enough in cold weather
Appearing very dirty
Untreated or delayed treatment for illnesses and injuries
What are some behavioural signs of neglect?
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Unsupervised young children playing outside
Left alone at home
Frequently late for school
Troublesome, disruptive behaviour
Running away from home- in the case of adolescents
What is emotional abuse?
The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child that causes severe and long term effects on their development
What are examples of emotional abuse towards a child?
(3)
Making a child feel worthless or unloved
Not giving a child opportunities to express their views
Expressing domestic abuse in the home
What % of children in the UK experience frequent and severe emotional maltreatment during childhood?
7%
How can emotional abuse impact a child?
(5)
That they’re not worthy of being loved by anyone
A poor sense of self image and self-esteem
A poor sense of security
Difficulty trusting others
It’s hard to feel happy
What are signs of emotional abuse?
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Having low self confidence and a poor self image
Being withdrawn
Having difficulty when forming relationships
Becoming anxious, depresses, demanding and aggressive
Displaying increased risk taking behaviour
What is sexual abuse?
Forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities. The child may or not be aware of what’s happening
What are the types of sexual abuse?
(2)
Penetrative assault, e.g. rape or oral sex
Non-penetrative assault, e.g. masturbation, making children look at sexual activities or images
What is Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)?
A type of sexual abuse where the child or young person receives something, e.g. money, food, shelter, drugs, etc, in return for sexual activities. There’s a power imbalance between the perpetrator and victim
Why is it difficult to know the true number of children and young people affected by sexual abuse?
Because many children don’t tell anyone about sexual abuse
Which age group and gender reported the highest rates of sexual abuse in the past year?
Teenage girls between 15-17
What’s the impact of sexual abuse?
(3)
The child feels shame
They may have tried to tell someone but weren’t believed, or they were blamed for the abuse
Many wait to tell people when they’re older about the abuse, others may never tell
What are the signs of sexual abuse in children?
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The child becoming anxious about going to a particular place or seeing a particular person
The child suddenly starts having behavioural problems such as being aggressive
The child suddenly starts having extreme mood swings such as brooding, crying or fearfulness
The child has a sudden deterioration in school results
The child starts unexpectedly displaying explicit sexual knowledge for their age, including sexualised behaviour
The child starts wetting the bed again
What are the signs of sexual abuse in adolescents?
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They do poorly at school
They abuse alcohol or drugs
They self-harm
They have unprotected sex with many partners
They continue the patterns of violence into future relationships
What are the characteristics of a sexual abuser?
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It’s usually a family member or a family friend
It can be a boyfriend or girlfriend for teenagers
The abuser may act alone or as part of an organised group
They may put great pressure on the child not to tell anyone about the abuse after it’s happened
They may go to great lengths to get close to children and win their trust, such as choosing employment that brings them into contact with them, or by pretending to be children in online chat rooms meant for children
Who must professionals be suspicious of as being an abuser?
Everyone- no matter what their role is, anyone can be an abuser
How may children be drawn into gangs or criminal exploitation through?
(6)
Peer pressure
To feel protected
Money and promised rewards
Status and the feeling of power
Poverty
They’ve been excluded from school and feel like they have no place to be
What can abuse and neglect during childhood increase the risk of in later life?
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Drug and alcohol misuse
Poor physical/mental health
Early and multiple sexual relationships and teen pregnancy
Risk of being or perpetrating a victim of domestic violence
Difficulty with job performance
Relationship problems
Likelihood of going to prison
Risk of criminal and sexual exploitation
What is an adverse childhood experience (ACEs)?
A range of negative situations a child may face or witness while growing up, e.g. living in a household where domestic violence occurs.
What should we as professionals do if we are concerned that a child is experiencing abuse?
Contact your line manager or another senior person
Why should we tell a senior person if we are concerned that a child is being abused?
The agencies can assess the level of risk, so we can decide together what the next steps will be- either supporting the child and family or, if there’s a greater risk, taking action to protect the child from further harm
What are the agencies to contact about supposed child abuse?
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Children’s social care
Police
Health visitor/school nurse
Schoo/nursery teacher
Paediatrician
GP
Others
Why should we contact the children’s social care about supposed child abuse?
They know either the child and/or the family has been previously involved with the children’s social care
Why should we contact the police about supposed child abuse?
The police will have knowledge of any previous criminal involvement of the child/parents/carers and records of call outs to the family house regarding incidents of domestic abuse
Why should we contact the health visitor/school nurse about supposed child abuse?
They’ll be aware of issues relating to the health and development of the child/young person. They may also be aware of issues affecting other children and/or parents in the family
Why should we contact a paediatrician about supposed child abuse?
They’ll be aware of significant medical issues that may affect the child, and they have expertise in medical aspects of child abuse
Why should we contact the GP about supposed child abuse?
A GP may have a knowledge of the whole family,e.g. parental mental health or substance abuse issues
Why should we contact others about supposed child abuse?
They may also provide vital information,e.g. substance abuse team, midwife, etc. Youth workers can assess and support young people at risk of or involved in criminal exploitation, sexual exploitation or serious youth violence
