Community Flashcards
What are the risk factors for child maltreatment
Child:
Born after forced/commercial sex
Failure to meet parental expectations - gender, disability
Parent:
Mental health problems
Parental intolerance, over-anxiousness
Alcohol, drug abuse
Family: Step parents Domestic violence Multiple births Lack of social support Young parental age
Environmental:
Poverty
What are the main types of child maltreatment?
Physical abuse Emotional abuse Sexual abuse and sexual exploitation Neglect Fabricated or induced illness Intimate partner violence Female genital mutilation
Define abuse
Deliberate infliction of harm to child o
Or failure to prevent harm to child
Define physical abuse
Hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child
Define emotional abuse
Persistent emotional maltreatment of a child resulting in severe and persistent adverse effects in child’s emotional development
E.g. conveying they are inadequate/unloved, overprotection, bullying, exploitation, witnessing maltreatment of another child
Define sexual abuse and sexual exploitation
Sexual abuse: Forcing a child to take part in sexual activities whether or not child is aware of what is happening
Involve physical contact or non contact
Sexual exploitation: Type of sexual abuse in which children are sexually exploited for money, power or status
E.g. online grooming
Define neglect
Persistent failure to meet child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in serious impairment of child’s development or health
E.g. food/clothing/shelter, protection from physical/emotional abuse, access to medical care, inadequate supervision
Define fabricated or induced illness
Group of behaviours by parents which cause harm to children, to fulfil the parents own needs
Fabrication: Parents invent symptoms+signs in the child, telling a false story to healthcare professionals, leading them to believe child is ill and requires investigation and treatment.
HCPs used as instruments to harm child through unnecessary interventions.
Induced illness: suffocation, admin of poisons, excessive/unnecessary admin of ordinary substances, excess/unnecessary medication
Define intimate partner violence
Observing violence between adults who are intimate partners or family members, irrespective of sex or sexuality
Define female genital mutilation
All procedures that involve partial or total removal of external female genitalia, or other injury, for non medical reasons
Somalia is high risk country
What are clinical features of physical abuse
Bruises: in shape of hand or object, on neck, around wrists or ankles, to buttocks in <2yo
Fractures: non mobile child, rib #, multiple #, multiple # of different ages
Burns: non mobile child, in shape of an implement, ‘glove and stocking’ burns
Bites: bruising in shape of a bite thought unlikely to be caused by young child
What are clinical features of neglect
Dirty Ravenously hungry Inadequate clothing in cold weather Misses medical appointments Lacks immunisations or needed medical/dental care
Parent: Appears Indifferent to child Appears Depressed Behaves irrationally Abuses drugs, alcohol
What are clinical features of emotional abuse
Parent perception:
‘Wrong’ gender
‘Difficult’ child
Born at fine time of parental separation/violence
Baby: delayed development, non-demanding, described as spoiled, attention-seeking
Infant: violent, apathetic, fearful
Children: wetting, soiling, relationship difficulties, nonattendance, antisocial behaviour
Adolescents: self harm, depression, aggressive, delinquent
What are clinical features of sexual abuse
Tell someone about abuse
Identified in pornographic material
Pregnant: pregnancy in <13yo means maltreatment because intercourse at that age is unlawful
STI
Physical:
PV bleeding, discharge, itching
Rectal bleeding
Behavioural:
Soiling, secondary enuresis
Self harm, aggression, poor school performance
Awareness or acting out of sexual behaviour beyond expected for age
Define safeguarding
Process of intervening when there are clear instances of child maltreatment, as well as recognising and alerting vulnerabilities to those involved in the child’s care
It is everyone’s responsibility
It is child-centred (for services to be effective at meeting child’s needs and views)
