Explain The Signs Of Child Abuse
It is crucial that all professionals working with children are aware of child abuse and must have an understanding of the different signs that may indicate that a child is being abused. We are more aware today than ever before about what constitutes abuse and of what can be classified as effective behaviour control. For example, a child receiving the belt was considered an acceptable means of teaching a child right from wrong; today we would be horrified at this kind of treatment. Although practitioners need to do their best to ensure a child's safety while they are in their care, they also need to look out for signs that the child is being mistreated whilst they are outside of the setting. These signs may include both physical and behavioural
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The failure of the child to respond to their parent/carer.
An inability by the parent/carer to accept the parenting role.
Separation of the child and parent/carer.
Stress and other factors which may contribute to a lack of interest in the child such as poor housing, unemployment, poverty etc.
Parents/carers who have been victims of abuse themselves.
Abuse can be separated into four main types and these are:
• Physical Abuse - This is the intentional infliction of an injury or physical hurt on a child by an adult or the failure to prevent the infliction of injuries by another adult. Physical abuse may take a variety of forms and be either spasmodic or persistent. Injuries may come from the child being: hit, bit, punched, burnt, shaken, kicked, beaten, fed using excessive force or given drugs and alcohol. The signs of physical abuse are often quite straightforward to spot and can include bruises, cuts, burns and other injuries. However, practitioners should be aware that that all children will experience some for of accidental injury throughout their childhood years and they may well experience cuts, bruises, bumps and even broken bones and, as such, can be genuine accidents. The differences between genuine accidents and deliberates acts of physical abuse …show more content…
• Illnesses which cannot be accounted for, such as recurring stomach pains or headaches.
• Appearing to succumb to more than an average number of accidents for which there is no explanation for the injury. If a practitioner notices frequent signs of injury or if there appears to be other signs of abuse, it is important to take action.
One of the most common physical injuries sustained by children is bruising. Most mobile children will have some kind of bruising at some point; the crucial thing to remember is that bruising is strongly related to mobility. It is very unusual for a baby who is not at the crawling stage, and therefore has no independent mobility, to sustain bruising. As bruising is very common in young children it is important that practitioners know when they should be concerned. Practitioners need to be concerned in the following instances:
Bruises sustained through abuse are often located on the 'soft' 'parts' of the body, for example, the cheeks, abdomen, back and buttocks.
Cluster bruises are a common feature in abused children and these are often located on the upper arm, outside of the thigh or on the
The failure of the child to respond to their parent/carer.
An inability by the parent/carer to accept the parenting role.
Separation of the child and parent/carer.
Stress and other factors which may contribute to a lack of interest in the child such as poor housing, unemployment, poverty etc.
Parents/carers who have been victims of abuse themselves.
Abuse can be separated into four main types and these are:
• Physical Abuse - This is the intentional infliction of an injury or physical hurt on a child by an adult or the failure to prevent the infliction of injuries by another adult. Physical abuse may take a variety of forms and be either spasmodic or persistent. Injuries may come from the child being: hit, bit, punched, burnt, shaken, kicked, beaten, fed using excessive force or given drugs and alcohol. The signs of physical abuse are often quite straightforward to spot and can include bruises, cuts, burns and other injuries. However, practitioners should be aware that that all children will experience some for of accidental injury throughout their childhood years and they may well experience cuts, bruises, bumps and even broken bones and, as such, can be genuine accidents. The differences between genuine accidents and deliberates acts of physical abuse …show more content…
• Illnesses which cannot be accounted for, such as recurring stomach pains or headaches.
• Appearing to succumb to more than an average number of accidents for which there is no explanation for the injury. If a practitioner notices frequent signs of injury or if there appears to be other signs of abuse, it is important to take action.
One of the most common physical injuries sustained by children is bruising. Most mobile children will have some kind of bruising at some point; the crucial thing to remember is that bruising is strongly related to mobility. It is very unusual for a baby who is not at the crawling stage, and therefore has no independent mobility, to sustain bruising. As bruising is very common in young children it is important that practitioners know when they should be concerned. Practitioners need to be concerned in the following instances:
Bruises sustained through abuse are often located on the 'soft' 'parts' of the body, for example, the cheeks, abdomen, back and buttocks.
Cluster bruises are a common feature in abused children and these are often located on the upper arm, outside of the thigh or on the