How To Safeguard And Protect Children From Harm

How to safeguard and protect children from harm.

Actions to take to evidence or concerns that a child/ young person has been abused in any way
Signs & Symptoms of Physical abuse.
 Unexplained bruises.
 Unexplained recurrent injuries or burns or scalds.
 Wearing clothes to cover injuries, even in hot weather.
 Refusal to undress for games.
 Bald patches of hair
 Repeated running away.
 Fear of medical examination.
 Aggression towards self and others.  Fear of physical contact – shrinking back if approached or touched. Actions to take if evidence is seen.
Ask the child directly how they obtained their injuries and ask them to tell you the full story, if the story rings alarm bells then alert your manager and take the right course of action, which will be making a note of what the child has said to you, then discussing it with their parent at the earliest possible convenience, then if the markings/ injuries persist, alert the manager again and involve other safeguarding agencies for example CAF to get to the bottom of the injuries the child is sustaining .

Actions to take to evidence or concerns that a child/ young person has been abused in any way
Signs and Symptoms:- Emotional abuse
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Delayed development

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Sudden speech problems such as stammering 

Low self esteem

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Fear of new situations

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Neurotic behaviour (rocking, hair twisting, self mutilation.)

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Extremes of withdrawal and aggression Action to take if evidence is seen
If this sort of behaviour is seen especially if the child is especially outgoing and normally happy, then you would have a one to one with the child asking them if anything is bothering them and if they say that a family member is hurting their feelings (to a great extent) then you would reassure them that everything will be okay. You would then consult the manager for an action plan you would take to ensure the child is safe and keeps out of danger.

Actions to take to evidence or concerns that a child/ young
person