Indicators Child Abuse

The types and possible signs and indicators of child abuse.

Physical Abuse.
This may involve the hitting, shaking, throwing, drowning, suffocating fit the injuries shown or otherwise causing harm to a child. Physical harm may also be when a parent or alternatively a carer fabricates the symptoms of an illness deliberately in a child. Physical abuse can be defined as a deliberate physical assault resulting in any of the above taking place. Physical indicators to be aware of professionally include any injuries that there is no explanation for or when the explanation given does not fit the injuries shown. Another indicator can be when the explanation/story keeps changing and is not consistent. Injuries have different stages of healing and
Neglect is the persistent failure to meet the child’s physical and/or psychological needs, which is likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health and development. Neglect takes on many different forms, it may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance and alcohol abuse. Once a child is born neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, clothing and shelter, including exclusion from home or abandonment. This includes the failure to protect a child from physical, emotional harm or danger, the failure to ensure adequate supervision including the use of inadequate and inappropriate carers. This also includes the failure to make sure access to appropriate and necessary medical care and treatment is provided. It could be argued that neglect of or unresponsiveness of a child’s basic emotional needs could be included. Neglect involves an act of omission by the parent or carer, which results in or is likely to result in harm to the child. In this category there are two main types of signs “disclosures and indicators”. Sometimes children will tell a trusted adult that they are being abused and neglected. Children often begin with one example and wait for the outcome. In other cases children will not disclose directly, but indirectly. This will be through behaviour patterns, emotional, art, writing, appearances, concerns or talks about fear, inquiries or relationships. Physical signs of neglect may include injuries where medical care has been unusually delayed or avoided all together, injuries that have occurred from lack of supervision. Medical or dental needs that are constantly not attended to, “failure to thrive” in a child where no medical reason has been found is more professionally known as non organic. A child’s clothing may be or could be viewed as inadequate for the weather conditions, dirty, un-ironed or ill-fitting. They may be constantly