Safeguarding Children
Safeguarding Children: Case Study and Questions:
Case Study: Part 1:
Q1 Child abuse would be one of many possible explanations at this point. In addition to the indicators mentioned above, describe at least four physical signs and four behavioural signs that you might look for if you still thought that child abuse was a possibility. (P1)
The first signs I would look for are physical signs, such as; bruises, burns, scars and unexplained marks, bite marks for example. Injuries such as bruises are not necessarily an immediate sign of child abuse, however depending on the place in which the bruises were found and the shape and age of them, they could be a sign. For example in protected areas of the body such as inner thighs and the stomach, and especially if they were in the shape of an adult hand or had obvious finger mark bruises, this could almost definitely give the conclusion that the child is being abused. Bite marks, in every case, are a sign of abuse. Biting can never be ‘accidental’, and therefore must be taken as abuse, regardless of whether the abuser was only using it to teach the child a lesson. Whereas burning could be accidental, some types of burns cannot be accounted as accidental. For example where a burn has not been treated as it should and has been left to blister, cigarette burns, and cooker ring burns can all portray abuse. Scars, however, can mean a number of things. Injuries leaving scars can be accidental, however some may be signs of abuse. Dependant on the shape of the scar, some may seemingly be more obvious as a sign of abuse, whereas some could be accidental. For example, some burn marks and scars, such as scars from whips or burns from cigarettes, would be an immediate cause for concern, however in many cases there would be other signs of abuse rather than just scars, as old scars can prove very little.
Behavioural sighs can also give a warning that a child is being abused. There are many behavioural signs, such as; sudden
Case Study: Part 1:
Q1 Child abuse would be one of many possible explanations at this point. In addition to the indicators mentioned above, describe at least four physical signs and four behavioural signs that you might look for if you still thought that child abuse was a possibility. (P1)
The first signs I would look for are physical signs, such as; bruises, burns, scars and unexplained marks, bite marks for example. Injuries such as bruises are not necessarily an immediate sign of child abuse, however depending on the place in which the bruises were found and the shape and age of them, they could be a sign. For example in protected areas of the body such as inner thighs and the stomach, and especially if they were in the shape of an adult hand or had obvious finger mark bruises, this could almost definitely give the conclusion that the child is being abused. Bite marks, in every case, are a sign of abuse. Biting can never be ‘accidental’, and therefore must be taken as abuse, regardless of whether the abuser was only using it to teach the child a lesson. Whereas burning could be accidental, some types of burns cannot be accounted as accidental. For example where a burn has not been treated as it should and has been left to blister, cigarette burns, and cooker ring burns can all portray abuse. Scars, however, can mean a number of things. Injuries leaving scars can be accidental, however some may be signs of abuse. Dependant on the shape of the scar, some may seemingly be more obvious as a sign of abuse, whereas some could be accidental. For example, some burn marks and scars, such as scars from whips or burns from cigarettes, would be an immediate cause for concern, however in many cases there would be other signs of abuse rather than just scars, as old scars can prove very little.
Behavioural sighs can also give a warning that a child is being abused. There are many behavioural signs, such as; sudden