Types of Abuse
Abuse is a form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Harm can include physical and non-physical ill treatment, as well as experiencing the impact of the ill treatment of others, for example domestic abuse.
Children may be abused in family, institutional or extra-familial contexts by those known to them or, more rarely, by others.
Abuse can take place wholly online, or technology may be used to facilitate offline abuse. Children may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.
Whilst the ways that children can be maltreated are many, if a child becomes known to child protection, the significant harm they have experienced or are at risk of experiencing will be categorised under one of four headings.
Neglect
The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance 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)
- protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger
- ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate caregivers)
- ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment
- provide suitable education
It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs
Neglect in the SCSP Child protection and Safeguarding Procedure Manual
Other helpful resources
In line with Sheffield’s Neglect Strategy, SCSP promotes the use of the NSPCC Graded Care Profile to identify and intervene with families where neglect is a concern or may become a concern.
SCSP delivers regular Neglect Awareness Training to support practitioners and supervisors to develop a foundation of understanding about child neglect.
E-learning – Supporting Children’s Oral Health, NHS England (available to all -registration required).
Sexual abuse
Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve;
- physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral sex)
- non-penetrative acts, such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing, and touching outside of clothing.
- non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or producing sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse.
- sexual exploitation
Sexual abuse can take place online, and technology can be used to facilitate offline abuse. Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children
Sexual Abuse in the SCSP Child protection and Safeguarding Procedure Manual
Other helpful resources
SCSP supports the use of the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse Response Pathway for any multi-agency practitioners working with children and young people who have experienced or are at risk of sexual abuse.
Physical abuse
A form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.
Physical Abuse in the SCSP Child protection and Safeguarding Procedure Manual
Emotional abuse
The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child so as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve;
- conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person.
- not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them, or making fun of what they say or how they communicate.
- age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability, as well as over protection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction.
- seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another.
- serious bullying (including cyber bullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children.
Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone.
Emotional Abuse in the SCSP Child protection and Safeguarding Procedure Manual
SCSP city-wide policies and protocols
National guidance