Union Education Group

Types of Abuse
The following definitions of physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect are taken from Working Together to Safeguard Children:

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.

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) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet). Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.

Upskirting, which typically involves taking a picture under a person’s clothing without them knowing, with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks to obtain sexual gratification, or cause the victim humiliation, distress or alarm.

Serious violence Para 29-30

Emotional abuse

The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such 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. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve 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.

In the course of your duties, you may come across a child who isolates themselves from others; they may disclose details of how they are being abused. Any concerns you have should be reported as soon as possible.

Neglect
The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, is 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 care-givers); or
• ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.

It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

Child protection is part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. It refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm.

In addition to physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect, the following are further risks to children and young people identified in Keeping Children Safe in Education and risks that staff need to be aware of and be vigilant about:
• Radicalisation into extremist ideas and terrorism: this involves looking out for adults and children who may express extremist ideologies, distribute material which promotes extremist ideas or demonstrate negative behaviour towards others based on their race, religion, sexual orientation etc. The government’s Prevent strategy aims to counter all forms of extremism including: far right ideologies; Islamist fundamentalism; football hooliganism; animal rights extremism etc. The underlying signs include spreading hate and advocating, being willing to or actually committing violence. The government has a de-radicalisation programme, Channel, where those who wish to spread hate and violence based on their extremist ideas are de-programmed.
• Domestic violence and abuse: this may come to your notice through disclosure by a pupil at the school; you may see bruising that is unlikely to have been caused by the usual rough and tumble that children often engage in.
• Bullying and harassment, including harassment based on discrimination against a protected characteristic: any form of harassment by an adult to a child or by one child to another is unacceptable. Where pupils use derogatory language based on a protected characteristic such as race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical disability etc, it must be reported.
• Children missing in education: children going missing, particularly repeatedly, can act as a vital warning sign of a range of safeguarding possibilities. This may include abuse and neglect, which may include sexual abuse or exploitation and child criminal exploitation. It may indicate mental health problems, risk of substance abuse, risk of travelling to conflict zones, risk of female genital mutilation or risk of forced marriage.
• Female genital mutilation: FGM comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs. It is illegal in the UK and a form of child abuse with long-lasting harmful consequences.
• Forced marriage: this is distinct from an arranged marriage and is when parents, or a parent, forces their child to get married against their will, i.e. the child does not give free consent, and where violence, threats or any other form of coercion is used to cause a person to enter into a marriage. Threats can be physical or emotional and psychological. Some communities use religion and culture as a way to coerce a young person into marriage, misrepresenting this as an ‘arranged’ marriage. A lack of full and free consent can be where a person does not consent or where they cannot consent (if they have learning disabilities, for example). Forced marriage is illegal in England and Wales.
• Peer on peer abuse: Children can abuse other children. This is generally referred to as peer on peer abuse and can take many forms. This can include (but is not limited to) bullying (including cyberbullying); sexual violence and sexual harassment; physical abuse such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical harm; sexting and initiation/hazing type violence and rituals.
• Sexual violence and harassment between children: sexual violence and sexual harassment can occur between two children of any age and sex. It can also occur through a group of children sexually assaulting or sexually harassing a single child or group of children.
• Child criminal exploitation - County lines: Criminal exploitation of children is a geographically widespread form of harm that is a typical feature of county lines criminal activity. Drug networks or gangs groom and exploit children and young people to carry drugs and money from urban areas to suburban and rural areas, market and seaside towns.
• Modern slavery: child slavery occurs when a child is exploited for someone else’s gain. It can include child trafficking, child marriage and child domestic slavery.

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