Awareness of Concerns

There are four categories of abuse:
 
1. Physical abuse
 
2. Emotional abuse
 
3. Sexual abuse
 
4. Neglect.
 
Safeguarding also covers incidents of:
 
Children with sexually harmful behaviour
 
Peer on peer sexual abuse
 
Sexual exploitation of children
 
Serious violent crime
 
Honour based violence
 
Radicalism and extremism
 
 
 
 
SIGNS OF ABUSE
 
There are a number of signs that may indicate abuse. These include:
  • Behaviour: A marked change in a child’s usual temperament or the display of unusual behaviour
  • Spoken disclosures: A child may say something that discloses abuse. If this occurs, the person to whom the child has disclosed will do the following:
  • Listen to what the child says and then write down word for word what was said as soon as possible afterwards.
  • They will use open questions and ensure they do not put words into the child's mouth
  • They may empathise with and comfort the child but will not agree to keep secret what they have disclosed.
  • The information will be passed on to Mrs Prynne, or Mrs Holder in her absence, and uploaded to CPOMS as soon as possible.
All staff are mindful of:
  • Physical injuries: Whilst young children may commonly have minor injuries, certain injuries will raise concerns that these have been caused deliberately.
  • Appearance: The manner in which a child is dressed or groomed may give cause for concern that their basic physical and emotional needs are not being met.