Specific categories of abuse
The following are the standard categories of abuse; physical, sexual, emotional and neglect. Although these are described as discrete definitions there is almost always overlap between them in reality. For the purpose of working with the family, the child protection conference may identify combinations of abuse which the child protection plan will need to address.
Additionally this section contains information on the impact on children, organised abuse, children as abusers and domestic abuse.
Physical Injury
Physical abuse 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
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’.
Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse is 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 children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond the 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, 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.
Neglect
Neglect is 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 oraband onment)
- protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger
- ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers)
- ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.
It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.
Impact on Children
Abuse affects children in many ways and the effects can emerge some considerable time after the actual event. These may be triggered by apparently unrelated incidents. Children may suffer from depression, post traumatic stress, self harming behaviour (more prevalent in adolescent females) and eating disorders. Behavioural difficulties may mask depression caused by abuse, particularly in boys.
Workers working with children who self-harm should always bear in mind that they may have suffered from abuse.
Organised Abuse
Most sexual abusers are men who act in isolation, secretly ’grooming’ their victims over a period of time. However, sometimes abusers act together with varying degrees of organisation, from a group of people within an extended family network to sophisticated national or international paedophile rings.
It is particularly important when organised abuse is suspected that there is a full and early exchange of information between agencies, restricted to as few people as possible.
Children as Abusers
When physical or sexual assault is carried out by one child upon another, consideration should be given as to whether or not these guidelines should be followed in respect of either or both children.
This will depend upon a number of factors:
- The nature and severity of the abuse.
- The nature of the relationship between ’victim’ and ’abuser’.
- The difference in age between the two.
- Whether any degree of force or coercion is used.
- Whether it is a ’one-off’ incident, or persistent over time.
- The appropriateness of response by the parents.
- Whether the abusive behaviour is age appropriate e.g. is it sexual exploration that might normally be expected between children of the same age.
- Any known history in either child’s family that should arouse increased concern.
Inappropriate sexual behaviour by a child is sometimes caused by their lack of understanding of appropriate boundaries.
Domestic Abuse
It is widely acknowledged that domestic abuse within families can have a detrimental effect on the safety and well being of children.
An estimated third of domestic abuse starts or escalates during pregnancy.
Children are affected not only in relation to witnessing domestic abuse but also by living in an environment where their parent and caregiver is repeatedly victimised.
Children who are subjected to domestic abuse are at greater risk of being abused themselves. As well as the possibility of physical violence the children will almost certainly be subjected to emotional abuse.
Referrals that involve incidents of domestic abuse need to be assessed in respect of the needs and safety of children. Consideration should be given to the need for joint interview and/or proceeding to child protection conference under the interagency child protection guidelines.
Impact of domestic abuse on children
In relationships where there is domestic violence, children witness about three-quarters of the abusive incidents. About half the children in such families have themselves been badly hit or beaten. Sexual and emotional abuse are also more likely to happen in these families.
When children are exposed to domestic violence at home it has a powerful and profound impact on their lives and hopes for the future. These children not only watch one parent violently assaulting another, they often hear the distressing sounds of violence, or may be aware of it from many telltale signs. They may have some of the same behavioural and psychological problems as children who are themselves physically abused. They may suffer a range of severe and lasting effects.
Pre Birth
- Domestic violence and abuse often starts in pregnancy
- Risk of low birth weight
- Risk of miscarriage, abortion or stillbirth
- Women are more likely to use tobacco, alcohol, minor tranquilisers and non- prescription drugs.
- Domestic Abuse is more frequent in pregnancy than high blood pressure or diabetes occurring in pregnancy.
Post Birth
- The more severely a woman is assaulted, the more severely her child is likely to be abused.
- Child may have more aggressive and anti-social behaviour.
- Child may be fearful and have inhibited behaviours
- A child may experience more anxiety, self-esteem, depression, anger and temperament problems than children who do not witness violence at home.
- Children may experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Long Term Impacts
- Children may learn that it is acceptable to be abusive and that violence is an effective way to get what you want, including by bullying.
- Children may learn that violence is justified, particularly when you are angry at someone.
- Children witnessing severe forms of violence (e.g. choking) can be traumatised.
- Witnessing persistent violence undermines children’s emotional security and capacity to meet the demands of everyday life.
- Children’s academic abilities can be adversely affected. Conversely, children can also excel academically, as a way of having some control in their lives.
- Witnessing violence as a child is associated with adult reports of depression, trauma-related symptoms and low self-esteem among women and trauma-related symptoms among men.
- Some abused children go on to become adult victims of abuse.
- Domestic abuse is sometimes connected with sexually problematic behaviour in adolescents.
- Research has established some connections between domestic abuse and children abusing animals.
Further information is available from:
Factsheet 17: Domestic violence – its effects on children: information for parents, carers and anyone who works with young people (Royal College of Psychiatrists)
http://mentalhealthglobal.com/mentalhealthinfo/mentalhealthandgrowingup/domesticviolence.aspx
The Survivor’s Handbook (Women’s Aid 2005 Revised 2009)
http://www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic-violence-survivors-handbook.asp?section=0001000100080001
Improving safety, Reducing Harm: Children, young people and domestic violence; a practical toolkit for front line practitioners.
Behind Closed Doors: The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children (UNICEF/ The Body Shop 2006) http://www.unicef.org/media/files/BehindClosedDoors.pdf
Tackling domestic violence: providing support for children who have witnessed domestic violence (Home Office 2004)
September 2010
