Wider factors which may suggest maltreatment of children or young people which need to be considered include:
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Dysfunctional family relationships: this is where a family become just a group of people living together who are no longer supporting each other in the way you would expect a family to support each other. If an individual is living with a dysfunctional family then they are more likely to be neglected or abused.
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Child or young person carrying out abuse: this is where the abuse is carried out by another child or young person. This type of abuse is usually emotional abuse such as bullying but can also be physical abuse. Physical abuse by a child or a young person may also be carried out against an animal. Violence carried out against animals should not be taken lightly because it can lead to violence against humans. This point is proven by the case of the ‘Dnepropetrovsk maniacs’ a group of 3 teenagers who had violently murdered and tortured animals for entertainment. They had later moved onto violently murdering and torturing people and committed 21 murders before they were finally caught.
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Victims abusing in the future: if an individual is abused by their parents on a regular basis when they are a child or a young person then they may think this is the normal way a parent should treat their child and they may treat their children in the same way when they are a parent and their children that they abuse may think the same thing and the abuse will become a cycle.
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Risk of exploitation: in this day and age the risk of children and young people being exploited is greater than it ever has been because it is so easy to communicate with other people because of advances in technology. Children and young people are most at risk of being exploited through chat rooms and websites which show inappropriate material. Parents who allow their children to freely use the internet put their children at great risk because often children may not be aware of the dangers of using chat rooms. Chat rooms may be used by adults who wish to groom children and young people for their own dangerous purposes.
How to respond to suspected child abuse (case study continued) (P4)
Everyone working with children and young people has a duty of care to safeguard them. In the case study Ronan is the teacher of a child he suspects is being abused and maltreated. As a teacher who works with children Ronan should be familiar with the policies, procedures and protocols for dealing with suspected child abuse or maltreatment. Instead of investigating the suspected abuse himself Ronan should report any suspicions to his senior (the head teacher) so that another perspective on the matter may be heard. Ronan and his senior agreed that there was evidence that Tallulah was being abused and maltreated so they made a report to their local authority.
The local authority they made the report to is called Children’s social care. The Children’s social care organization is responsible for safeguarding the welfare of children and young people in the local area they operate in. The report that is made to the Children’s social care will be carried out by Ronan and his senior. In the report all of Ronan’s past and present concerns about both Tallulah and her family will be noted. The report will be written in the form of an initial assessment and should be kept as confidential as possible. The report will then be assessed by a social worker and it could take a few days (7 days at most) for the assessment to be completed. Whilst the assessment is being completed neither Ronan nor his senior should question Tallulah because they are not qualified professional social workers and doing so could negate the validity of any evidence. All the actions that Ronan and his senior take in the case of suspected abuse should be documented by the school and a receipt of their initial report should be kept for legal reasons. Obviously all records taken must be kept safe and secure by the school because in a case of suspected child abuse or maltreatment the confidentiality of the names of the individuals involved and the concerns they have raised is paramount.
By reporting the suspected child abuse and maltreatment Ronan and his senior should be protected under the whistle-blowing policy at their school which is designed to protect individuals who alert the authorities to any abuse or maltreatment. Although Ronan and his senior will be protected they should also be aware that they may have to give evidence to social services, the police or a court room.
Due to the severity of the suspected abuse and maltreatment Tallulah had to be removed from her home immediately because she was deemed to be in severe danger. This meant that her mother was involved in the proceedings early and she was under investigation by the police.
If Tallulah had not been removed immediately she may have been added to the child protection register which is a confidential document for the use of people officially working with children. Whilst Tallulah’s case would have been under investigation she would have been observed more closely by her teacher Ronan and her head master (Ronan’s senior).
In the case study I have provided the individual that may have been abused did not disclose any direct information about being abused or maltreated. I am now going to explain how an adult should respond if they find themselves to be the witness of a direct disclosure of information regarding suspected abuse or maltreatment. Direct disclosure is when an individual (in this case a child) discloses information directly to another individual (in this case an adult). If a child directly discloses information to you an adult about abuse or maltreatment you must not question them and instead listen carefully and attentively to demonstrate to them that you are taking them seriously. It is also important not to appear horrified or shocked by the information they disclose to you because doing so will probably result in them being reluctant to disclose any more information. Whilst listening you should be patient and not rush the child for specific information.
Following a direct disclosure from a child or young person you should reassure the individual that they have done the right thing in confiding in you and you should support them by reassuring them that they are not to blame for what has happened. It is important to accept the information that has been shared with you no matter how bizarre. Accepting information without question like this is called unconditional acceptance and should be practised so that everything is properly investigated.
As I explained earlier all staff members working with children and young people should know their work place’s policies and procedures for responding to a disclosure or suspected child abuse or maltreatment and they should follow them accordingly. Although confidentiality must be respected, you are legally required to give information to local authorities such as social services and the police to help them conduct their investigation.
How children or young people are supported (P5)
I have already explained that an adult should show respect, listen carefully, take information seriously and reassure individuals who disclose information about possible abuse or maltreatment. Now I am going to explain other strategies which can be used to support children or young people.
Apart from practitioners such as teachers like Ronan in the case study or nursery care workers, other professionals who have been trained in how to deal with suspected child abuse or maltreatment should be involved. These professionals will be part of local authorities such as the police, the local social services and the local safeguarding children’s board. All the professionals involved will work as a multi-disciplinary team and their goal will be to support the individual as much as possible whilst encouraging the individual to describe the truth of the abuse/maltreatment. It is really important that all local authorities involved work closely together because a lack of communication may cause errors which were seen in the case of Victoria Climbie.
Source:
Often the child or young person who has disclosed the information will have done so in fear of reprisal from the abuser(s) which is why it is important to reassure them that they have nothing to fear. They may also fear further parties finding out the information they disclosed but adults dealing with the situation should be honest about who they will need to tell and what action will be taken. No secrets should be kept because trust is vital so that children or young people feel secure enough to disclose as much information as possible. However it may not be possible to always provide specific information because it is not suitable for the child or young person to hear because it is likely to upset them further because they are too young to hear it. An effective way to actively reassure individuals that they are doing the correct thing when disclosing sensitive information is to promote any signs they show of self-confidence or assertiveness.
The best way to support children and young people is to empower them. Empowering children and young people can be achieved by doing the things I have already mentioned such as reassuring them, promoting signs of their self-confidence and assertiveness. Empowerment can also be gained by giving individual information such as:
- What their rights are as young people e.g. the right to play, this way they can feel better about themselves.
- Who they can contact for help when they are in need and how they can do this e.g. their social worker, the police or child line.
- How to respect their bodies and stay safe. For example how to stay clean (hygienic) and healthy (exercise and food). Staying healthy and respecting your body boosts your self-esteem a key aspect of empowerment.
How parents and families may be supported (case study continued) (P5)
It is vitally important that the local authorities involved in a case of child abuse or maltreatment build a good relationship with the family (especially the parents) which has been affected so that they can get the best possible idea of what abuse or maltreatment has occurred and how it can be dealt with. In my case study Tallulah had been neglected by her mother and abused by her mother’s partner. In order to explain the strategies available for working with parents and families I am going to continue my case study from earlier.
The investigation into the abuse and maltreatment of Tallulah found that most of the abuse had been committed by her mother’s partner. Tallulah’s mother decided to split up with her abusive partner who was convicted for abuse and maltreatment. Despite how Tallulah’s mother had neglected her, allowing the abuse to occur, Tallulah still wanted to live with her mother and she was able to return to her home to be with her mother. Tallulah’s mother is a drug addict, is unemployed, in financial trouble and has low-self esteem as a result of depression. Now that Tallulah and her mother have been re-united and the person committing the abuse has been removed from their lives, they need to be supported so that neglect and abuse does not happen again, so the effects of abuse may be minimised as much as possible and they are able to move on with their lives in the best possible way.
Working with the family is a social worker called Michelle. Michelle needs to develop a supportive partnership with Tallulah and her mother. She needs to achieve this because everyone involved needs to trust her and understand that she is there to help the family. Michelle must always ensure that Tallulah is at the centre of any discussions. This is important because everyone involved needs to understand that the purpose of Michelle working with the family is to benefit Tallulah.
In order for Tallulah and her mother to move on with their lives effectively, Michelle needs to assess Tallulah’s needs so that they can be addressed for the future. Tallulah’s mother plays an important role in this assessment as she will likely have knowledge about Tallulah’s needs that need to be known. For example Tallulah may have a disability that she needs assistance with so that she can go to school and learn or Tallulah’s mother may need mental health help because what she has gone through has damaged her emotions.
Previously in the case study I mentioned that Tallulah’s mother has problems of her own such as low self-esteem, a drug addiction and financial troubles. As a result of her problems Tallulah’s mother finds it difficult to look after Tallulah and believes she has little significance or value in Tallulah’s life. The social worker needs to make Tallulah’s mother understand that this is not true and that she has a lot to of valuable contributions to offer Tallulah such as showing her love and affection, playing with her and encouraging her to learn. In order to be a good parent Tallulah’s mother needs to have good parenting skills. There are courses available to teach parents good parenting skills but often parents do not believe that they need to go on courses or are ashamed to go on parenting courses. Michelle does not want to risk trying to persuade Tallulah’s mother to go on a parenting course because she thinks it may damage the strong relationship that has been built because it might come across as patronising. Instead Michelle decides to help Tallulah’s mother improve her parenting skills by working with Tallulah and her mother in the future.
Minimising the effects of abuse/maltreatment (case study continued) (P5)
Due to the way in which Tallulah was treated whilst she was being neglected by her mother and abused by her mother’s partner, she will likely have a low self-esteem, a low self-image and low confidence. I have already explained a few ways in which her low self-esteem, self-image and confidence may be boosted such as, encouraging assertiveness and educating Tallulah about ways in which she can stay clean and healthy. However there is another way to help which I have not mentioned so far and this is, reassuring Tallulah that what happened to her did not happen because it was her fault and trying to help Tallulah to make sense of why the abuse and the neglect happened. Tallulah’s mother could play an important role in reassuring Tallulah that she did nothing wrong which would help towards Tallulah not feeling guilty or ashamed of how she was treated.
For children, young people and often their parents too there are counselling services available. Counselling services are provided by people who have been trained to listen to people and are trained to help individuals deal with specific problems. Tallulah’s social worker Michelle decided to opt for play therapy because she thought it would be more appropriate for Tallulah because of her age and the problems she had. Play therapy is a specialist therapy designed to diagnose children’s problems and attempt to cure children of their fears and emotional problems through playing with toys and sometimes through art in a safe environment. Play therapy is particularly useful for Tallulah because it means that her mother can also be present to take part and any problems her mother has can also be addressed.
Assessment of Strategies and Methods (M3)
I am now going to assess strategies and methods used to minimise the harm to Tallulah and her family when abuse or maltreatment has been confirmed.
Evaluation (M3)
I think play therapy would be the most effective method to minimise the effects of the abuse and maltreatment of Tallulah because it is suitable for her age and the problems she has gone through unlike counselling which although suitable for the problems she has gone through, requires her to do a lot more talking which will be hard for her because of how young she is. The only real downside of play therapy is the fact that it can be quite hard to get onto because there is a long waiting list and private therapists are expensive. I think educating Tallulah and helping her to improve her self-image is a much easier way to help minimise the effects of the way Tallulah was treated because these can be provided by Tallulah’s social worker (Michelle) who is easy to access and free. I think sharing information with Tallulah is the least effective because although it develops a strong relationship and an element of trust it does not directly address Tallulah’s problems such as her fears and her angers.
Responses to suspected abuse or maltreatment – Justification (D2)
When abuse or maltreatment is suspected or confirmed responses are made in accordance with current legislation. In this final part of my report I am going to explain how children and young people are protected and I am going to justify the efficiency of the current responses.
An important act which defines a child and a young person’s rights is the Human Rights Act 1989 which includes, in my opinion, the three most important rights a child or young person has: the right to play, the right to be looked after and the right to an education.
Safeguards (D2)
There are currently many safeguards in place to protect children and young people in the form of:
- Acts such as the Children’s Act 2004, Sexual Offences Act 2003, Children and Young Person’s Act 2008 and the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.
- Policies such as a whistleblowing policy and a policy for reporting abuse when it is suspected or confirmed.
- Procedures such as vetting procedures like the CRB and a procedure to follow for reporting abuse when it is suspected or confirmed.
Due to past cases of child abuse where local authorities have failed in their duties, changes have been made to legislation and new agendas created such as, the Every Child Matters agenda which was added to the Children’s Act 2004 after the failure of local authorities to prevent the abuse and eventual death of Victoria Climbie. The failure of the local authorities involved in the Victoria Climbie case was blamed on a lack of communication and a lack of teamwork between authorities. The Every Child Matters agenda was released by Tony Blair the prime minister at the time in response to Lord Lamming’s report and aimed to stress the importance of professionals working together as part of a multi-disciplinary team when abuse is suspected or confirmed. Local authorities involved might include the police, social services, the NHS and the institution where the abuse has been suspected or confirmed such as a school. I think that the Every Child Matters agenda would always have been justified to stress the importance of professionals working closely as part of a multi-disciplinary team when abuse or maltreatment of children or young people is suspected, but I think that this concern has been strongly reinforced by the Victoria Climbie case.
Another safeguard in place which is a result of a past case of child abuse or maltreatment is the CRB check which has been made a mandatory procedure for prospective and current staff at all institutions that work with children or young people such as after school clubs, charities like St John Ambulance and private institutions such as leisure centres. The CRB check which was released as part of the Police Act 1998 was made mandatory for these types of institutions after the case of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman where a weakness in vetting of prospective staff at a school was found after a previous offender was able to get a job as a caretaker. I think that the CRB check although intrusive is justified by the findings of the Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman case.
Responses (D2)
A key procedure that social services follow when they have sufficient evidence to suggest that a child or young person is in danger of being abused or maltreated or has been abused or maltreated is to get that child or young person into the care of social services until social services believe that it is safe for that individual to return to be with their parents or until the individual is adopted. Care orders are made possible by the Children’s Act 1989.
Care orders are not immediately placed upon children or young people when abuse or maltreatment is suspected from their parents. Parents are often given the chance to make improvements to the environment that a child or young person is living in such as cleaning their home and buying a bed for their child or young person to sleep in (this example of giving parents a chance to improve was taken from the documentary by the BBC called, “Protecting Our Children”.
In most institutions that work with children or young people there is a whistleblowing policy to make it easy for individuals to respond to suspected or actual abuse or maltreatment of children or young people without fear of repercussions to their job or getting it wrong. Whistleblowing policies make whistle blowers reports of bad practise, abuse or maltreatment confidential. Whistleblowing policies also ensure that reports are made in an efficient way so that responses can be quick and effective.
When abuse or maltreatment of a child is suspected that individual is put on the child protection register. The register is confidential and information is only available to professionals such as social workers and health visitors. Each borough council has their own register and it is their responsibility to keep it up to date. Before a child is added to the register a multi-disciplinary team will meet to discuss the individual’s case in a conference. They will outline the type of abuse or maltreatment that the individual is in danger of and they will discuss the action that will be taken if the individual’s situation becomes more dangerous. I think having child protection registers is a policy that is justified because they are an effective way to monitor the welfare of children or young people believed to be in danger of harm or maltreatment.
Once it has been found that an individual has committed a sexual offence against a child or young person they are put on the sex offenders register so that they are barred from working with children or young people. The sex offenders register is run by the police and was set up in 1997 under the Sex Offenders Act 1997.
Conclusion (D2)
In conclusion I believe the responses to suspected maltreatment or abuse of young people or children are justified because they are effective and efficient in safeguarding children and young people. I think that the safeguards in place such as the vetting safeguards are further justified by the case of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman where better vetting would have prevented their abuse and death. I also think that the concern the Every Child Matters agenda raises for professionals and local authorities working closely together is justified because a child’s or young person’s welfare should always be paramount. I think that whistleblowing and reporting of danger is effective because policies make reporting faster and easier. I also think that responding to the notification of a child or young person being in danger by placing a care order on the individual is justified because it swiftly removes the individual from further possible danger. Finally I believe that placing individuals who sexually abuse a young person or child on the sex offenders register is the best and most fair way to prevent those individuals from committing more acts of abuse in the future.
Bibliography
For this report I used the following websites:
(Play Therapy)
I also watched “Protecting Our Children”, a documentary about what happens to children and their parents when abuse is suspected or confirmed.