Behavioural Indicators
When a child is being abused at home, their personalities are more likely to change from what they were before this abuse happened. But if a child has been abuse all its school life it may be a lot harder to identify these indicators that show the child may be, being maltreated. One of the indicators that show that a child might be maltreated at home, is rocking/head banging. This is a big indicator that the child is being maltreated. When a child is rocking or head banging this could become a habit as to rocking themselves to sleep at night so they can actually get some sleep without being scared. A child that rocks and bangs their head can actually be normal as well, and children that have a more intense personality are more likely to rock or bang their heads maybe even both.
If you come across a child that is very aggressive you may need to look at this as a symptom of abuse, especially if the aggression has been getting more persistent and especially to adults. Lots of children have anger problems that can be dealt with, but if you are unaware if the child has anger issues, you should look into this as the child may be exposed to abuse, whether its from a parent to another or if he/she is being abuse by a parent themselves.
Another factor that should be taken as an indicator of child abuse is if a child is reluctant to go home in the evenings. If a child doesn’t want to go home back to their parents there is bound to be something wrong whether he is scared that he/she is in trouble or that they are being abused at home. All of the aspects as to why a child may not want to go home have to be considered, it may be that he/she doesn’t want to leave their friends. If the child has any other kind of abusive symptoms such as physical or behavioural then you should start to talk to them about why they don’t want to go home.
The last behavioural indicator that you should look out for in one of your pupils is that they may not be able to do things that other children their age are able to do frequently this is called Development delayed. This is a big indicator that the child is being either maltreated or neglected. When a child is younger their parents should try their best to help them speak and walk and learn all different types of basic life skills. If a child is not able to speak fluently for their age, you as the teacher should start to recognise this and target it, so if the child is not progressing in their reading/writing and speaking you should speak to someone higher or even speak to the pupils parent or guardian.
family/life risk Factors
When in school at a young age there should be a very distinctive bond between the child and its parents/guardians, if there is a lack of attachment between the two then the child is probably not getting the love/care that is needed from the parent or guardian. This is called neglect which is a form of abuse, so this is a factor that should be taken into account as the child may become emotionally scarred and may start to abusive to themselves and others.
Substance misuse in homes can be very hard upon the children that are involved in the family. To recognise these symptoms can be very hard, but big indicators can be things such as, parents not picking up their children from school, children not turning up to school and the children’s clothes smelling of alcohol or drugs. When any of these symptoms become persistent, you should start to take action.
(P4)
Explain Appropriate Responses To Child Abuse/Maltreatment
When you suspect that a child is being maltreated, the first step you should do is speak to the head of the school, or a deputy head, this is because you cannot accuse someone of abusing one of your pupils, so if you make a note of what is starting to make you concerned about this child’s welfare and bring it to a senior member or staff, we will get it reviewed and if the signs are strong that the child is getting abused, the head will take further action.
If a child confides in you about how they are being abused at home, you should take notes of everything they say, exactly how they say it, because if you write down what you think they mean, you may get it mixed up from what they actually mean, and that might be taken the wrong way and could cause a false allegation.
When the child is speaking to you, you should not ask the child any questions that involve them not explaining what has happened, so no questions that are closed, only open questions such as; “when did this happen?” or “what happened to you” this gives the child a chance to tell you exactly how they feel something happened. Whereas if you ask the child questions such as “did he touch you” or “did she hit you” this gives the child more of a chance to change the story, or make them feel like they have to say yes or no!
If a child has given allegations that don’t sound like they are real, after speaking to the head of the school, you should get in contact with the parents of this child and ask them to come in for a chat and talk about the what the child has reported, or if you have seen marks or any infections on the child, when you hear both sides of the story you will be able to figure out what you think the outcome of this will be, so you will know whether you should take further action or if it has been dealt with.
If a child has many bruises or marks or any form of indicator that shows the child is being abused or maltreated, then you should go to the head teacher then call social services if this is seen as a high danger to the child’s welfare, when the social services are involved you should be able to keep your mind at ease and know that the child is now in safe hands and the Parents/Guardians will be assessed on looking after the child.
(p5)
Explain the strategies that support children/young people and their families where abuse has been confirmed.
A key strategy that is most important is gaining the child’s respect, this shouldn’t be ordered or demanded as the respect that they already have for you can be destroyed. If you gain the child’s respect they are most likely to confide in you when they have a problem at home or if anything has changed in the setting that they are currently in or in the family unit.
Whistle Blowing is when a member of staff see’s something wrong then tells another person higher up to sort out this problem. When working in a primary school you as a teacher have the responsibility of all your pupils welfare so if you see that a child is being abuse or neglected you shouldn’t hesitate to tell a senior member of staff.
When Ofsted come to visit a school they report on what they have seen or how they feel about the school. This is done for the children’s wellbeing and their education that they are receiving, Ofsted look upon how the children are treated and how you help them learn and how information is stored in different ways.
(M3)
Assess the strategies that support children/young people and their families where abuse has been confirmed.
Respect- when you have gained a child’s respect and trust there is going to be more of a chance to minimise abuse in whatever setting they are getting abused in. this is good because the child will be able to confide in you when they feel that something is wrong within the family unit, or when they feel that something has changed in a way that they like or dislike. For a child to be able to speak to you about what they are feeling is a secure way to know that they are safe. A downfall to a child having lots of respect for you is that they may feel as if they can’t tell you what is wrong in loads of detail as they may feel that you are going to judge them for what they are about to tell you. They may even feel that by telling you if something is wrong then you may ‘dislike’ them and feel that the child has changed, so you will need to keep reassuring them that whatever they tell you, you are not going to judge them for whatever has happened.
Record Security- When working in a school environment, you have to be sure that all the children’s records are safe in the hands of whoever is working at your school. To make sure that all of the children are in safe hands, every teacher should have a brand new CRB (Criminal Record Bureau) check to insure that this child is in safe hands. When the child’s file comes through you need to be respectful and only show people who will also be loyal and tell anyone about this child’s records, this will be done by the” 1998 Data Protection Act” that will be in the staffs work contract. Having a contract that states that a child’s records cannot be shared means that the child’s welfare is going to be safe and keeps the parents at ease knowing that their child’s records are not going to be shared with anyone that is not safe. The downfall to this is that you don’t know if a person that you are working with is going to “change” and need take the child’s records and give them to someone that has been branded as un-safe
Implementing Safe working practices- Everyone working with children and young people should be familiar with local procedures and protocols for safeguarding the welfare of children and young people. Adults have a duty to report any child protection or welfare concerns to a designated member of staff in their organisation and/or report any concerns to the local social care office. The vast majority of adults who work with children act professionally and aim to provide a safe and supportive environment which secures the well-being and very best outcomes for children and young people in their care. However, it is recognised that in this area of work tensions and misunderstandings can occur. It is here that the behaviour of adults can give rise to allegations of abuse being made against them. Allegations may be malicious or misplaced
(D2)
Justify responses Where Child Maltreatment or abuse is suspected or confirmed, referring to current legislation and policies.
Solutions, Avec. (2010). Data Protection And Confidentiality Act. Available: http://www.lawcentreni.org/data-protection.html. Last accessed 13th December 2012.