CHILD SAFEGUARDING

Child Safeguarding

Table of Contents

Introduction1

Forms of Child abuse1

Physical abuse2

Emotional Abuse2

Child Sexual abuse2

Neglect2

Effect of abuse on young people3

Children Act 20043

Children Act 19893

Child Safeguard Policy5

Every Child Matters (ECM)5

Role of multi-professional teams in safeguarding young people7

Reflection on my role in safeguarding children in school8

Conclusion9

References10

Child Safeguarding

Introduction

According to UNICEF, child safeguarding may be defined as steps taken to prevent and respond to violence against children, or any form of abuse and exploitation. These include child trafficking, sexual abuse, and child labour. In some countries, the traditional and cultural practices also come in the ambit of child abuse. For instance, the mutilation of female genital and early marriages categorize as serious forms of child abuse. UNICEF has designed several programs to protect children and ensure their safety. These programs include not only the normal children but also children who are in the midst of some conflicting situation such as during war, orphans and others (UNICEF, 2006).

Child survival and development is at stake in matters of child abuse. Child abuse, unfortunately, is common in both the developing and the developed countries. Children who have gone through any form of child abuse are vulnerable, and some even have distorted personalities. These children have a higher risk of mortality, physical and mental challenges, chronic ailments such as HIV/AIDS infection, homelessness, abandonment from the parents and the society, vagrancy and personally poor skills of parenting in their future lives.

Forms of Child abuse

There are four types of child abuse and neglect. These are physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional maltreatment and neglect (Collings, 2008).

Physical abuse

Physical abuse means harming the child physically or injuring the child. This harm can be deliberate and even unintentional. This also includes any physical punishment awarded to the child that is a clear misfit with the child's age and physical strength.

Emotional Abuse

This involves deliberate or unintentional ways to belittle the child, calling him or her names and making faulty comparison with other children on a continual basis. Often inappropriate use of adjectives for the child can also have serious, lifelong psychological implication for the child.

Child Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse against children involves pressurizing the child to engage in physical, sexual activity, exposing them to inappropriate explicit or pornographic content, or using them to produce pornographic content. Sexual abuse leads to severe psychological trauma for the child and his parents or their loved ones.

Neglect

Neglect may be defines as the parent or guardian's inability to give proper care and attention to the child. This includes not providing for children and not taking care of their basic needs (such as food, clothing, shelter and hygiene), and not giving them education and healthy lifestyle (Stevens, 2007).

Effect of abuse on young people

Child abuse has a severe impact on youth. There is a positive correlation between exposure to child abuse and physical and mental problems faced by these children in their future lives. These children may have a shorter lifespan and are more prone to psychological issues during their youth ...