preview

Baby From Birth To Six Years Old Are Always Vulnerable

Good Essays

Baby from birth to six years old are always vulnerable because they are highly dependent on their parents or caretaker from personal care to mobility.

In this case baby V was 4 months old which means it could not express anything that would make sense about what it was going through and was highly dependent on its parents for the food, personal care, mobility and almost everything. This makes baby V vulnerable.

2- Provocative

In this case, baby V was said to be self-inflicted leading to bruises and scratches. Moreover, baby V was said to be crying all the time. This could have provoked the parents or caretaker to act out toward the baby or could have resulted in neglect.

3- Defenceless

Baby V was just 4 months old. …show more content…

The mother also said that baby V was crying all the time. The definite signs of physical abuse in 1-3 months old, are frequent and persistent crying along with bruises and finger marks especially on cheeks. These signs were manifested by child V. This suggests the presence of physical abuse. Furthermore, the mother stated that the child was not bonding with father which was a vital information. The reason behind that statement should have been investigated in depth. The only effort she made was to suggest the child to take in the General Practice (GP). This shows that she did not have knowledge on the policies to deal with this type of situation. In this aspect, duty of care seems to slip off.

Baby V was taken to GP four days before the fatal incident, with mild viral infection, blocked nose and slightly off food; the GP does not seem to have done full physical examination of the baby. If they had done, then the rib fracture should have been noted along with the bruises. In this instance if those signs of abuse were recognised and reported, baby V could be protected. This shows the failure in performing duty of care by the health professionals.

The day before V’s admission with the fatal injuries, V was taken to out of hours GP complaining of cough and refusing of food. The out of hours GP noticed two small round bruises (four in all) on either cheek, and asked for an explanation. The parents told the GP that V had been

Get Access