Child Abuse Prevention At Capital And Coast District Health Board

Child abuse in America is an ongoing problem and something needs to be done. There are approximately one million children abused annually in the United States. (Table 339) Cases of child abuse and neglect are reported every ten seconds, and researchers believe that there’s three times that amount that goes unnoticed. (Child Abuse: Know the Signs and Stop the Violence Against Children.) Something needs to be done for these children who are too weak and too powerless to help themselves.

Child abuse has been a big issue in the world for a long time. There has not always been child protective services like there is now. Children would be abused and neglected and nothing was being done because it was not being reported. The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was the world’s first organization in the late 1800s which was dedicated totally to child protection (Myers, 2008).

Child abuse is epidemic in many countries as well as the United States. It is estimated that every thirteen seconds a child is abused in some manner: physically, sexually, emotionally or by neglect (Friedman). Each year, there are over 3 million reports of child abuse in the United States involving more than 6 million children. Child abuse can be reduced with proper education of the parents and with greater public awareness.

Practitioners and professionals working with children on a daily basis are in a good position to notice changes in a child's or young person’s behaviour which may be a possible sign of abuse. Children or young people may also confide in practitioners or allege that abuse has taken place.

Guidelines: Working Together to Safeguard Children 2010, What to do if you’re worried that a child is being abused 2006,

within this assignment I will be talking about the factors which could lead to suspicion of child maltreatment or abuse, different strategies and methods that are used in order to minimise the harm to children, young people and their families where and when the abuse is confirmed. I will also be talking about the responses where child maltreatment or abuse is suspected or confirmed relating to current legislations and policies.

Every day children around the world are being abused by their parents, trusted adult, caregiver and peers. Children are constantly suffering when there are things that everyone as a community can do help them. Psychologists, social workers and the victims to childhood abuse have studied and worked together to establish precautionary measures to execute child abuse all together.

Each week Child Protective Services receives more than 50,000 allegations of child abuse. Two-thirds of the allegations have enough evidence to start investigations. The results of these investigations showed 2,450 children are abused everyday (Ianelli, 2006). In 1999, CPS, nearly four, confirmed an estimated 1,401 child abuse and neglect fatalities every day. (Child Abuse Statistics, nd).

All people have the basic right to be kept safe from harm, especially children and young people. No-one deserves to suffer from any form of abuse – whether emotional, physical, sexual or subject to neglect. If children and young people are safeguarded; they are more likely to grow into confident well-rounded adults. As adults working with children and young people, it is important that we recognise signs of abuse, and are able where

NHS team, GPs, nurses and school visitors – Health professionals may be involved in order to examine children to determine whether any injuries which may have been sustained are accidental. They will also always be alert during the course of their practice to any injuries which they may suspect are signs of child abuse such as marks of physical or sexual abuse. They have the opportunity to recognise these problems before the child would disclose it, and report their findings other agencies as appropriate in order to prevent further harm to the child. GP’s need to maintain their skills in recognising if a child is being abused or neglected. They need to follow all correct procedures if abuse or neglect is suspected. All GP’s should have regular training and update their training when necessary. As the largest medical royal college in the UK, representing nearly 50,000 family doctors, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is working in partnership with the NSPCC to update this essential toolkit to support GPs and their practices in managing this important duty. This toolkit is readily available as an online download and is called: The RCGP/NSPCC Safeguarding Children Toolkit for General Practice. All providers of NHS funded health services should identify a named doctor and a named nurse (and a named midwife if the organisation provides maternity services) for safeguarding. GP practices should have a lead and

Working Together to Safeguard Children (2010) sets out the guidelines on how the setting and individuals should work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. This is in conjunction with the Children Act 1989 and the Children Act 2004. This document covers what to do when there are concerns about a child and the correct procedures to follow. In addition it states the roles and responsibilities of different agencies and practitioners, summary of the nature and impact of child abuse, training requirements for effective child protection and how to best operate best practice in child protection procedure.

Prior to 1998, individuals reported to FACS if they suspected if a child is at ‘risk of harm’. The CPH was overwhelmed by many calls that did now warrant the exercise of ‘considerable statutory powers’ (Wood, 2014) that led to a surfeit of cases that required investigation. Administrative resources were split between sorting and referring allegations to FACS. The introduction of CWUs led to an 11.1% reduction of calls to CPH and a 6.1% decrease in total Helpline demand (total calls, faxes and eReports)(NSW Family and Community Services Annual Statistical Report 2012/13, p52). With this decrease in calls, there should be a decrease in child abuse/neglect but this is not the case. Even after raising the threshold of mandatory reporting, statistics reveal that the CPH is failing to protect the rights of children WHAT RIGHTS. It is evident that the CPH has provided inadequate protection of children, particularly when considering the deaths of children identified as being at risk. In 2012, 41 children died as a result of abuse or neglect and six of the dead children had been reported to FACS more than 20 times (Wood, 2013). Additionally in 2013, 37 700 children were victims of abuse or neglect and the numbers rose to 42 457(2015)("Child Wellbeing Units | Keep Them Safe", 2016). These statistics demonstrates that whilst the number of calls to CPH has decreased, the number of reported children has increased which means that there is a failure to protect and care for

As part of the reform to prevent more deaths, it has been proposed that Health Services NSW, Police force among others who come in contact with children, create units within there organizations, which advises staff on when a report should be made to docs and if the report does not disclose a risk of significant harm the unit will now assist by referring to a newly created regional intake and referral center

According to Pecora, Sanders, Wilson, English, Puckett & Rudlang-Perman (2014), “Every year in the USA, about 695,000 unique children are confirmed as victims of child maltreatment (US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau 2011) (p. 321). Such startling statistics suggest that child abuse is not just a public health issue; it is an epidemic. However, research reveals that prevention is possible through a collaborative effort made by parents, schools, the government, social services, and the

People may not be aware, but any one of their peers, friends, or neighbors may be victims of child abuse. Every day, someone experiences physical, emotional, neglect, and/or sexual abuse. Abuse can lead to death or injury for the rest of a victim's life, from either the perpetrator or themselves. In order to prevent child abuse society must: recognize the types of abuse, understand common causes of abuse, know the characteristics of abusers, and realize the effects abuse has, not just on the child, but on families and communities across the world.