Nursery World - A Unique Child - Abuse: Warning signs

Child abuse or neglect can take many different forms and present varied suspicious signs that early years practitioners should report appropriately. Dr Raj Thakkar lists some things to look out for

Child abuse is a tragic reality of life. Sadly, physical, sexual or emotional abuse or childhood neglect often go unnoticed. The consequences of these acts may be far and long-reaching, leading to significant psychological disturbance throughout childhood and adulthood.

Professionals may fail to act on signs of abuse out of inexperience, perhaps looking but not seeing. In some instances, however, failure to alert the authorities may be deliberate, in order to avoid being the whistleblower and facing complaint or harassment from the family, damaging the relationship with the child or parent and in fear of making a false accusation. Deliberately turning a blind eye to child abuse can have serious consequences not only for the child, but also the individual professional involved.

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