Spotting the signs and indicators of abuse and neglect

What are the signs of abuse and neglect?

Safeguarding Children & Young People

The signs of abuse and neglect aren’t always obvious, and a child might not feel able to tell anyone what’s happening to them. Sometimes, children don’t even realise that what’s happening to them is abuse.

There are 4 legal categories of abuse and the signs that a child is being abused may depend on the type. For example, the signs that a child is being neglected may be different from the signs that a child is being abused sexually.

Also, something might look like abuse, but it actually may have a reasonable explanation or other factors might explain the issue. Please see our downloadable document at the bottom of the page which lists explanations of other causes that may look like abuse.

Physical harm

hitting with hands or objects
slapping and punching
kicking
shaking
throwing
poisoning
burning and scalding
biting and scratching
breaking bones
drowning.

It’s important to remember that physical abuse is any way of intentionally causing physical harm to a child or young person. It also includes making up the symptoms of an illness or causing a child to become unwell. This is called Fabricated or Induced Illness or FII.

Emotional harm

humiliating or constantly criticising a child
threatening, shouting at a child or calling them names
making the child the subject of jokes, or using sarcasm to hurt a child
blaming and scapegoating
making a child perform degrading acts
not recognising a child’s own individuality or trying to control their lives
pushing a child too hard or not recognising their limitations
exposing a child to upsetting events or situations, like domestic abuse or drug taking
failing to promote a child’s social development
not allowing them to have friends
persistently ignoring them
being absent
manipulating a child
never saying anything kind, expressing positive feelings or congratulating a child on successes
never showing any emotions in interactions with a child, also known as emotional neglect.

Neglect

Neglect is the ongoing failure to meet a child’s basic needs and the most common form of child abuse. A child might be left hungry or dirty, or without proper clothing, shelter, supervision or health care. This can put children and young people in danger. It can also have long term effects on their physical and mental wellbeing.

Neglect of unborn babies

Where concerns exist regarding the mother’s ability to protect.
Where alcohol or substance abuse is thought to be affecting the health of the unborn baby.
Where expectant parents are themselves deemed as children/ young people (under age 18yrs) and there are a number of concerns/complicating factors evident that would need to be considered to ensure the safety of parent/s and unborn.
Where expectant parents are under the age of thirteen, a referral regarding expectant parent/s and unborn baby must be submitted.
Where a previous child in the family has been removed because they have suffered harm or been at risk of significant harm.
Where the expectant parents are currently active to Social Care and/or they have children who are currently active to Social Care.
Where a previous child/children have experienced neglect, emotional, physical or sexual abuse and these concerns continue to be evident and would impact on the unborn baby in pregnancy and once born by virtue of the child being dependent on their caregiver.
Where a person who has been convicted of an offence against a child, or is believed by child protection professionals to have abused a child, has joined the family.
Where there are acute professional concerns regarding parenting capacity, particularly where the parents have either severe mental health problems or learning disabilities.
Where the child is believed to be at risk of significant harm due to domestic abuse.

Sexual harm

Sexual abuse can happen in 2 forms – contact and non-contact abuse and it can happen in person or online. Contact abuse is where an abuser makes physical contact with a child. This includes:

sexual touching of any part of a child’s body, whether clothed or not
using a body part or object to rape or penetrate a child
forcing a child to take part in sexual activities
making a child undress or touch someone else.

Non-contact abuse is where a child is abused without being touched by the abuser. This can be in person or online and includes:

exposing
showing pornography
exposing a child to sexual acts
forcing a child to make, view or share child abuse images or videos
making, viewing or distributing child abuse images or videos
forcing a child to take part in sexual activities or conversations online or through a smartphone.

Safeguarding Adults

Adults with care and support needs, such as older people or people with disabilities, are more likely to be abused or neglected. They may be seen as an easy target and may be less likely to identify abuse themselves or to report it. People with communication difficulties can be particularly at risk because they may not be able to alert others. Sometimes people may not even be aware that they are being abused, and this is especially likely if they have a cognitive impairment. Abusers may try to prevent access to the person they abuse.

Signs of abuse can often be difficult to detect. This at a glance briefing aims to help people who come into contact with people with care and support needs to identify abuse and recognise possible indicators. Many forms of abuse are also criminal offences and should be treated as such.