child abuse – everybody's business

by Kendra Inman

child abuse | help and info

There is a consensus that children should be protected from abuse or exploitation, and society delegates responsibility for the task to teams of social workers, police, education and health staff. But there is growing opinion that the agencies charged with safeguarding children need more support from the public.

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The children's charity, the NSPCC, believes preventing child abuse is the responsibility of every member of society and not just specialist police and social workers.

The charity's Full Stop campaign to end child cruelty calls upon members of the public to take a proactive stand against abuse. Sounds simple but many people worry about whether raising concerns with the authorities will make a bad situation worse.

When and how should they intervene is the question most people ask. Is protecting children about confronting the angry parent smacking their child in the local supermarket or is it about reporting the neighbours who leave a nine-year-old in charge of a toddler and go to the pub?

Children could be at risk in both situations but how do you decide if they need help?

what is abuse?

Children who die following extreme neglect or cruelty usually will make the headlines. In the most tragic cases such as that of Victoria Climbie, who died while in the care of her aunt, experts are called in to find out what went wrong, who is to blame and whether the tragedy could have been prevented.

Victoria Climbie's treatment and death were shocking but cases like hers make up a small proportion of the overall number of children subjected to maltreatment. The vast majority of cases seen by professionals working in child protection are less severe but complex. In addition there are thousands of children who suffer in silence, who never see a social worker or a police officer.

For a child to be taken into care by a local authority, the social workers will have to prove that the child suffered or is likely to suffer significant harm. This can take many forms – sexual abuse and violence and cruelty are obvious examples but emotional abuse or neglect would also come under this definition.

What passes as acceptable treatment of children depends partly on the current social attitudes. There was a time when it was not unusual for six-year-olds to work a 12-hour day in a factory. Today smacking children is against the law in Sweden but not in England and Wales where, after a consultation, the government announced that 'reasonable chastisement' by parents would continue to be acceptable.

Whatever form abuse takes, the repercussions can last a lifetime. Children who have been abused can grow into damaged adults and suffer mental health problems that take years of treatment to overcome. Some grow up to maltreat their own children. There is evidence that some sex abusers were themselves abused when young – although the research shows that not all victims become abusers.

In 2000 the NSPCC published a report called Child Maltreatment in the UK to gauge the extent and nature of child abuse. The study was based on interviews with 2,869 18- to 24-year-olds. The researchers' findings confirm that child abuse and neglect can be roughly divided into three categories – physical, sexual and emotional. Some children suffer more than one form of abuse. The charity says the study punctures a range of stereotypes about child abuse. The wicked stepmother/stepfather are not as common as previously thought. Very few respondents were physically, sexually or emotionally abused by step parents.

Sexual assaults involving strangers are very rare. Even with indecent exposure, only 7% of the young people reported ever having been flashed at and just over a third of these said the person was a stranger. When sexual abuse takes place within the family the most likely relative to abuse is a brother or stepbrother. And children are seven times more likely to be beaten badly by their parents than sexually abused by them.

how many are abused?

The study divided responses into varying degrees of abuse ranging from serious to situations that would give some cause for concern.

physical abuse

Seven per cent (one in fourteen) of young people suffered serious physical abuse, where violent treatment caused an injury or carried a high risk of injury at the hands of parents or carers.

physical neglect

Six per cent suffered serious physical neglect (for example, were not fed, not taken to the doctor when ill, put in dirty clothes) at home.

emotional or psychological maltreatment

Six per cent suffered sever emotional maltreatment including terrorising and threats, humiliation and degradation and withdrawal of affection and care.

sexual abuse

One per cent of young people reported sexually abuse by a parent and three per cent suffered sexual abuse by another relative.

One in ten young people, mostly girls, were forced into sex acts (by people known to them) against their will before their 16th birthday.

Two out of three were too frightened to tell anyone about it at the time.

is maltreatment preventable?

The National Commission of Inquiry into the Prevention of Child Abuse report published in 1996, concluded that the majority of maltreatment is preventable as long as major changes are made to the way society views and protects children.

The NSPCC wish list for ending child abuse includes valuing children more, a watertight child protection system, support for children through the education system, better parenting and family support and encouraging communities to take more responsibility for children. The charity says England, Scotland and Northern Ireland should follow the example set by Wales and appoint a Children's Commissioner to promote children's interests across government policy and that such an appointment would also help change attitudes.

But many professionals believe that the charity's Full Stop campaign, though laudable, is only one part of the solution. When it comes to prevention, social care staff say increased funds for family support services such as drop-in centres and child care would enable more families to stay afloat and better able to care for their children. More specialist drug and alcohol treatment programmes and better mental health services would help families break cycles of abuse and neglect that can be passed on through generations.

The Government's plan to end child poverty and social exclusion, to improve the treatment of children looked after by local authorities and its Sure Start programme which targets families in deprived communities, are also intended to have a impact on child maltreatment. Other new developments include the training of health visitors and midwives to ask post partum mothers if they have suffered any violence or abuse from their partners – breaking the silence on this taboo may also lead to more incidents of child abuse being uncovered too.

social work under fire

Social workers are often criticised in the press for failing children by interfering too much (as demonstrated by the scandals of Cleveland and Orkney) or for doing too little (such as when a child in a family 'known' to social services dies). In their defense social work professionals argue that the vast majority of staff do a good job in difficult circumstances, and while the system isn't perfect it does protect most children.

The Association of Directors of Social Services also points out that social work departments are under-resourced, managers struggle to fill front line jobs, and many staff need longer and more specialist training to equip them to deal with their increasingly complex caseload.

act now

Chris Cloke, head of child protection awareness for the NSPCC, says when it comes to abuse or neglect there are warning signs. A child who is constantly covered in bruises, poorly clothed, withdrawn or who has no friends could be in trouble. However, he says, it is important to realise that there may be reasonable explanations for all of the above.

What action you take will depend partly on how well you know the family in question, he says. Mr Cloke urges anyone with concerns to trust their instincts. If you suspect a child is being maltreated it is important to report your suspicions as soon as possible. You can either call the statutory authorities such as your local social services department or the police. Staff at the NSPCC helpline are happy to talk through suspicions, take referrals and offer advice. Callers to either offices can remain anonymous.

A call to social services will be answered by a duty social worker who will ascertain the facts and decide whether urgent action is needed. A child in immediate danger will be visited by a social worker and a police officer.

Social workers cannot remove children from their families on a whim, a court order is needed. The police are the only professionals who can remove a child from their family home and only then in an emergency.

(updated July 2003, resources updated June 2005)

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