Safeguarding Children

INTRODUCTION

Children have been the centre of everyone's life. Be it Parents, early years practitioners, and even School Teachers. It is everyone's responsibility to protect children to the best of our ability. That is why there are legislations put into place to help the child and help us to protect them from any kinds of abuse. People who abuse children are put under many headings, some of which are mentioned below.

In the early days children were abused, e.g from a very young age children were made to act like adults, thus working in the same places adults work in, e.g. farms, factories and even mines. Also children were canned by professionals (Teachers) which was acceptable in 1906. Today hurting a child in any forms is not acceptable. There are different ways to teach a child without harming them. It is the role of the people around the child: Parents and teachers to know how to safeguard the child from abuse.

MODELS AND THEORIES OF CHILD ABUSE

There are many causes characteristics and circumstances abuse, some may even surprise us. E.g. the abuser may have been abused as a child. Family and friends may even contribute to the child being abused . Sometime Abuse may occur in those homes where the abuser is not educated enough on how to raise their child, thus increasing the risk of abuse.

Factors such as unemployment, poverty, social isolation can all participate in abuse.

There are many types of abusers, some harm children physically. This would result in the child being bruised, scarred, burnt or even poisoned.

Some may harm children sexually which can be done in many forms e.g. it may involve coercion, violent attacks, threats and intimidation. It can also happen within loving family relationships. This happens when the child is introduced to little steps of sexual activity which can result in penetrative sex. Sexual Abuse can also include involving children in the making of pornographic material and distribute it to others.

Emotional abuse is the most hardest of abuse to define, as it is very hard to detect and document. Children who are abused emotionally are usually terrified, lonely and the feeling of being unloved. Most children usually have very low self-esteem, may lack confidence. Sometimes children tend to seek inappropriate relationships with staff or gain their attention through unwanted behaviour. According to HM Government (2006:39) The cause of emotional abuse may involve conveying to children they are worthless, unloved inadequate… These may include interactions that are beyond the child's developmental capability, as well as overprotection, limitation of exploration and learning.

The consequences these children face usually catch up to them when they are adults. This may include depression,