understand safeguarding for children and young people

Policies and procedures are set of guidelines and rules put in place by the government to ensure the safety of children and young people while they are in care. It is important that anyone working with children and young people is fully aware of policies and procedures put in place in their setting and also aware of their role in implementing these policies and procedures. Policies and procedures definite what an organisation does and how they do it in order to provide a safe environment for children and young people during their time in care.

It emphasises the important principles to be followed when working with children and young people: settings must provide a safe and secure environment, if any children are identified as suffering from abuse or likely to suffer the appropriate action must be taken.

Children and young people are vulnerable in nature. As their journey of life is in initial stages of development. They lack experience to understand and handle certain situations. Their lives can be severely affected by the risk, danger and fear from unknown or from people who are considered closest. If they are not taken care during their childhood, they may suffer from difficult young age and adulthood.

There are many policies and procedures within the UK that outline the current legislation and guidelines to help with safeguarding children and young people.

It is everybody’s responsibility to safeguard children – This means every single staff member within a setting; irrelevant of what role they may have there. This also includes non-staff members, such as volunteers, student’s third-party companies (visitors, service providers etc). Each setting should therefore adopt their own safeguarding policy, of which has to be kept up to date and followed at all times.

Policies and procedures are created to guide staff and parents / caregivers to familiarise themselves with the service’s practices, this allows them in detail information regarding what to expect from the service. Policies should be to date documents that are regularly reviewed to ensure they are applicable to all the needs of those working in such establishments.

An Act to reform the law relating to children; to provide for local authority services for children in need and others; to amend the law with respect to children’s homes, community homes, voluntary homes and voluntary organisations; to make provision with respect to fostering, child minding and day care for young children and adoption; and for connected purposes.”

According to the National Child Abuse Hotline over 28% of adults experienced physical abuse as a child. The results of physical abuse can range from internal injuries, brain damage, bruising, broken bones, cuts, burns and death ("What is Child Abuse.") . Signs of physical abuse often present as unexplained injuries and injuries that don’t match the given explanation such as bruises, fractures and burns or a high frequency of injuries. Untreated medical and dental problems are also common signs of physical abuse ("Child abuse Symptoms." ). Children experiencing physical abuse might display aggression towards peers, depression, anxiety, self-destructive behavior, and fear of parents or other adults. The parent or caregiver of the child’s might also display signs that they are abusing the child such as can’t or

Behavioural signs of physical abuse would be that they could become withdrawn from their friends and family or they can react in an aggressive behaviour by getting into fights, swearing ect. They might not want to undress in front of people to avoid them seeing their bruises. Some children and young people start to self-harm or get involved with drugs a and

It is important that we as practitioners receive the most up to date training in safeguarding as the signs and symptoms, indicators and behaviours of abuse in children and young people can come in different forms, and they are physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and sexual abuse. The forms of physical abuse can include signs and symptoms such as unexplainable recurrent injuries or burns, missing hair, a child running away from home, fear of going to the doctors or hospital for a medical examination, fear of contact with others and being touched, or clothing that covers injuries especially when the weathers hot. The physical injuries that indicate that a child has been abused could come in the form of pinch marks or bruising to the ears, bruising around the eyes, cheeks or face, including finger marks. Bruising around the neck or marks that indicate abuse there, i.e. grasp. Bruising and grasp marks around the chest area and on the shoulders. Bruising, burns and grasp marks to the arms. Burns and scalds to the hands. Bruising to the genital area. Bruising, scalds and burns, or an outline that indicates that a belt has been used to the buttocks area, thighs and back. The signs of emotional abuse can include low self-esteem, lack of confidence or speech problems and therefore find it difficult to make new friends, unexplained toiletry accidents when previously trained, upset after making a mistake, self-harming or mutilation (biting self and head banging) and other

Keep in mind that older children may not talk about the problem, because they fear or want to protect the offender. Or they don't believe they will be taken seriously.

Physical Indicators of sexual abuse can be harder to see than those of physical abuse this is because most often, if there are any physical signs they are hidden. Physical signs can include the child having difficulty walking or sitting, if a child looks like he or she is in pain while doing either activity ask questions. Torn, stained or bloody underwear is also a sign of sexual abuse, this sign is hard to go off of because only someone who is doing the child’s laundry or changing the child will come across this. If a child has pain, itching or bleeding in either the genital or anal areas than this is an important touchstone as well. (Indicators of Abuse)

Some symptoms that a child who is being abused might be: changes in behavior and displaying fear, anxiety, withdrawal, depression or aggression. There might be times where the child doesn’t want to leave with certain people and even show or display sexual type behavior or language. Sometimes even issues with their weight, absences, and even have injuries such as burns, bruises and broken bones.

Infants and pre-school children can present signs such as a lack of confidence, aggressive behaviour, affectionate towards strangers, isolated from their parents, mental health problems, eating disorders, risk taking behaviour (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, 2016). Studies across ten countries found that child abuse is associated with a number of chronic illnesses such as heart problems, cancer, diabetics. For instance, physical abuse was associated with diabetes, asthma and heart problems, while sexual abuse was associated with heart diseases (Friedman, 2016).

Certain physical signs like ‘injury to the genital or rectal areas’, bleeding or discharge from vaginal or rectal areas and ‘bruising and other injury to breasts, buttocks and thighs’ may be present because of sexual abuse. Some children may wear extra layers of clothing to hide their injuries and may refuse to remove excess clothing in hot weather. ‘Presence of foreign bodies in vagina and/or rectum’, inflammation in the genital area and sexually transmitted diseases are also strong indicators of sexual abuse. Pregnancy in very young adolescents forms a strong ground for suspicion of sexual abuse.