Neglect and Abuse

1.    Google ‘‘Neglect NSPCC’’ Click on the blue button link ‘‘Read more about neglect’’. Scan read the web page for:

a.    Children’s needs

b.    Kinds of neglect

Types of neglect

Physical neglect
failing to provide for a child’s basic needs such as food, clothing or shelter. Failing to adequately supervise a child, or provide for their safety.

Educational neglect
failing to ensure a child receives an education.

Emotional neglect
failing to meet a child’s needs for nurture and stimulation, perhaps by ignoring, humiliating, intimidating or isolating them. It’s often the most difficult to prove.

Medical neglect
failing to provide appropriate health care, including dental care and refusal of care or ignoring medical recommendations.

Defining a child's needs

Basic physical care: Warmth, shelter, adequate food and rest, grooming (hygiene) and protection from danger.

Affection: Which includes physical contact, holding, stroking, cuddling and kissing, comforting, admiration, delight, tenderness, patience, time, making allowances for annoying behaviour, and general companionship and approval.

Security: Continuity of care, the expectation of continuing in the stable family unit, a predictable environment, consistent patterns of care and daily routine, simple rules and consistent controls and a harmonious family group.

Guidance and control: To teach adequate social behaviour which includes discipline within the child's understanding and capacity and which requires patience and a model for the child to copy, for example in honesty and concern and kindness for others.

Responsibility: For small things at first such as self-care, tidying playthings or taking dishes to the kitchen and gradually elaborating the decision making that the child has to learn in order to function adequately, gaining experience through his/her mistakes as well as his/her stresses and receiving praise and encouragement to strive to do better.

Independence: To make his/her own decisions first about small things but increasingly about the various aspects of his/her own life within the confines of the family and society's codes. Parents use fine judgement in encouraging independence and in letting the child see and feel the outcome of his or her own capacity. Protection is needed, but over-protection is as bad as responsibility and independence too early.

 Stimulation and innate potential: By praise and encouragement; curiosity and exploratory behaviour. By developing skills though responsiveness to questions and to play, by promoting educational opportunities.

http://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child-abuse-and-neglect/neglect/what-is-neglect/

2. Google ‘‘Domestic violence the facts Refuge’’. Scan the web page for:

A. statistics relating to the likelihood of being a female victim of domestic violence in the UK

B. statistics relating to the likelihood of being a young victim of domestic violence in the UK

1 in 4 women in England and Wales will experience domestic violence in their lifetimes and 8% will suffer domestic violence in any given year.

25% of children in the UK have been exposed to domestic abuse (Radford et al. NSPCC, 2011)

3. Google ‘‘statistical bulletin alcohol related deaths’’ and click on the National Statistics PDF link. Scan the PDF for:

a. the three UK regions with the lowest average alcohol-related death rates for females (period 2004-2013)

b. the three UK regions with the highest average number of alcohol-related male deaths (period 2004-2013)