Caring for Children and Young People
Gabrielle Elmes (497977) Health & Social Care Level 3 (Year 2) Unit 10 Task 3
26/02/2021
P3 - Explain the factors that would lead to suspicion of child
maltreatment or abuse
There are many indicators that could suggest a child/young person are being
mistreated or abused. Sometimes these indicators can be indicators of other
problems in their life and do not always mean abuse.However, these signs should
never be ignored and always be investigated by the appropriate authority.
PHYSICAL INDICATOR POSSIBLE CAUSE(S)
Bruising - Could be caused by forceful
gripping, nipping or hitting with a
foreign object.
- Finger marks (four small bruises
on back of arm and one on front)
- Bruising in unusual places (inner
thighs, inner buttock, under the
hairline...anywhere usually
hidden)
Unexplained Injury - Injury might be reoccuring and
not match the explanation the
child gives.
- Burns/scalds (especially on
buttock and feet or small circular
burns could be from a cigarette)
Soreness - Genital or anal soreness is a
clear sign of abuse in children.
- Soreness inside the mouth could
indicate sexual or physical abuse
Infections - Genital/urinary infections are
indicators of sexual abuse.
- Any general infections could
signify a weak immune system
from neglect, not getting proper
food and medicine and the
parents not even noticing they
have an infection.
Underweight - Neglect from malnourishment of
child
1
, Poor Personal Hygiene - This again is a lack of parenting
skills and not being properly
cared for which is neglect
BEHAVIOURAL INDICATORS
Any type of abuse could make the child/young person have a change in behaviour.
This is due to being subjected to things that no young person or child should ever
have to experience. Every child copes with trauma in different ways, as they feel
powerless to stop the abuse they are being subjected to.
You may notice factors in behaviour that could lead to the suspicion of abuse/
maltreatment
BEHAVIOURAL INDICATORS SIGNS
Withdrawal A child who suddenly starts showing
signs of withdrawal or displaying signs
that something is bothering them, this
could be an indicator of
abuse/exploitative behaviour or
emotional abuse.
Aggression Some children are more aggressive and
this is normal for them. But if a child
starts to suddenly display aggressive
behaviour that is unusual for them. This
could indicate the child feels powerless
and is disturbed about something
happening to them they can’t control.
Distress When a child feels temporarily safe and
secure they may start to let down their
defence and become distressed over
what seem to be stress-free situations.
This can indicate the child is under
stress at home that leads them to have
stress with simple tasks.
Rocking/head banging This type of repetitive behaviour
indicates the child is disturbed about
issues they cannot talk about and they
have developed this behaviour due to
regularly being disturbed so they
learned this behaviour to calm
themselves down because the issue
happens regularly and this is their
2
, coping mechanism .
Hunger Some children could appear to be
extremely greedy when it comes to food
being given out. This can indicate the
child is not fed enough at home so they
need to eat as much as they can when
they are offered.
Reluctant to go home Children who are abused at home may
express reluctance to go home at home
time because school / daycare is where
they are safe and do not get hurt. They
may not be able to express the fear of
abuse but will find excuses to stay away
from home as long as they can.
Low self-esteem Low self-esteem can result especially
from emotional abuse. It may present
itself in the child by the child/young
person having emotional problems,
unhappiness, depression, robbery or
even violence. Since they are not
receiving self-esteem boosting at home,
they may crave it from elsewhere or
work really hard to receive it from
anywhere/anyone.
Developmental Delay Children who are abused/exploited are
so unhappy they may not be able to
function on the higher intellectual plane.
This can then result in obvious
developmental delay. In Maslow’s
hierarchy of needs, individuals cannot
function at higher levels until their
fundamental needs are met. So if these
are not being met, their intellectual
development could be affected.
WIDER FACTORS SUGGESTING RISK OF ABUSE/MALTREATMENT
There are a number of factors that are to be considered when looking for abusive
behaviour. Looking deeper at these factors can alert those caring for children/young
people to the possibility of abuse or maltreatment.
DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS - Sometimes members of families do
not share the same values leading to the family breaking down into isolated groups
and different houses. The family unit no longer functions as a whole and some do
not even visit other family members anymore. Sometimes they remain in the same
3
Gabrielle Elmes (497977) Health & Social Care Level 3 (Year 2) Unit 10 Task 3
26/02/2021
P3 - Explain the factors that would lead to suspicion of child
maltreatment or abuse
There are many indicators that could suggest a child/young person are being
mistreated or abused. Sometimes these indicators can be indicators of other
problems in their life and do not always mean abuse.However, these signs should
never be ignored and always be investigated by the appropriate authority.
PHYSICAL INDICATOR POSSIBLE CAUSE(S)
Bruising - Could be caused by forceful
gripping, nipping or hitting with a
foreign object.
- Finger marks (four small bruises
on back of arm and one on front)
- Bruising in unusual places (inner
thighs, inner buttock, under the
hairline...anywhere usually
hidden)
Unexplained Injury - Injury might be reoccuring and
not match the explanation the
child gives.
- Burns/scalds (especially on
buttock and feet or small circular
burns could be from a cigarette)
Soreness - Genital or anal soreness is a
clear sign of abuse in children.
- Soreness inside the mouth could
indicate sexual or physical abuse
Infections - Genital/urinary infections are
indicators of sexual abuse.
- Any general infections could
signify a weak immune system
from neglect, not getting proper
food and medicine and the
parents not even noticing they
have an infection.
Underweight - Neglect from malnourishment of
child
1
, Poor Personal Hygiene - This again is a lack of parenting
skills and not being properly
cared for which is neglect
BEHAVIOURAL INDICATORS
Any type of abuse could make the child/young person have a change in behaviour.
This is due to being subjected to things that no young person or child should ever
have to experience. Every child copes with trauma in different ways, as they feel
powerless to stop the abuse they are being subjected to.
You may notice factors in behaviour that could lead to the suspicion of abuse/
maltreatment
BEHAVIOURAL INDICATORS SIGNS
Withdrawal A child who suddenly starts showing
signs of withdrawal or displaying signs
that something is bothering them, this
could be an indicator of
abuse/exploitative behaviour or
emotional abuse.
Aggression Some children are more aggressive and
this is normal for them. But if a child
starts to suddenly display aggressive
behaviour that is unusual for them. This
could indicate the child feels powerless
and is disturbed about something
happening to them they can’t control.
Distress When a child feels temporarily safe and
secure they may start to let down their
defence and become distressed over
what seem to be stress-free situations.
This can indicate the child is under
stress at home that leads them to have
stress with simple tasks.
Rocking/head banging This type of repetitive behaviour
indicates the child is disturbed about
issues they cannot talk about and they
have developed this behaviour due to
regularly being disturbed so they
learned this behaviour to calm
themselves down because the issue
happens regularly and this is their
2
, coping mechanism .
Hunger Some children could appear to be
extremely greedy when it comes to food
being given out. This can indicate the
child is not fed enough at home so they
need to eat as much as they can when
they are offered.
Reluctant to go home Children who are abused at home may
express reluctance to go home at home
time because school / daycare is where
they are safe and do not get hurt. They
may not be able to express the fear of
abuse but will find excuses to stay away
from home as long as they can.
Low self-esteem Low self-esteem can result especially
from emotional abuse. It may present
itself in the child by the child/young
person having emotional problems,
unhappiness, depression, robbery or
even violence. Since they are not
receiving self-esteem boosting at home,
they may crave it from elsewhere or
work really hard to receive it from
anywhere/anyone.
Developmental Delay Children who are abused/exploited are
so unhappy they may not be able to
function on the higher intellectual plane.
This can then result in obvious
developmental delay. In Maslow’s
hierarchy of needs, individuals cannot
function at higher levels until their
fundamental needs are met. So if these
are not being met, their intellectual
development could be affected.
WIDER FACTORS SUGGESTING RISK OF ABUSE/MALTREATMENT
There are a number of factors that are to be considered when looking for abusive
behaviour. Looking deeper at these factors can alert those caring for children/young
people to the possibility of abuse or maltreatment.
DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS - Sometimes members of families do
not share the same values leading to the family breaking down into isolated groups
and different houses. The family unit no longer functions as a whole and some do
not even visit other family members anymore. Sometimes they remain in the same
3
