Child Protection and Welfare Practice Handbook - Health Service ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

16 Child Protection and Welfare Practice Handbook Regardless of whether a concern is about circumstantial or wilful neglect, there is a need for a response where there are concerns that a child is experiencing neglect. While neglect may be harder to define or to detect than other forms of child abuse, there are common categories of neglect, including: physical neglect; • medical neglect; • homelessness and neglect; • inadequate supervision; • emotional neglect, • educational neglect; • newborns addicted or exposed to drugs. • The following sections give detailed information on each of these types of neglect. Physical neglect Physical neglect is one of the most widely recognised forms. It includes: • Abandonment – the desertion of a child without arranging for his or her reasonable care or supervision. Usually, a child is considered abandoned when not picked up within 2 days. • Expulsion – the blatant refusal by a parent/caregiver to allow a child access to their home on a permanent basis without adequately arranging for his or her care by others or the refusal to accept custody of a returned runaway. • Nutritional neglect – when a child is undernourished or is repeatedly hungry for long periods of time, which can sometimes be evidenced by poor growth. • Clothing neglect – when a child lacks appropriate clothing, such as not having appropriately warm clothes or shoes in the winter. • Other physical neglect – includes inadequate hygiene and forms of disregard for the child’s safety and welfare (e.g. driving with a child while intoxicated, leaving a young child in a car unattended). Medical neglect Medical neglect encompasses a parent or guardian’s denial of or delay in seeking needed healthcare for a child as described below: • Denial of healthcare – the failure to provide or to allow needed care as recommended by a competent healthcare professional for a physical injury, illness, medical condition or impairment.
Introduction to the Practice Handbook • Delay in healthcare – the failure to seek timely and appropriate medical care for a serious health problem that any reasonable person would have recognised as needing professional medical attention. Examples of a delay in healthcare include not getting appropriate preventive medical or dental care for a child, not obtaining care for a sick child or not following medical recommendations. Homelessness and neglect • Unstable living conditions can have a negative effect on children and homeless children are more at risk for other types of neglect in areas such as health, education and nutrition. Homelessness can be considered neglect when the inability by a parent or carer to provide shelter is the result of not managing their finances appropriately and there is evidence that the money has been spent not on rent but on drugs or alcohol, or the family had been engaged in anti-social behaviour leading to eviction. Inadequate supervision Inadequate supervision encompasses a number of behaviours, including: Lack of appropriate supervision There is no defined amount of time children at different ages can be left unsupervised and the guidelines for these ages and times vary. In addition, all children are different, so the amount of supervision needed may vary by the child’s age, development or situation. It is important to evaluate the maturity of the child, the accessibility of other adults, the duration and frequency of unsupervised time, and the neighborhood or environment when determining if it is acceptable to leave a child unsupervised. Exposure to hazards Examples of exposure to in- and out-of-home hazards include: • Safety hazards – poisons, small objects, electrical wires, stairs and drugs. • Smoking – second-hand smoke, especially for children with asthma or other lung problems. • Guns and other weapons – guns that are kept in the house and are not locked up. • Unsanitary household conditions – rotting food, human or animal • faeces, insect infestation or lack of running or clean water. Lack of child safety restraints. 17
Page 1: Child Protection and Welfare Practi
Page 4 and 5: Equalities Statement Throughout the
Page 6 and 7: iv 2.7 Informal consultation 34 2.8
Page 8 and 9: vi 4 Support and Guidance for Pract
Page 10 and 11: viii I pay tribute to the dedicatio
Page 13 and 14: 1 Introduction to Practice Handbook
Page 15 and 16: Introduction to the Practice Handbo
Page 19 and 20: Designated Person Introduction to t
Page 27: Introduction to the Practice Handbo
Page 35 and 36: 2 Allied professionals and all othe
Page 37 and 38: Allied professionals and all others
Page 53: Allied professionals and all others
Page 56 and 57: 44 Child Protection and Welfare Pra
Page 78 and 79:
66 Child Protection and Welfare Pra
Page 80 and 81:
Page 82 and 83:
Page 84 and 85:
Page 86 and 87:
Page 88 and 89:
Page 90 and 91:
Page 92 and 93:
Page 94 and 95:
Page 96 and 97:
Page 98 and 99:
Page 100 and 101:
Page 102 and 103:
Page 104 and 105:
Page 106 and 107:
Page 108 and 109:
Page 110 and 111:
Page 112 and 113:
100 Child Protection and Welfare Pr
Page 114 and 115:
Page 116 and 117:
Page 118 and 119:
Page 120 and 121:
Page 122 and 123:
Page 124 and 125:
Page 126 and 127:
Page 128 and 129:
Page 130 and 131:
Page 132 and 133:
Page 135 and 136:
4 Support and Guidance for Practiti
Page 137 and 138:
Support and guidance for practition
Page 139 and 140:
Page 141 and 142:
Page 143 and 144:
5 Resources 5.1 National contacts f
Page 145 and 146:
National contacts for HSE Children
Page 147 and 148:
National contacts for HSE Children
Page 149 and 150:
WESTMEATH Social Work Department, A
Page 151 and 152:
References Dearden, C. and Becker,
Page 153:
References NESCPC (2011) Child Prot
Page 156 and 157:
Page 158 and 159:
Page 160 and 161:
Page 162 and 163:
Page 164 and 165:
Page 166 and 167:
Page 168 and 169:
Page 170 and 171:
Page 172 and 173:
Page 174 and 175:
Page 176 and 177:
Page 178 and 179:
Page 180 and 181:
Page 182 and 183:
Page 184 and 185:
Page 186 and 187:
Page 189 and 190:
Index A abuse categories of, 10-14
Page 191 and 192:
Children First Implementation Offic
Page 193 and 194:
hazards, exposure of children to, 1
Page 195 and 196:
Q qualified privilege, defence of,
Page 197 and 198:
NOTES
Page 200:
What is the Child Protection and We
show all

Child Protection and Welfare Practice Handbook - Health Service ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?