Safe Parenting Handbook (PDF 1.07 Mb) - Department of Health ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

WARNING SIGNSNever leave a young child aloneYoung children are not ready for this amount of responsibilityLeaving a child alone places them at risk of harmIt can be a lonely and frightening experiencePlan for who you might contact for care in an emergencycommon sense and the law“When mummy goesout, I lock the door from theinside… she calls in theletterbox to say goodbye,I leave the lights on in caseanyone tries to get in.Mummy usually comeshome in the night whenI am asleep.”Parents who havelimited support.A child who isfrequently observedoutside and alonefor extendedperiods of time.Childcarearrangements thatkeep going wrong.ACTIONWHAT TO SAYIf there is immediate If you are worriedrisk of harm to a about a child beingchild, call the police. left alone, talk tothe parent, a healthvisitor, teacher or asocial worker.PREVENTIONThink about sharedbabysitting anddiscuss this withneighbours, friendsor other parents youhave contact with.Find out aboutafter-school clubsand holiday playschemes.CONTACTS• Your local HSS Trust(see page 44)• NSPCC0808 800 5000• PSNI028 9065 0222If a child is not ready to be left alone it can be asad, lonely, frightening and dangerousexperience. There are many possible risks,both physical and emotional, which couldaffect your child in a negative way.Children may say that they do not mind beingleft alone and may find it exciting initially, butthey cannot fully know the possible risks andhow to handle them.Even the relatively ordinary things that happenin life, such as hunger, a storm, the phoneringing or someone coming to the front doorcan cause problems. An accident, feeling ill ora power cut may occur and these are not issuesthat a child could deal with.It is rarely, if ever, possible to leave yourchildren and assume that someone will lookout for them, if necessary.If they are alerted, the police and/or socialservices may take action if they think that achild has been neglected by being left alone.Neglect happens when a parent or carer fails tomeet children’s basic needs of food, shelter,security, attention or protection from exposureto danger.The NSPCC have issued guidelines advisingthat children under the age of 13 should not beleft alone. While this recommendation does nothave the force of law, it is suggested as goodpractice. Children under this age usually do nothave the maturity to manage the responsibilityof being left alone. Parents should exercisetheir judgement cautiously in this area.As a young person reaches adolescence,leaving them alone after school, for an eveningor during the day is less concerning as long asthey are prepared and aware of what to do ifthey are worried or need anything. Sopreparation for this is necessary. If your child isa teenager and you feel he or she has thematurity and ability to deal with this, it isimportant that they know where you are andwho to contact in an emergency.1415
WARNING SIGNSIn Northern Ireland there are an estimated 201,000 disabledadults and 14,600 disabled childrenYour child is protected by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995Under Article 18 of the Children Order you may be eligible forsocial services assistance for your child and family given yourchild’s needsYou may be able to receive financial help to assist with caring foryour childThere are many forms of extra services and support available toyou and your childSupport groups, parent groups and other organisations are outthere to help you copeyou’re not alone“When I found out thatMary was disabled I didn’tknow how I was going to cope.I just didn’t think I’d be able todo it alone. Pretty soon Irealised I didn’t have to.”If you have concernsabout your child’sdevelopment youshould seekprofessional help oradvice from yourGP or health visitor.16ACTIONDon’t think you haveto go it alone. Get asmuch information asyou can about yourchild’s condition.Find out whatservices, support,benefits and adviceis available andmake contact.WHAT TO SAYThere are manyorganisationsspecially set up togive support andadvice to parentsof disabledchildren. Contactthem and tell yourstory. There willbe others out therejust like you.PREVENTIONPrevention is notalways possiblewith disability butby ensuring you getthe best supportavailable you canminimise its effectand get help for youand your child.CONTACTS• Your local HSSTrust (see page 44)• Your localEducation &Library Board(see page 44)• Mencap0845 7636227• Disability Action028 9029 7880• Contact a Family(freephonehelpline)0808 808 3555If your child has a disability 2 you may beconcerned or worried about the future. The word‘disabled’ covers a very wide range of differentconditions and it is estimated that some 20% ofpeople in Northern Ireland experience someform of disability at some time in their lives.Remember, you and your child are not alone.The government, health and social services,education and voluntary services provide a widerange of benefits, facilities, support and advicefor disabled children and their carers.Legal protectionYour child is especially protected by law. TheDisability Discrimination Act makes certainprovisions for children. It makes it unlawful forany service provider to treat a child with adisability less favourably than other peoplebecause of their disability. It also requires themto make reasonable adjustments to make theirservices accessible to disabled people.HealthFrom the start, your GP and local HSS Trust arethere for you. They’ll provide the help and adviceyou need to discover and assess your child’sdisability. They’ll help you plan the treatment,therapy, equipment and ongoing medical carethat your child may need.BenefitsThere are several specific benefits that you couldreceive to help you with the costs of caring for adisabled child. These include Disability LivingAllowance, Carer’s Allowance, help with extra2 Children’s disabilities may take a number of forms. They may be physical or developmental.housing costs and with a disabled parkingbadge. The Carers and Direct Payments Act(Northern Ireland) 2002 gives parents rights toan assessment of their needs as well as directpayments to enable them to purchase servicesdirectly. And don’t forget free dental treatmentand prescriptions, help with the cost of glasses,and, in some circumstances, travel to hospital,school meals, and even road tax exemption.EducationDepending on their individual specialeducational needs, your child may benefit mostby attending a special school - an environmentspecifically designed to meet their educationalneeds. Alternatively, your child may receive theextra support required through the special needsprovisions available in a mainstream school orattached special unit. Your Education andLibrary Board will assess your child's specialeducational needs and recommend the mostappropriate way forward for their education.Extra supportYour HSS Trust can provide extra support foryou and your child. This can include specialleisure facilities, holidays, short breaks andmany additional services for particular needs.Also there are many local, national andinternational organisations and charitiesspecially set up to provide further help, adviceand support to people just like you.Make contactOn the left you’ll find a list of contacts that youmay find useful. You’re not alone, so makecontact today and get the support you need.17
Page 3: WARNING SIGNSChildren rely on their
Page 6 and 7: Parents are responsible for their c
Page 10 and 11: WARNING SIGNS18“There are so many
Page 12 and 13: WARNING SIGNSNever shake a child fo
Page 14 and 15: WARNING SIGNS“Before Sean was bor
Page 16 and 17: WARNING SIGNS“Greg is ten - same
Page 18 and 19: WARNING SIGNSChildren need to feel
Page 20 and 21: WARNING SIGNS“Sometimes it feels
Page 22 and 23: WARNING SIGNS“Everyday I hear the
Page 24: Useful PublicationsBullyingA toolki

Safe Parenting Handbook (PDF 1.07 Mb) - Department of Health ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?