P3: Explain the factors that would lead to suspicion of child maltreatment or abuse
There are many factors that unfortunately lead to the suspicion of child maltreatment or abuse,
these factors have serious repercussions on the effected children.
Some factors include poor housing, parenting styles/skills, family history of abuse, financial stresses
and strains on family life, dysfunctional family relationships, lack of attachment, learning difficulties,
mental health issues, constant house moves, risk of exploitation from internet chat rooms, children
or young people transferring their abuse onto other children or family pets, parent’s upbringing,
substance abuse, religion and culture.
There are different categories of abuse which can occur from the above factors, this abuse is most
commonly carried out by that of a parent, family member or someone who knows the child or young
person and is rarely a stranger, but it could be even carried out by a child or young person. The
different types of abuse are:
Physical abuse:
This abuse consists of shaking, drowning, hitting, throwing, suffocating, burns, scalding and
poisoning. Also seen as physical abuse if a parent deliberately causes illness upon the child or young
person.
Emotional abuse:
This abuse can involve constant shouting, treating children or young people without love,
encouragement, making them feel worthless or unvalued. and suffer from unrealistic expectations
for their age. Verbal abuse can be involved like calling the child hurtful names and threating. May
experience belittling and undermining as the child’s ideas and opinions are not valued or listened to,
purposely silencing them and not taking them seriously. The parents will be very dominating which
may result in the child not having equal opportunities to everyone else which will slow down the
development process.
Social abuse:
This involves sheltering others too much from others like preventing them having contact with
friends and family, making them feel isolated from restricting them from activates.