Unit 10: Caring for Children and Young People
Assignment 3 – Deepak’s case – P3, P4, P5, M3, D2
Explain the factors that would lead to suspicion of child maltreatment or abuse – P3
There are many physical factors that could lead to suspicion of child maltreatment or abuse
regarding Deepak’s case. One physical factor is bruises, cuts or marks on the skin which
could be unexplained injuries. Such indicators could be caused by a number of things. While
some can be accidental and be caused by everyday play such as at school, some can indicate
abuse from home. The location and pattern of bruising is important when distinguishing
between accidental and non-accidental bruising. For example, if there is a bruise that carries
a clear imprint of an object, then it could indicate that the child had been hit with something
with the intention of hurting them. Intention of hurting a child could also be indicated if
there are multiple bruises in clusters, or if they are on multiple parts of the body. Burns or
scald injuries may also indicate child maltreatment if there is no explanation for the injury or
if the injury is unsuitable. Another would be if the burn was on a part of the body which was
on expected to have come in contact with a hot object in an accident, such as on the backs
of the hands. Especially if this burn is in the shape of an object such as a cigarette or iron,
then this could be a large indicator that the child is suffering from maltreatment at home.
Another physical factor that could be an indicator of child maltreatment or abuse is weight
loss or if the child is underweight. If the child has lost a significant amount of weight in a
short period of time then it could suggest that the child is not being fed properly at home, or
is missing out on meals. In Deepak’s case, he goes home for lunch every day and appears
quite lethargic, which can happen when you do not consume enough food. The fact that he
does not stay in school for lunch means that the amount of food he eats is not supervised by
someone, so the school does not have a way to find out if he is actually eating lunch or not.
This means that if he suffers from weight loss and does not eat food at school, these factors
can be linked together to indicate that he does not receive sufficient amounts of food at
home. Food and water is a basic human right and to not feed your child is a type of
maltreatment, as well as a sign of neglect. This is an emotional type of maltreatment.
Another physical factor of suspected child maltreatment or abuse is soreness, pain or
discomfort from the child. If the child is suspected of suffering from sexual abuse, then they
could be suffering from discomfort around the vaginal area. An indicator of abuse is pain on
their body which could be from bruises that may or may not be showing yet. If the abuse
was recent then markings may not be revealed yet, but if they are hurting but the parents or
carers cannot explain why they feel like this, it could be an indicator that the child is being
abused. Another physical factor of suspected child maltreatment and abuse is infections. If a
child has an infection, then it could mean that the parent does not pay enough attention to
notice that there is something wrong with their child, or they may have noticed but just
simply do not care enough to do anything to make them better. This is emotional abuse,
otherwise known as neglect, and infections could indicate that a child is being maltreated.
Another physical factor of suspected child maltreatment or abuse is changes in appearance.
An example of this could be poor personal hygiene. If the child has a bad odour or bad
breath, then this can indicate that the child is not having regular showers or regularly
brushes their teeth, which is what a good parent should supervise and make sure that they
are doing properly and regularly. If they lack good hygiene then it could mean that they are
, being neglected as their parents may not care about how they present themselves to other
people.
There are many behavioural that could lead to suspicion of child maltreatment or abuse
regarding Deepak’s case. One behavioural factor of suspected child maltreatment or abuse
is being withdrawn. Physical abuse can cause a child to become withdrawn because they
may feel that if they do not communicate with someone, that person would have no reason
to hurt them. They could think that If they stay away from everyone then they would not
feel the need to hurt them, like their parents may do. This could be an indicator that their
parents physically abuse them and so they have learned that if they stay away from their
parents and if they stay withdrawn, then they must have no reason to hurt them. This could
be caused by emotional abuse, otherwise known as neglect. If the parents neglect their child
and do not bother caring for the child and giving them the basic necessities such as loving
them, then this could make them feel unloved and so they may stay away from everybody
as a way of loneliness. They would not know any better as they would be withdrawn at
home anyway due to the fact that their parents would not bother caring for them, so they
would see it as normal to be cut from everybody else that surrounds them. Another
behavioural factor of suspected child maltreatment or abuse is aggression. Physical abuse
can cause a child to become aggressive as they may be copying what they see from their
parents or carers. If their parents or carers act aggressive towards them then they may act
out aggressively towards their peers or teachers as that is what they perceive as normal,
due to the fact that that is most likely the only emotion they see from their parents or
carers. This physical abuse could also cause them to act aggressively as it may make them
angry the way that they are treated, but as they cannot do anything about it to their parents
then they may take it out on their peers instead, such as through becoming a bully and
bullying them. Another behavioural factor of suspected child maltreatment or abuse is
distress. Physical abuse can cause a child to become distressed at situations at school as
certain moments could trigger an emotion in them. For example, if a teacher raises their
hand to show the children something, the child may associate raising a hand with getting
hit, so they may become distressed as they may think that they are about to be hit by their
teacher like their parents do. They could also become distressed due to emotional abuse,
otherwise known as neglect. If they do not receive attention from their parents in general at
home, then if they do not receive attention from their teachers and other peers receive that
attention instead, then they may become jealous and distressed at the fact that they believe
that nobody is listening to them. If they are a victim of sexual abuse, then being close to
somebody may cause them to become distressed as it reminds them of when their abusers
are close to them. If they are distressed when somebody tries to get a little bit closer to
them, then this could be an indicator of abuse at home. Another behavioural factor of
suspected child maltreatment or abuse is hunger. Physical abuse can cause a child or young
person to become hungry because they may not be feeding them enough, or at all. For
example, if a child grabs a lot of toast that is offered to them at school, then it could be
because they are so hungry and feel like it will be the only time that they will be able to eat,
so they grab as much as possible. They could also be seen looking in bins or other locations
for food which could indicate that they are not being fed at home. Another behavioural
factor of suspected child maltreatment or abuse is the reluctance to go home. If a child does
not want to go home or makes up excuses or reasons as to why they can’t go home yet, or
behave in a naughty way in order to get detention, then it could be a sign that they are
