September 21st, 2009 by Lianne

In 2007, a four year old girl from Maida Vale, London, was severely abused by her parents: Kimberley Harte and Samuel Duncan.

This abuse included boiling water being drained over her, her hair being ripped out, beatings, forced to eat her own faeces and forced to take cold baths. This could all have been prevented if the social services decided against sending her back to her parents, which her foster parents were convinced would be a bad idea. Secondly, social working staff accepted the injuries were simply accidents and when she was ‘missing’ they accepted the idea that she was out with her father.

August 26th, 2009 by Shyla

The law in the UK about how old a child can be before they can be left on their own is very vague. There is no specific law that says a particular age. The law says that a parent can be prosecuted for wilful neglect if a child is left alone, unsupervised in a way that may cause unnecessary injury or suffering to their health.

It may be that a family has no local support or cannot find or afford childcare. They may not have relatives nearby who could help. As a community it would be good if more people offered to help and reached out to families rather than watching and waiting for an opportunity to report child abuse.
At no time should a baby every be left alone. Even for a short time this can be deadly and is definitely neglect. A baby or a child under the age of 9 who is seen to be left alone should be reported to the authorities immediately. The police will then visit the home and ensure that the child is safe.

The NSPCC recommends that children under the age of 13 should not be left unsupervised and that children under 16 should not be left alone over night. Of course, your 11 year old may be considerably more mature than someone else’s 14 year old so some common sense has to be used on the part of parents.

August 24th, 2009 by Lianne

Child abuse is a dreadful thing to imagine. Most of us think of the very worst cases that tend to make headline news and are heart breaking to even hear of.

But neglect is still a form of child abuse. It is harder to spot sometimes but is just as damaging in the long term as anty other sort of abuse.

As a parent I know that there are times for all of us when the pressure of having a child or children can make it difficult to cope. Children have so many demands that it would be impssible to meet all of them ALL of the time. This doesn’t mean that our children are neglected.

Neglect is a perpetual, ongoing failure to provide for your child’s basic needs. The signs of neglect are;

• Child is poorly clothed and will not have adequate protection from the elements.
• Child is absent from school frequently for no reason.
• Child is underweight and not growing at a normal rate
• Child is left home alone or looking after younger siblings on a regular basis.

If you feel concerned that a child you know is being neglected contact your local health worker or a charity such as the NSPCC who will listen to your concerns anonymously and take appropriate action.

August 21st, 2009 by Lianne

There Is A Life After Abuse

Understanding why the abuse has happened is often a key part of moving on – but trying to fathom out the mind of someone that can subject an innocent child to this is difficult. Professional help is not always easy to find, but it should be sought out as soon as possible.

Many cases of abuse involve family and friends refusing to believe it has happened – and telling the victim of this. This can, obviously, add to the stress and problems that the victim will go through, but finding someone to support them through it will help.

Maintaining their self-esteem and identity is hard enough in this situation, but there is help out there, and it should be sought out. A councilor or psychiatrist will talk through everything with the victim, helping them to process the abuse and be able to, eventually, move on with their lives.

Although time cannot be turned back and the abuse erased, life can continue.

July 22nd, 2009 by Shyla

Child abuse is heart breaking. But imagine the fear of these young victims as they move through the maze of a judicial system that will decide their futures. Who is there to really listen to the child…to see his or her own interests and feelings are served…to ensure this small, frightened child will be heard?

Each year one-half million abused and neglected children are in need of safe, permanent, nurturing homes. These children spend years moving from one temporary home to another. They have no family to call their own. Unfortunately, the children find themselves caught between the rock of an abusive situation at home and the hard place of an overburdened court and welfare system.