There are four categories of abuse:

1. Physical abuse

2. Emotional abuse

3. Sexual abuse

4. Neglect.

Safeguarding also covers incidents of:

Children with sexually harmful or inappropriate behaviour

Peer on peer sexual abuse

Sexual exploitation of children

Serious violent crime

Honour based violence

Radicalism and extremism

County Lines

Prevent

SIGNS OF ABUSE

There are a number of signs that may indicate abuse. These include:

Behaviour: A marked change in a child’s usual temperament or the display of unusual behaviour.

Spoken disclosures: A child may say something that discloses abuse. If this occurs, the person to whom the child has disclosed will do the following:

• Listen to what the child says and then write down word for word what was said as soon as possible afterwards.
• They will use open questions and ensure they do not put words into the child's mouth.
• They may empathise with and comfort the child but will not agree to keep secret what they have disclosed.
• Tell the child that they will have to tell someone else in school and the conversation is uploaded to our child protection online management system as soon as possible.

All staff are mindful of:

• Physical injuries: Whilst young children may commonly have minor injuries, certain injuries will raise concerns that these have been caused deliberately.

• Appearance: The manner in which a child is dressed or groomed may give cause for concern that their basic physical and emotional needs are not being met.