How do I report a concern about Abuse?

If you suspect that a child or young person is being harmed or is at risk of being harmed then you have a duty to report it immediately.

You will need to contact Knowsley Children’s Social Care or the Police. 0151 443 2600 If you suspect a child or young person is at immediate risk of harm you need to call 999 and speak to the Police.

All calls concerning worries about children are treated seriously. You will be asked where the child lives and who looks after the child. Enquires will be made immediately. If it is found that a child is being abused or is at risk of significant harm professionals will work together with the family to ensure that the child can be protected.

If you are in any doubt about reporting your concerns don’t think ‘What if I’m wrong?’, think ‘What if I’m right?’.
Remember – Safeguarding is Everyone’s Business!

Child abuse is any form of physical, emotional or sexual mistreatment or lack of care that leads to injury or harm.

Abuse (also called Significant Harm) can happen to a child at any age. Abusers can be adults but not just parents or carers, abuse can occur within a relationship of trust e.g. a teacher, carer, family friend or youth leader.

There are four types of abuse and these are Physical, Emotional, Sexual and Neglect

Physical abuse

Physical abuse is deliberately causing physical harm to a child. This might involve punching, kicking, biting, burning, scalding, shaking, throwing or beating with objects such as belts, whips, or sticks. It also includes poisoning, giving a child alcohol or illegal drugs, drowning or suffocation.

Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of illness in a child.
In pregnancy an unborn child can be harmed by domestic abuse.

Emotional Abuse 

Emotional abuse is where repeated verbal threats, criticism, ridicule, shouting, lack of love and affection causes a severe adverse effect on a child’s emotional development. It includes conveying to children that they are worthless, unloved, inadequate or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person.

It may feature inappropriate expectations being imposed on a child, over protection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child from taking part in normal social interaction.

It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another person. It may involve serious bullying (including cyberbullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children.

Emotional abuse may include not giving a child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate.

Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill treatment of children, or it may occur alone.

Sexual Abuse 

Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. This may involve physical contact including penetrative sex, oral sex, masturbation, kissing, rubbing, or touching outside of clothing, or it may involve non-contact activities such as involving children in watching sexual activities, producing or looking at sexual images, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet).

Abusers can be men, women or other children

 Neglect 

Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in serious impairment of the child’s health or development.

Neglect is when a parent or carer fails to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment), medical care, or protection from physical and emotional harm or danger.

It also includes failure to ensure access to education or to look after a child because the carer is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

In pregnancy neglect may occur as a result of misusing alcohol or drugs.

What is sexting?

Sexting is when someone shares sexual, naked or semi-naked images or videos of themselves or others, or sends sexually explicit messages.

It may feel awkward, but it’s important to explain to children the risks of sexting, how to stay safe and remind them that they can talk to you if something ever makes them feel scared or uncomfortable.

Click on the following link for more information:

NSPCC Link

YOTI app

Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation have come together to provide a service where children can request the removal of sexual images of themselves which have been shared online. As part of that process the child would be asked to provide a link to where the image is stored online, rather than send the image itself.

The child is also required to verify their identity and age and this is done through the YOTI app. YOTI will not store images of the child’s ID following the verification process.

Below are a couple of online resources which contain details regarding this service:

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/sexting – There is a section which covers what you can do if you’ve lost control of a sexual image and refers to the YOTI app

https://contentreporting.childline.org.uk – This is the portal where you can report images and videos for take down and again refers to using the app to verify age.

Knowsley Young Carers Service

Service Description

The Young Carers Team supports young people aged 6 to 18 years who are caring for a family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction and cannot cope without their support. Young Carers often take on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult.

In partnership with Knowsley Youth Mutual, we take a whole family approach to assess and support carers providing support wherever possible. This may include a trip or activity to provide peer support or a one to one chat with trained workers.  We support families to ensure that they receive a full package of help that they require, making sure all of the relevant services are involved.  This helps to ensure the young carers do not need to take on inappropriate levels of care that could be detrimental to their own health and wellbeing.

The young carer assessment is child friendly and easily accessible and incorporates many elements of All About Me. Assessments often provide considerable insight into not only the wishes and feelings of children but also their perceptions, which can improve and inform current support plans.

Criteria

All answers must be YES to meet the criteria for the young person:

  • Young person aged between 6-18 years old
  • Lives in Knowsley Borough
  • Is aware of the referral, and parent/guardian consent has been given
  • Cares for a family member(parent/sibling/other relative)

Referral Process

  • Complete referral form
  • The external form should only be used by parents/guardians OR professionals who do not have access to EHM (Early Help Module) System. An internal referral can be made via EHM and is the preferred method to refer a child to the Young Carers Service.
  • All external referral forms are to be completed and sent via SECURE email to EHT@KNOWSLEY.GCSX.GOV.UK. Please ensure the email title states Young Carers Referral Form so the form can be forwarded to the correct team.
  • A referral by parents/guardians can be made via telephone on 0151 443 5059 or 0151 443 2336. Please request to speak to Mike Kehoe or Chris Wong if you are making a referral.
  • Once a referral is made, the assessment worker Mike Kehoe will contact the referrer and family to arrange a home visit.
  • The assessment will consider whether the young person is a young carer and a support plan would be created.

Allegations

The following leaflet has been produced to provide guidance regarding the processes involved and support and guidance available to those involved in allegations made against staff or volunteers:

allegations-against-staff-information-for-families

Online Gaming

Online-gaming-an-introduction-for-parents-and-carers-2017

This leaflet explores what online gaming is and provides a wealth of safety advice.

The leaflet includes:

  • How and where to play online games
  • The risks of online games
  • Online gaming top tips
  • The SMART rules
  • FAQs about online gaming
  • Links to support and further information