Child abuse refers to any non-accidental behaviour by parents, caregivers, other adults or older adolescence causing risks of physical and emotional harm to a child. Child Abuse is commonly divided into four main subtypes. 1. Physical Abuse refers to any intentional use of physical force against a child that may result in harm to their body. Examples of physical abuse include behaviours such as: hitting, shaking, punching, burning and poisoning. It can also be as a result of excessive physical discipline such as being forced to take drugs or alcohol. These actions are all considered non-accidental. Physical abuse often occurs in moments of uncontrolled anger or when the parent or caregiver has been drinking heavily or taking drugs. 2. Emotional/Physiological …show more content…
Neglect is the most common type of child abuse. It can be defined as when a parent or career fails to provide basic needs to a child, both physically and emotionally. Examples of neglect include not providing food, clothing, shelter, health care, education and nurturing for a child’s healthy development. Neglect can fall under three main areas. Physical neglect refers to the failure to provide basic necessities such as food, clothing (inappropriate for weather or poorly fitting), shelter, hygiene (when the child does not have basic hygiene and is obviously dirty or has a bad odour), protection from environmental hazards including exposure to poisoning, smoking, failure to use a car seatbelt or other safety devices and also access to a weapon/gun. Emotional neglect is when a child receives a lack of nurturing, encouragement and support. This can be a result of parental depression and substance abuse. It can also occur as a result of an unwanted pregnancy where the parent may have difficulty accepting the child or if the child has a disability. Medical neglect involves a parent or career not providing the child with appropriate medical needs and recommended treatments which may result in potential harm to the child’s body. This can be a result of parents or careers who may not fully understand the benefits of certain treatments and health care or those who think it’s a waste of money. Education Neglect: involves the parent or carer failing to provide and encourage education for the child. It occurs when a child is not enrolled in school, or if they are miss numerous amounts of class