What are the four categories of abuse?

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There are 4 types of child abuse:

• physical
• sexual
• emotional
• neglect.

Child abuse can be a single incident or several incidents that take place over time.

The Child Protection Act 1999 focuses on the impact of the abuse on the child, rather than how often the abuse has occurred. In particular, whether the child has suffered significant harm, is suffering significant harm, or is at risk of suffering significant harm.* The Act also looks at whether a child who has been harmed has a parent who is able and willing to protect them.

*Harm is any detrimental effect of a significant nature on the child’s physical, psychological or emotional wellbeing. You can read more about the definition of harm in the Act.

Physical abuse

Physical abuse happens when a child has been hurt or injured, and it is not an accident. Physical abuse does not always leave visible marks or injuries.

Physical abuse can include:

• hitting
• shaking
• choking
• smothering
• throwing
• burning
• biting
• poisoning
• using physical restraints.

Sexual abuse

Child sexual abuse happens when an adult, teenager or child uses their power or authority to involve another child in sexual activity.

Find out more about child sexual abuse, including how to notice the signs, what is normal sexual behaviour in children, myths and facts about child sexual abuse, how to protect a child from sexual abuse, and where to get help and advice.

Emotional abuse

Emotional abuse happens when a child is treated in a way that negatively impacts their social, emotional or intellectual development.

Emotional abuse can be caused by:

• rejection
• name calling, teasing or bullying
• yelling
• criticism
• isolation or locking a child up for extended periods
• exposure to domestic and family violence.

Experiencing domestic and family violence can also lead to emotional harm. A child who experiences violence at home is at greater risk of not having their basic needs met, including their protection and care needs. Domestic and family violence can:

• affect a child’s emotional wellbeing and development
• teach them that violence is a solution to problems
• cause post-traumatic stress disorder.

Neglect

Neglect happens when a child's basic needs are not met, affecting their health and development. Basic needs include:

• food
• housing and clean living conditions
• health care
• adequate clothing
• personal hygiene
• adequate supervision.

Last updated: 20 March 2018

Recognising abuse

To ensure that our pupils are protected from harm, we need to understand what types of behaviour constitute abuse and neglect.

Abuse is a form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Harm can include ill treatment that is not physical as well as the impact of witnessing ill treatment of others. This can be particularly relevant, for example, in relation to the impact on children of all forms of domestic abuse. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or, more rarely, by others. Abuse can take place wholly online, or technology may be used to facilitate offline abuse. Children may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.

There are four categories of abuse: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect

Physical abuse
Physical abuse is a form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child.  Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child (this used to be called Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy but is now more usually referred to as fabricated or induced illness).

Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development.  It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person.  It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate.  It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children.  These may include interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction.  It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another.  It may involve serious bullying (including cyber bullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, although it may occur alone.

Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing.  They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet). Sexual abuse can take place online, and technology can be used to facilitate offline abuse. Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males.  Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

Child sexual exploitation

Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology

Domestic abuse

Domestic abuse can encompass a wide range of behaviours and may be a single incident or a pattern of incidents. Domestic abuse is not limited to physical acts of violence or threatening behaviour, and can include emotional, psychological, controlling or coercive behaviour, sexual and/or economic abuse.

Types of domestic abuse include:

• intimate partner violence;
• abuse by family members;
• teenage relationship abuse; and
• adolescent to parent violence.

Anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality or background and domestic abuse can take place inside or outside of the home.

Domestic abuse continues to be a prevalent risk factor identified through children social care assessments for children in need.

Domestic abuse has a significant impact on children and young people.

Children may experience domestic abuse directly, as victims in their own right, or indirectly due to the impact the abuse has on others such as the non-abusive parent.

More information can be found in the Draft Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance Framework, including the new statutory definition of domestic abuse that will be introduced when the Domestic Abuse Bill is enacted.

Controlling or coercive behaviour

Also known as coercive control, the use of control and coercion in relationships is a form of domestic abuse and, since December 2015, a criminal offence.

Controlling and coercive behaviour is outlined in Government guidance issued under section 77 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 as part of the Government’s non-statutory definition of domestic violence and abuse.

It is described as:

• Controlling behaviour is: a range of acts designed to make a person subordinate and/or dependent by isolating them from sources of support, exploiting their resources and capacities for personal gain, depriving them of the means needed for independence, resistance and escape and regulating their everyday behaviour; and
• Coercive behaviour is: an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim

Coercive control is a form of abuse that involves multiple behaviours and tactics which reinforce each other and are used to isolate, manipulate and regulate the victim. This pattern of abuse creates high levels of anxiety and fear.

This has a significant impact on children and young people, both directly, as victims in their own right, and indirectly due to the impact the abuse has on the non-abusive parent.

Children may also be forced to participate in controlling or coercive behaviour towards the parent who is being abused.

Controlling or coercive behaviour also form part of the definition of domestic abuse in section 1(3)(c) of the Domestic Abuse Bill. More information can be found in the Draft Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance Framework.

Neglect
Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development.  Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse.  Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to:

• provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment);
• protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger;
• ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or
• ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

Definitions taken from Working Together to Safeguard Children (HM Government, July 2018 updated December 2020).

Indicators of abuse

Physical signs define some types of abuse, for example bruising, bleeding or broken bones resulting from physical or sexual abuse, or injuries sustained while a child has been inadequately supervised. The identification of physical signs is complicated, as children may go to great lengths to hide injuries, often because they are ashamed or embarrassed, or their abuser has threatened further violence or trauma if they ‘tell’.  It is also quite difficult for anyone without medical training to categorise injuries into accidental or deliberate with any degree of certainty.  For those reasons it is vital that staff are also aware of the range of behavioural indicators of abuse and report any concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

If you have a query about safeguarding, please contact your school in the first instance or if this is not appropriate, please ring 0121 426 0403 or email: