Abuse Can Cause Mental Problems Too
Abuse may come in many forms; it may be psychological, sexual or physical. Neglect occurs when the individual responsible for childcare fails to meet even the basic needs of a child. Children who have suffered from child abuse and neglect will generally have many problems, including sleep disorders, anxiety and other problems that are compounded by stress.
A neglected child may show signs of poor hygiene or nutrition and it is likely that their medical care needs, such as appointments and medicinal prescriptions are not being met. Some signs that may indicate a child is being neglected include inadequate or inappropriate clothing, malnutrition, unsafe, unsanitary or unclean living conditions, dehydration and untreated medical conditions. The children of abusive caregivers may also appear passive, overly compliant or withdrawn. School children may show up early, stay light and may, understandably, not want to go home.
Signs to look for if you think that a parent or care giver may be responsible for child abuse and neglect may include showing little concern for the child, blaming the child for all problems at school and at home and may even ask that teachers or other caregivers use harsh physical punishment if the child misbehaves. Discipline has positive effects on the future of a child, while abuse only has negative ones. Sometimes they will demand a very high level of performance that the child cannot achieve, either physically or academically. They will usually view the child, and usually voice those views, as burdensome or worthless.
There are also signs that you can look for when the child and parent, or child and child care provider are together. They will rarely look at or touch each other, will usually openly state that they do not like each other and both will likely consider their whole relationship as entirely negative.
There is a division within the local and state social services agencies known as Child Protection Services (CPS) that is generally at the center of every community’s efforts to prevent incidents of child abuse and neglect. This agency is mandated by law to conduct an assessment and the initial investigation of a child abuse report. However, this responsibility does not fall on the shoulders of CPS alone, as there are many other agencies involved as well, including law enforcement officers, educators and healthcare providers. It is a joint effort to identify, investigate, treat and eventually end child abuse.
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