3. Legislation, Definitions and Indicators

Unborn children

Unborn children may also be abused or neglected or be in need. Concerns about the welfare of an unborn child should be dealt with as for any other child, including child protection procedures. Circumstances that may render unborn babies more at risk of significant harm include:

• History of harm, or assessed risk, to previous children
• Parents or carers with convictions for offences against a child
• Inability of a parent to protect
• Poor parenting capacity
• Severe mental health problems or learning disability
• Alcohol or substance abuse
• Domestic abuse

Maternal drug or alcohol abuse carries significant risk that can affect foetal development and thus have long term implications for the health and development of a child.

Drugs and alcohol

Drug and alcohol use by a parent will often have significant short and long term implications for the safety, health and wellbeing of their children. Drug and alcohol use is often linked to social and domestic problems. Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership (NSCP) has agreed procedures and guidance for assessing.

Where a parent or carer has substance misuse issues which may impact on a child/children and/or young person/people, by promoting partnership working, inter-agency collaboration and providing a framework for identification, Assessment and Care Planning.

Vulnerable babies

Babies may be particularly vulnerable to abuse in much the same circumstances as listed previously re unborn children. Injuries suffered by babies who are not mobile should always be expertly evaluated with concern about possible abuse or neglect in mind.

Domestic abuse

Domestic abuse includes any form of physical or sexual assault or emotional abuse between people in a close relationship. It includes intimidation, entrapment, humiliation, deprivation and exerting control. Domestic abuse has a profoundly damaging effect on children who are involved, who experience it whether directly or indirectly, or who live with the effects it has on an abused parent or carer.

Seeing, hearing or being aware of the ill-treatment of a parent or carer (or of a sibling) by someone in the family is likely to cause emotional harm to a child and should be regarded as emotional abuse. Domestic abuse often directly involves children in physically dangerous and emotionally distressing situation, especially as it is often linked to drug and alcohol misuse.

Disabled children

There is evidence from experience and research that indicates that disabled children are especially vulnerable in terms of abuse and neglect, and that multiple disability is associated with increased risk (risk is often enhanced because disabled children may be less able to communicate concerns, have fewer extra-familial contacts, and are more dependent on and demanding of attention from their carers).

Practitioners should be made aware that there are a number of factors that may result in a reluctance to act on concerns in relation to disabled children which could include:

• Over identifying with the child's parents/ carers and being reluctant to accept abuse or neglect is taking place
• A lack of knowledge about the child e.g. not knowing the child's usual behaviour
• Any reason to suspect neglect or abuse outside the setting, for example in the child's home
• The mental health of a parent or carer does not necessarily have an adverse impact on a child but it is essential to assess the implications for the child. If practitioners have concerns that a child is at risk of harm because of the impact of the parent/carer's mental health they should report their concerns in the normal way.

Children are at greatest risk when:

• The child features within parental delusions
• The child becomes the focus of the parent's aggression

In these circumstances the child should be considered at immediate risk of harm and a referral made to Children's Services in accordance with the referrals procedure.

Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership (NSCP) has agreed procedure and guidance for assessing and responding to risks from adult mental health.