RCGP Safeguarding toolkit

Part 2A: Identification of abuse and neglect

This section covers the identification of abuse and neglect in children and adults. The information contained within this section is taken from a very wide range of sources, with the aim to bring together the key information practitioners need in general practice to be able to identify abuse and neglect.

Identifying child abuse and neglect:

• The rights of children.
• Adverse childhood experiences.
• Safeguarding young people aged 16 and 17 years old.
• Age of consent, Fraser Guidelines and Gillick competence.
• How does child abuse/neglect present in general practice?
• Obstacles to recognising and responding to child abuse and neglect.
• Where do children experience abuse and neglect?
• Contextual safeguarding.
• Children at greater risk of abuse and neglect.
• Children who may be invisible to services.
• Looked after children.
• Caring for refugee and asylum seeking children.
• Perinatal safeguarding.
• Unseen men.
• Disguised compliance.
• Types of child abuse and neglect:
  • physical abuse
    • bruising in non-mobile infants
    • abusive head trauma and persistently crying babies
  • perplexing presentations and fabricated or induced illness (FII)
  • neglect
  • Was not brought
  • emotional abuse
  • sexual abuse
    • talking about child sexual abuse
    • working with families affected by child sexual abuse
  • online child sexual abuse and exploitation
  • child sexual exploitation
  • child criminal exploitation and gangs
  • harmful sexual behaviour
  • Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA)
  • child trafficking and modern slavery
  • female genital mutilation (FGM)
  • child abuse linked to faith or belief
  • bullying and cyberbullying.

Topics covering both child and adult issues:

• Radicalisation.
• Domestic abuse including ‘honour’ based abuse and forced marriage.
• Transitional safeguarding.

Identifying adult abuse and neglect:

• Types of adult abuse and neglect:
  • physical abuse
  • sexual abuse
  • psychological or emotional abuse
  • financial or material abuse
  • modern slavery
  • discriminatory abuse
  • neglect and acts of omission
  • self-neglect.
• Organisational abuse including safeguarding in care homes.
• Adults at greater risk of abuse and neglect.
• How adult abuse/neglect presents in general practice?
• Safeguarding those who are homeless.
• Was not brought.