I get asked a lot, how can you deal with offenders who abuse children when you have two young girls? Well, it's probably the reason why I do it. Having the girls has massively changed the way I feel about what I do and makes me even more determined to protect other children out there.
It's about balance; whilst it can be hard not to take work home, it does make you realise how lucky your children are to have a loving parent who can keep them safe, clean and looked after. Sadly, not all children have that - there are children who are suffering in silence or living in an environment where emotional, physical or sexual abuse is normalised and they don't see anything wrong with it.
Child abuse is such a vast area and can be anything from neglect, emotional or physical abuse or sexual abuse. We have dealt with cases where children have suffocated because parents have put them in bed with them while under the influence of drink or drugs. We had a case of a man who would intentionally target single women, specifically with children, and start a relationship with them with the intention of sexually abusing their children. We even investigated a case where a mother who had concerns her partner was cheating on her so she checked his phone. She didn’t find any signs of an affair but instead found a self-filmed video of him physically assaulting her young baby.
Some investigations that come to us are historic and the victims have been suffering for years at the hands of their abusers. Quite often they are groomed from a young age by family members or close family friends, and it and it is not until they are older that they realise they are in fact victims of abuse.
Whilst these are all awful cases, thankfully people are becoming more aware of child abuse and are reporting concerns, which is absolutely the right thing to do. Many of the reports we receive are from concerned teachers, carers, social workers or even parents who notice signs in other children.
I can't stress enough the role you can play in helping protect vulnerable children. Many children don't realise that they are victims, and so we rely on the community to be our eyes and ears. We do a lot of work to educate people about spotting the signs of child abuse and actively encourage people to report it.
We aren’t here to judge any parent or parent-shame - we are here to help. In cases of neglect there could be an issue at home such as mental health problems, financial worries, being overwhelmed, or a parent may even be a victim of domestic abuse or violence themselves. They need help, and by working with our partners we are able to guide parents to the help they need.
Partnerships are crucial in what we do, and by working with social services, health, education, housing (amongst many others!) we can provide a wrap-around service to best protect children from further abuse.
It is a tough job but I couldn't be prouder to do it; we are looking out for those who can't look out for themselves.
If you have concerns for any child or young person - if something doesn't feel or look right - then please report it. Use your parental instincts - it could be nothing, but it could just save a life.
Spotting the signs
-Unexplained bruising or marks on a child in unusual places
-Being constantly tired and pale.
-Looking dirty or unkempt or having inadequate clothing
-Poor hygiene – bad teeth, unwashed, visibly dirty or smelly
-Often hungry or malnourished
-Displaying violent or sexualised behaviour that is inappropriate for their age
-Poor language and communication skills
-Withdrawn from other children or change in behaviour
-Signs of being left at home alone or looking after younger siblings on their own
For more information about child abuse search NSPCC or Northumbria Police online or follow @NorthumbriaPol #proudtoprotect
Please or to access all these features
Please
or
to access all these features
Guest posts
Guest post: “Many children don't realise that they are victims, and so we rely on the community to be our eyes and ears”
8 replies
MumsnetGuestPosts · 29/08/2019 14:05
OP posts:
Please create an account
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.