CHCPRT001 - Summative Assessment 2: Child Abuse Project Analysis

This project analyzes child abuse, addressing its various forms, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and their respective symptoms. It explores the different ways children disclose abuse and provides guidance on responding to these disclosures effectively. The project outlines recording and reporting procedures, emphasizing mandatory reporting legislation and the duty of care required by professionals. It delves into child-focused work practices, information-gathering techniques, and the importance of maintaining confidentiality while collaborating with relevant agencies. Furthermore, the project discusses protecting children's rights, ethical guidelines, and responding to unethical behaviors within the context of child abuse cases. The project also touches on the importance of awareness programs for parents. The project makes use of Australian legislation and guidelines to support the arguments.

Running Head: Summative Assessment 2- Project 1
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT 2- PROJECT 1

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Responding to the quotes
Any intentional harm to a child under 18 years is called child abuse. There are
different symptoms of physical, sexual and emotional child abuse. Physical abuse
symptoms are unexplained injuries or bruises. Sexual abuse symptoms include statements
about sexual abuse or sexual infection. Besides, symptoms of emotional child abuse include
depression, refusal to go to school or low self-esteem (Collin-Vézina, De La Sablonnière-
Griffin, Palmer & Milne, 2015). There are different forms of disclosure that children and
young people adopt to disclose abuse. As stated by Cukovic-Bagic, Welbury, Flander,
Hatibovic-Kofman & Nuzzolese (2013), children who are exposed to abuse generally make
ambiguous statements or change their behavior. Older children disclose by harming
themselves like suicidal attempts. Responding to the disclosure can be done by giving the
affected child full attention and maintaining a cool and calm appearance. The child must be
motivated to say his or her own words and enough time should be given (Aifs.gov.au, 2019).
Adults must avoid making fake promises at this point in time.
Recording procedures in case of child abuse include making notes about
observation; recording can be done by talking more with the child by respecting
confidentiality. Moreover, reporting can be done to registered medical practitioners, youth
and child justice workers and psychologists (Betterhealth.vic.gov.au, 2020). Reporting can be
done by providing details like a child's name and age, indicators of abuse, description of
injuries and recorded information. Under mandatory reporting legislation in Australia,
generally, a medical practitioner enrolled nurse or any authorized officer of care service can
report regarding the abuse (Aifs.gov.au, 2017). Different laws like Child and Young Person
Act 1998 (NSW), Protection of Child Act (2007) (NT), Child Protection Act 1999 (Qld) have
provisions regarding this matter. Duty of care must be exercised by all adults and different
professionals regarding reporting cases of child abuse or any neglect. This includes

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healthcare workers, registered psychologists, and justice workers. Moreover, it is essential for
school and other authorities, who take care of a child, to exercise their duty of care to protect
a child from all sorts of abuse (Collin-Vézina et al. 2015). Child-focused work practices
must be nurtured by providing adequate funds and recruiting more early childhood
professionals. They can work on behalf of children and their families. This can help to reduce
the issue of child abuse and better protection and be given.
It is important to select an appropriate process of data collection regarding child
abuse. According to Saltiel (2016), the survey is an effective process of data collection and it
can be used to understand the intensity of abuse on children. A questionnaire needs to be set
for gathering data and children can be selected through a random sampling method. As this
process may affect the reputation of families in which selected children belong,
confidentiality needs to be maintained. According to the Data Protection Act 1988 of
Australia, people are bound to respect the privacy of others. Based on this fact, the
confidentiality of collected data regarding child abuse needs to be maintained.
It is a wise decision to contact and work collaboratively with authorities that are
concerned on child abuse. For example, in Australia, there are several organizations including
the Department of Family and Community Services, Child and Youth Protection Services,
Department of Child Protection, Territory Families and others (Aifs.gov.au, 2019). These
organizations may help to take immediate action after getting the report of child abuse. It is
possible to protect the basic rights of children with the help of these authorities. On the
other hand, Singh, Parsekar & Nair (2014) have mentioned that increasing awareness in
parents regarding the harmful effects of child abuse can help to protect children's rights as
well.
Ethical guidelines and codes of the country must be reviewed while working on
child abuse. Appropriate information regarding the purpose of investigation must be shared

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with parents and their children. After getting consent from children and their parents,
information regarding child abuse can be collected. On the other hand, Palmer & Feldman
(2017) have mentioned that it is important to respond to the unethical behavior of others.
For example, in Australia, the Human Research Ethics Committee has been developed to
review the proposals of investigations which are concerned with collecting data from human
participants. Communicating with children is the most effective process to understand their
pain due to abuse and neglect. They may feel shy to share their bitter experience. However,
effective communication skills of interrogators can influence them to speak out loud about
the incidents of abuse. According to the legal system, it is important to get permission from
the parents before asking anything to a child.

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Reference list
Aifs.gov.au. (2015). Responding to children and young people’s disclosures of abuse.
Retrieved on 23rd January 2020, from:https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/responding-
children-and-young-people-s-disclosures-abu
Aifs.gov.au. (2017). Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect. Retrieved on 23rd
January 2020, from:https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/mandatory-reporting-child-
abuse-and-neglect
Aifs.gov.au. (2019). Reporting child abuse and neglect. Retrieved on 23rd January 2020,
from:https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/cfca-resource-sheet/reporting-child-abuse-
and-neglect
Betterhealth.vic.gov.au. (2020). Child abuse - reporting procedures. Retrieved on 23rd
January 2020, from:https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/child-
abuse-reporting-procedures
Collin-Vézina, D., De La Sablonnière-Griffin, M., Palmer, A. M., & Milne, L. (2015). A
preliminary mapping of individual, relational, and social factors that impede
disclosure of childhood sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 43, 123-134. Retrieved
from:https://www.nationalcac.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/A-preliminary-
mapping-of-individual-relational-and-social-factors-that-impeded-disclosure-of-
childhood-sexual-abuse.pdf
Cukovic-Bagic, I., Welbury, R. R., Flander, G. B., Hatibovic-Kofman, S., & Nuzzolese, E.
(2013). Child protection: legal and ethical obligation regarding the report of child

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abuse in four different countries. The Journal of forensic odonto-stomatology, 31(1),
15. Retrieved from:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5734835/
Palmer, D., & Feldman, V. (2017). Toward a more comprehensive analysis of the role of
organizational culture in child sexual abuse in institutional contexts. Child abuse &
neglect, 74, 23-34. Retrieved
from:https://www.academia.edu/download/55065279/The_Role_of_Culture_PalmerF
eldman.pdf
Saltiel, D. (2016). Observing front line decision making in child protection. British Journal of
Social Work, 46(7), 2104-2119. Retrieved
from:https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David_Saltiel/publication/
287506781_Observing_Front_Line_Decision_Making_in_Child_Protection/links/
5693ba2a08aeab58a9a2a5bf.pdf
Singh, M. M., Parsekar, S. S., & Nair, S. N. (2014). An epidemiological overview of child
sexual abuse. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 3(4), 430. Retrieved
from:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4311357/

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