RELEVANCE OF CHILD PROTECTION ACROSS ALL

HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES CONTEXTS,

INCLUDING DUTY OF CARE WHEN CHILD IS NOT
THE CLIENT, INDICATORS OF RISK AND ADULT
DISCLOSURE
Child protection protects children and young people from harm caused by
abuse or neglect within the family. Anyone can make a report to Victorian
Child Protection if they believe a child is in need of protection. Suspected
abuse may be physical, emotional or sexual, or may involve neglect.

The responsibility for making sure that children are safe is shared by the
family, the general community, community agencies, and professionals
working with children, police and government. Early identification and
effective intervention can reduce the initial and long-term effects of child
abuse, and promote recovery of the children and families involved.

For immediate assistance call 13 12 78.

The Child Protection System

There are a range of services in our community that aim to support families
and protect children. These can be categorised into three levels, which are:

Universal (primary) services – are offered to everyone in the

community. They include antenatal services (pregnancy counselling and
advice), maternal and child health services, and preschool education.
These services aim to provide support and help to prevent abuse and
neglect.

Secondary services – identify and reduce the personal and social

stresses on parents that may lead to family breakdown or child abuse.
Services include in-home family help, financial or family counselling,
respite care, and various parenting and self-help groups.

Tertiary (statutory) services – are for children who are or may be at

risk of significant harm, and for whom intervention is needed for their
ongoing safety. These services include statutory Child Protection and Out-
of-Home-Care for children who are unable to live at home. Generally,
where families are experiencing difficulties, it is more appropriate that less
intrusive community-based professionals and agencies attempt to help. A
report to Child Protection occurs when children and young people are
considered to be at risk of significant harm.
THE ROLE OF CHILD PROTECTION
Child Protection is part of the Victorian Department of Human Services.
Child Protection provides child-centred, family-focused services to protect
children and young people from significant harm resulting from abuse or
neglect within the family.

It also aims to make sure that children and young people receive services to
deal with the impact of abuse and neglect on their well-being and development.

Child Protection:
 receives reports from people who believe on reasonable grounds that a
child is in need of protection
 provides advice to people who report such concerns
 investigates matters where it is believed that a child has been abused
or is at risk of significant harm
 refers children and families to services, which help to provide for the
ongoing safety and well-being of the children
 takes matters before the children’s court if the child’s safety cannot be
assured within the family
 supervises children on legal orders granted by the children’s court.

At the point of disclosure

When a child discloses that he or she has been abused, it is an opportunity
for an adult to provide immediate support and comfort and to assist in
protecting the child from the abuse. It is also a chance to help the child connect
to professional services that can keep them safe, provide support and facilitate
their recovery from trauma. Disclosure is about seeking support and your
response can have a great impact on the child or young person's ability to seek
further help and recover from the trauma.

When might a child or young person disclose?

Children and young people can disclose abuse at any time. If the abuse is
ongoing over a period of weeks, months or years, they may disclose while the
abuse is happening. Others might disclose either immediately after the abuse
has ended or years later. Many children do not disclose abuse at all during
childhood (London, Bruck, Ceci, & Shuman, 2005; Ullman, 2003). Delays in
disclosure may be linked to a range of factors including concerns regarding the
consequences of disclosing. For example, one study found that many children
expected negative consequences for themselves and/or another person (usually
their mother or sibling) if they disclosed (Malloy, Brubacher, & Lamb, 2011).
These expected consequences included physical harm and/or death.

It is important to remember that an initial, informal disclosure is important

and may help with trust and any future investigation. Keary and Fitzpatrick
(1994) found that once a child had disclosed abuse to a family member or
another adult they were more likely to disclose again during formal
investigations by child welfare workers.

The timing of the child or young person's disclosure will influence his or
her immediate needs and this, in turn, will determine the most appropriate
response. For a child or young person who discloses that he or she is currently
being abused, the immediate priority is safety and protection from further
abuse. In this situation some adults have a legal obligation to notify the
appropriate authorities, although these obligations differ between states and
territories. For example, in the Northern Territory all adults are required to
report their concerns when they have reasonable grounds to believe that a child
has suffered or is suffering maltreatment.1

Sometimes, authorities will already be aware of allegations made against a

perpetrator and, as a result, the child or young person may be approached as
part of a police investigation. If you believe an investigation is already taking
place, any disclosure of abuse should still be reported to the appropriate
authorities. After disclosure, a child or young person also needs support,
advocacy and assistance to recover from the trauma of being abused.2

How children and young people disclose abuse

A child or young person's disclosure is seldom straightforward and they
can disclose abuse in several ways. Many of the ways children and young
people disclose abuse are indirect or accidental. Children sometimes attempt to
alert adults they trust to the fact they are being, or have been abused, by
changing their behaviour or by making ambiguous verbal statements (Collings,
Griffiths, & Kumalo, 2005; Shackel, 2009; Ungar, Barter, McConnell, Tutty, &
Fairholm, 2009). For example, a child or young person might suddenly refuse
to attend the house of a previously loved relative, or could begin saying and
doing sexual things that are inappropriate for their age. Older children may
indirectly attempt to disclose or cope with their abuse through risk-taking
behaviours such as self-harming, suicidal behaviour and disordered eating
(Ungar et al., 2009).

Some children and young people may disclose when asked or after
participating in an intervention or education program (Shackel, 2009). Others
may initially deny that they have been abused if asked directly, or say that they
forget, only to disclose later. Children and young people may disclose, only to
retract what they have said later; however, this is relatively uncommon. The
child or young person might say he or she made a mistake, lied, or that the
abuse actually happened to another child. In cases with a higher likelihood of
actual abuse, recantations are low (4-9%; London et al., 2005). However, the
stress of disclosing and receiving potentially negative responses from
caregivers may lead some children to recant in an attempt to alleviate the stress
(Hershkowitz, Lanes, & Lamb, 2007).
There are a number of reasons for children and young people to retract or delay
their disclosure, including:

 pressure or threats from the perpetrator;

 relationship to the perpetrator;
 expected consequences of telling (e.g., physical injury/death, family
separation, parental distress);
 pressure from the child's family;
 fear of negative reactions from parents or family;
 fear of not being believed;
 feelings of embarrassment, shame and self-blame; and/or
 for males specifically: fears of stigmatisation, being labelled a victim
or being labelled homosexual

Children may disclose spontaneously (disclosure as an event) or indirectly and

slowly (disclosure as a process). The child's type of disclosure may be
influenced by their developmental features, such as their age at the onset of
abuse and/or their age at time of disclosure. For instance, younger children are
more likely to spontaneously disclose than older children (Lippert, Cross, &
Jones, 2009; London et al., 2005; Shackel, 2009). Understanding disclosure of
abuse as a process may help adults to be patient and allow the child or young
person to speak in their own way and their own time (Sorensen & Snow, 1991).
It also helps adults maintain an awareness of any changes in behaviour or
emotions that may indicate abuse is occurring or increasing. If you have
suspicions that abuse is occurring, even if you are unsure, it is better to report
your suspicions than to do nothing.

What to do during the disclosure

In this section we discuss in more detail things you can do to be supportive
while a child is disclosing. It is important to remember, however, that if a child
has decided to speak to you, then there is a good chance they trust you. Simply
by calmly and emphatically listening and offering support, you are helping the
child or young person.

There are some general tips for responding to disclosure (Bussey, 1996;
Office for Children Youth and Family Support, 2006; Department of Child
Safety, n.d.; Department of Human Services, 2013):

 Give the child or young person your full attention.

 Maintain a calm appearance.
 Don't be afraid of saying the "wrong" thing.
 Reassure the child or young person it is right to tell.
 Accept the child or young person will disclose only what is
comfortable and recognize the bravery/strength of the child for
talking about something that is difficult.
  Let the child or young person take his or her time.
 Let the child or young person use his or her own words.
 Don't make promises you can't keep.
 Tell the child or young person what you plan to do next.
 Do not confront the perpetrator.
 These points are discussed in further detail below.

REPORT SUMMARY

An adult's response to a child or young person's disclosure of abuse can be

central to a child or young person's ongoing safety and their recovery from the
trauma of abuse. If an adult does not take action when there are suspicions that
a child is being abused, it may place the child at serious risk of ongoing abuse
and prevent the child's family from receiving the help they need. In summary, it
is important to:

 listen to and support the child or young person;

 reassure the child or young person he or she did the right thing;
 not make promises you can't keep; and
 contact the appropriate authorities.

Having accurate information about child abuse can help adults to support a
child or young person who has disclosed and to feel less overwhelmed.
 REFERENCES:

 Alaggia, R. (2004). Many ways of telling: expanding conceptualizations

of child sexual abuse disclosure. Child Abuse & Neglect, 28, 1213-1227.
 Alaggia, R. (2005). Disclosing the trauma of child sexual abuse: A
gender analysis. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 10, 453-470.
 Bussey, K. (1996). Allegations of child sexual abuse: Accurate and
truthful disclosures, false allegations, and false denials. Incest Survivors
Association, Autumn, 39-61.
 Collings, S. J., Griffiths, S., & Kumalo, M. (2005). Patterns of
disclosure in child sexual abuse. South African Journal of
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 Department of Child Safety. (no date). Child sexual abuse: Things you
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<www.communities.qld.gov.au/childsafety/protecting-children/what-is-
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 Department of Human Services. (2013). You and your child. For parents
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 https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/HealthyLiving/child-
protection-service
 https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/responding-children-and-young-
people-s-disclosures-abu