Understanding Abuse

At our school, safeguarding every child is our highest priority. It’s important that all parents and carers understand what abuse is and how to recognise the signs. Abuse can take many forms — it is any action or behaviour that causes harm to a child or young person, whether physically, emotionally, or through neglect.

Recognising the different types of abuse helps us all to protect children effectively.

Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse happens when a child is regularly made to feel worthless, unloved, or rejected. This can include constant criticism, humiliation, shouting, ignoring, or manipulating a child’s emotions. Over time, emotional abuse can seriously harm a child’s self-esteem and emotional development.

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is when someone deliberately causes physical harm to a child. This can include hitting, shaking, burning, or any other action that results in injury. Children may sometimes be told the abuse is their fault or that it’s a form of punishment — it never is. No child should ever be physically harmed.

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse involves forcing, pressuring, or tricking a child into taking part in any kind of sexual activity. It can happen in person or online, and it may not always involve physical contact. Sexual abuse is always a serious crime and can have lasting effects on a child’s wellbeing.

Neglect

Neglect occurs when a child’s basic physical or emotional needs are not being met. This might include lack of food, clothing, shelter, supervision, medical care, or emotional support. Every child has the right to be properly cared for, kept safe, and supported to thrive.

Working Together to Keep Children Safe

If you ever have concerns about a child’s safety or wellbeing — whether your own or someone else’s — please speak to a member of our school’s Safeguarding Team immediately. Together, we can help ensure every child is protected and supported.

Words Can Hurt | Emotional Abuse | Childline

Adam's Story: It Follows Me Around | Childline

Wants and Needs | Childline

It’s important for parents and carers to understand how alcohol can affect young people. Drinking alcohol — especially to the point of getting drunk — can have a significant impact on the way a person thinks, feels, and behaves.

Sometimes, young people may turn to alcohol as a way of coping with stress, anxiety, or personal worries. However, drinking at a young age can be very risky. It can affect physical health, emotional wellbeing, decision-making, and personal safety.

By talking openly about the effects of alcohol and setting clear, supportive boundaries, parents and carers can play a key role in helping children and teenagers make safer, healthier choices.

Under Construction: Alcohol and the Teenage Brain

It’s completely normal for children and adults to feel anxious, stressed, or panicked in certain situations. These feelings are part of the body’s natural “fight or flight” response to situations that feel challenging, risky, or unsafe.

However, if feelings of anxiety become constant or overwhelming — and begin to affect daily life, school attendance, relationships, or wellbeing — it may be a sign that additional support is needed.

Some children may experience school avoidance as a result of anxiety. This can appear as frequent physical complaints (such as headaches or stomach aches) before school, difficulty separating from parents or carers, or distress when thinking about attending school. While this behaviour can be worrying, it’s important to remember that it is often a symptom of underlying anxiety rather than defiance.

If you notice persistent signs of anxiety in your child, or if they tell you they are struggling to cope, it’s important to talk to someone. Speaking with a teacher, the school’s pastoral or safeguarding team, a school counsellor, or your GP can help ensure they receive the right support and guidance. Working together, we can help children feel safe, confident, and ready to learn.

Find more information on our Mental Health & Wellbeing page

How to Cope with Anxiety | Childline

Bullying can take many different forms and can happen to anyone, in any setting — including at school, online, or within friendship groups. It may be verbal, physical, emotional, or take place through social media and messaging platforms.

While some types of bullying are more visible, others can be harder to spot but are equally harmful. Any form of bullying can have a lasting impact on a child’s confidence, wellbeing, and sense of safety.

At our school, we take all reports of bullying seriously. We encourage parents and carers to talk to their children about their experiences, and to contact the school if they have any concerns. Working together helps ensure every child feels respected, valued, and safe.

Parent Guide to supporting a child with bullying

Online Bullying: It Doesn't Have To Be Like This | Childline

The death of someone close can be one of the most difficult experiences for a child or young person to face. These feelings are often described as grief, and everyone experiences them differently.

It’s completely natural for a child to have strong emotional reactions when someone they care about dies. They might feel:

• Overwhelmed or unable to cope

• Confused, scared, or angry

• Numb or detached

• Worried that they will never feel okay again

Grief can also arise when a pet dies, or when someone important is no longer present in a child’s life — for example, after a family breakdown or moving away. These experiences can be just as painful and deserve understanding and support.

Children and young people need time and reassurance as they process loss. There’s no “right” way to grieve, and emotions can change over time. Encouraging open conversations, offering comfort, and seeking help from the school or specialist bereavement services can all make a positive difference.

How Childline can help you

Domestic abuse can take many forms and is not always easy to recognise. It occurs when one adult in a family or relationship uses bullying, control, coercion, or violence to gain power over another. This can include physical harm, emotional or verbal abuse, financial control, or isolating someone from friends and family.

Children and young people who witness or experience domestic abuse — even if they are not directly harmed — can be deeply affected. Living in an environment where there is fear, conflict, or intimidation can have a serious impact on their emotional wellbeing, sense of safety, and development.

If you are experiencing or suspect domestic abuse, support is available. Please speak confidentially with a member of the school’s Safeguarding Team, or contact local or national helplines for guidance and protection. No one should ever feel unsafe in their own home.

Adam's Story: It Follows Me Around | Childline

There are many reasons why young people might experiment with or be exposed to drugs. Some may try them because of curiosity, peer pressure, or a desire to fit in with friends. Others might believe that using drugs will help them cope with difficult emotions such as sadness, stress, or problems at home or school. For some, the attraction may come from the sense of risk or rebellion associated with doing something illegal.

In some cases, young people may be pressured, dared, or even forced to take drugs. This can make them feel frightened, trapped, or unsure how to say no.

It’s important for parents and carers to talk openly and calmly about the risks of drug use, helping children understand the potential effects on their health, safety, and future. Creating a trusting environment where a young person feels able to talk without fear of judgment is one of the most effective ways to protect them and offer support if they’re struggling.

How Marijuana Affects Your Developing Brain

What parents need to know about Drugs

Parents Guide to Energy Drinks

Eating problems can take many forms, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, or other unhealthy patterns of eating. These issues can affect a child’s physical health, emotional wellbeing, and daily life.

If you are concerned about your child’s relationship with food, it’s important to seek support early. Schools can offer guidance, pastoral support, and help connect families with specialist services, including healthcare professionals and eating disorder support organisations.

Remember, you are not alone — early intervention and understanding can make a significant difference to a child’s recovery and wellbeing.

Find more information on our Mental Health & Wellbeing page

Do I Have An Eating Problem? ft. Melanie Murphy | Voice Box | Childline

Exploitation occurs when children and young people are tricked, forced, or persuaded to leave their homes and are then exploited through work, sexual activity, or other forms of abuse. Both child trafficking and exploitation are serious forms of child abuse.

Children and young people can be trafficked into the UK from other countries, as well as within the UK. They may be moved across towns, cities, or even within the same community.

Sexual exploitation can be particularly difficult for a young person to recognise. They may feel trapped, coerced, or pressured into situations that make them uncomfortable or that they do not want to be part of.

If you suspect a child may be a victim of exploitation or trafficking, it is essential to contact the school’s Safeguarding Team immediately. Early intervention can protect them from serious harm and ensure they receive the support and safety they need.

Barnardo's | Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) | Greg's Story

Online Grooming - parent guide

Criminal exploitation is a form of child abuse in which children and young people are manipulated, coerced, or pressured into taking part in criminal activities. This can include theft, drug-related crimes, or other illegal actions.

Signs that a child may be experiencing criminal exploitation can include:

• Receiving threats, blackmail, or experiencing violence

• Being forced or pressured to commit crimes

• Feeling unable to leave or cut ties with a gang or group

• Having their own safety or the safety of friends and family threatened

• Being at risk of serious physical harm, sexual abuse, or even death

• Involvement with drugs, alcohol, or other substances

Children and young people who are exploited often feel trapped, isolated, and scared. If you suspect your child may be at risk, it is crucial to contact the school’s Safeguarding Team immediately. Early intervention can protect them from serious harm and provide the support they need to stay safe.

Running The Lines

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a serious form of child abuse that involves the removal or alteration of a girl’s external genitalia. FGM is illegal in the UK and can have long-lasting physical and emotional consequences.

FGM is extremely distressing, and it is important to know that no one should have to experience it alone. Children and young people at risk of FGM may need urgent support and protection.

If you are concerned that a child may be at risk, or if someone has experienced FGM, please contact the school’s Safeguarding Team immediately. Early intervention can protect children and ensure they receive the help and support they need.

The Horror of Female Genital Mutilation

Forced marriage is a serious form of abuse in which someone is made to marry against their will. It is illegal in the UK, but it can still occur in secret and may sometimes be planned or pressured by parents, family members, or community or religious leaders.

Forced marriage can involve physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, and it can have long-lasting effects on a child’s wellbeing, safety, and freedom.

If you suspect a child may be at risk of forced marriage, it is essential to contact the school’s Safeguarding Team immediately. Early intervention can protect the child and connect them with specialist support services.

Escaping teenage forced marriage - BBC London

Homelessness doesn’t always mean living on the streets. A child or young person can be considered homeless if they do not have a safe, stable, or permanent place to live. This can include situations such as:

• Sleeping rough on the streets

• Staying temporarily with friends or family (“sofa surfing”)

• Living in temporary accommodation with family

• Staying in a B&B or squatting in a property

A child may also be considered homeless if they are able to stay at home but it is unsafe due to abuse, neglect, or other risks.

If you are concerned that a child is homeless or at risk of homelessness, it is important to contact the school’s Safeguarding Team. Early support can help ensure their safety and connect them with housing and welfare services.

Safeguarding and Homelessness

Supporting Children’s Mental Health

Mental health is about a child’s overall emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. It affects how they:

• Feel about themselves

• Manage their emotions

• Believe in their ability to overcome challenges

• Interact and form relationships with others

It is normal for children to have ups and downs. Some days they may feel confident and positive, while at other times they might feel stressed, anxious, or low.

However, if a child’s thoughts and feelings remain negative over time, or begin to significantly affect their daily life, relationships, or school attendance, it could be a sign of a mental health condition.

Parents and carers are encouraged to talk openly with their child and seek support from the school’s pastoral or safeguarding team, a counsellor, or a GP. Early intervention and understanding can make a significant difference in a child’s wellbeing and development.

Find more information on our Mental Health & Wellbeing page