Frequently asked questions
I have concerns about the safety of a child in Medway. What should I do?
Please contact Customer First using the following details:
Customer First
Medway Council
Civic Centre
Strood
Rochester
Kent. ME2 4AU.
Tel: 01634 334466
Fax: 01634 333188
Please do not contact MSCB directly.
What is child abuse?
Child abuse occurs in many forms, all of which can cause long-term damage to the victim. Child abuse falls into four categories: physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and sexual abuse. Any of the following harm children, and this list is not exhaustive:
· Hitting or hurting a child
· Not feeding a child
· Forcing a child to engage in sexual activity
· Leaving a child alone who is not old enough or able to care for themselves
· Continuously swearing at, insulting or humiliating a child
· Inadequately dressing, cleaning or caring for a child
Who abuses children?
Unfortunately there is no simple answer to this question. While many children (and adults) believe that strangers are the greatest risk to children, this just isn’t true. ‘Stranger danger’ is a risk, but it is almost unusual for a stranger to be involved with the abuse of a child. Most abused children are abused by people they already know, often their own family. Abusers can be a man or a woman, black or white, and could be a doctor, a teacher or a babysitter. Gender, race and job title are irrelevant. Abusers can even be other young people. Adults who abuse children often try to work in areas where they will have responsibility for children, or at least have access to them.
How can I tell if a child is being abused?
Again, there is no single tell-tale sign. Abuse can be shown through any number of symptoms. These could include a child being watchful, cautious or wary of adults, being aggressive or abusive, a sudden change in behaviour when the abuse starts, think badly of themselves, using sexual talk or ideas in their play that one would usually see only in someone much older, withdrawing into themselves or be secretive, being frightened of physical contact, becoming depressed, running away, find it hard to develop close relationships, or may be easily distracted and do badly at school.
Children will often be unwilling to talk about abuse, particularly if the abuser has threatened to hurt them if they tell anyone, if they believe the abuse is their own fault or if they don’t think they will be believed. The child may love the abusing adult and want the abuse to stop, but they don't want the adult to go to prison or for the family to break up, so will not talk about it.
I think a child is being abused, what should I do?
Please contact Customer First using the following details:
Customer First
Medway Council
Civic Centre
Strood
Rochester
Kent. ME2 4AU.
Tel: 01634 334466
Fax: 01634 333188
Please do not contact MSCB directly.
But what if I’m wrong, and the child isn’t being abused?
Social Care will make enquiries to other agencies before intervening, unless the child is in immediate danger. Schools, health services and the police will be consulted before a decision is carefully made about what action to take. Too many children have died because people have been unwilling to intervene, possibly through fear that they are wrong. It is better to have a situation checked and to be wrong that to allow child abuse to continue.
Can I remain anonymous?
Social Care will do what they can to preserve your anonymity, as they appreciate the difficult position you are in. Sometimes, however, it may be possible to identify you from the information you have given. Remember: you are helping the child by putting a stop to the abuse.