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AFRUCA - Africans Unite Against Child Abuse Promoting the Rights and Welfare of African Children WHAT IS CHILD NEGLECT? Safeguarding African Children in the UK Series 9 - 1st Edition

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Page 1: WHAT IS CHILD NEGLECT? - AFRUCA · Child neglect is a type of maltreatment related to the failure to provide needed, age-appropriate care. Unlike physical and sexual abuse, neglect

AFRUCA - Africans Unite Against Child AbusePromoting the Rights and Welfare of African Children

WHAT IS CHILD NEGLECT? Safeguarding African Children in the UK Series 9

- 1st Edition

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1 AboutAFRUCA 3

2 AfricansintheUK 4

3 WhatisChildNeglect? 6

4 ChildNeglectandSignificantHarm 7

5 FormsofChildNeglectintheAfricanCommunity 8

6 WhatAretheSignsofChildNeglect? 9

7 WhatAretheCausesofChildNeglect? 10

8 WhatAretheEffectsofChildNeglect? 13

9 WorkingasaCommunitytoProtectChildrenfromNeglect 14

10ReportingChildAbuseandNeglect 16

11 AFRUCAResourcesonChildSafeguarding 17

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Contents

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AFRUCA – Africans Unite Against Child Abuse was established in May 2001 as a platform for promoting the rights and welfare of African Children in the UK. AFRUCA has developed a national profile as an organisation rooted in the African community bringing specialist knowledge and expertise to the work of practitioners and policy makers to safeguard African children.

AFRUCAworksinfivekeyareastohelppromotetherightsandwelfareofAfricanchildrenintheUK:

Awareness Raising and Sensitisation:withAfricancommunitiesandamongyoungAfricansaboutthechildren’srightsasenshrinedintheUnitedNationsConventionontheRightsoftheChildandotherinternationalconventionsandUKlegislationpromotingtherightsandwelfareofchildren.

Information, Education, and Advisory Services: to raise the profile of Africanchildren in the UK, increase awareness of their needs, improve policies andpractices, and develop the leadership potential of young Africans. Activitiesinclude research and publishing reports; media work; conferences, seminars,workshops and training programmes for parents, policy makers, serviceproviders, community leaders and young people; communitymeetings; adviceandconsultancyservices.

Advocacy and policy development:workingcloselywithpolicymakerstoshapethe development of policy and regulatory action to promote the welfare ofchildren.

Community and International Development:inpartnershipwithothers,puttingin placeprogrammes andprojects that help relieve someof the suffering andhardshipthatAfricanchildrenexperience.

Support for Children Young People and Families:workingtosupportchildren,youngpeopleandAfricanfamiliesincrisisoratthepointofbreakdownthrougheffectiveearlyinterventionservices.

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1 About AFRUCA

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2 Africans in the UK

The UK, through its historical links with a number of English speaking African countries, and also due to its reputation as the most multi-cultural country in Europe, has become home to many African people.

The2011UKcensus indicatedthatthereareover1.8millionAfricans intheUK,anincreaseof1.1millionfromthe2001censusmakingup3.3%oftheoverallUKpopulation.

AfricansaregenerallywellintegratedintotheBritishsocietyandareeconomicallyandacademicallydriven,makingvastcontributionswithinthehealthandsocialcare system and in business. Children fromAfrican backgrounds are achievingparticularly well above other groupswithin the British education system, andcontinuetostrive.

Social Issues affecting Africans in the UKAfricanslikemanyotherimmigrantgroupsintheUKtendtomigratewiththeirvalues,beliefsandworkethos.Whileweacknowledgesomeculturalpractices,beliefsandvaluesarebeneficial,othersareparticularlyharmfultocertainsectionsofthecommunitysuchastochildrenandwomen.Increasingly,LocalAuthoritiesacrossthecountryarereportingariseincasesofAfricanfamiliescomingtotheattentionofChildren’sServicesmainlyduetodifferencesinapproachestochildrearing, physical disciplining and religious or cultural practices such as femalegenitalmutilation(FGM)andwitchcraftbranding.

These arepractices seen asnormalbymanyAfricansbut couldbe consideredas posing significant harm according to UK laws. Moreover, many Africanparents, faith and community leaders themselves areunawareof theUK lawsandpracticesthatsafeguardchildren.Asaresult,manyAfricanchildrenarebeing

Ethnic Groups: London and Wales 2011

White

Mixed/MultipleEthnicGroups

Asian/AsianBritish

Black/African/Caribbean/BlackBritish

OtherEthnicGroup

86%

8%2%

1%

3%

Source: Office for National Statistics (2013)

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removed from their families andplaced into the care system, leading tomoreAfricanfamiliesbeingbrokenup,withsignificantpsychologicalimpact.

TherearehighlevelsofunemploymentamongstnewarrivalsintheUKwhofacedifficultiesinaccessingjobsthatmatchtheirqualificationsorexperience.Africancommunities,particularlynewimmigrants,alsofindthemselveswithoutdecenthousingandahighproportionofAfricansliveonthepoorestandmostneglectedestatesintheUK’slargestcities.Finally,manyAfricanshavedifficultyaccessingsocialandhealthcare,someduetotheirimmigrationstatus,butalso,sometimes,becausetheyareunawareofthelocalsupportservicesavailabletothem.Childrenareexposedtosomeformsofneglectbecauseofthelevelofstressandrealityoflifeexperiencedbytheirparentsorotherslookingafterthem.

ARUCAhasproducedthe“Safeguarding African Children in the UK” seriesofpublications to highlight different safeguarding issues and to assist membersof the African community in the UK to know more about different forms ofchildabuseandhowtoidentifythesignssochildrencanbesafeandbebetterprotected.The“What is Child Neglect?”bookletistheninthintheseries.

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3 What is Child Neglect?

Case Study Two

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The UK government has identified four main categories of child abuse. At AFRUCA we know from experience that these forms of abuse can occur in different ways – especially in places where people are not aware of child protection rules and regulations or do not understand how to ensure children are safeguarded.

The four categories of child abuse are:

• Physical Abuse • Neglect • Sexual Abuse • Emotional Abuse

Althoughthereareothercategories,mostformsofabusewillfallunderoneormoreofthese.YoucanreadmoreaboutChildAbuseandthedifferentcategoriesinourpublication:“What is Child Abuse?”

Childneglectisapersistentlackofpropercareofchildren,thefailuretoprovidethem with proper nourishment, warmth, medical care, education, a safeenvironmentandhousing.Itisthefailuretoacttoprotectachildfromdangerorriskofsignificantharmasdescribedbelow.Adultswhonoticethatchildrenarebeingabusedandneithersay,nordoanythingaboutit,areguiltyofneglect.Itisalsowhenchildrenareleftwithoutappropriatecareandsupervision.

Childneglectisthereforeaformofchildabuse.Childneglectinvolvesfailingtoacttoprovidetherightcareandattentiontomeetachild’sneeds.Italsoincludesfailuretomeetachild’semotionalneedsincludingwarmth,securityandlove.

Neglect often occurs over a prolonged period of time. A consistent failure toprovidechildrenwithallofthethingsmentionedabovewilllikelyresultinseriousdamagetothechild’shealth,developmentandwellbeing.

Childneglectisatypeofmaltreatmentrelatedtothefailuretoprovideneeded,age-appropriatecare.Unlikephysicalandsexualabuse,neglectisusuallytypifiedbyanongoingpatternofinadequatecareandisreadilyobservedbyindividualsinclosecontactwiththechild.Childneglectandemotionalabusearealsoverycloselylinked–mostchildrenwhoareemotionallyabusedarealsomostlikelytobeneglected.

Thefirstfewyearsofachild’slifearecrucialandsensitivetodevelopment.Childneglect isoneofthemostcommonformsofchildabuse intoddlersespeciallywithchildrenborntoyoungmothers-sincetheythemselvesarechildrenandmaynothavetherequisiteskillstoparentappropriately.

Oncechildrenareinschool,staffoftennoticeindicatorsofchildneglectwhetherphysical,emotional,educational,andmedicalneglectsuchaspoorhygiene,poorweightgain,inadequatemedicalcare,orfrequentabsencesfromschool.

LargenumbersofchildrenintheUKAfricancommunityarereferredintothechildprotectionsystemasaresultofphysicalabuseandneglect.ThisshowsthatchildneglectisanongoingproblemaffectingAfricanchildreninthecountry.

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4 Child Neglect and "Significant Harm"

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The government uses what it calls “significant harm” to decide at what point to intervene in a family to safeguard a child believed to be at risk of abuse or harm. In the UK, when a local authority has reasons to believe a child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm, it has a legal duty to make enquiries to assess what is happening to that child. Although this sort of activity can be regarded by parents or carers as interfering in their family, it is usually seen by the law to be done in “the best interests of the child”.

FormostAfricanpeople,child-raisinghasalwaysbeenacommunal,communityaffair - it takes a village to raise a child. However, in the UK, the state takesoverthatrole;itspositionlargelystrengthenedbyawidearrayoflawsthatarecomplex,difficulttounderstand,andnotwellpublicised.Manyofourparents,mainlyoutofignorance,theirbeliefsandculturalpracticesoralackofcommunalsupportinbringingupchildrenareguiltyofbreachingtheselaws,therebycausing“significantharm”.Theconsequencesofbreachingthese lawscanbedireandpermanentformanyparentssuchaslosingtheirchildbyhavingitremovedandplacedintothecareofthelocalauthority.

Withthisbooklet,wewanttohelpparentsandothersgainabetterknowledgeofwhatitmeansforchildreninourcommunitytosufferfrom“significantharm”causedbychildneglectandwhattheycandotohelpaddressit.

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5 Forms of Child Neglect in the African Community

Case Study Two

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Child neglect can be intentional or not. However the basic issue is the failure to provide or ensure provision of the child’s needs. Neglect can lead to some obvious physical symptoms in the short term. Prolonged child neglect can lead to serious emotional and psychological symptoms as well.

Forms of Neglect: • Physical neglect when children are not provided with basic care (frequently going hungry; dirty clothes; no bath; living in dangerous conditions;orincrowdedaccommodation).

• Medicalneglectwherethechild’sbasichealthneedsarenotmet.(Nottaken toGPorhospitalwhenill;notgivenmedication).

• Emotionalneglectwherethechildhasnoemotionalsupportorguidance(No warmth; no love). Child neglect is common with children who have been accused ofwitchcraft or of being possessed by evil spirits since this often leadstoostracisation,isolationandabandonment.Alsochildrenwhoareused asdomesticservantsorslavesareoftenneglectedandtheirneedsunmet.

• Educational/developmental neglect where the child has been denied an education (no school; lack of support for development; finding it hard to adapt).

• Leaving children home alone with no adult supervision and care is a big problemamongmanyAfricanfamilies.Thisisoneofthemainreasonschildren arereferredintothechildprotectionsystems.Childrenleftaloneareproneto riskofharmanddanger.

• Regularfastingorregularfailuretofeedthechildisaformofchildneglect. Childrendeniedfoodoveraperiodoftimewhoregularlygohungryasaresult arebeingneglected.“Dryfasting”inparticular,inwhichchildrenaremadeto gowithoutfoodandwaterfordaysisaformofchildneglect.

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6 What Are the Signs of Child Neglect?

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There are many signs to show that a child is being neglected:

1 frequentlygoinghungryandhavingnutritionaldeficiencies2 stealingfood3 frequentlygoingtoschoolindirtyclothes4 poorhygieneandpoordentalcare-uncombedandtangledhair,dirtynails, skinrashes,bodyodours5 notbeingtakentothedoctorwhenthey’reill-unattendedmedicalanddental needs6 beingisolated,ostracised,abandonedordeserted7 livingindangerousconditionsiearounddrugs,alcoholandviolence,finding it difficult to adapt to the school environment, not registeredat school, or notattendingschoolandnoevidenceofhomeschooling8 findingitdifficult9 lackofshelter10 consistentlackofsupervision-beingleftaloneregularlytolookafter themselves11 ingestionofcleaningfluids,drugs,alcohol,medicines,etc.12 inappropriateclothingandshoesforweatherconditions13 developmentaldelays(e.g.language,weight)14 lackofparentalparticipationandinterest-forexampleinchild’seducation15 misuseofalcohol/drugs16 regularlydisplaysfatigueorlethargy,fallsasleepinclass17 reportsthatnocaregiverisathome18 frequentlyabsentorlateforschool/nursery19 dropsoutofschool(adolescent)20 takesoveradultcaringrole

Thesesignsinisolationmaynotproveabuseorneglectbuttheydotellusweneedtoknowmoreaboutthechild’scircumstances.Theymaybetheresultoffamilyissuessuchasthedeathofasignificantpersonorthearrivalofanewsibling.Theimportant thing toknow iswhat thesignsare,andhowto report them ifyouthinkachildmayneedprotection.

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The issue of child neglect is very common within the African communities and families in the UK. Experience has shown us that there are some common issues among parents or adult carers that are associated with neglect of children. These include:

a Parental mental health Whenaparentespeciallythemotherormaincarerhasmentalhealthissues itisoftenreflectedinthetreatmentofthechildren.Mostobviousissueswill be around basic hygiene, feeding and clothing. Childrenwill show signs of notbeingproperlycaredforandareoftenlefttocareforthemselves.

b Poverty and Unemployment FormostAfricanparentsorcarersintheUKwithoutrecoursetopublicfunds, itisverydifficulttogetanincomethatenablesthemtolookafterthemselves andtheirchildren.Whentheyareabletosecureemployment,inmanycasesit involvesworking longandunsociablehourshence limiting their chancesof looking after their children properly. Many parents, especially if they live inareaswheretheyareisolatedfromfriendsandcommunitymembers,find themselvesinsituationswheretheyneedtoleavethechildrenontheirown whentheygoouttowork. Theresponsibilityfor lookingaftertheyounger children is usually left to the eldest child who is under no circumstances suitabletolookafterotherchildrenbeingachildhim/herself.

c Culture and tradition Culture and tradition also play their role in child neglect within African communitiesandfamilies.Manyparentsmayberepeatingapatternlearned fromtheirownupbringing.

InmostpartsofAfrica,childrenarepushedtodo‘adultjobs’fromayoung age and are given lots of praise for doing so. Often, maturity and good manners are judgedbasedon the ability toperformhousehold chores and lookafterthemselvesandtheirsiblings.ItiscommoninAfricaforchildrenas youngaseighttobeexpectedtocookandwashforthewholefamily,sweep thehouseandperformotherchoresbothbeforeandafteraschoolday. The role of the female child, in particular, is focussed on keeping a home ingoodorder.Girlsaresocialised fromaveryyoungage into“keeping the home”asitwillbeexpectedofthemtobeabletodosowhentheygetolder andgetmarried.Whenpeoplemigrate fromAfrica to theUK, they expect children to do what they were doing in Africa and are unaware of the accompanyingdangerandproblemsorthatitisagainstthelaw.

d Firstborn Syndrome BeingafirstbornchildinanAfricanfamilycanbebothaprivilegeandaburden. Thefirstchildisexpectedtobearolemodelfortherestofthesiblingsanda10

7 What Are The Causes of Child Neglect

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heavyburdenisplacedonthechildtobehavewellanddothingsinacertain way. Firstborn children are expected to look after their siblings. Parents sometimesdonotrecognisetherisksandchildprotectionissuessurrounding this.

e Child trafficking and exploitation Children who are trafficked into the African community suffer the most significantformofchildneglect.Thisisbecausemanyofthemlivebelowthe radarinthiscountryatthemercyoftheirtraffickersandwithoutcomingto theattentionoftheauthorities.Theyarehardlylookedafterandsometimes theydonotgotoschool.Manyoftheyoungvictimsoftraffickingwehave workedwithatAFRUCAarenotregisteredwithadoctororadentist.They can be isolated and so are prone to other forms of child abuse including physicalabuse,sexualabuseandemotionalabuse.Theyworklonghoursand areoftentheonestowakeupearlyandthelasttogotosleep.Theyaredenied food,clothing,educationandtheirhealthneedsarehardlymet.Youcanread moreaboutchildtraffickinginourbooklet:“What is Child Trafficking?”

f “African Time” “AfricanTime”isaeuphemismforthepracticeinwhichpeopleconsistently fail tomeettimecommitments. In relationtochildren, itcan involvefailing totakechildrentoschoolontimeorpickthemupontime,failingtodealwith health issues as soon as they occur and delaying action to meet a child’s needs. Itcanmeanbeing late for importanthospitalappointments thereby denyingthechildaccesstotimelyhealth-care.Ourviewisthat“AfricanTime” impacts negatively on children and in some instances put them at risk of significant harm. This is especially so in situations where action has been unnecessarilydelayedduetoalackofconsiderationfortheurgentnatureor thechild’sneeds.

g Religious beliefs • Forced Fasting Someparentsforcechildrentofastforreligiouspurposes,denyingthem foodandevenwater -sometimesfordays.This isanotherformofchild neglectbecausechildrendonot choose to fast.When theyexpress the wishtodoso,theymightnotunderstandthehealthimplicationsinvolved. • Witchcraft branding and exorcism Childrenwhoarebrandedaswitchesorasbeingpossessedbyevilspirits aresubjectedtomanyformsofabuseandharmtopunishthemfortheir perceivedevildeeds,butalsoineffortstoexorcisethemoftheevilspirits seen as possessing them. The very act of branding a child a witch is emotional abuse leading to ostracisation and isolation. Branding childrenaswitchescantherefore leadtoextremechildneglectbecause peoplemightbelieve theydeserve tobeharmedbecause they are evil.

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YoucanreadmoreaboutChildBrandingasWitchesinourBooklet:“What is Witchcraft Abuse?” • Night Vigil Children whose parents regularly attend Church or Mosque night vigils or prayer sessions may, in the absence of child-care, attend those same sessions which means they do not get a good night’ssleepbeforegoingtoschoolinthemorning.Thiscanleadtosleep deprivation impactingon thechild’shealthandability to concentrate in school.Deliberatesleepdeprivationisaformofchildneglect. • Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Forced Marriage Itischildneglecttoputchildrenatriskoffemalegenitalmutilation(FGM) and forced marriage. Both are illegal in the UK and it is also illegal to performFGMonaUKresidentwhetherintheUKorabroad.Therehave beenmanyinstanceswhereparentshavetakentheirchildrenonholiday totheircountriesoforigin-onlyfortheirextendedrelativestoforceFGM on the children or force them to getmarried to total strangers - at an earlyage.Puttingchildrenatsuchriskofharmisillegalaswellasfailingto acttopreventFGMbeingperformedonagirloragirlbeingforcedintoa marriageceremony.YoucanreadmoreaboutFGMinourBooklet:“What is FGM?”

h Domestic Violence Childrengrowingupinanenvironmentwherethereisdomesticviolencealso becomevictimisedinmanyways.Bothparents,caughtupintheirownissues, might notmake efforts to look after the children andmeet their ongoing needs.Witnessingbothparentsregularlyfightandbeateachotherisaform of child emotional abuse but can also lead to child neglect when the psychologicalimpactisnotaddressed.

i “I Don’t Care” Attitude Manyactsofabusegounnoticedandunreportedinourcommunitybecause thosewhoknowwhatisgoingon,whoarewitnessestotheabuse,arenot interestedindoinganythingaboutit.Failuretoacttoprotectchildrenbeing abused is a form of child neglect. This is what we call the “I don’t care” attitude.Eitherbecauseoftheirimmigrationstatusorduetootherpersonal circumstances,manypeopledonotwanttogetinvolvedwiththeauthorities. Whentheyseeabusegoingon,theyclosetheireyestoitandfailtoact.

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Child Neglect in its various forms can have a serious effect on a child’s long term physical, mental and emotional well-being and development. For babies and very young children, these effects can be life-threatening. Children deprived of access to medical care might end up with severe disability or physical impairment. Children provided with inappropriate nutrition can become obese as adults or end up with eating disorders. Children who are deprived of access to education might end up with poor outcomes and quality of life as adults.

Anadultwho fails toact toprotectachild fromharmfulpractices likeFemaleGenitalMutilationorForcedmarriagemayinvariablycontributetothechild’slongtermabuse–evendeath.Childrenlefthomealonewithoutsupervisionorincareofotherchildrenmayendupcausingharmtothemselvesandothersormayfindthemselvesinsituationswheretheyarenotabletoacttopreventharm.

Childrenwhoare traffickedorbrandedaswitches are especially vulnerable toextreme abuse and harm. These can have very devastating impact on theirshort and long termhealth andwellbeing.Many victims suffer into adulthoodtheterribleeffectsoftheirexperienceswhichcanleadtoseriousmentalhealthproblemsespeciallyposttraumaticstressdisorder.

8 What Are the Effects of Child Neglect?

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Across the country, African children are disproportionately over-represented in Local Authorities child protection figures under the categories of physical abuse and neglect. This can lead to children being temporarily removed from their families and taken into care to prevent them from further harm. In other cases, those children are permanently lost to their families as they are given up for adoption. Many children’s lives are ruined as a result of their experiences of different forms of abuse and child neglect.

Everyone in our communitymust be able to recognise the indicators of childneglect.Theymustbeawareofthedifferentwayschildrencanbeneglectedandtheimpact,whichisnotdifferentfromtheeffectsofchildabuse.Inaddition,theymustknowwhattodotoprotectchildrenfromneglectasfollows:

1. Childrenmustnotbelefthomealone.Whileitisnotillegaltoleavechildren aloneathome,doingsoisillegalifitleadstochildrenbeingputatriskofharm. Parents must explore different ways to provide appropriate child-care whichmight include setting up a local group child-care schemewith other parents,callingonreliableneighbourstohelpoutorseekingthesupportof friendsandfamilymembers.Thereisfurtherinformationinour“Manual on Child Protection for African Parents”abouthowtoensurechildrenarenot putatriskofharmbyleavingthemhomealone.Youcanorderacopyofthis publicationbycontactingouroffices.

2. Faithorganisationsmustensurethereareappropriatechildren’s facilities in placewhenconductingnight vigils andother activities. It is a safeguarding issue when children are not provided with adequate care and supervision when theyarewithina faithgroup’spremises - becausenotdoing soputs childrenatriskofharm.AFRUCAhasproducedamanualforfaithorganisations onsafeguarding.YoucandownloadandreadacopyofthisinFrench,English andArabiconourwebsiteatwww.afruca.org.

3. Many cultural practices like branding children as witches, female genital mutilation,forcedmarriages,usingchildrenasdomesticslavesaswellasthe harsh treatment of girls and firstborn children need to be revisited. At AFRUCA,weareactivelycampaigningagainstthesepractices.

We run very regular community education events and activities across the country. Inparticular,ourChildren’sChampion’sProjectacrossLondonand the South of England, and our Anti-FGM Youth Project across Greater Manchesterensureweareabletoregularlypassonthemessagethatchildren mustbeprotectedandsafeguardedfromabuseandharmatalltimes.

You can learnmore about how to protect children from child neglect and otherformsofabusebytakingpartinourrangeofcommunityactivitieswhich are oftenwell advertised on ourwebsite atwww.afruca.org and on social14

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9 Working as a Community to Protect Children From Neglect

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media.YoucanalsobecomeanAFRUCAChampionandhelp to spread the childprotectionmessage.Furtherinformationisavailableonourwebsite.

4. Itiswrongtoturnablindeyewhenyouseechildabuseandneglecthappening. People who do so are contributing to a child’s suffering. Failure to act to preventabusecanbeacontributoryfactor inachild’sdeathandlongterm harm.

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If you see a child being abused, harmed or neglected in any way, you must report this to the authorities as follows:

Step One Inthefirstinstance,contactyourlocalauthoritychildren’sservices department. You can reach them by calling the Local Authority switchboardnumberwhichisonyourCouncilTaxbillor inYellow Pages,oryoucanfindthisonline.

Step Two When you are put through to Children’s Services, state that you wanttomakeaChildAbuse“referral”.Thissimplymeansyouwant toreportacaseofchildabuse.

Step Three Youwillbeaskedtoprovidefurtherdetailsaboutthecaseyouare reporting.Pleasenotethatyoudonothavetoprovideyourpersonal detailsifyoudonotwishto.

Step Four Thelocalauthorityisobligedtomakeaninvestigation.Ifyoudonot seeany changes in the case youhave reported,please followup withanotherphonecall.

Step Five Youcanalsocallthepoliceon999toreportacaseofchildabuse.

Step Six Ifnothinghappens,youcancontactAFRUCAandwewillpursuethe caseuntilactionistaken.Ourcontactdetailsareatthebackofthis publication.

10 Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect

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We hope you found this booklet useful. There is a lot of information out there that can help you carry out the task of protecting and safeguarding children.

AtAFRUCAwehaveproducedarangeofmaterialstohelpparents,carers,faithandcommunityleadersandworkers.Hereisalistofpublicationswhereparentscangetadditionalinformation.

AFRUCA Manuals:•ManualonChildProtectionforAfricanParentsintheUK(inEnglishandFrench)

•ManualonSafeguardingChildrenforAfricanFaithOrganisationsintheUK(in Arabic,EnglishandFrench)

Safeguarding African Children in the UK Series:1WhatisChildAbuse?

2WhatisChildTrafficking?

3WhatisPrivateFostering?

4WhatisFemaleGenitalMutilation?

5WhatisWitchcraftAbuse?

6WhatisPhysicalAbuse?

7WhatisSexualAbuse?

8WhatisEmotionalAbuse?

9 WhatisChildNeglect?

Support our Work:Donate to AFRUCAYoursupportwillenableustomakeplansforlongtermworktoaddresstheabuseandexploitationofAfricanchildrenintheUKandinAfrica.

You can also donate by text:justtextourcodeAFRU01 +theamountyouwishtogiveto70070.ItisQuick,EasyandFreeonallnetworksintheUK!

AFRUCA Resources on Child Safeguarding

Donations are made securely online at www.justgiving.com/afruca

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AFRUCA - Africans Unite Against Child Abuse

AFRUCAisaUKregisteredcharity:No.1093027andacompanylimitedbyguarantee:No.4306536©AFRUCA–AfricansUniteAgainstChildAbuse.June2015.

1. What is Child Abuse?

2. What is Child Trafficking?

3. What is Private Fostering?

4. What is Female Genital Mutilation?

5. What is Witchcraft Abuse?

6. What is Physical Abuse?

7. What is Sexual Abuse?

8. What is Emotional Abuse?

9. What is Child Neglect?

Our Safeguarding African Children in the UK Series of publications include:

AFRUCA Head Office:Unit3D/FLeroyHouse436EssexRoadIslingtonLondonN13QP

Tel: 02077042261Fax:02077042266

AFRUCA Centre for African Children and Families:PhoenixMill20PiercyStreetAncoatsManchesterM47HY

Tel: 01612059274Fax:01612052156

Email:[email protected]:www.afruca.org