ABSTRACT
After reading and working through this chapter you should be able to:
give a legal definition of a child compared with an adult;
define child abuse and describe different types of child abuse;
describe how each type of child abuse may be manifested;
discuss nurses’ and other health and social care professionals’ responsibilities in protecting children from child abuse;
describe how the 1989 and 2004 Children Acts and special safeguards within the Mental Health Act (MHA) 1983 (as amended by the MHA 2007) protect children from abuse;
discuss how the NMC code and standards for pre-registration nursing education and practice relate to nurses’ role and responsibilities as advocates in safeguarding children and young people from abuse;
use your portfolio to critically reflect on your learning in this chapter;
identify common law cases to support discussion on child abuse;
identify agencies that the Children Act 1989 (as amended by the 2004 Children Act) charges with the responsibility to make provisions for the care and welfare of children, including protecting them from harm;
discuss legal, ethical and professional issues arising from the scenario in Box 14.10 below.
