By phone or email
To speak to an adviser, please call our free and confidential advice line 0808 801 0366 (Monday to Friday 9.30am to 3pm, excluding Bank Holidays). Or you can ask us a question via email using our advice enquiry form.
Physical abuse
Physical abuse is when someone deliberately hurts a child.
Understanding physical abuse
What exactly is physical abuse?
Government statutory guidance called Working Together 2018 (see page 106, Appendix A) says physical abuse may involve:
- Hitting
- Shaking
- Throwing
- Poisoning
- Burning or scalding
- Drowning
- Suffocating or
- Otherwise causing physical harm to a child.
Is anything else classed as physical abuse?
Yes. There are two other forms of physical abuse:
- Doing something on purpose to cause a child to become ill is a form of physical abuse. This is called induced illness
- An adult fabricating the symptoms of an illness is a form of physical abuse. This is where an adult pretends a child is having symptoms of illness when they are not. This is called fabricated illness.
What is a non-accidental injury?
If medical staff think a child may have been physically harmed and on purpose, they may describe this as a possible non-accidental injury. Families might hear this described as NAI for short. Where this type of injury is suspected, children’s services will be informed.
The police will also be informed. This is because if the injury is not accidental, a crime may have been committed. A full investigation into how injury was caused will take place.
Where there is concern child has suffered a NAI, it is highly likely care proceedings will be begin.
The FAQs below explain more about children’s services involvement where there are concerns about physical abuse
What may happen if children’s services are concerned a child may be suffering physical abuse?
If children’s services suspect a child is suffering significant harm or is likely to suffer significant harm, they must investigate. This is called making child protection enquiries. A strategy discussion will be held. And this will decide whether children’ services undertake the child protection enquiries, or whether they will do so jointly with the police.
See our Child protection page for important information for families about the child protection process.
Our funding means we can currently only help 4 in 10 people
Your donation will help more families access expert legal advice and support from Family Rights Group.
Donate Now