Showcase Magazine Autumn 2026 - Flipbook - Page 8
SAFEGUARDING
Designated Safeguarding Officer:
Ellen Roberts
07715 658036
RECOGNISING HIDDEN
RECOGNISING
HIDDEN
FORMS
FORMS OF
OF ABUSE
ABUSE AND
AND
NEGLECT
NEGLECT
Discriminatory Abuse occurs when
someone is treated unfairly,
harassed, or harmed because of a
protected characteristic such as
their race, disability, religion, sex,
sexual orientation, age, or gender
reassignment. It can include bullying,
exclusion, hate crime, derogatory
language, or unequal access to
opportunities and services. Everyone
has the right to be treated with
dignity and respect.
Institutional (or Organisational)
abuse happens when poor practices,
policies, or cultures within an
organisation result in people
receiving unsafe, neglectful, or
undignified care. It may involve rigid
routines, lack of choice, poor staffing,
inadequate safeguarding
procedures, or treating people as
though they are less important than
the systems around them. This can
occur in care homes, hospitals,
schools, nurseries, or other
organisations.
Neglect is often associated with
poverty, but children from financially
secure families can experience
significant neglect too. Affluent
neglect may involve emotional
unavailability, lack of supervision,
unmet emotional needs, unrealistic
expectations, or parents prioritising
careers, social lives, or status over
consistent care and nurturing.
Material wealth does not protect a
child from harm.
Abuse linked to faith or belief occurs
when a child or adult is harmed
because of beliefs about witchcraft,
spirit possession, exorcism, honour,
or other cultural or religious
practices. While faith itself is never a
safeguarding concern, using beliefs
to justify abuse, neglect, isolation, or
physical harm is. Practitioners should
approach these concerns with
cultural sensitivity while always
prioritising the individual's safety.
Childhood verbal abuse
(like all verbal abuse) includes
repeated shouting, humiliation,
insults, threats, ridicule, intimidation,
or constant criticism, but is directed
specifically towards a child sometimes because they are a child.
Although it leaves no physical
injuries, persistent verbal abuse can
have a lasting impact on selfesteem, emotional wellbeing, brain
development, relationships, and
mental health well into adulthood.
Educational neglect occurs when a
parent or carer persistently fails to
ensure a child receives a suitable
education. This may include poor
school attendance without good
reason, failing to engage with
support services, or not providing
appropriate education where a child
is home educated. Educational
neglect can affect a child's
academic progress, social
development, future opportunities,
and overall wellbeing.
Medical neglect is the persistent
failure to seek, follow through with, or
provide appropriate medical or
dental treatment for a child or
vulnerable adult when needed. This
may include not attending
appointments, failing to administer
prescribed medication, ignoring
serious health concerns, or delaying
treatment, placing the individual at
risk of avoidable harm.
Self-neglect is when an adult is
unable or unwilling to care for their
own basic needs, placing their
health, safety, or wellbeing at risk. It
can include poor personal hygiene,
malnutrition (including under- and
over-eating), refusing essential
medical treatment, unsafe living
conditions, or hoarding. Self-neglect
is recognised as a safeguarding
concern under the Care Act 2014 and
often requires a sensitive, multiagency response.
Further Reading
Child Verbal Abuse
Faith-Based Abuse
Affluent Neglect (TES)
Self Neglect (NHS)
｜
Showcase Training 8
