What is child abuse?


There are four different types of child abuse:


  • physical abuse
  • s**ual abuse
  • emotional abuse
  • neglect.

Child abuse can be a single incident, or can be a number of different incidents that take place over time.

Under the Child Protection Act 1999, it does not matter how much a child is harmed, but whether a child:

has suffered harm, is suffering harm, or is at risk of suffering harm
does not have a parent able and willing to protect them from harm.
Harm is defined as any detrimental effect of a significant nature on the child's physical, psychological or emotional wellbeing (section 9 of the Child Protection Act 1999). For harm to be significant, the detrimental effect on a child's wellbeing must be substantial or serious, more than transitory and must be demonstrable in the child's presentation, functioning or behaviour.