Child Abuse
Offences against children, (under the age of 18 years) which would require investigation would fall into one of the following categories:
- Sexual Abuse
- Physical abuse
- Neglect
- Emotional Abuse
Abuse can occur at any time; the abusers could be:
- Parents
- Others who have parental responsibility
- Adults in a position of trust, or temporarily have care of the child
- A stranger
- Another child
Child Protection
Child protection within Warwickshire is carried out in line with the guidance set out by the Warwickshire Child Protection Committee Working together to safeguard children.
The Warwickshire Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC) is an inter agency forum for agreeing how the different services and professional groups should co-operate to safeguard children.
The lead role in relation to child protection is Social Services although in any enquiry into allegations of abuse against a child any number of other agencies would become involved, Police, health, education or any other agency that may be able to give relevant information.
Not every referral to Social Services about concerns for a child results in a formal investigation. If they receive concerns about a child within their area, they will liase with all of the other agencies in order to make an assessment of the needs of the child. If this initial enquiry reveals that a crime has been committed, then it is the role of the police to complete the criminal investigation.