Child Protectn Early Yearscl

Teachers are the professionals closest to all children on a day-to-day basis and yet they feel untrained and uninformed with regard to child abuse and how they should cope with it. Tricia David places child abuse in context, and suggests the roles teachers and nursery nurses can take in identifying abused children, and in helping them and their families. She examines the cultural and historical background of child abuse and neglect, and provides key information on the different forms of abuse. She suggests whole school policies for making it possible to identify abuse, and sets out the procedures and legal requirements for dealing with it in light of the 1989 Children Act. She discusses the necessary roles of teacher training, interprofessional liaison, and proactive, preventive work by teachers. She does not pretend to have all the answers in this very sensitive area; but she asks the essential questions, and provides accessible information and practical advice.