Physical abuse of children

Physical abuse is defined as any form of physical injury, including deliberate poisoning, where the injury is not consistent with the account of its occurrence or where there is definite knowledge or a reasonable suspicion that the injury was inflicted, or knowingly not prevented, by any person having custody, charge or care of a child.

Physical abuse (1)

• physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child.
• physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child

Reference

1. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Child abuse and neglect. Oct 2017 [internet publication].