If you’re a teacher or child care professional, then you’ll already know that working with children is one of the most rewarding professions there is. However, there is another side to a role that involves children and that’s child welfare and a vital part of being able to fulfil that role is being able to spot the signs of neglect. Child abuse is something that no one should ever have to go through and when those caring for children have the knowledge of what the symptoms of a poor home life looks like, there’s a much greater chance of the necessary intervention being provided.
The good news is that these skills can be learnt on our Support Children At Risk Of Harm Certificate, but before we provide details about that, we’re going to look at a few of the most common signs to keep your eye out for when looking after the children of others.
Poor Appearance & Hygiene
One obvious sign that things are not as they should be is when the child in question has poor hygiene or is wearing obviously dirty or torn clothes. An important part of raising children is looking after their day to day needs, so if this isn’t being attended to, there’s a possibility that neglect is happening in other ways too.
Attending School Hungry Without Lunch Money
Healthy eating for kids is central to their wellbeing, so if they’re clearly hungry all the time or they attend school with no lunch money, this is a clear alarm bell that they need help. As the saying goes, we are what we eat, so if they’re not eating properly, it won’t be long until it starts to affect their health.
A Marked Change In Behaviour
Another sign that child abuse or neglect might be happening is when there’s a marked change in the child’s behaviour. If they appear very clingy or withdrawn, it could be that something’s not right at home, whether it’s a lack of heating or abusive parenting.
What Our Certificate Teaches
As you can see, there’s a number of ways in which child neglect can manifest and when you enrol on our 10 study hour Support Children At Risk Of Harm Certificate, you get to learn about how to implement practices that are specifically designed to protect young people and children. You’ll also gain an understanding of the concept of duty of care and how you go about reporting any child harm that you suspect might be occurring. All of this learning can be carried out at your own pace, with all course topics and tutor support being delivered online.
Online Professional Training to Boost Your Career
This is just one of many online parenting courses that we offer at Online Courses Australia and you can find out more about them and how all of our online training counts towards your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points - that illustrate the dedication you have to your job - by visiting us online at www.onlinecoursesaustralia.edu.au.
Alternatively, if you would like to know more about the full range of courses we offer, covering a range of industries and sectors, simply call us on 1300 611 404 and we’ll gladly direct you to your ideal training.
