No.14: Child on child abuse

What is child on child abuse and who is affected?

Children can abuse other children. This is generally referred to as child-on-child abuse and can take many forms. Child-on-child abuse can include (but is not limited to): bullying (including cyberbullying); sexual violence and sexual harassment; physical abuse such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical harm; sexting and initiation/hazing type violence and rituals. Child-on-child abuse can happen both inside and outside of school/college and online.

There may not be any reports of child-on-child abuse in your setting but that does not mean that it is not happening.

Child on child abuse can happen in a wide range of settings wherever children attend be that school, a youth club, the park, their local neighbourhood; even online.  But it very often goes unseen. The NSPCC announced a 29% increase in children seeking help from Childline due to child-on-child sexual abuse in autumn 2018. We know children with Disabilities and SEN are vulnerable to child-on-child abuse, that girls are more likely to be affected than boys and those on the periphery of social groups (wanting to ‘belong’).  Children and young people identifying with the LGBT+ communities are also vulnerable to child-on-child abuse, so too those from different communities.  Children and young people who have experienced a recent bereavement (parent, sibling or friend) and those who live with domestic violence are vulnerable to this type of abuse, as well as those children who have experience other forms of intra familial abuse.

Abusers can be younger than their victim and boys and young men are more likely to be the abusers.

Child on child abuse is a complex situation, all involved are victims.  Very often the abuser, the perpetrator is also the victim.  Child on child abuse cannot be solved by just one single agency.  It often requires the expertise and time of many professionals working together with both the victim, the ‘abuser’ and their families.

What are the signs?

It is important that all staff in settings know and are aware of the signs and symptoms of child-on-child abuse and take disclosures seriously.  It is wrong to dismiss child on child abuse as ‘children just being children’ or as ‘banter’.  Below is a list of possible signs and symptoms but like all forms of abuse, this list is not exhaustive, and children may display all or none of the signs below.

• absence from school or disengagement from school activities
• physical injuries
• mental or emotional health issues
• becoming withdrawn – lack of self esteem
• lack of sleep
• alcohol or substance misuse
• changes in behaviour
• inappropriate behaviour for age
• abusive towards others
• going missing/staying out late
• change in peer groups

What can schools and settings do?

Ensure that your settings child protection and safeguarding policy includes procedures to deal with child-on-child abuse and that all allegations of child-on-child abuse is recorded.

All staff should be advised to maintain an attitude of ‘it could happen here’. (KCSiE Pt.5)

School can be proactive in challenging abusive behaviour amongst its cohort by listening to its young people, creating a child centred behaviour policy (which clearly identifies and describes child on child abuse).  Settings can also promote and develop a culture of openness providing systems and ways to support pupils to share their worries, being clear about who they can go to, what will happen if they do share a worry.  For all the above gathering the pupil’s views and opinions is vital.

Review your curriculum, does e.g. your RSE, PSHE, R.E., science, I.T. etc. reflect the needs of your children?  Are you teaching and enabling your children to say no, are they aware of what consent is and means?  Do they know what a healthy relationship is/looks like?  Do they know the potential dangers when online and using social media?  Are they aware of the dangers of risk taking and most importantly could they spot the signs of peer abuse amongst their friends?   All these reviews can and should be considered whatever the age range of the setting.  All can be covered at an age-appropriate level effectively.

To truly understand child on child abuse and how it may manifest itself amongst its pupil’s schools need to be aware of their immediate locality as well as the local community and how these both influence young people and their actions. (Contextual Safeguarding.)  Mapping school hotspots with pupils e.g. noting where children feel less safe, where incidents of aggression or bullying have taken place will provide insight when creating risk assessments and policies.  Locality mapping will also support the identification of areas of concern.  The use of self-audit tools, ecomaps, genograms, and exploitation tool kits will enable professionals working with the child to identify the supportive factors in their lives as well as the negative influences, these supportive factors can be woven into action plans.

If school has been made aware of a child-on-child situation how the victim and the perpetrator are supported needs to be considered, e.g. are both in the same class?  How can they be distanced? How will school support both and their families?  School should take time to learn from previous situations and use its recording systems to identify and analyse trends in particular cohorts, groups and areas.  This analysis will then inform responses to many of the questions mentioned above.

Useful contacts:

• Contextual Safeguarding Network
• KCSiE – Keeping Children Safe in Education
• DSCP Adolescent Safety Framework – DSCP ASF Safer Me Assessment
• Plymouth Safeguarding Children Partnership – Adolescent Safety Framework
• Addressing child on child abuse – A resource for schools and colleges (Farrer & Co)