1.1 Recognising the Four Types of Child Abuse in Early Years

This introductory lesson explains how early years educators can recognise the four main types of child abuse: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. It defines abuse as an action, inaction or behaviour that harms a child, and emphasises that harm may be caused by an adult or another child. The lesson explores examples and possible indicators, including unexplained injuries, withdrawal, anxiety, developmental delays, poor hygiene, frequent absences and changes in behaviour. It also introduces non-contact sexual abuse, grooming and the importance of understanding patterns over time. A key message is that individual signs are possible indicators rather than proof of abuse, because similar signs can appear across different categories. The lesson concludes by encouraging practitioners to observe a child’s presentation, behaviour, attendance and relationships. This is a recognition-focused foundation and does not explain response or reporting procedures. Read the related CMS Vocational Training guide: https://cmsvoc.co.uk/blog/safeguardin... Chapters 00:00 What abuse means and why recognition matters 00:57 Recognising physical abuse and possible indicators 01:41 Understanding emotional abuse 02:38 Recognising sexual abuse, non-contact abuse and grooming 03:37 Understanding neglect and possible indicators 04:23 Why signs must be considered over time 05:12 Recap: the four types of abuse