Indications of risk and adult disclosure

As part of your role as a community services worker you will need to be able to identify signs of abuse and neglect, and situations where a child is at risk of  abuse and neglect. You may also be required to report incidents where an adult has disclosed an occasion of neglect of abuse. In such circumstances your duty to report overrides any legal obligations that you have to maintain confidentiality.

If you are ever in doubt as to whether or not you should make a report, seek immediate assistance and advice from your supervisor. Many community organisations’ policies determine that community workers within an organisation are required to report all reasonable suspicions of abuse and neglect beyond the minimum requirements of legislated mandatory reporting.

The following information describes signs and indicators of child abuse and neglect.