There's a sharp rise in pupils telling us that their parents punish them by hitting them with an object - a slipper, shoe, belt, ruler - or anything else to hand. This must stop.

 

Hitting a child with any object is physical abuse and not acceptable.

 

This might be difficult reading for the vast majority of our families. Sadly, it is happening in too many. Sometimes this abuse has taken place for several years before pupils tell us, becoming normalised and accepted within some families. If this article helps this abuse stop for just one child in one family then these uncomfortable words are worth reading.

 

Help and support for parents is available through and beyond the school. Contact Mrs Haines or any member of staff who you trust. We keep things like this private, make no judgement and are sensitive to the challenges of family life.  

 

When pupils tell us that they are hit by an adult at home with an object, we must report this to Ealing's child protection social workers. In turn, Ealing's social workers usually involve police officers from the Met's Child Abuse Investigation Team. We all work together to stop a child from being harmed in this way. Usually, this means:

• an investigation led by police and/or social workers
• a child having a child protection medical assessment by a specialist doctor
• a parent being interviewed, sometimes under caution, by police officers
• a plan to support and help a family so that this type of child abuse stops.

More information is available from Ealing's social workers:

• Fielding, Safeguarding, ECIRS leaflet

 

We promote a telling culture in school, including talking to children about how adults should and should not treat them so that they can help themselves to stay safe.