Then, the health visitor who witnessed the bruise on Lara’s arm, under Section 17, Child in Need aspect of the Children Act 1989 had to escalate her concern to Social Services. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) (2013) defines Physical abuse as infliction of bodily injury to a child. The symptoms may include injuries such bruises, broken bones, burns or cuts. While bruising to the arm from being shaken may not cause significant harm to the child in this instance, there is the danger of the physical harm escalating if intervention is not provided to help Emily manage her own emotions and Lara’s behaviour. This may lead to inflicting head trauma or Abusive Head Trauma (AHT) to the child in the future. Another
