Deciding to act
It is often hard to know what to do to help a child or young person who has been abused. You may think you are over-reacting or mistaken. You worry that you may be seen by others as interfering. You might think you may be responsible for breaking up the family.
Sometimes people are concerned that efforts to help children ends up causing them further harm. However, we know that this is not the case. Many adult survivors of abuse have said that the continued abuse causes more harm than any action taken to stop the abuse.
If you suspect child abuse report it.
- Trust your judgment.
- You do not have to prove that the abuse is happening.
- You can report anonymously
Families need help when abuse is happening.
Reporting abuse can help families to receive the counselling and support services they need. This may help to relieve some of the family problems or stress. It will probably be critical in preventing further abuse of the children or young people in that family.
