‘It may be useful to think of significant harm generally as a compilation of significant events, both acute and long-standing, which interact with the child’s ongoing development, and interrupt, alter or impair physical and psychological development. Being the victim of significant harm is likely to have a profound effect on a child’s view of themselves as a person, and on their future lives. Significant harm represents a major symptom of failure of adaptation by parents to their role, and also involve both the family and society’.
(Bentovim, 1998, p.57 in Adcock and White Significant harm: It’s Management and Outcome).
This description of significant harm has stood the test of time. Drawing on this description, when determining whether significant harm has occurred practitioners should consider:
- what abuse and/or neglect has occurred has it had a serious impact on the child’s health and development or is it likely to have an effect without service interventions?
- how has it affected the child? Consider: their daily lived experience, their developmental needs, their feelings and perception of themselves.
- are our concerns related to cumulative harm? That is an accumulation of a single negative circumstance such as parental drug and alcohol misuse, or multiple, different circumstances such as lack of parenting ability combined with socio-economic factors? Alternatively, are our concerns related to an acute incident that has had a serious impact on the child’s health and development?
- drawing on our knowledge of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the impact of abuse and neglect through the life course, how may the child be affected if we do not intervene?
- what do we know about the parent/s ability and motivation to meet the needs of the child? (Consider their daily lived experience, parenting capacity and attitudes and feelings toward the child). How does this demonstrate a failure to be a ‘good enough’ parent?
- to what extent are the extended family and the social and community network supporting the family to meet the needs of the child?
- what socio-economic factors are affecting the parent/s ability to meet he needs of the child?
- are we able to identify strengths and protective factors that could mitigate against the likelihood of significant harm?