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Highland Shores Children's Aid Society
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  • About
    • Signs of Safety
    • Our Board
    • Becoming a Board Member
    • Our History
    • Our Services
    • Our Communities
    • Our Media
    • Our Publications
    • The Children’s Foundation
    • Notice of Information Practices
    • Access to Records
    • Child Welfare Record Check Consent Form
  • Report
    • Report a Concern
    • What is Abuse or Neglect?
    • Signs of Abuse or Neglect
    • How and Why it Happens
    • What Happens During an Investigation?
    • October is Dress Purple Month
  • Foster
    • What Do Foster Parents Do?
    • Who Can Become a Foster Parent?
    • What is Involved in Becoming a Foster Parent?
    • Who Are Foster Children?
    • Types of Foster Care
    • Foster Parent Training & Support
    • National Foster Family Week
    • Learn More about Becoming a Foster Parent
    • Children and Youth Who Need Full-time or Relief Foster Families
  • Adopt
    • Who Can Adopt?
    • How Do I Adopt?
    • Adoption Awareness Month
  • Support
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Donate
  • Parenting
    • Discipline
    • Legislation
    • Parenting Programs
    • Parenting Resources
  • Youth
    • Overview
    • Our Youth Programs
    • Board Youth Advisory Committee (YAC)
    • Resources & Services for Youth
    • Former Youth In Care
  • News
  • Working With Us
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Salary & Benefits
    • Training & Development
    • Roles & Qualifications
    • Student Opportunities
    • Vendors
    • Procurement of Goods and Services
  • Accountability
    • 10 Facts About Highland Shores Children’s Aid
    • Annual Report
    • Annual Review and Budget
    • Audited Financial Statements
    • Child Protection Standards and Tools
    • Executive Level Travel Expenses
    • Mission, Vision, Values Statements, Equity Statement & Strategic Plan
    • Performance Indicators
    • Perquisites
  • Contact
    • Concerns / Complaints
    • Feedback / Compliments
    • Access to Records

Signs of Abuse or Neglect

If you have any concerns about a child please call 1-800-267-0570.

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Here are some of the most common signs of abuse. The signs and indicators of abuse and neglect may include, but are not limited to, those that follow. It is important to realize that the presence of any one indicator is not conclusive proof that a child has been abused. In most instances, abused children will exhibit a number of behavioral and physical indicators.

Neglect

Physical and behavioural indicators can include:

  • consistent lack of supervision that puts children/youth in unsafe situations
  • unsafe or hazardous living environment
  • visibly unbathed or clothing is dirty, unwashed or inappropriate for the weather
  • frequent absences from school with no explanation
  • medical or health needs that are not attended to, e.g. dental work, lack of follow through for health or developmental needs

Neglect can include situations where the child’s need for medical, mental, emotional, or developmental services and treatment are denied by the parent or caregiver. (remember that sometimes families do not have the financial means or ability to access services and need assistance as opposed to a parent that denies and does not take their child to these services)

Physical Abuse

Behavioral indicators

  • Cannot recall how injuries occurred or offers an explanation that doesn’t fit
  • Wary of adults
  • May cringe or flinch if touched unexpectedly
  • Infants may display a vacant stare
  • Extremely aggressive or extremely withdrawn
  • Extremely compliant and/or eager to please
    Physical indicators
  • Injuries that don’t fit the explanation
  • Presence of several injuries that are in various stages of healing
  • Presence of various injuries over a period of time
  • Facial injuries in infants and preschool children
  • Injuries inconsistent with the child’s age and developmental phase

Emotional Abuse

Behavioral indicators

  • Severe depression
  • Extreme withdrawal or aggressiveness
  • Overly compliant, too well mannered, too neat or clean
  • Extreme attention seeking
  • Displays extreme inhibition in play

Physical indicators

  • Bed wetting that is non-medical
  • Frequent psychosomatic complaints, headaches, nausea, abdominal pains
  • Child fails to thrive

Sexual abuse

Behavioral indicators

  • Age inappropriate play of a sexual nature with toys, self or others
  • Age inappropriate sexually explicit drawing and/or descriptions
  • Bizarre, sophisticated or unusual sexual knowledge
  • Prostitution
  • Seductive behaviors

Physical indicators

  • Unusual or excessive itching in the genital or anal area
  • Torn, stained or bloody underwear
  • Pregnancy
  • Injuries to the genital or anal areas, e.g. bruising, swelling or infection
  • sexually transmitted disease

  • Report Overview
  • Report a Concern
  • What is Abuse or Neglect?
  • How and Why it Happens
  • Signs of Abuse or Neglect
  • What Happens When You Call?
  • What Happens During an Investigation?
  • October is Dress Purple Month

Areas of Interest

+ Dispelling Myth on Sharing Information + Our Communities + October is Dress Purple Month

Resources

+ Parenting Programs + Parenting Resources + Publications + Signs of Safety
  • https://www.oacas.org
  • https://www.triplep.net
  • https://www.partcanada.org/
  • https://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca
  • https://alderville.ca/
  • https://www.signsofsafety.net
  • https://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/
  • https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/id/73535
  • https://www.cwlc.ca/
  • https://www.northumberland.ca/en/living-here/community-safety-well-being.aspx
  • https://mbq-tmt.org/
  • https://www.binnoojiiyag.ca/
Highland Shores Children's Aid Society

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Locations

Highland Shores Children’s Aid serves the counties of Hastings, Prince Edward and Northumberland.

BANCROFT | BELLEVILLE | COBOURG | PICTON

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Contact Us

If you have any concerns about a child please call 1-800-267-0570.

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We are open and here to help.

Highland Shores CAS is an essential workplace. Our doors are open; however, in accordance with Public Health guidance, all visitors and staff should stay home when sick. Visits should be rescheduled during the time symptoms are present until symptoms have improved for 24 hours or 48 hours for gastrointestinal symptoms.

Also, masks are currently required in all public parts of our building until further notice.

If you have concerns about the safety of a child, or if you need our help, please call 1-800-267-0570 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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