If a decision is made that is made that the child or young person is at risk of significant harm, following an assessment by the relevant agencies, child protection measures will be put in place. The response will differ depending on which of the UK’s four nations you are in.

This is typically an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse by someone who is, or has been, an intimate partner or family member. Discriminatory abuseInvalidating you. They might suggest or say straight out that your needs, boundaries, and desires don’t matter to them. you think a serious crime may have been committed or is about to be committed which involves someone in the family. Other signs include a sudden change in their finances, such as not having as much money as usual to pay for shopping or regular outings, or getting into debt.

Coercive or controlling behaviour is a core part of domestic violence. Coercive behaviour can include:For further reading about parental mental health, search the NSPCC Library catalogue using the keywords “disclosure”, “child abuse identification”, “child abuse reporting”, “reporting laws”, “whistleblowing”.