Non-Accidental Injury - Somerset Safeguarding Children Partnership

What is non-accidental injury (NAI)?

Non-accidental injury (NAI) includes injuries that result from deliberate actions against a child or a failure to prevent injury. NAIs may include:

Head Injuries
Skeletal Fractures
Thermal Injuries (e.g. Burns, Scalds, Acids)
Visceral Injuries (Injuries to internal organs)
Cold Injuries (damage to the body from cold exposure e.g. Hypothermia)
Ingestions & Poisonings
Soft Tissue Injuries (e.g. Bruises, Bites, Lacerations)
Asphyxiation & Cardiac Arrest

Factors that can increase RISK of NAI:

The intrinsic vulnerability of babies and their total dependence on their key care giver
Financial challenges
Social isolation
Parental mental health difficulties
Drug and alcohol misuse
Domestic abuse and parental conflict
Fathers and male care givers – stress factors can affect their ability to cope with the demands of caring for a baby particularly when the baby cries
Lack of access to services

Support for families

Advice and services for families:

Financial Challenges

Citizens Advice – for information on how Citizens Advice Somerset may be able to support you, visit Citizens Advice Somerset

Navigate Charity – Navigate is a charity who aim to support people by giving them the knowledge, skills and confidence to manage their money. For more information, visit Navigate Charity

Financial Hardship Support – Somerset Council services to help and support families facing financial difficulties – information such as debt management, access to food banks and help with home energy on the Financial Hardship Support page.

For concerns about losing accommodation – homelessness advice, assistance and referrals.

If there is a need for immediate money for food or heating, you can access the Somerset Household Support Fund.

Details of warm welcome space, or food and activities for eligible children at weekends.

Help with Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, claiming a discretionary award and Public and Community Transport.

List of local foodbank or pantry (some will need a referral from a professional).

Eligible children and young people can take part in Happy Healthy Holidays using a code from their school.

If you are pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to healthy food and milk.

Social Isolation

Connect Somerset is about everyone working together to increase early help in the community. This involves close working relationships with schools, voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise settings, GPs and primary care networks.

Village Agents are provided by The Community Council for Somerset (CCS Community Council for Somerset | At the heart of Somerset (ccslovesomerset.org)), a charity which provides confidential, practical, community-based solutions across Somerset. A CCS Village Agent can be contacted directly, or by a referral through your Doctors surgery.

Talking Cafés provide a local place you can pop into for advice and support from your local Village Agent on important services such as: caring for another, housing, health, finance, food boxes, adult social care, children’s services, feelings of loneliness and isolation. There are over 30 locations available across Somerset.

Parental Mental Health Support

If you need help right now, 24 hour support can be provided through the following services:
Somerset Mindline is a confidential listening service which provides a safe place to talk if you, or someone you know, is in distress. Advice can be provided around local services, how to get help, along with basic information on mental health issues. If you are struggling with your mental health, having thoughts of suicide or are worried about a friend or family member, please phone Somerset Mindline for support on 01823 276892 or freephone 0800 138 1692.

Open Mental Health (Somerset’s Mental Health Alliance) to find help and support to ensure that people struggling with their mental health in Somerset can access the right support at the right time.

Somerset Council Mental Health and Wellbeing – mental health and emotional wellbeing affect all aspects of our lives and health choices. Mental wellbeing is about feeling good and functioning well, as individuals and as communities.

Best Beginnings aim to support all parents, co-parents and care-givers to give their children the best beginning in life. There are plenty of resources available to support, including: Support for dads | Best Beginnings and Mental Health Videos | Best Beginnings.

Young Somerset offer Parent/Carer Wellbeing Support Facebook Group – this is a moderated support group run by Young Somerset’s Wellbeing Team. The purpose of this group is to provide parents with advice and signposting, hints and tips and the opportunity for you to ask questions.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Somerset Drug and Alcohol Service offer a range of support for people struggling with the use of alcohol or other drugs, including provision of advice or support with seeking treatment as part of their recovery.

Domestic Abuse and Parental Conflict

Somerset Domestic Abuse Service – If you or your family are affected by domestic abuse, you can get help from Somerset Domestic Abuse Service or call 0800 69 49 999 and choose option 2

Parenting – parents, carers and grandparents can #LearnForLove (access code: dragon) to support children from bump to teenager.

Fathers and male care givers

HomeStart works with families in communities across the UK. Starting in the home, their approach is individually tailored to the families they are helping.

DadMatters aim to help dads and male care givers to have successful relationships with their families, and provide support with anxiety, stress and mental health issues.

DadMatters Somerset Facebook Group contains details of local support available for dads, as well as listings for local dads groups and activities.

DadPad gives dads and male carers the knowledge and practical skills necessary to support themselves and their partner, so that babies get the best possible start in life.

Best Beginnings have plenty of information available to support dads and male care givers, including advice on supporting your partner, communication and looking after your mental health: Support for dads | Best Beginnings.

Open Mental Health has resources available to support men’s mental health, including Stepladder and Unbreakable Men.

Safe Sleep

The Lullaby Trust provides expert advice on safer sleep for babies, raises awareness of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and offers emotional support for bereaved parents.

Resources for practitioners to support families:

Recognising and responding to abuse

It is vital that you’re able to identify the signs and act appropriately to protect children from harm, below are some resources available to support you when working with families:

Effective Support for Children and Families – Somerset’s guidance to assist professional assessment around the provision of effective support for children and families in Somerset

Family Strengths and Needs Toolkit – Somerset’s toolkit to assist with the identification of neglect of a child or young person

7 Minute Briefing: Non Accidental Injury (NAI) – Somerset NHS Foundation Trust ‘Things you should know’ briefing on NAI

ICON – coping with crying

NEW! Somerset ICON pathway poster – designed by Somerset Public Health to support multi-agency practitioners, this tool supports staff across all organisations in Somerset to access ICON resources and training as part of NAI (non-accidental injury) prevention. Use it to cascade and embed ICON in your service or organisation.

ICON – coping with crying – this ‘Healthy Somerset’ resource has been produced by Somerset Public Health nursing to provide information for practitioners to support parents worries about their baby crying.
The page includes:
– ICON poster: I is for infant crying is normal
– One Minute Guide – Sudden and Unexpected Deaths in Infancy (SUDI) Prevention
– Coping with Crying – My personal ICON Plan
– Infant crying and how to cope and Infant crying and how to cope – Babies born prematurely
– ICON poster: Comfort methods can sooth a baby and stop them crying

For additional information and advice visit ICON Cope.

Advice for parents on keeping their baby safe

The pre-birth and early years resources have been produced in collaboration with practitioners from across the Partnership. The aim of this resource is to support practitioners working with new parents in the pre-birth period. There are a range of resources available which practitioners may find useful to consider and complete with families they are working with.

Reducing Parental Conflict

Building Stronger Families toolkit – Building Stronger Families is Somerset’s reducing parental conflict offer, a DWP funded programme which aims to support parents and carers with their relationship.

This programme is aimed at Unhealthy Conflict between couples where there is no domestic abuse present.

The invisible voice of children under two

The NSPCC have published a podcast discussing learning from case reviews relating to infants. This includes: observing and interpreting behaviour in young children to identify signs of early trauma; what to look out for when interviewing parents or carers about their child; the importance of focusing on the child; interacting with children and understanding their voice; and the importance of applying multi-agency practices when monitoring risks.

Listen here!

Practitioner resources

Guides and tools:

Injuries to Non-mobile Babies and Children Policy

Family Strengths and Needs Toolkit

Pre-Birth Planning Toolkit

Video resources:

NHS Somerset Foundation Trust – midwifery

Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel

Ten-4-FACESp – to help early detection of child abuse

SSCP – Neglect in unborn and young children

SDAS – Somerset Drug & Alcohol Service

ICON in Somerset

Six key tips for talking with families about parental conflict

Good relationships are the key to healing trauma

Somerset Public Health Nursing

ICON Week 2023 – ICON in schools

Preventing Traumatic Head Injury

First 1001 Days webinar with the Fatherhood Institute

Podcast episodes:

Training

ICON: Babies cry, you can cope

This eLearning training is designed to equip you with the knowledge, information and skills that you will need to discuss ICON with prospective parents.

Reducing Parental Conflict – Module 1

In this eLearning introductory course you’ll gain a greater awareness of what is meant by parental conflict and why it matters.