Glossary

Abuse

A form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Harm can include ill treatment that is not physical as well as the impact of witnessing ill treatment of others. This can be particularly relevant, for example, in relation to the impact on children of all forms of domestic abuse. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or, more rarely, by others. Abuse can take place wholly online, or technology may be used to facilitate offline abuse. Children may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.

Academies

Academies are publicly funded independent schools. They don' have to follow the National Curriculum and can set their own term times. They are funded by the government, not the local council, and are run by an academy trust. Some academies have sponsors, such as businesses, universities, other schools, faith groups or voluntary groups. 

Adoption Order

An Adoption Order is a court order where all parental rights and responsibilities for a child are permanently trasferred to adoptive parents. The order means the adoption is permanent and the child has the same rights as if they were the adoptive parents' birth child. The order takes away parental responsibility from the child's birth parents.

Adult with care and support needs

The adult safeguarding duties under the Care Act 2014 apply to an adult, aged 18 or over, who:

• has needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority is meeting any of those needs)
• is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect
• as a result of those care and support needs is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of abuse or neglect.