'When we speak about child abuse we normally categorise it into 4 different categories. These are physical, emotional, sexual and neglect. It is important to remember that a child can experience more than 1 type of abuse at the same time.

The 1st type of abuse we're going to speak about is physical abuse. This is anything that causes physical harm to a child. This can include hitting a child, suffocating or burning a child or anything else that causes physical harm.

The 2nd type is emotional abuse and this is defined as persistent emotional harm causing a severe long lasting impact on their development. This can range from derogatory remarks and insults to witnessing domestic violence. It is important to note that the other 3 types of abuse normall co-exist with some degree of emotional abuse but emotional abuse can also exist on it's own.

The next type of abuse we're going to discuss is sexual abuse. This is forcing a child to take part in sexual activities. This includes grooming and also includes forcing a child to watch pornography.

The final category is neglect and this is failure to meet a childs basic emotional and physical needs. This can be failure to provide food for the child, failure to clothe the child or failure to protect the child from danger'