CAN definition

It is anticipated that many colleagues who are submitting to this register will be well aware as to whether their research concerns child abuse or neglect. If there are any doubts, colleagues are referred to the definition (modified) of child abuse and neglect developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and which has been adopted within the register:

Any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver (e.g. clergy, coach, teacher) (including other children) that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child.

Acts of Commission (Child Abuse)

Words or overt actions that cause harm, potential harm, or threat of harm to a child. Acts of commission are deliberate and intentional; however, harm to a child may or may not be the intended consequence. Intentionality only applies to the caregivers' acts-not the consequences of those acts. For example, a caregiver may intend to hit a child as punishment (i.e., hitting the child is not accidental or unintentional) but not intend to cause the child to have a concussion. The following types of maltreatment involve acts of commission:

Acts of Omission (Child Neglect)

The failure to provide for a child's basic physical, emotional, or educational needs or to protect a child from harm or potential harm. Like acts of commission, harm to a child may or may not be the intended consequence. The following types of maltreatment involve acts of omission:

The register is concerned with the widest array of forms of actual and potential harm to children, and responses to these. This includes, for example, children subject to bullying or witnessing domestic violence, and children who are in state/alternative care.