Citation

Norman C, Jacob H. Arch. Dis. Child. Educ. Pract. Ed. 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/archdischild-2022-324130

PMID

37311619

Abstract

The Children Act, 1989 states that the local authority needs to complete a section 47 investigation when there is any suspicion that a child is suffering or likely to suffer from significant harm.1 In most instances, this includes a child protection medical which forms an important part of the decision-making regarding the best outcome for the child.

As with all aspects of healthcare, standardisation is very important. This guideline was published in 2020 in part because of geographical discrepancies in how the process of child protection medical assessments were experienced by both staff and families across the UK.

It was developed by the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health (RCPCH) and its Child Protection Special Interest Group. The intention was that it could be used when planning and commissioning services to enable a unified, appropriate service across the UK.

The guideline provides a list of 13 standards that services are expected to meet. Each standard comes with a list of recommended metrics to assist auditing against this guideline. Of note--if not already done, your service can be registered here CPaudit@rcpch.ac.uk for the national audit process.

Language: en

Keywords

child welfare; child abuse; child protective services; child health; healthcare disparities