Citation

Bush A. Arch. Dis. Child. 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/archdischild-2023-325683

PMID

37989599

Abstract

Before any diagnostic examination of a child, every paediatrician routinely obtains consent or assent from that child, as age appropriate, and ensures that a parent or carer is present and gives informed consent to whatever is proposed. There may be exceptions--for example, an older child who is an inpatient and who knows the medical team well and who is happy to be examined without a parent or carer present. In such a case, remote consent from the parent would be sought, and there would be a chaperone present who is known and trusted by the young person. This is elementary paediatrics. The only exception, which would require the clearest justification, would be if an examination or procedure had to be performed urgently because the child was in immediate danger of serious harm or death. In such a case, a wise paediatrician would, where possible, always first seek the opinion of a senior colleague as to the wisdom of proceeding.

However, this does not seem to have crossed the radar of the Police. A recent report has highlighted the shocking number of strip searches of children in England and Wales.1 There were a total of 2847 children and young people aged 8-17 who underwent this humiliating procedure between 2018 and mid-2022. More than half took place without an appropriate adult being present and, in nearly half of the cases, the location of the search was not even recorded. Black children were six times more likely to be strip searched than others. Furthermore, experience of racism is health-harming.2 This further evidence of institutional racism is disgraceful; black children's bodies matter just as much as white children's bodies, and black people have a special right to press for reform in this and many other instances. They should be supported by all decent people of whatever background, especially child professionals and including those many police officers who would recoil from these practices, to end this traumatic way of searching children...

Language: en

Keywords

Child Welfare; Child Health Services; Adolescent Health; Child Abuse; Child Protective Services