safeguarding children. dr geoff kittle named doctor safeguarding children

Safeguarding Children

Dr Geoff Kittle

Named Doctor Safeguarding Children

BABY PSANAM NAVSARKA

Why Safeguarding?

What is the purpose of Safeguarding Children

To protect dependant children and young people from exploitation by

those on whom they depend

Types of abuse

• Physical

• Sexual

• Neglect

• Emotional

Physical

May involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer feigns the symptoms of or deliberately causes ill health to a child whom they are looking after. This situation is commonly described using terms such as factitious illness by proxy or Munchausen's syndrome by proxy.

Sexual

Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact including penetrative or non-penetrative acts. May include non-contact activities such as involving children in looking at or in the production of pornographic material or watching sexual acts or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.

Neglect

Is the persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. It may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, failing to protect a child from physical harm or danger or the failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of or unresponsiveness to a child’s basic emotional needs.

Emotional

Is the persistent emotional ill treatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to the children that they are worthless and unloved, inadequate and unvalued insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. It may involve causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill-treatment of a child, though it may occur alone.

Care interfaces

• General practice – all staff

• Accident & Emergency

• Out of hours

• Paediatric department

• Maternity

• Child & family consultation service

• Gill Parker• Clinical Lead

• Carol White• Named Nurse

• Dr W Cordess• Named Doctor

• Dr G Kittle• Named Doctor

What to do if you are worried a child is being abused

Keep adequate records.

• Social services

• Police child abuse investigation unit

• 999 if urgent

• NSPCC

• Sections 17 & 47

• Reports written– Separate fact from opinion– Assessment triangle– Named doctor/nurse will help– Discuss with a colleague

• Child protection conference

Assessment Rainbow

Conference procedure

• Presentation• Discussion• Decision• Is a protection plan needed?• Key worker• Child protection plan• Review• ‘Deregistration’

Part 8 review

• May involve primary care

• To learn lessons

• Essex Safeguarding Children Board

• Local operational group

• Practice child protection policy

Contact numbers

• Gill Parker – named nurse 01268 464500

• Geoff Kittle- named doctor 01268 774477

• Essex LSCB01245 430307

• Police – CAIU 01268 771919

• NSPCC helpline – 0808 800 5000

• ‘Child protection register’– Day 01268 643333– Night 01245 434083

Contact numbers

• Social services– Urgent referral - 08456061212– Non-urgent – 01268 778282– Conference admin – 01268 643534

SET procedures

Common Assessment Framework

•Contact point•Lead professional•Multidisciplinary meeting•TAC team•TASCC team

Child Death Review

Independent Safeguarding Authority

Safeguarding Children