Enduring Priorities

Safeguarding Children and Young People: A Toolkit for General Practice

Introduction

Children and young people comprise 25% of the UK Population. Family doctors, GP practices and primary care teams are in the frontline, providing services to these children, young people and their families. They have in important role in child protection and safeguarding.

Since the 2009 version of the toolkit, many key documents relating to child health and safeguarding have been published. This interim update integrates changes in guidance and legislation within the established toolkit structure. Bringing this information together in the toolkit will make it easier for GPs to safeguard and protect children and young people. Key documents include:

The RCGP curriculum (section 8);
The RCGP Child Health Strategy 2010-15;
Munro Review 2011;
The General Medical Council, Protecting children and young people: the responsibilities of all doctors. 2011;
Working Together to Safeguard Children and Young People 2010;
The Intercollegiate Guidelines (ICG) for Safeguarding Children and Young People: roles and competences for healthcare staff 2010;
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) which defines safeguarding as one of essential standards for quality and safety (2009);
NICE CG89 Child Maltreatment Guidelines 2009

More changes are expected in 2011-12 following the new Working Together, the Health and Social Care Bill, the RCGP/UCL Multi-site audit, and guidance relating to Domestic Abuse, so a complete Toolkit re-write is planned for 2012-2013. We hope to develop clear pathways for 10 common scenarios. Other feedback and comments, especially from frontline general practice, are welcome.

Particular changes in this 2011 update:

The words "abuse" and "maltreatment "are at the moment interchangeable, but the use of "consider" and "suspect" maltreatment is new since the NICE guideline. We have made appropriate changes to the section on recognition.
The term "protecting children" is now preferred to "safeguarding".
We have attempted to develop ideas as to how integrated anticipatory care through maternity to the transition to adult care can best protect all children, but particularly the most vulnerable.
GPs often feel helpless themselves when they suspect or consider abuse – this toolkit should increase confidence in such situations.
We continue to recommend a Practice Safeguarding Plan and a Practice Child Health and Safeguarding Lead – these are even more important in changing times.
Agreeing computer codes which identify concerns and help in follow-up and audit are essential parts of those plans. We include updated codes.
Having an available list with relevant local contacts is helpful for all staff – we offer a sample.
Feedback from children and their parents or carers will help us keep focussed!

Resources

"Professor Munro published the second report of her Review of Child Protection on 1st February 2011. To view the report here.

In the report Professor Munro sets out the characteristics of an effective child protection system and the reforms that might be needed to create such a system. In the report she signals a new approach on child protection which focuses on helping children, rather than on the regulations, inspections and procedures that have thrown the system out of balance. She believes that currently the amount of prescription and bureaucracy in the system has meant that social workers are not able to do the jobs they came into the profession to do.

During the review’s final phase, ahead of final recommendations to Government in April 2011, the review will seek further help from each profession within the sector to develop the reforms proposed in the report."

Access the Toolkit

Led by Dr Andrew Mowat, RCGP Child Health Lead and Chair of the Primary Care Child Safeguarding Forum, this toolkit developed out of the RCGP “Keep me Safe” Strategy for Child Protection published in 2005 which considered Lord Laming’s 2003 Inquiry into the Death of Victoria Climbie. The Inquiry’s 108 recommendations were accepted by the Government in full, in part or in principle.

The Toolkit is freely available for download from this webpage. The Toolkit is available to download in sections or as a full document.

Download the Full Toolkit

Appendix 2 Child Protection Incident Reporting Form

Appendix 3 Child Protection Significant Events

Appendix 4 Sample Template for Recording Learning

Practice Policy & Procedure Template

Full Toolkit

Annex A Legislation & Guidance

Annex B Glossary

Annex C External Links

Training Modules

These training modules have been developed by the Royal College of General Practitioners and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. They are designed to enable College members and their practice staff to recognise when a child may be at risk of abuse, to know what to do if there are concerns and to ensure that practices work with other disciplines and agencies to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

The training modules should be read in conjunction with the sister document Safeguarding Children and Young People: A Toolkit for General Practice (2011) .　　

Who are these training modules designed for?

These modules have been designed for delivery in general practice across the United Kingdom jurisdictions. At the time of writing, the Isle of Man and Channel Islands were reviewing their child protection and safeguarding arrangements: please see Safeguarding children and young people in general practice: A toolkit (2011), Annex A for the current position. The modules are appropriate for practice teams, which include all employed practice staff. The modules do not cover specialist roles such as named or designated doctors or take the place of inter-agency initiatives or training provided by Health Boards/Local Safeguarding Children Boards(LSCBs)/Primary Care Trusts (PCTs).

What does the practice need to have in place?　

The general practice must have in place:

child protection policy and procedures, which may be developed and adapted over a period of time and following reflection and review of current practice and population needs
a lead for child protection within the general practice team
a person who is suitably trained to deliver training and/or has facilitation skills and has also prepared themselves to deliver the module; this should be embedded within the context of general staff training and development.
The general practice should be clear about how to support this person, for example, via support networks and further training.

What do practice facilitators need to know?　

Facilitators should have a copy of the RCGP/NSPCC Safeguarding Children and Young People: A Toolkit for General Practice (2011) and other relevant national and local guidance. There are also useful websites listed elsewhere in this Toolkit and several interesting references.

Please note:　

Training your practice team will be better planned after the practice has had sufficient time to take account of Safeguarding children and young people in general practice: A toolkit (2011) and after you have reflected on the adaptations needed for your practice and subsequent changes required to inform delivery of these modules

Facilitators who are not familiar with the relevant legal and practice guidances may need to build in sufficient preparation time to absorb information provided.　
The modules are best delivered as a whole module and timed accordingly; however, some sessions can be delivered separately and therefore facilitators will need to adapt the training session plan as necessary
Decide when breaks will be programmed into the training modules
Facilitators need to decide on how best to use the quiz, Child protection – the legal context, located in Module 1, section 3. This section can be used as a quiz or as a self-assessment tool

Training Module 1　　

Training Module 2 　

Training Module 3

Feedback

If you would like more information about Safeguarding Children, or would like to comment on the toolkit and training modules please email circ@rcgp.org.uk

circ@rcgp.org.uk

020 3188 7597