EndocrinologyRoyal Colleges Call On Health Managers To Take Responsibility For Safeguarding Children, UK
The Royal College of Nursing and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health commented on a new report from the Care Quality Commission, Safeguarding children: a review of arrangements in the NHS for safeguarding children. The report found that some providers had excellent systems and staff were delivering good practice, however in others training and evaluating procedures were patchy and many health organisations need to improve as a matter of urgency.
Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said:
"Today"s report appears to cast a veil of shame over some health trusts" attitude to child safety. Nurses have been saying for years that tragic cases like the death of Baby Peter happen when child protection is not a top priority for those who manage health and social services. Health professionals ask for regular child protection training, but their employers do not set aside the necessary time and money for it to happen. It is shocking that just half of eligible staff have the training they need to help protect children, and it sends the clear message that some boards are neglecting their responsibilities for safeguarding children.
"While today"s report serves as a warning to these organisations, it will hopefully spur them on to make sure that staff are given the skills to help them identify when children are at risk and to protect them. We support the work being done by the Department of Health on improving access to high quality training, and we now need to make sure that this reaches the front line. It is important that there is financial follow-through - we have seen before what happens when financial pressures take their toll on training budgets. The stakes are simply too high for safeguarding children to be left as an afterthought."
Dr Rosalyn Proops, Child Protection Officer of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) said:
"Safeguarding has long been one of our major concerns and we welcome this review. We feel strongly that doctors and healthcare professionals involved in safeguarding, at the front line and in policy, must be better supported both by time and res to do their job and have access to their Trust boards.
"Named and designated doctors and nurses should provide professional advice and support, by working closely with both frontline staff and their Trust boards. It is the role of the Executive Director to manage the system and not the role of designated professionals, who should be allowed to retain their clinical and professional focus. We hope this will be included in the Department of Health"s forthcoming review of Working Together.
"The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has an important role in setting standards and providing guidance in related child protection topics, including a major review of the evidence base surrounding child sexual abuse. We are working with the Department of Health on the development of the clinical networks for child protection, which will ensure a high quality service for children and families and provide advice and support for clinicians. We are leading on the development of quality indicators for child protection which will be used in performance management.
"We develop and provide safeguarding training and have brought in a mandatory training programme in child protection for junior trainees in paediatrics, and will launch further training for senior trainees shortly. With the support of the Department of Health we are now developing child protection training for consultants and other senior doctors involved in this field, and plan to roll this out early next year."
Notes
Some key findings of the report -
- Child protection policies are patchy, with some not including important procedures such as following up children who miss outpatient appointments.
- Just 27% of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) had a nominated lead on safeguarding children in all practices. Guidance from the Royal College of General Practitioners and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children states that all practices should have a safeguarding lead and deputy.
- Only 37% of trusts had a dedicated training budget for safeguarding.
- Just 54% of eligible staff had up to date training at Level 1 (intended for all those working in healthcare).
- Boards monitor compliance with their safeguarding responsibilities, but the frequency varied. Discussions were sometimes annual and at other times when they were notified of serious problems.
Royal College of Nursing