Doctors
trained in spotting abuse
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4595554.stm
bbc
- 9th January 2006
Paediatricians
are to be given training in recognising and dealing with suspected
child abuse, after a string of high-profile failures.
The first
UK-wide course is being brought in after cases where suspicions
were not acted on early enough or where parents were wrongly prosecuted.
Such cases
have led to reluctance among some doctors to report suspicions.
The government-funded
project is to be rolled out to all doctors who are training in paediatrics.
Safeguarding
Children - Recognition and Response in Child Protection will also
be offered to GPs and doctors working with children in accident
and emergency departments.
The Royal
College of Paediatrics and Child Health, children's charity the
NSPCC and the Advanced Life Support Group teamed up to produce the
course.
Until now,
training in child protection has varied greatly across the country
and has never been mandatory.
But now
any trainee wanting to be a member of paediatricians' professional
body, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, will have
to take the course.
The college
and the NSPCC said they hoped that eventually everyone studying
paediatrics would attend the intensive one-day course backed up
by a training pack, a DVD and two booklets.
'Crucial
link'
NSPCC director
of training and consultancy Enid Hendry said: "Deciding to
report possible child abuse can be a very difficult judgement call
but it could be the child's only chance of intervention."
President-elect
of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Dr Patricia
Hamilton said the course was designed to give junior doctors the
confidence to assess possible cases of child abuse.
"Doctors
are a crucial link in the child protection chain and we want to
do everything possible to enable them to recognise and respond to
possible cases of abuse appropriately."
She added:
"We are really talking about the sorts of things a junior doctor
might be confronted with, perhaps where a child is brought in with
a bruise or a fracture and a story that doesn't quite fit."
Students
will work through fictional case studies, although based on real-life
examples, under the guidance of trained educators in child protection
issues.
Sally
Clark case
They will
also get information on legal and social aspects of child abuse
cases as well as a "mentor" whom they can consult when
they need to look at cases in the real world.
Recently
Sir David Hall, former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics
and Child Health, warned physicians were concerned that raising
fears about child abuse cases could damage their careers.
The warning
comes after high-profile cases where doctors were censured for the
way they dealt with abuse concerns.
Professor
Sir Roy Meadow was struck off by the General Medical Council last
year after being found guilty of serious professional misconduct
over evidence he gave in the trial of Sally Clark - who later overturned
her double child-murder conviction.
Professor
David Southall was also found guilty of serious professional misconduct
for his role in the same case after he accused Mrs Clark's husband
of murder.
But Dr
Hamilton said: "We are more concerned about cases like Victoria
Climbie and multi-agency working."
Victoria
was murdered by her great-aunt and her partner, but a report into
the case found the youngster was let down by failings and bureaucracy
in several agencies.
