Training opportunites

As healthcare professionals, it’s important to keep safeguarding skills and knowledge up to date. Below, you can find a reminder about statutory mandatory training requirements and how you can build on this core learning.

• Statutory mandatory training is provided via the e-learning for Healthcare Hub. Please take a moment to visit the Hub and check that your Safeguarding Children Level One and Two learning is up to date.
• Additional safeguarding training is available for anyone looking to enhance their core learning. ELA is currently exploring the possibility of hosting a half-day session from the Child Protection Company as part of practices’ Protected Learning Time (PLT). More details will be shared once confirmed.

Resources, guidance, and further reading

Practical resources and guidance are available to support you in recognising, documenting, and responding to safeguarding concerns. Please note, the resources shared below are intended to complement, not replace, your organisation’s safeguarding policies and procedures.

• Downloadable safeguarding children flowchart – created by QCS 
• ‘Protecting children and young people: The responsibilities of all doctors’ – professional standards from GMC
• ‘Child abuse and neglect’ – recommendations and guidance from NICE
• ‘Child maltreatment: when to suspect maltreatment in under 18s’ – recommendations and guidance from NICE
• 10 step guide to sharing information to safeguard children – guidance from ICO
• Non-Accidental Injuries in Babies – Safeguarding Dilemmas

Contacting the safeguarding team

If you have a safeguarding query or require further guidance regarding a child or young person, you can contact the LSCFT Safeguarding Team weekdays between 9am to 5pm.

Morecambe Bay, Lancaster, South Cumbria, Central and West Lancashire:

Telephone: 01772 777 220

East Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Fylde Coast:

Telephone: 01254 283 399

Example case study

Scenario part one:

• A four-month-old child is taken to the GP by their mother who describes the child as irritable and not feeding normally.
• During the consultation, the GP observes a small mark on the child’s upper arm.
• When the GP queries the mark, the mother provides a plausible explanation.
• The child is otherwise healthy.
• The child is not yet independently mobile.
• The GP completes their consultation and does not identify any additional concerns.
• There is nothing in the interaction between mother and child that worries the GP and there are no immediate signs of an emergency safeguarding issue.

Question to consider:

What would you record following this interaction?

Scenario part two:

• Two months later, the child is seen by another healthcare professional for an unrelated issue.
• During their assessment, the clinician notices an abrasion on the child’s lower leg.
• Once again, a plausible explanation is provided by the child’s mother, and no other issues or concerns are noted.

Question to consider:

How do the original clinician’s records support the second in their decision making?

Learning:

In non-mobile infants, injuries and unexplained physical signs warrant particular attention because the child is unable to independently move around and sustain many of the injuries that would be commonplace in an older, mobile child. Even when no immediate safeguarding concerns are present, clinicians should always ensure that key details including observations, explanations, and decision-making processes are objectively documented.

A minor concern, viewed in isolation, may not indicate the presence of abuse or neglect. However, accurate documentation helps to provide a more complete picture – potentially highlighting patterns should further concerns be raised in the future.