GMC child protection guide launched

By Caroline Price

New guidance from the GMC offers doctors advice and support to help them protect children from abuse or neglect.

The guidance, Protecting children and young people: The responsibilities of all doctors, applies to doctors in all specialties and comes into effect on 3 September. It clarifies their responsibilities regarding maltreatment, including the need to identify children at risk and to seek support from a designated professional or lead clinician.

Some experts have warned that past high-profile cases and fears of complaints from parents are deterring doctors from reporting concerns. The GMC says that it is vital doctors feel confident to act if they believe a child may be at risk and emphasises that they are safe to do so, even where concerns prove unfounded, if they follow the guidance.

GMC Chief Niall Dickson said: "Doctors who make child protection decisions based on the guidance will be able to justify their actions if a complaint is made against them - provided their conclusions are honestly held and have been pursued through the appropriate channels."

Dr Amanda Thomas, Child Protection Officer at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, commented: "This guidance is timely, easy to read and navigate and provides a valuable framework for doctors, giving them the tools to act on their concerns."

"We're pleased to see that it addresses all doctors - because whether they have a specific safeguarding role or not, every doctor has a responsibility to protect children. What's crucial now is that the guidance is embedded in practice and the partnership working it promotes across the healthcare profession becomes a reality."

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