RCGP Safeguarding toolkit

Children who may be invisible to services

Practitioners should be aware that there are children who are invisible to many services but who may present to general practice for healthcare needs. These can include:

• children who are home-schooled
• 16 and 17 year old young people not in education, training or employment
• unaccompanied asylum seeking children
• children in secure hospitals, prisons or children’s homes.

If a practitioner becomes aware that a child is not in school, training or employment, this should be noted clearly on their record.

References

• Children’s Commissioner for England report 2020. Hundreds of vulnerable ‘invisible children’ in England are being locked away without any legal protection. 2020.