RCGP Safeguarding toolkit
The aim of this toolkit is to enhance the safeguarding knowledge and skills that GPs already have to enable them to continue to effectively safeguard children and young people, as well as adults at risk of harm.
Part 2A: Identification of abuse and neglect
Obstacles to recognising and responding to child abuse and neglect
Healthcare professionals may come across many different obstacles in the process of identifying abuse and neglect, but these should not prevent them from following the appropriate course of action to prevent further harm to the child or young person. Examples of potential obstacles include the following:
- Concern about missing a treatable disorder.
- Healthcare professionals are used to working with parents and carers in the care of children and fear losing a positive relationship with a family already under their care.
- Discomfort of disbelieving, thinking ill of, suspecting or wrongly blaming a parent or carer.
- Divided duties to adult and child patients and breaching confidentiality.
- An understanding of the reasons why the abuse and neglect might have occurred, and that there was no intention to harm the child.
- Losing control over the child protection process and doubts about its benefits.
- Stress.
- Personal safety.
- Fear of complaints.
It is important that we recognise our own personal obstacles, as well as organisational and system obstacles, to recognising and responding to child abuse and neglect so that we can overcome these and keep children at the centre of all we do.
References
- NICE guideline. CG89. Child maltreatment: when to suspect maltreatment in under 18s. Updated 2017.