Improving the medical assessment of child maltreatment using a quality and child rights framework

Shanti Raman

South Western Sydney Local Health District

Dr Raman is a paediatrician, with sub-speciality training in epidemiology and public health. Her special interests include maternal, newborn and child health,indigenous child health, child rights, violence against women and children, health of migrants and refugees, and quality and safety in health. As the lead for Child Protection services in South Western Sydney, she is responsible for the development and coordination of a Child Protection Medical Service across the area, providing professional development in clinical aspects of Child Protection and providing academic leadership in Community Child Health. She also provides consultant paediatric services to Aboriginal communities in outback Australia. She has established a number of specialised clinics for vulnerable children, including refugee children, indigenous children, children of parents with substance abuse and or mental illness and children in foster care. She is a passionate advocate for children on the margins and has been involved with policy development and advocacy at state, national, and international levels,promoting a rights-based perspective to child health and population health.

Deborah Hodes

University College London NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Deborah Hodes is a Consultant Community Paediatrician and the Designated Doctor for Safeguarding in Camden, United Kingdom. She has many decades of experience in child protection and child development and has pioneered many initiatives in London to promote the wellbeing of vulnerable children and improve the standards of child protection clinical practice. She has a particular interest in culturally diverse population groups and promoting the child's voice in the clinical setting. Dr Hodes has many publications and presentations in the field of safeguarding and child protection. She is internationally renowned for her work on clinical assessment and social support for children who have experienced female genital mutilation.

Abstract

Background: Child maltreatment is a global public health problem; CM is associated with child health and developmental problems as well as adult mortality and morbidity. There is a strong evidence-base for medical examination... [ view full abstract ]

Background: Child maltreatment is a global public health problem; CM is associated with child health and developmental problems as well as adult mortality and morbidity. There is a strong evidence-base for medical examination in the assessment of CM. In South Western Sydney (SWS), Australia and Camden, United Kingdom (UK); both with large metropolitan populations with many vulnerable sub-groups, local Community Paediatric teams have been working on improving the quality of CM clinical assessments. Minimum standards for a quality clinical assessment of CM have been published based on experience in SWS.

Objectives: to

Identify current best practice in clinical assessment of CM, both physical abuse and neglect and sexual abuse.
Determine locally relevant standards for the clinical assessment of CM in the health setting
Incorporate a child rights and quality framework in performing comprehensive clinical CM assessments

Methods

Using data and experience from clinical audits conducted in SWS and Camden, we will describe medical presentations of CM, identify health and social outcomes for children following medical assessment and determine if the cases fulfil established minimal standards for clinical assessment of CM. Using a child-rights framework we will also identify how child friendly clinical assessments for CM in the health setting are and how they can be improved.

In small groups, we will work through real life case examples of CM, identify strengths and weaknesses of current pathways and processes and determine locally relevant standards for clinical assessments of CM and an overarching child rights framework that can be applied in different hospital and community settings. Pre-reading material including relevant documents on child rights, CM and forensic assessments will be used as guides.

Workshop expectations

Participants will gain skills in clinical quality improvement strategies, as well as incorporating a child rights framework into clinical assessments of CM.

Authors

Shanti Raman (South Western Sydney Local Health District)
Deborah Hodes (University College London NHS Foundation Trust)
Paul Hotton (Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick)
Sarah Al-Jilaihawi (Central and Northwest London NHS Foundation Trust)

Topic Area

Multi-disciplinary Interagency Approaches (MDIA) and Child Protection Units [Micromanageme

Session

Workshop11 » Session 2- Multidisciplinary Interagency Approaches (14:15 - Tuesday, 3rd October, Asia Room)

Presentation Files

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