Listening to the voice of the child; how to take a child-centred approach to child protection medical assessments

BackgroundThe UN Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasises that a child’s wishes and feelings are considered when making decisions about their lives. Research however has demonstrated that professionals do not... [ view full abstract ]

Background

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasises that a child’s wishes and feelings are considered when making decisions about their lives. Research however has demonstrated that professionals do not consistently listen to the voice of the child in child protection processes.

The London Borough of Camden has a large diverse population with many socially vulnerable children. Paediatricians working in Camden are actively involved in safeguarding processes. Through peer-reviewed clinical assessments and high quality governance work, we have developed a child-centred approach to paediatric safeguarding assessments, placing the voice of the child at the core of all we do.

 Workshop objectives:

• To outline a framework for making all paediatric safeguarding assessments child-centred.
• To describe different methods for eliciting and recording the voice of the child during paediatric safeguarding assessments.
• To summarise themes identified in what children and young people are telling us at child protection medicals.
• To establish ways of ensuring the child’s voice is included in health recommendations made after paediatric safeguarding assessments.

Methods

We will present local audit data and peer-reviewed clinical methods to describe how we developed our child-centred approach to paediatric safeguarding assessments. We will demonstrate various techniques for eliciting the voice of the child and use case studies to highlight common challenges.  Participants will be provided with an opportunity to take part in interactive role-play to develop their own skills in child-centred communication.

Workshop expectations

Relevant pre-reading work on the voice of the child will be distributed. Participants can expect to take part in a highly informative and interactive session focusing on development of their communication and child advocacy skills.