Abstract

CSM collects information about safeguarding services and NHS responsibilities for safeguarding children as set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children (2006). At the organisation level, this covers PCT requirements to provide designated doctors and nurses and NHS Providers (of children's health and/or maternity services, including PCT providers) to provide named doctors and nurses or midwives. Until the 2009/10 exercise, PCT commissioners were also asked about the inclusion of safeguarding standards in contracts and the arrangements in place for the assessment and examination of children suspected of being physically and sexually abused. From 2007 onwards, NHS Providers have been asked questions about the availability of assessments and examinations of children suspected of being physically and sexually abused and features of these services. In the 2009/10 exercise, both PCTs and NHS Providers were asked a range of questions about their safeguarding processes and structures. Local authorities, on behalf of their Children's Trusts, were asked to report on the frequency of meetings between the Children's Trust Board lead and the Chair of the LSCB.

At the service level some data is also collected about safeguarding. Since 2005, this has included a safeguarding service type within the mapping service classification and a question about the 24/7 features of the service. From 2008/09, safeguarding services were also asked to report if they were child protection teams or provided therapeutic work or trained staff about safeguarding. In the 2009/10 exercise, additional safeguarding questions were asked of some specific service types and categories. This included asking all child health in the community and hospital services about the percentage of clinical staff with 24 hour on-call access to clinicians with safeguarding experience. Maternity units were asked questions about clinical staff access to information from police and social services; joint working policies with social services; multi-agency pre-birth assessment systems and training in handling domestic abuse disclose.

Data issues

Organisation-level safeguarding questions were introduced to the mapping exercise in 2007 and focus on NHS responsibilities. LCSBs and local authority safeguarding activity is monitored through different data collections and care is taken to avoid duplication. There was a change to the safeguarding questions asked at the organisation level in the 2009/10 exercise as questions from the 2009 Care Quality Commission "Safeguarding Children Review" were adapted and asked in the mapping exercise. There were also additional questions asked at the service level in the 2009/10 exercise and a question about safeguarding was included in the Children's Trust questionnaire. Please note that not all PCT commissioners, NHS Providers and local authorities completed the relevant questionnaires.

Relevant Policy Documents

• PHLAC: Department of Health (2002) Promoting the health of looked after children. London: TSO. P22.
• SARC: Association of Chief Police Officers (2002) Sexual assault referral centre (SARCs). Getting started. Published online at: www.caada.org.uk/library_resources/sarcs-getting-started.
• NSF: Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills (2004) National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services. Core Standards. Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills. (Standard 5)
• WT: HM Government (2006) Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. London: TSO.
• SCYPRC: The Royal Colleges (2006) Safeguarding Children and Young People: Roles and Competences for Health Care Staff - Intercollegiate Document. Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
• LSCB: Department for Education and Skills (2007) Local Safeguarding Children Boards: A Review of Progress. London: TSO
• SGSW: HM Government (2007) Statutory guidance on making arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children under section 11 of the Children Act 2004. Department for Children, Schools and Families.
• SCYPGP: The Royal College of General Practitioners (2007) Safeguarding Children and Young People: A Toolkit for General Practice. Royal College of General Practitioners and National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. (revised 2009)
• SLRH: Her Majesty's Government (2008) Saving lives. Reducing Harm. Protecting the public. An action plan for tackling violence. TSO: London.
• SCRG: Care Quality Commission (2009) 'Healthcare Commission Safeguarding Children Review 2009: Questionnaire Handbook: Background notes and guidelines.'
• SCR: Care Quality Commission (2009) 'Safeguarding Children: A review of arrangements in the NHS for safeguarding children.' Care Quality Commission: London.