Paediatricians
Paediatricians, by the nature of their work, come into contact with child abuse and will have taken steps to ensure that their skills of recognition of abuse and neglect are kept honed.
Consultant Paediatricians will be involved in complex diagnostic situations, differentiating those cases where abnormalities have been caused by abuse from those which have a medical cause. They will be sensitive to clues suggesting that additional support is needed within a family or that additional enquiries need to be made.
The GMC guidance on 0 to 18 years can be accessed from their web site. An extract of responsibilities in child protection cases is filed in the Document Library.
Some work may involve forensic medical examination. In such cases they will ensure that they are competent to undertake such a process and, in cases of doubt, will seek to work with a colleague who is a forensic medical examiner. (See Guidance on Paediatric Forensic Examinations In Relation To Possible Child Sexual Abuse [2004]) If called to give evidence or present a report to a court, Consultants will act within the guidance given by the GMC and their professional bodies. Where they act as independent expert witnesses to a court they will have regard to the guidance issued by the Academy of Royal Colleges. (See Medical Expert Witness: Guidance from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges [2005] information available at http://www.aomrc.org.uk)