Safeguarding children is of paramount importance in modern society. Professionals work hard to identify potential problems in the community, and all National Health Service (NHS) workers, teachers and social workers undergo rigorous safeguarding training to detect and try to prevent child maltreatment. However, recent media coverage of two cases has highlighted the myriad challenges in this field, particularly the impact of clinical decision making in suspected physical abuse, and raises the question: are we getting it right? The Sunday Times recently covered two court cases in which children were removed from their parents following a provisional diagnosis of maltreatment. This raises several overlapping issues in this field, including diagnostic uncertainty, when it is appropriate to remove a child following an initial diagnosis and the court’s overarching non-medical role in safeguarding our children.

Source: The Times December 21, 2021 22:38 UTC