Notifications for child safeguarding from an acute hospital in response to presentations to healthcare by parents

dc.contributor.authorGonzalez‐Izquierdo, A., Ward, A., Smith, P., Walford, C., Begent, J., Ioannou, Y., & Gilbert, R.
dc.date.accessioned2015-07-22T17:45:40Z
dc.date.available2015-07-22T17:45:40Z
dc.date.issued2015
dc.description.abstractBackground: Consideration of child safeguarding is routine within maternity services but less common in other health services for adults. We audited notifications for child safeguarding from an acute general hospital where the policy includes questioning adults presenting with violence, mental health problems or drug or alcohol misuse to any department within the hospital about children at home and notifying to the local authority children's social care services if there are safeguarding concerns. Methods: Cross-sectional audit of notifications for child safeguarding, including abuse, neglect or victimization, from all departments in one hospital to the local authority children's social care department during 12 months (2010/11). Results: Of 681 notifications (57 per month), 40% (270/681) were triggered by parents' presentation to acute hospital services. Of these, 37% (100/270; 12 teenage mothers) presented for maternity care and 60% (162/270; 8 teenage parents) presented to the emergency department (ED). Of the 60% (411/681) of notifications prompted by children presenting for healthcare, most originated from the ED (358/411; 87%): two-thirds of these presented with injury (250/358; 70%). Conclusion: Given a policy to ask adults about children at home, a substantial proportion of children notified for child safeguarding were recognized through presentations to acute healthcare by their parents. Further research and development of this policy needs to ensure that questioning results in effective interventions for the children and their parents. (Author Abstract)en_US
dc.identifier.citationGonzalez‐Izquierdo, A., Ward, A., Smith, P., Walford, C., Begent, J., Ioannou, Y., & Gilbert, R. (2015). Notifications for child safeguarding from an acute hospital in response to presentations to healthcare by parents. Child: care, health and development, 41(2), 186-193.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4340040/pdf/cch0041-0186.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11212/2348
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherChild: care, health and developmenten_US
dc.subjectchild abuseen_US
dc.subjectmandated reportingen_US
dc.subjectInternational Resourcesen_US
dc.subjectEnglanden_US
dc.subjectresearchen_US
dc.titleNotifications for child safeguarding from an acute hospital in response to presentations to healthcare by parentsen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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