Key Constituent
Agencies
Leeds Health
April 2008
Safeguarding Children in Health
Within Leeds there are three health Trusts; the Leeds Primary Care Trust (PCT), the Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust (LTHT) and the Leeds Partnership Foundation Trust (LPFT).
The PCT commission’s the city wide Designated Child Protection Nurse and Doctor roles. These roles are a statutory requirement and have a responsibility to ensure that the whole health economy is included in the safeguarding children arrangements across the city. The Designated professionals provide expert advice for named staff within health and for external safeguarding agencies.
Each Trust is required to have a Named Doctor and a Named Nurse. The roles and responsibilities of the named and designated professionals within health are outlined within Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006. Each Trust has senior members of staff as members of the Leeds Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) who are committed to ensuring that safeguarding children is a priority for health organisations and that working together with other key partners to safeguard is supported.
The Specialist Child Protection Medical Service in Leeds provides clinical care and assessment for children who are suspected of being or have been abused or neglected. The service also provides supervision and advice to professionals, training, multi-agency working together for the protection of children and Clinical Governance activities relating to child protection. The Safeguarding Children Nursing Team provides expert advice, support and leadership to all health professionals and ensures systems are in place that facilitate and develop professional practice where it relates to the protection and safeguarding of the welfare of children. The Designated Nurse for Looked after Children is a member of the Safeguarding Children Nursing Team and co ordinate’s the health response to LAC across the city of Leeds.
The Trust’s each have an identified safeguarding children training strategy which is complimentary to the LSCB training programme and the Trusts are committed to releasing key staff to delivery multi-agency training and staff to attend required training. An E learning package on safeguarding children is in place and accessible to all three health trusts and General Practice staff across Leeds.
Since 31st March 2008 the PCT has committed resources to develop the Sudden Unexpected Deaths in Childhood (SUDIC) Rapid Response Team, and has increased resources to the LSCB to support the delivery of the Child Death Overview Processes.
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