If you’re looking or adult safeguarding → Adult Safeguarding
Safeguarding registers for each site can be found on Teams → go to relevant surgery Team → go to Safeguarding channel (click See all channels if you can’t see Safeguarding) → find the relevant register in the top navigation bar
Introduction to Safeguarding
Safeguarding Leads
- Penrose Health Lead: Dr Sarah Hawxwell
- Deputy: Dr Catriona Brodie
Site Leads:
Key Contacts
Recognising abuse
Here are some resources that you can use to recognise signs of abuse:
- Clinical features of maltreatment → CG89 Child maltreatment: when to suspect maltreatment in under 18s
- Other factors which may be of concern → Section 1 of the Child safeguarding toolkit
- Recognising radicalisation → Prevention of Radicalisation
- ED / Out of Hours attendance of a child from a known vulnerable family → a member of the team should initiate contact with the family once the surgery is informed
Was not brought
Children not being brought to health appointments can be a sign of neglect or other abuse. You can find out more on our Late Arrivals, DNAs & WNB page.
In all cases, it is important to document your actions and reasons for them.
Referrals & escalations
Click the toggle below to see how to make a child safeguarding referral based on your borough:
Lambeth Safeguarding Children Partnership
Escalation pathways for each boroughs’ safeguarding services can be found in the service pages above.
Managing allegations against staff
The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is responsible for managing allegations against adults that work with children. All allegations must be taken seriously and immediate action must be taken to protect others at risk of harm or abuse.
GP-HV Meetings
Meetings between GPs and HVs should be held every 4-6 weeks. More than 2 people should be present at each meeting, and the proforma used.
Child exploitation
Child exploitation is a form of abuse. Exploited children should be treated as victims of abuse, not as offenders (although other children may also be the perpetrators of the abuse). It is vital that language is used which adequately describes the children’s experience and does not place any blame on them.
Lambeth and Lewisham have specialist referral pathways for child exploitation — find out how to refer on:
Lewisham Multi-Agency Child Exploitation (MACE) Strategy
Lambeth Multi-Agency Violence & Exploitation (MAVE) Panel
Fabricated illness
Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII) occurs when a parent or carer exaggerates or deliberately causes symptoms of illness in a child. The parent or carer may not necessarily intend to deceive doctors, but their behaviour is likely to harm the child so is considered a form of abuse.
See a full definition below as well as related terminology. Also see alerting signs of possible FII to look out for, and what to do in the case of definite or probable FII, or perplexing presentations.
Read more about this here - Safeguarding Lewisham - FII and PP