Birmingham and Solihull ICS has launched a new safeguarding toolkit designed to help professionals working with children to identify and take appropriate action on concerning bruises, mark or injuries.
Partnerships across the police, health and social care sectors have facilitated the development of the child protection medical assessment toolkit, which is intended for anyone in the community who has safeguarding responsibilities for children.
The toolkit contains a step-by-step guide for professionals to follow if they have concerns about any marks or injuries alongside a screening tool graphic to help them recognise concerning bruises. It also provides guidance around what a child protection medical assessment is and a comprehensive breakdown of medical terms and language that may be used in reports.
Lisa Stalley Green, chief nursing officer and chair of Solihull Safeguarding Children’s Partnership explained that the toolkit has evolved as a result of ongoing feedback from local cases and has been “developed with and for professionals working with children, arming them with the guidance they need to better understand concerning bruises and empowering them to take action.”
Andy McHugh, detective chief inspector for the Public Protection Unit at West Midlands Police, said: “As a partnership we strive to learn and improve and have developed this new resource to better safeguard children. The toolkit and training not only raises awareness but provides a resource to use on a daily basis that educates on neglect and bruising and provides the necessary pathway to refer and react to child safeguarding concerns that arise.”
