Staff member to lead on child protection
In a busy dental practice there are many important clinical governance issues competing for time and attention. Appointing an individual staff member to lead on child protection can be an effective way of ensuring that this issue is not overlooked.
You will need to:
The person
The child protection lead should be someone who:
is a good listener
has respect for confidential information
is able to handle difficult or distressing issues sensitively
thinks before taking action.
The child protection lead could be:
-
a dentist or any other suitably trained member of the dental team.
Their role
The role of the child protection lead might include the following duties:
keeping an up-to-date list of local contacts for child protection advice and referral
making this information readily available to staff
ensuring that
LSCB/ACPC procedures are available and up-to-date
organising staff training
auditing practice
keeping details of local sources of confidential emotional support for staff (this might be needed by staff who are involved in distressing child protection cases, or who have been abused themselves or observed abuse in their families).
See also Finding your local contacts for information to support these activities.