A NEW safeguarding toolkit to help those working with children in Solihull identify worrying injuries or bruises has been launched.
A child protection medical assessment toolkit has been developed by health, social care and police and is aimed at anyone who has safeguarding responsibilities for children of any age – including nursery and teaching staff, voluntary organisations, health and social care professionals and police officers.
The toolkit includes a step-by-step guide for professionals to follow if they have concerns about any marks, bruises or injuries as well as a screening tool graphic to help professionals to quickly recognise concerning bruising on the body.
The toolkit also provides guidance around what a child protection medical assessment is and explanations of language and medical terms that may be used in reports.
Lisa Stalley Green, chief nursing officer and chair of Solihull Safeguarding Children’s Partnership, said: “The development of this toolkit is a really positive step in strengthening safeguarding processes in Birmingham and Solihull.
“We have listened to feedback and taken on board learning from sad cases in our area of practice and have an improved suite of resources that have 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.”
Pete Campbell, director of Children’s Services in Solihull, said: “I very much welcome this toolkit which is informed by best practice and equips practitioners to respond to this challenging area of work with confidence.
“A consistent and clear approach, which keeps the child’s needs at the centre, is essential when different agencies are working together.
“We work together to achieve the best outcomes for children and their families, and this new toolkit will greatly help us towards this goal.”
