Child Protection
May 2010
David Campbell, Consultant Paediatrician was asked by Mariya Ali, Deputy Health Minister, to look at local child protection practices. Since David provides part of the child protection service in Sheffield, in conjunction with a police medical officer and specialists in child protection, he was able to make useful recommendations regarding scope for improving services for vulnerable children. He noted that whilst Social Services had robust written procedures for dealing with suspected child abuse, there were gaps in its delivery. For example, there was often no paediatrician or gynaecologist available to examine a child. Also, the process between reporting and prosecuting did not appear to be working well in child protection cases in Fuvamulah. Police did not always collect statements from doctors and witnesses, photographic evidence was not routinely used and forensic specimens were often unuseable, leading to weaknesses in documentation of injuries. Further investigation is recommended to focus on medical report writing, police liaison and law enforcement work to bolster their approach to these problems.
The Child Protection Report can be viewed at Child Protection in Fuvahmulah 2010
