Roles of safeguarding professionals and organisations

Roles of Safeguarding Professionals & Organisations

Local children’s social care teams across ABUHB

Where there are concerns that a child is suffering or at risk of suffering significant harm a report should be made to the local authority children’s social care.

Local authorities have a duty to make enquiries under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 if they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm, to enable them to decide whether they should take any action to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare.

GP practice child safeguarding lead

Provides advice, support and monitoring of child safeguarding policy and practice within each GP practice. This person will link with their local named GP (see below).

Local named GP for child safeguarding

Named professionals have a key role in promoting good professional practice within their organisation, providing advice and expertise for fellow professionals, and ensuring safeguarding training is in place within a local area. This is mainly within healthcare but will also include advice on health matters related to safeguarding practice to police, children’s social services and other statutory and voluntary agencies. This person will link closely with GP practice leads and support the work of the local safeguarding children board including engaging health colleagues with learning lessons from local Child Practice Reviews​​​​​​.

Named Doctor and Named Nurse for Child Safeguarding

The term Named doctor or nurse denoes professionals with specific roles and responsibilities for safeguarding children, including the provision of strategic advice and guidance to organisational boards across the health community (including the local safeguarding children board) and the provision of leadership and support to the local named GPs and the named professionals in hospital and community trusts.