Safeguarding children
Safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility and all health organisations have a duty under the Children Act 2004 to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. National guidance highlights the need to improve outcomes for all children.
Our team is made up of lots of different healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses and midwives who are specially trained in safeguarding. We also have a Designated Nurse for Looked After Children, a medical advisor for adoption and fostering and safeguarding advisors and administrators.
We work closely the Designated Doctor and Nurse for Safeguarding and Looked After Children and Designated Doctor for Child Death in each of the local boroughs.
Locations
Kaleidoscope, Lewisham Centre for Children and Young People, 32 Rushey Green, London SE6 4JF
University Hospital Lewisham, Lewisham High Street, Lewisham, SE13 6LH
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Stadium Road, Woolwich, SE18 4QH
Contact
Safeguarding Children Advice Line (SCAL): 07867 843532
Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm.
For out of hours safeguarding advice, please speak to the hospital paediatricians by contacting the switchboard on the numbers below:
- University Hospital Lewisham 020 3300 3000
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital 020 8836 6000
Young person's guide to working together to safeguard children >>
What we do
The team covers a range of activities across the Trust to support staff meet their safeguarding children responsibilities. We work with multi-agency partners to promote the welfare of children and ensure timely information sharing and risk assessment occurs.
We provide:
- Regular supervision, support and advice on safeguarding children issues to ensure early help and prevention of abuse
- Safeguarding training to all staff
- Reflective learning forums for staff
- Medical assessments for children when suspected abuse has occurred
- Trust representation at local Safeguarding Children Board (SCB) meetings and task groups
- Assurance to the Trust Board, commissioners and SCBs about Safeguarding activity within LGT
- Contribution to Serious Case Reviews or multiagency reviews
- A liaison service on the Lewisham site to act as an information sharing link between hospital and community staff.
- A looked after children service including medical and health reports.
- Support for staff in writing reports for court and legal requests