Urgent Call For National Child Protection Commission In The UK

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 28 May 2009 - 23:00 PDT

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In this week´s edition of The Lancet, the chief editorial makes a crucial request for the establishment of a National Child Protection Commission in the UK. This urgent petition is subsequent to three conflicting decisions "made a mockery of child protection in the UK and Ireland by further adding to the confusion around how best to protect vulnerable children".

There is mention of the reports into child abuse in Catholic church-run institutions in Ireland. This outlook discusses the Baby Peter case and the ruling by the UK High Court to refuse the appeal from pediatrician Dr David Southall. This doctor was suspended by the General Medical Council after allegedly accusing a mother of murdering her son. Ed Balls, the UK Secretary of State for Children, Schools, and Families, declares that all professionals involved in child protection should take action firstly for the child and not be deceived by parents. However, Dr Southall has remained excluded from the medical register for doing just that, which the editorial qualifies as "incomprehensible".

The different opinions among pediatricians and child protection professionals are reviewed in the editorial, as well as what is the best approach to use for different types of abuse. "Clearly there is no overall consensus among professionals on how to best serve the very people they try to protect - children", it observes.

"Paediatricians need to speak up loudly and take the lead in a concerted effort to change the current, clearly inadequate system in the most appropriate way. The government should put the Children's Commissioner in charge to urgently set up a National Child Protection Commission that reviews all the evidence emerging from national and international data and devise evidence-based recommendations on how best to protect vulnerable children", it says in conclusion.

"Society has the collective responsibility to do justice to the memories of 30,000 Irish victims, Baby Peter, Victoria Climbié, Ainlee Labonte, and all the other countless and nameless victims of damaging and life-threatening child abuse."

"Urgent: a UK Commission on Child Protection"
Vol 373 May 30, 2009
The Lancet

Written by Stephanie Brunner (B.A.)
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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