Child Protection

Clinical Lead: Vacant

Network Manager: Vacant

Administrator: Lauren Boag

The Managed Clinical Network (MCN) covers the Health Boards encompassed by the North of Scotland: NHS Grampian, NHS Highland, NHS Orkney, NHS Shetland, NHS Tayside and NHS Western Isles. The MCN is accountable to the North Region Child Protection MCN Steering Group and also reports to the Child Health Clinical Planning Group. The Child Health Clinical Planning Group reports through the Regional Director to the north Chief Executives.

The aim of the MCN for Child Protection is to support clinical service in examination and treatment of children and young people who may have suffered from suspected physical, sexual or psychological maltreatment or neglect.  The MCN supports general, specialist and community paediatricians to be confident and competent within child protection work both in the community and acute settings and develop child protection standards and protocols regionally.  We provide regional programmes for training and peer review that compliment existing health board arrangements for paediatricians.  We contribute to the National data collection strategy and collaborate with the other Regional Child Protection MCNs in Scotland. We continue to support child sexual abuse services, such as peer review and regional out of hours rota, to ensure the delivery of consistent, equitable, high quality services to meet the needs of children, young people and their families in the North of Scotland.

Children are mainly referred by police and social workers in accordance with the local Child Protection Procedures. Some examinations may involve Specialist Paediatricians and Forensic Physicians (FPs).