Complaints against parents

Dear Ms Paish

I am writing further to your request for information regarding child protection.

I will now proceed to verify if the Trust holds this information and if it is releasable. Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act, I am obliged to inform you either on or before the 17th November 2010 whether or not I can accede to your request for this information. However, I will endeavour to process your request as quickly as possible.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

FOI Office
Information Governance
Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust

show quoted sections

Dear Ms Paish

Further to your request for information concerning child protection. The
Trust has answered your questions in the order they appear in your
request.

Please note that due to the number and size of the attachments, I will be
sending the documents in several emails.

1) Please list with a brief explanation and provide copies of all
documents that are used or are available for use at Exeter hospitals
relating to staff concerns about parents in relation to their treatment or
potential treatment of their children, including guidance, policies and
procedures, and forms for completion for internal use or for sending to
third parties.

Please see attached the following documents:

Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures

Paediatric Liaison Form

Children and Young People Referral Form

Purpose and Use of Paediatric Liaison Form and Referrals to Children and
Young People Service (CYPS)

What to do if your worried a child is being abused - Summary

Child Protection Card - This is a pocket sized card giving staff essential
safeguarding children information

Child Protection Leaflet

Working together to safeguard children - A guide to inter-agency working
to safeguard and promote the welfare of children

[1]www.swcpp.org.uk

2) Please state how those documents that are available for the internal or
external reporting of concerns about the treatment or potential treatment
of children by their parents are used, including descriptions of the
categories of third party that they are or may be sent to and the type of
information that is requested of those third parties, and the categories
of hospital staff that are authorised to complete such documents.

Please see attached the following documents:

Paediatric Liaison Form

Children and Young People Referral Form

These referral forms are available on the Trust intranet, for any member
of staff to complete. Paediatric Liaison Forms are sent to the GP, Health
Visitor and school nurses, as appropriate.

3) Please state what procedures are in place for ensuring that the views
of parents are taken into account before any documentation relating to the
treatment of a child by its parents is prepared for internal use or is
sent to any 3rd party, and what measures if any are taken if such
procedures are not followed.

Please see attached the following documents:

Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures

Child Protection Leaflet

What to do if your worried a child is being abused - Summary

Safeguarding Children - Information for Parents and Carers
Leaflet

The Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures, staff leaflet and `What
to do' summary all stress the importance of discussing concerns and
referral with parents, unless it is unsafe for the child to do so.

4) Please provide details of all training that has been provided to Exeter
hospital staff over the past 3 years relating to staff concerns as to the
treatment or potential treatment of children by their parents, including
copies of the training materials provided to staff.

Please see attached the following documents:

Child Protection Training Needs

Child Protection Training - self certify

Combined Child Protection and Induction Presentation

Child Protection Emergency Department Presentation

Safeguarding Children Presentation - update level 1

Safeguarding Children Presentation

The Child Protection Training Needs document outlines training
requirements in line with `Working Together to Safeguard Children' and the
Intercollegiate document, `safeguarding children and young people: roles
and competencies for healthcare staff'.

Level 3 multiagency training is provided by Devon Safeguarding Children
Board

5) Please provide details and copies of any section of any documentation
that you hold, contained in training materials, staff guidance or
elsewhere, that relates specifically to single parents.

No reference is made specifically to single parents

6) Please provide details and copies of any guidance, training or policy
or procedural documents relating to questions that should or may be asked
of parents who bring their child to the hospital for treatment. This
should include information in relation to questions that should or may be
asked specifically of single parents.

Please see attached the Paediatric Admissions Clinical Integrated
Documentation

7) Please provide details of the numbers of parents and carers in respect
of whom concerns have been raised

a) within the hospital, and

b) with 3rd parties (eg a GP, but not including Social Services) and

c) with Social Services relating to concerns about their treatment or
potential treatment of a child in their care, over the past 3 years.

Please also provide separate figures for the Accident and Emergency
Department and the Paediatrics Department respectively.

January 2010 to date:

349 CYPS referrals made by the Emergency Department (ED)

503 Paediatric Liaison Forms from ED/Day Case Unit

19 CYPS referrals from other areas in the Trust

Please note that prior to January 2010 the information requested was not
collated centrally and therefore it is not possible to provide figures.

8) Please provide the percentage of the numbers stated in response to
question 7) that relate to single parents.

This information is not collected

9) Please provide details and copies of any guidance, training, policy or
procedure relating to when a child should be kept in hospital after it has
been determined that there is no medical need for them to be kept in
hospital, and state what action would be taken if a parent removed their
child from hospital, when there was no medical reason for that child to be
kept in hospital but the hospital had stated that the child should
nonetheless remain in hospital.

Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures - please see attached

Children's Act 1989 and 2004

The hospital would work in partnership with the local authority and the
police if there was a legal requirement for a child to remain in hospital
as a place of safety until alternative accommodation could be found.

10) Please provide details of how many complaints have been made to your
organisation in respect of the Exeter hospitals by parents and carers over
the past 3 years relating to concerns raised with or about them relating
to their treatment or potential treatment of the child/ren in their care.

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11) Please provide details of any changes to practices, policies,
procedures or training that have been made at least partially in response
to the Baby P case and the concerns raised by it.

Please see attached the document named `Response to Review'

12) Please explain your policy on allowing parents to spend the night in
hospital with a sick or injured child, including your policy on a sibling
staying overnight where it is not possible for a parent to arrange
alternative childcare for them, and provide a copy of any relevant
documentation.

The Trust does not have a specific written policy regarding the above
question. There are facilities available on the paediatric ward for
parents to stay and the Trust would endeavour to accommodate requirements
to support families where practical and appropriate regarding
accommodation for siblings.

If you feel your enquiry has not been dealt with appropriately please
refer any complaints to the Health Records & Information Governance
Manager, who will initiate an internal complaint procedure. Complainants
who remain dissatisfied with the Trust at the end of the internal
complaint procedure have the right to take their complaint to the
Information Commissioner.

In order to enable us to make improvements in our service, I would be
grateful if you could kindly take a few moments of your time to fill out
the survey below.  If you have any comments that you would like to make
regarding the way your request was dealt with, please enter them in the
comments section.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further help.

Best Wishes

FOI Office

Information Governance

Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust

Barrack Road

Exeter

Devon

EX2 5DW

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Please return by reply email:

I am satisfied with the way my request was dealt with:         
    £

I am not satisfied with the way my request was dealt with:      £
(please insert comments below)

You do not have to take part in this survey if you do not wish to. 
Participation is voluntary and your decision not to take part will in no
way affect your care or relationship with staff now or in the future.

The comments you provide are given to help us monitor and improve the
service we provide.

A summary of the survey findings will be published on the Trust website on
a regular basis along with details of service improvements made.

All the information you provide will be received in the strictest of
confidence and will only be handled by the Information Governance
Office.  The information will be anonymised immediately upon receipt and
the Trust will only store these anonymised results.  Your personal
details will then be deleted, and therefore will not be linked to the
information you have provided.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.swcpp.org.uk/

Dear Ms Paish

Please see attached further documentation regarding your Freedom of
Information request.

Best Wishes

FOI Office

Information Governance

Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust

Barrack Road

Exeter

Devon

EX2 5DW

Dear Ms Paish

Please see attached further documentation regarding your Freedom of
Information request.

Best Wishes

FOI Office

Information Governance

Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust

Barrack Road

Exeter

Devon

EX2 5DW

Dear Ms Paish

Please see attached further documentation regarding your Freedom of
Information request.

Best Wishes

FOI Office

Information Governance

Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust

Barrack Road

Exeter

Devon

EX2 5DW