Abstract
This paper aims to define the types of child abuse and how this may present to the dental team. It briefly outlines actions which should be taken if and when safeguarding concerns may arise.
References
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Child Safeguarding in Dental Practice – What you need to know
From Volume 45, Issue 10, November 2018 | Pages 973-976
Article
In the UK in 2016, over 58,000 children were placed on Child Protection Plans (CPPs) because they were considered by local authorities either to be suffering from abuse or to be at risk of abuse.1 Over the past 10 years, the numbers of children on CPPs and number of children in Local Authority Care (those removed from the family home) have increased.2 This is thought to be at least in part due to increased reporting by both professionals and members of the public. There have also been increases in numbers of police-recorded child sexual offences and indecent image offences over the past few years.2 Safeguarding children is one of the General Dental Council's recommended topics for CPD,3 whilst keeping people safe and safeguarding them from abuse forms an important strand of one of the key lines of enquiry for Care Quality Commission inspections.4
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