Child neglect

The editorial ‘Child neglect: what does it have to do with general practice?’1 refers to the RCGP's ‘Grasping the nettle’ report 20042 that has been formative in developing RCGP guidance. This report mentions the still thorny issue of compulsion in the context of sharing information on a child or family about whom we have concerns, and the unresolved issue of whether we should require all children to have a ‘new patient medical’.

It was followed by the ‘Keep me safe strategy for child protection’3 in 2005 that set out to examine child protection as it relates to general practice, and proposed a unified and consistent approach to safeguarding issues, where neglect often goes with other forms of abuse, and can be recognised by GPs who have known the community and families for years. Neglect goes from generation to generation.

The RCGP was proactive in seeking partnership with the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in writing a collection of comprehensive and coherent educational tools that could be disseminated to all GPs for use in practice training and development to help resolve these issues. The Safeguarding Children and Young People Toolkit (2007, updated 20094) was born out of this vision.

The RCGP responded in writing5 to Lord Laming's report after Baby Peter's death, and has gone on to appoint a Child Health Clinical Champion 2010–2012. Far from neglecting the neglected, the champion has a mandate to form a strategy to prioritise those children most in need and enable GPs to give appropriate support.

Within the RCGP, the Primary Care Child Safeguarding Forum (PCCSF) works to encourage and resource GPs in all aspects of child safeguarding including neglect. We stand with the College's vision.

• © British Journal of General Practice, 2010.