Confidence in child protection practice

doi:10.1136/bmj.a1063

Published 28 July 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a1063
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a1063

Letters

Professional conduct

Confidence in child protection practice

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health welcomes theguidance for expert witnesses produced by the General MedicalCouncil.¹ The key points describe the rules and legislationthat should be familiar to all paediatricians who attend court.It closely echoes the important statement from the Departmentof Health and the Department of Children, Schools, and Families.²This should protect the public and, importantly, paediatricianswho have felt vulnerable when giving evidence as expert or professionalwitnesses. Paediatricians are particularly involved in familycourts, and the GMC guidance should be read alongside the Handbookfor Expert Witnesses in Children Act Cases.³

However, the GMC must itself look to its own procedures.

Gornall describes the GMC’s withdrawal of the longstandingcase, partway through, against three paediatricians.⁴ We arepleased with this decision but remain concerned about the unnecessarydistress caused to doctors by unacceptable delays and the issuesaround potentially . . . [Full text of this article]

Patricia Hamilton, president¹, Rosalyn Proops, officer for child protection¹

¹ Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, London WC1X 8SH

rosalyn.proops@nnuh.nhs.uk