What it covers

What safeguarding children means in a GP practice, who counts as a child, and why the child's welfare comes first. The signs of physical, emotional and sexual abuse and neglect, children who are not brought to appointments, and harm from outside the home, online, domestic abuse, FGM and forced marriage. What to do the same day when a child tells you something, who to tell, how to write it down, and when information is shared without a parent's consent.

Who it is for

Everyone in a GP practice, including volunteers. The RCGP places reception and administration at Level 1; the intercollegiate document and the CQC expect Level 2 where the role brings any contact with children or parents. Follow your practice policy.

By the end you will be able to

Say what safeguarding children means, who counts as a child, and where your part ends.
Recognise signs of physical, emotional and sexual abuse and neglect, including children not brought.
Recognise exploitation, online harm, domestic abuse, FGM and forced marriage as harm to children.
Know which children face greater risk, and how parents' problems can affect a child.
Respond when a child tells you something, act the same day, and record their words.
Know when information is shared without consent, how to escalate, and the laws behind it.

Modules

Your part in keeping children safe
Recognising abuse and neglect
Harm outside the home and online
When a child tells you
Sharing, escalating and speaking up

Reception managers, care navigators, HCAs and practice managers need Level 2; GPs, nurses and pharmacists need Level 3.

Content mapped to the learning outcomes of the Core Skills Training Framework (England) v1.1: Safeguarding Children, Level 1. Law named: Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004; Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026.

Sources

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GPAtlas is not accredited, verified or endorsed by Skills for Health or NHS England. Acceptance of this training is at the discretion of your employer, who remains responsible for confirming it meets local requirements. Your employer may require more frequent refreshers than the guidance period; the practice's own policy applies. Some pictures and films in our courses, and the film narration, are made with AI tools. We check every one for accuracy before we publish it.