Child sexual assault and the forensic examination (Level 3+, 4 and 5)

This two day online course is structured to equip paediatricians with both the technical and forensic skills to obtain high quality samples, and the knowledge and understanding of the physical, emotional and procedural considerations of managing children who have experienced suspected sexual assault.

On this page:

VisualV1 - Arrow Created with Sketch. What is the course about?
VisualV1 - Arrow Created with Sketch. Target Audience
VisualV1 - Arrow Created with Sketch. Learning Aims, Objectives and Outcomes
VisualV1 - Arrow Created with Sketch. Faculty Lead
VisualV1 - Arrow Created with Sketch. Delegate feedback
VisualV1 - Arrow Created with Sketch. Add your name to the waiting list

What is the course about?

This two day online course is structured to equip paediatricians with both the technical and forensic skills to obtain high quality samples, and the knowledge and understanding of the physical, emotional and procedural considerations of managing children who have experienced suspected sexual assault.

This course supports delegates to meet their Level 3, 4 and 5 safeguarding competencies.

 

 

Target Audience

  • Consultant paediatricians and experienced doctors currently working with children who have experienced suspected sexual assault.
  • Senior trainees with a declared specialist interested in child safeguarding (including participation in the safeguarding SPIN module) intending to work in the field of paediatric sexual offenses medicine in the near future.

 

 

Learning Aims, Objectives and Outcomes:

Course aims:

  • The anatomical and physiological changes to the genital tract across the paediatric age group
  • The range of techniques employed in paediatric detailed genital examination and the indications of their use
  • The considerations when taking forensic samples to ensure effective capture and investigation (including avoidance of contamination, choice of samples, method of sampling, labelling and chain of evidence)
  • How issues of consent, capacity and information governance relate to the examination of suspected child sexual assault
  • The emotional impact of child sexual assault and need to make appropriate referrals for support
  • The current evidence base for findings in child sexual assault and the RCPCH The Physical Signs of Child Sexual Abuse (‘Purple book’)
  • The course has given me confidence to do CSA medicals, how to examine children correctly and be able to describe my findings at assessment and what that means for a child. I now can appreciate how to triage referrals and know what is involved with examining puberty.

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this course you will be able to:

  • Recognise and accurately describe findings associated with child sexual assault
  • Take high quality forensic samples from children and young people that can be used in police investigations
  • Recognise organic conditions which may be found incidentally or which may present as possible child sexual abuse and other injuries
  • Appropriately screen for STIs, risk of pregnancy and risk of Hep B and HIV and initiate appropriate treatment
  • Write high-quality evidence-based statements

 

 

Faculty Leads

Dr Jamie Carter

Dr Carter is a Consultant Paediatrician working in Brighton & Hove and is the Designated Doctor for Child Protection for Brighton and Hove CCG and West Sussex. He has completed a Fellowship in the Child Protection Unit at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Australia and is trained in the forensic assessment of children who have been suspected of being sexually abused. Dr Carter is the LSCB board Lead for CSA and chairs the LSCB CSE subgroup and has developed and delivered training in a number of areas to varied audiences as well as worked as an expert witness in the area of child protection.

Dr Jo Gifford

Dr Gifford is a Consultant Community Paediatrician in Coventry and Designated Doctor for Child Safeguarding Coventry & Warwickshire. She is the current Child Sexual Abuse Expert Lead on the RCPCH Child Protection Standing Committee, and RCPCH rep on the FFLM Academic Committee. She is Project Co-Lead on the Physical Signs of Child Sexual Abuse 3rd Ed (“purple book”). Specialising in CSA since 2005, she is an experienced paediatric forensic examiner and Expert Witness. She has previously been Clinical Lead for a large regional Paediatric SARC service. She has teaches widely on child safeguarding and child sexual abuse topics, including having developed a comprehensive CSA training package, on which this course is based. She help develop the equivariant experience route to FFLM licentiate in sexual offences medicine (child) and has recently submitted her own portfolio and COVE.

 

Delegate feedback

The course has given me confidence to do CSA medicals, how to examine children correctly and be able to describe my findings at assessment and what that means for a child. I now can appreciate how to triage referrals and know what is involved with examining puberty.

Very well taught, really good pre-lectures and expert knowledge on the day, very well delivered, I feel very well prepared for what for me will be a new role.

 

Waiting list

Next scheduled instance of the course: Summer 2023

Add your name to the waiting list