or carers viewing their medical records. Occasionally, it is
necessary to share information about a child against their
wishes, especially where abuse is suspected.
Safeguarding children
Safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility—and
nurses play a key role. For services to be effective, each
professional and organisation must play their full part and
provide help as soon as a problem emerges concerning the
welfare and safety of children. There are well-established
signs of harm that nurses must learn to recognise; if they see
any of these signs, they must take steps to safeguard the child
or children involved.
A new document effective from March 2015, Working
together to safeguard children (Department of Education,
2015), gives statutory guidance on inter-agency working
to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Updating
and replacing the 2013 version, it covers the legislative
requirements and expectations on individual services to
safeguard and promote the welfare of children. It also gives
a clear framework for local safeguarding children boards
(LSCBs) to monitor the effectiveness of local services. In
this new guidance, safeguarding and promoting welfare are
defined as: