National review webinar series - Workshop 6

“Safeguarding partners should ensure that there are local pathways for referring children for appropriate forensic medical and other health assessments, for both recent and non‑recent sexual abuse, and that safeguarding practitioners understand them.”

National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment (2024)

About the workshop

This is the final workshop of six online sessions to support safeguarding partners to reflect, plan and lead the implementation the recommendations for safeguarding partners in England set out in the 2024 National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment.

The workshop is focused on Recommendation six, for safeguarding partnerships ensure that there are local pathways for referring children for appropriate forensic medical and other health assessments and that professionals understand what these pathways are. It will also discuss why it is important for health representatives with expertise assessments where recent or non-recent child sexual abuse is suspected to join strategy decisions.

During the session

This workshop will discuss the findings from the report that led to this recommendation specifically ensuing that safeguarding partners understand the important role health representatives have in strategy discussions and ensure all their staff know about and understand local pathways for forensic medical and other health assessments for children for recent and non-recent sexual abuse.

This will include what forensic medical and other health assessments are, why they are important for children, and resources to support practitioners speak with children and families about what to expect. This session will also cover who an appropriate health representative is and their contribution to strategy discussions about children, where there are concerns about possible sexual abuse.

About the speakers

Dr Alison Steele is a consultant general paediatrician and qualified forensic medical examiner specialising in safeguarding children. She is a member of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel and joined after many years experience as a medical professional in the North East, followed by work at Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Tavistock Hospital in London. She was the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health officer for child protection between 2018 and 2023.

What is the National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment?

In 2024, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published their National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment, conducted by the CSA Centre. It studied the experience of 193 individual children and uncovered significant and longstanding systemic issues in the identification of and response to child sexual abuse in family settings. Sadly, the review found that children who are sexually abused are frequently not being identified by practitioners, nor are they receiving the response needed for their ongoing safety and recovery.

The final report, "I wanted them all to notice": Protecting children and responding to child sexual abuse within the family environment, made 10 recommendations for national government and a further six recommendations for local safeguarding partnerships which they can implement immediately without waiting for changes at a national level.

About the workshop series

This is part Five in our Strengthening multi-agency leadership in responding to intra-familial child sexual abuse series of workshops. Each free session takes a closer look at the recommendations of the National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment. Throughout the year we are holding five more workshops covering topics from improving professional knowledge, skills and practice, to how to talk to children about sexual abuse.