This two-day course (Day 1 in London and Day 2 online via Zoom), with mandatory activities to be completed before and during the course, provides paediatricians with the skills required to fulfil these duties.
- RCPCH member - Trainee and SAS/Locally employed Doctor: £440
- RCPCH member - Consultant: £495
- Non-RCPCH member: £670
Overview
Course dates: (you must be able to attend both days):
- Wednesday 4 March 2026 (in London), 09:15 - 17:00 and
- Wednesday 25 March 2026 (online), 09:00 - 13:30
Please note: This course is based on English and Welsh law. A Scottish law-based course is held separately. For more details and to register your interest, please go to RCPCH Learning.
The RCPCH has developed this popular and successful course in conjunction with medical and legal experts who bring vast amounts of experience from within the safeguarding sector.
You will look at types of abuse commonly observed in child protection cases as well as the associated multi-agency processes such as strategy discussions where the medical perspective is crucial to determining the best outcome for the child.
You will gain understanding of the structure, language and specifications of professional witness reports expected by different court systems that will help guide you to prepare and submit a report in advance of Day 2 of this course.
You will also be given the opportunity to testify in a mock trial scenario using your submitted report with dedicated legal experts providing guidance and feedback to help build your confidence.
One of the best courses I have done, helped to improve my confidence as well. The mock trial part was particularly helpful.
Course aim
To equip paediatricians involved in child protection cases with the skills to gather evidence as part of clinical practice and effectively present this within multi-agency collaborations, professional witness reports and court testimony.
This was a fantastic course which I will be recommending to everyone!
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course you will be able to:
- Deal with common child protection concerns that arise in your clinical practice
- Present the medical perspective of a child protection assessment within multi-agency meetings
- Appear as a professional witness (having written a report to the court’s required specifications) with the skills and confidence required to provide the best possible outcomes for the child
The faculty are experts in their field, and it was a pleasure interacting with them.
Target audience
- Paediatric specialty (ST5-7) trainees
- SAS/locally employed doctors
- Consultant paediatricians
I will be much more confident applying my experience alongside the research to form an opinion. That will mean if and when I am called to court, I will feel much more prepared.
Mandatory course requirements
Please take these activities into consideration when planning study leave/funding arrangements for this course
- Prior viewing of pre-recorded online lectures (of around 3 hours’ duration) via the College’ s RCPCH Learning platform
- Submission of professional witness report (based on a case allocated by the College on Day 1) which will be used in your mock trial session - this must be received by 9am on Monday 16th March (if not submitted, you will not be able to participate in the mock trial session). Please ensure you schedule time to write your report between 5th March and 16th March.
Technical requirements (for Day 2)
- Windows or Mac computer (laptop/desktop or tablet)
- An internet connection – broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE). Minimum bandwidth is 600kbps (up/down) and recommended is 1.5 Mbps (up/down)
- Microphone and speaker - either using:
- the built-in microphone/speaker
- a headset connected to your laptop/desktop or tablet
- Webcam - either using:
- the built-in webcam
- separate webcam connected to your laptop/desktop or tablet