Professional development
As much of the learning related to safeguarding children and/or children in care takes place in practice, it is important to ensure spaces for yourself and others to reflect in order to improve care.
Below are the competencies relevant to professional development – please refer to the level 4 competencies in the intercollegiate document (2025) for more information.
Core
- possess expertise and communication skills to enable provision of supervision in safeguarding children and young people and children and young people in care, and engagement in peer supervision, and lead or ensure appropriate reflective practice is embedded in local organisations, including peer review for safeguarding children and young people
Additional – safeguarding
- possess clinical expertise and knowledge to support and lead peer review in relation to child protection medical examinations (where this is part of their job responsibility)
Suggested activities
- Supervision (receiving and providing)
- Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
- Reflective practice
- Peer support and networking
- Formal training and qualifications
Examples from experience
Keep a log of how many/types of medicals you are doing. This will be helpful when explaining your expertise in court or when considering readiness for a leadership role.
The RCPCH has developed guidelines for supervision and peer review to enable you and your colleagues to utilise these opportunities well.
You could consider volunteering with the RCPCH’s Child Protection Standing Committee or as an expert reviewer for critical appraisal and review leads.
Furthering knowledge about child protection or children in care is another avenue – this could be articles, abstracts or even formal research projects.
It’s also important that children and young people met in this work are approached in a trauma-informed manner. The National Trauma Transformation Programme has a wealth of resources and workshop to build your skills.