The CHILD safeguarding simulation study: Co-designed cHild-centred Interprofessional Learning through Dialogue for...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Child Protection
• Interprofessional Collaboration

Background:

• Over one billion children globally experience violence annually, with child safeguarding education often fragmented.
• Current child safeguarding training occurs in professional silos, lacking a multi-professional approach.
• Effective communication in emotionally charged situations is crucial for child safeguarding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate an interprofessional simulation-based education course for experienced emergency department healthcare professionals.
• To enhance participants' ability to collaboratively address child safeguarding concerns.
• To improve communication and reporting skills in child protection cases.

Main Methods:

• An in-person, two-day interprofessional course was delivered to 32 healthcare professionals (medicine, nursing, social work).
• Data collection included participant demographics, interviews, focus groups, and observational field notes.
• Landscapes of practice theory was used to analyze the collected data.

Main Results:

• Three key themes emerged: collaborative learning, the medium of language, and creating a safe space.
• Participants demonstrated increased knowledge and confidence in reporting child safeguarding concerns.
• The course facilitated interprofessional learning within newly formed teams during simulated scenarios.

Conclusions:

• The co-designed course fostered a shared understanding of safeguarding as an interdependent responsibility.
• Psychologically safe environments with authentic scenarios improved participants' ability to manage uncertainty and reporting decisions.
• The course developed a shared safeguarding lexicon and highlighted the importance of psychological safety, collaboration, and the child's voice in education.