Development of an introductory course in child protection

The maltreatment of children is a significant public health and social problem. Healthcare professionals have a crucial role to play working with other agencies to protect children from abuse and neglect. The need for training, support and clinical supervision in this work has been identified. This article discusses the collaborative work that led to the establishment of an introductory course in child protection (English National Board 970) at one school of nursing and midwifery and outlines the benefits of undertaking such a course. The course has attracted participants from a range of healthcare settings and has proved to be well evaluated and oversubscribed. Practitioners have returned to their work setting with increased awareness of child maltreatment and an understanding of the need for a proactive approach to child protection.