HCPC Safeguarding 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the term 'significant harm' mean in child safeguarding?
- Harm that is serious enough to warrant action to protect the child — used as the threshold for child protection proceedings under the Children Act 1989 (Correct answer)
- Any injury to a child regardless of severity
- Any neglect regardless of impact
- Harm only caused by physical violence
Correct answer: Harm that is serious enough to warrant action to protect the child — used as the threshold for child protection proceedings under the Children Act 1989
'Significant harm' (Children Act 1989 s47) is the threshold for compulsory intervention. It includes serious injury, chronic neglect, and emotional abuse where the impact significantly affects development or wellbeing.
Question 2: What is a 'Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub' (MASH)?
- A coordinated multi-agency team (social care, police, health, education) that receives, shares, and evaluates safeguarding information to decide appropriate responses (Correct answer)
- A charity providing support to abuse survivors
- A hospital ward for vulnerable patients
- An NHS commissioning team
Correct answer: A coordinated multi-agency team (social care, police, health, education) that receives, shares, and evaluates safeguarding information to decide appropriate responses
MASHs bring together professionals from different agencies to share information and decide the most appropriate response to safeguarding referrals, improving coordination and response times.
Question 3: A healthcare professional is treating a 15-year-old who discloses consensual sexual activity with a 16-year-old peer. Is this a safeguarding concern?
- Not automatically — assess maturity, consent, and context; report only if exploitation, significant age gap, or vulnerability indicators are present (Correct answer)
- Always report all teenage sexual activity as a safeguarding concern
- No reporting is required — sexual activity between teenagers is always expected
- Report to police regardless of circumstances
Correct answer: Not automatically — assess maturity, consent, and context; report only if exploitation, significant age gap, or vulnerability indicators are present
Consensual sexual activity between peers of similar age near the age of consent is not automatically a safeguarding concern. Professionals must assess for indicators of exploitation, coercion, or vulnerability before deciding to report.
Question 4: What is 'Female Genital Mutilation' (FGM) and what are the mandatory reporting obligations in England?
- A harmful cultural practice — healthcare professionals must notify police when they identify FGM in girls under 18 years (mandatory reporting duty since 2015) (Correct answer)
- A surgical procedure requiring standard referral
- A voluntary cosmetic procedure
- Reporting is encouraged but not mandatory
Correct answer: A harmful cultural practice — healthcare professionals must notify police when they identify FGM in girls under 18 years (mandatory reporting duty since 2015)
FGM Act 2003 and mandatory reporting duty (since October 2015): healthcare professionals must report to police when they identify or are told FGM has been carried out on a girl under 18. This is a legal obligation.
Question 5: What is a 'Domestic Homicide Review' (DHR)?
- A statutory review by Local Community Safety Partnerships when a person aged 16+ is killed by a family member or partner, to identify lessons for prevention (Correct answer)
- An inquest into all unexplained deaths
- A police investigation into domestic violence incidents
- A social care review of family support services
Correct answer: A statutory review by Local Community Safety Partnerships when a person aged 16+ is killed by a family member or partner, to identify lessons for prevention
DHRs review the circumstances of domestic homicides to identify how agencies could improve responses to domestic abuse, looking for missed opportunities for intervention that might have prevented the death.
Question 6: What is the 'Think Family' principle in safeguarding?
- When working with an adult or child, consider the impact on and risks to the whole family — adult concerns may indicate child protection issues and vice versa (Correct answer)
- Only work with the family unit, not individuals
- Think about the patient's extended family when booking appointments
- A NHS England administrative framework
Correct answer: When working with an adult or child, consider the impact on and risks to the whole family — adult concerns may indicate child protection issues and vice versa
'Think Family' recognises that safeguarding concerns rarely exist in isolation. A parent with mental health or substance misuse issues may also pose risks to children; adult and children's services must share information.
HCPC Safeguarding 3
What does the term 'significant harm' mean in child safeguarding?