July 14, 2009
The Ministry of Children and Family Development is crediting paramedics with helping keep BC's children safe, by significantly increasing reports of suspected child abuse and neglect. This notable accomplishment follows the October 2007 release of BCAS' Recognition and Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect course, which child protection workers are attributing to the changes they are noticing in the field.
"Since the release of [the course] the Ministry of Children and Family Development have seen a considerable increase in the recognition and reporting of high risk situations by paramedics," said Dr. Jean Hlady, Director, Child Protection at Children's and Women's Hospital in Vancouver. "Early recognition is critical to successful abuse intervention and the Ministry is very pleased with the impact BCAS training has had on increasing the number of reports submitted by paramedics."
Developed in response to British Columbia's Child, Family and Community Service Act and BCAS policy 8.3.3 Reporting Child Abuse, the purpose of the course is to provide paramedics with the information they need to recognize indicators of child abuse and neglect and appropriately document and report their suspicions.
"Paramedics are in the unique position of entering homes during times of crisis and may become aware of situations unknown to child protection authorities," said Director, Clinical Education Drew Burgwin. "Through the course, we hope to enhance and improve the safety and welfare of children in BC by providing paramedics with the confidence and expertise to effectively manage situations involving suspected child abuse."
Social workers and physicians are also extremely impressed with the quality of the information captured in paramedic reports since the training, as well as their consistency in identifying suspicious cases.
