Child sexual assault and the forensic examination (Level 3+)
This two day in-person course is structured to equip paediatricians with both the technical and forensic skills to obtain high quality samples, and the knowledge and understanding of the physical, emotional and procedural considerations of managing children who have experienced suspected sexual assault.
What is the course about?
This two day in-person course is structured to equip paediatricians with both the technical and forensic skills to obtain high quality samples, and the knowledge and understanding of the physical, emotional and procedural considerations of managing children who have experienced suspected sexual assault.
Check out our current course listings (opens in same window) to see if this course is open for booking. If it’s not listed, register your interest below.
This course is next scheduled to run in the 2024/2025 academic year.
Target audience
- Consultant paediatricians and experienced doctors currently working with children who have experienced suspected sexual assault
- Paediatric specialty (ST5-7) trainees with a declared specialist interest in child safeguarding (including participation in the safeguarding SPIN module) intending to work in the field of paediatric sexual offences medicine in the near future
Course aims and learning outcomes:
Aim:
- To equip paediatricians with both the technical and forensic skills to obtain high quality samples, and the knowledge and understanding of the physical, emotional and procedural considerations of managing children who have experienced suspected sexual assault.
Learning outcomes:
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Recognise and accurately describe findings associated with child sexual assault
- Take high quality forensic samples from children and young people that can be used in police investigations
- Recognise organic conditions which may be found incidentally or which may present as possible child sexual abuse and other injuries
- Appropriately screen for STIs, risk of pregnancy and risk of Hep B and HIV and initiate appropriate treatment
- Write high-quality evidence-based statements.
Faculty leads
Dr Jamie Carter
Dr Jamie Carter, FRCPCH and LFLLM, is a Consultant Paediatrician working in paediatrics for the last 23 years and was the Assistant Child Protection Officer for the RCPCH until December 2018. This involved developing and delivering the RCPCH’s first Forensic Sexual Assault Best Practice Course in November 2018, which continues to run annually. He works in the Sussex SARC and in the role of Designated Doctor for Child Protection for Brighton and Hove & West Sussex. Jamie completed a Fellowship in the Child Protection Unit at Sydney Children's Hospital, Australia and am trained in the forensic assessment of children who have been sexually abused. Jamie has been undertaking expert witness work on CSA, specifically male signs, since 2016. He regularly teaches on all forms of child abuse including child sexual abuse on undergraduate and postgraduate courses as well as multi-agency audiences. Jamie was a chapter co-author and contributor to the 2024 RCPCH Physical Signs of Child Sexual Abuse.
Dr Jo Gifford
Dr Gifford is a Consultant Community Paediatrician in Coventry and Designated Doctor for Child Safeguarding Coventry & Warwickshire. She is the current Child Sexual Abuse Expert Lead on the RCPCH Child Protection Standing Committee, and RCPCH rep on the FFLM Academic Committee. She is Project Co-Lead on the Physical Signs of Child Sexual Abuse 3rd Ed purple book. Specialising in CSA since 2005, she is an experienced paediatric forensic examiner and Expert Witness. She has previously been Clinical Lead for a large regional Paediatric SARC service. She has teaches widely on child safeguarding and child sexual abuse topics, including having developed a comprehensive CSA training package, on which this course is based. She help develop the equivariant experience route to FFLM licentiate in sexual offences medicine (child) and has recently submitted her own portfolio and COVE.
Delegate feedback
I feel much more confident in delivering high quality care to children who have been victims of CSA. Thank you for an informative, engaging and well-run course.
I thoroughly enjoyed the course and was actually quite sad it came to an end. The knowledge of the speakers was amazing, and I could have sat and listened all day - brilliant course. The practical side and assessment were well organised.