Forensic Paediatrics A Report by the Short Life Working Group

Short Life Working Group

1. The SLWG was constituted by the Scottish Government in response to concerns raised by Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) regarding the provision of forensic paediatric services across Scotland. The SLWG comprised specialist paediatricians in forensic paediatrics, general paediatricians from District General Hospitals, members of the RCPCH, Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine (FFLM), representatives from Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and police. The full membership list is at Annex A. It met four times with the aim of exploring sustainable models of service provision for access to “specialist” child protection medical expertise during and outwith office hours, which fit with the present configuration of paediatric services. Although the remit of the group was to explore the provision of forensic services for children who had been sexually abused, it was recognised that the demand for forensic medical examination of children with physical injury and neglect, far outweighs the present demand for CSA.  Therefore, recommendations for the service for physical abuse and neglect were also discussed and considered as equally important to sustain and improve.