Looking out for vulnerable children
Protecting and keeping our children safe from harm is a key aim of the new Vulnerable Children Act 2014. It is also the
subject of the first Issue of Policy Brief, a new publication that has been developed and written by the Royal New
Zealand College of General Practitioners(RNZCGP) Policy Team.
“We felt that the Act was a great topic in which to begin our Policy Brief series, as the impact of this Act will be
felt by GPs, and we wanted a platform in which the College could provide accurate and timely information around policy
issues which directly affect general practice” says Jeanette McKeogh, Group Manager - Quality, Research and Policy The
Act, which was passed in June of this year, introduced new requirements for children’s worker safety checking. This is
based on the idea that consistent vetting and screening will better assess whether people will pose a risk to children
and also aid in the prevention of known abusers from working with children.
Details are still being finalised around exactly what procedures and steps will be required to be followed, but what is
known is that the new screening and vetting regime will be phased in, to allow those affected to work through the
process with their staff.
The implications for health care providers and GPs in particular are discussed in the policy brief document, with an
overview of how the process might operate and some practical implications around what this might mean for GPs and
practice teams.
McKeogh sees that “going forward, we will use the Policy Brief publication to keep the sector informed on a range of key
policy issues,affecting not only GPs but also the wider primary health care sector.'
The RNZCGP Policy Brief can be viewed here - www.rnzcgp.org.nz/policy-publications.
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