Risk is present in all aspects of nursing practice, the management of these especially in an emergency department is an important part of everyday nursing and underpins many of the decisions we make every day (Braine 2006).
Around 3.5 million children per year attend Emergency Departments (EDs) in the UK. This equates to around 28% of the child population each year (RCN 2010). Children usually constitute 25-30% of all ED attendances. For any hospital, this represents three times the number of children attending pediatric outpatient clinics. About 90% of the children attending an ED will be seen and discharged without involvement of any in-patient team (RCN 2010). For the purposes of this essay a child is defined as anyone under the age of 18, as all this is included in all government policies. Accident and Emergency Services for Children was a document written in 1999 by representatives of several Royal Colleges and national organizations which made recommendations on the services and skills which EDs should provide in order to safeguard the care of children (RCPCH 2007). .
The statistics show the importance of safeguarding children and for picking up any signs of abuse, in the past 30 years the figures show that abuse and neglect have not decreased which are worrying and pressure groups such as the NSPCC and the public outcry from the Baby P case has ensured that the government is being pushed to ensure that children are safe. Almost one in five children today has experienced serious physical abuse, sexual abuse or severe physical or emotional neglect at some point in their lifetime. One to two children are killed each week, the majority by their parents or carers. There were a total of 21,493 sexual offenses against children recorded by police in the UK in 2011/12 and one in 10 children in the UK has been neglected. One in 14 children in the UK has been physically abused. .
Safeguarding Children remains a key priority for the current Coalition Government.
