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Education series bolstering GPs’ child wellbeing knowledge
GPs are encouraged to attend the RACGP Child Wellbeing in Focus webinar series, aimed at arming them with the tools to foster holistic child health.
The RACGP Child Wellbeing in Focus webinar series begins on 28 November with a presentation on ‘Nurturing futures: Ensuring child wellbeing and safety’.
From identifying early signs of distress, to developmental concerns, data usage, and interagency coordination, a new webinar series aims to equip GPs with the tools to best treat their young patients.
The free RACGP Child Wellbeing in Focus webinar series will begin this month and continue into next year, covering six different topics all aimed at ‘ensuring every child in your care has the chance to thrive’.
By the end of the series, it is hoped GPs will be able to define the core components of child wellbeing, including physical, mental, emotional, and social development, promote safe and supportive environments, and effectively share and request information.
The series begins on 28 November with a presentation on ‘Nurturing futures: Ensuring child wellbeing and safety’.
Associate Professor Jennifer Neil is a Melbourne GP, educator and primary care researcher, and will give the webinar’s keynote speech.
She told newsGP that GPs are often one of very few people who have a consistent relationship with a child throughout the first years of their life.
‘GPs are in a really good position to be able to identify children who are undergoing either mental health problems, or who are in households where family violence is occurring, or potentially even children that are being abused,’ Associate Professor Neil said.
‘This is really important because it means that if we’re able to identify these things, we can actually put things in place for these children to improve their wellbeing.
‘We know that the more adverse childhood experiences that a child has, the greater the likelihood that they’ll have poor wellbeing, both as a child, but also as an adult as well.’
In 2025, the webinar series will also cover:
- Proactive care: Early intervention for child wellbeing (11 February)
- Connecting the dots: Inter-agency coordination – Child Information Sharing Scheme (25 February)
- Guiding principles: Legislation and child information sharing (11 March)
- Data diligence: Privacy and Child Information Sharing Schemes (25 March)
- Responsibility in focus: Legal and ethical child information sharing (8 April)
Each session is designed to build on the last, ‘offering deeper insights and practical tools’ for attendees.
But Associate Professor Neil said one of the most important things GPs can do for their young patients is to be on the lookout for any symptoms of abuse, and to be able to identify what those symptoms might mean.
‘We have to be aware of the problem and know what to be looking for, but then it’s understanding what to actually do, how to respond to it if you actually identify a problem, and I think that’s where a lot of GPs feel uncomfortable,’ she said.
‘They know about mandatory reporting, but they don’t know what to do if it’s not actually at the threshold of a mandatory report – what else can you do to support a family and children?
‘It’s important for our whole society, this next generation of children coming through, and GPs have long-term relationships with their patients, so ongoing follow up with a GP is going to be really key.’
Associate Professor Neil’s webinar will be held on 28 November from 7.00 – 8.00 pm (AEDT), with one hour of CPD available for each session.
To register for one or all of the sessions, or for more information,
visit the RACGP website.
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