Safeguarding in the COVID-19 pandemic: a UK tertiary children's hospital experience.

There is emerging evidence of increase in injuries to children associated with abuse or neglect during the lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.1 We report an increase in the numbers of children under 16 years, during the COVID-19 lockdown period, with safeguarding concerns, and who were admitted under neurosurgery for head/spinal injuries following falls from height. Retrospective analysis of referrals from our hospital to children’s social care (CSC) from 1 April to 30 June 2020 was compared with data from the same period in 2018 and 2019. Children admitted with neurosurgical trauma, including falls out of buildings during school closure, were analysed. Referral to CSC and multiagency strategy meetings were used as an indicator of verifiable safeguarding concerns, justified by established organisational processes for convening strategy meetings after individualised case review, when there is risk of significant harm. During …