MP for Rotherham visits Safeguarding Support Unit at Sheffield Children’s Hospital

Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust welcomed Sarah Champion MP to Sheffield Children’s Hospital on Friday.

Visiting the Trust for the first time, the Member of Parliament for Rotherham learnt all about the holistic support that the team at Sheffield Children’s provides for children and young people who access the Sheffield Safeguarding Support Unit (SSU). Sarah Champion MP was keen to learn all about the processes by which the Trust make sure that children and young people have access to safe and supportive care whatever their need.

Sarah Champion MP said: “It was inspiring to visit Sheffield Children’s and learn all about the rigorous safeguarding procedures that they have in place to keep our children and young people safe. It’s so important that these facilities exist, and I want to make sure that families from Rotherham know that these services are available and accessible to those who need them.”

The Role of the SSU

The SSU at Sheffield Children’s Hospital provides full assessments to children and young people where safeguarding concerns have been raised, or where the opinion of a specialist paediatrician has been sought. The service deals with physical, sexual and emotional abuse alongside cases where there are concerns of neglect.

Dr Anna Ramsbottom, Clinical Safeguarding Lead for the SSU said: “We want to make sure that everybody in our community understands the importance of safeguarding children and young people. We work closely with organisations across South Yorkshire and beyond to deliver holistic and bespoke care for everyone that we see.”

Sarah also spoke to members of the team about the safe, kind and outstanding care that they deliver working as part of the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) at Sheffield Children’s. Part of the SSU, this centre offers a friendly environment for children and young people up to the age of 18 from across South Yorkshire who have been sexually assaulted or raped.

Clare Beecher, Nurse Manager at the SSU, said: “We understand that visiting the SARC as a young person will be incredibly daunting and so we work as hard possible to create an environment where children and young people feel safe, and can share their experiences with the team.”

The team at the SARC includes people with skills, training and experience specific to this area of children’s care, including specialist nurses, support workers, doctors and psychologists”

Sarah Champion MP – advocate for preventing child abuse

Sarah Champion MP has been the Member of Parliament for Rotherham since 2012, during which time she has shown a particular interest in preventing child sexual abuse and violence. After serving as Shadow Minister for Preventing Abuse between 2015 and 2016, Sarah Champion MP launched Dare2Care, a campaign tackling child abuse and the normalisation of violence in young relationships.

Ruth Brown, Chief Executive at Sheffield Children’s, added: “We were so pleased to welcome Sarah Champion MP to Sheffield Children’s, specifically the SSU. Her history of advocacy for the rights of children and young people resonates strongly with us as a specialist paediatric provider. We’re looking forward to working together closely over the coming years to achieve our common goal of creating a healthier future for children and young people across the region and beyond.”