Minister Costa opened a training seminar organised by Gibraltar’s Multi-Agency Sub Training Committee in Child Protection. The seminar, which took place at the Gibraltar University, was attended by professionals across various agencies, including the Care Agency, the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA), the Royal Gibraltar Police, Youth Services and the Department of Education.

This seminar was the second time that Tier 3 child protection training has been delivered, with the inaugural Tier 3 training having taken place in November 2017. The training provided professionals, whose work involves direct contact with children, with methods on how to better enhance management structures with regards to safeguarding work. The training is also designed to provide better understanding of Gibraltar’s legal framework, professionals’ roles and responsibilities and referral pathways relevant to safeguarding children.

The seminar was delivered by Dr Gayle Hann and Christina Keating, two renowned individuals in the fields of child protection. Dr Hann is a Consultant Paediatrician at North Middlesex University Hospital, named doctor for child protection and lead for paediatric emergency medicine. She was named as one of the top 3 child protection trainers in the UK by the NSPCC earlier this year. Ms Keating is a Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Children. She has worked in safeguarding for almost 10 years. Her current role includes providing advice and support to health care staff, including GPs on individual and complex cases.

Ms Fiona Mccoubrey, Clinical Nurse Manager at the GHA and member of the Multi-Agency Sub Training Committee, said: “Once again, these training days have proved to be a success, with all agencies coming together to enhance awareness of child protection procedures in Gibraltar. I would like to sincerely thank Dr Gayle Hann and Christina Keating providing the training, as well as Dr Annie Dai, Minister Costa and all key stakeholders within the Sub Training Committee for their unwavering support.”

The Minister added: “I was very happy to have opened this very important training seminar. Our Child Protection Teams work diligently to ensure Gibraltar has the adequate structures and protocols in place to safeguard children and young persons. It is, therefore, imperative that this Government continues to provide our professionals with the right training and support to guarantee the continuous development in the vital area of child protection.”