The guidance, which includes a list of symptoms and signs that may indicate a child has been mistreated, aims to encourage healthcare professionals to gather information from other sources to build up a whole picture of the child, and to potentially discuss the case with a senior colleague.
Dr Sheila Shribman, national clinical director for children, young people and maternity services, said: "Spotting the signs of child maltreatment and protecting vulnerable children is an important but often difficult challenge for healthcare professionals."
Andrew Dillon, chief executive of NICE, said: "We want to give healthcare professionals the confidence to recognise the signs of maltreatment and to know when to refer on to a specialist. This guidance does not include recommendations on how to diagnose, confirm or disprove maltreatment; this should be done by specialists in social care, following local safeguarding children board procedures."
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