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A) Information for medical students and foundation doctors: Getting started in CCH
Community Child Health (CCH) is a broad and rewarding field of paediatrics, focused on supporting the health, development, and wellbeing of children and young people – especially those who are vulnerable or have long-term needs.
We know that many students and junior doctors have limited exposure to community paediatrics during training. This page is designed to outline the training pathway to becoming a community paediatrician and explain how to gain experience to help you understand the specialty and guide future career decisions.
Below we have provided information on:
- Why consider community paediatrics?
- How do I become a community paediatrician?
- How do I gain experience?
- Explore further
Why Consider Community Paediatrics?
CCH gives you the chance to:
Support children and families in their own communities
Work closely with schools, social care, and allied professionals
Develop expertise in developmental health, safeguarding and holistic care
Build long-term relationships and continuity with children and families
Influence health systems and public health policy at a local level
“I hadn’t considered community paediatrics before my taster week, but the experience really opened my eyes. The impact these teams have on children’s lives is enormous.”
— Foundation Doctor, East of England
How do I Become a Community Paediatrician?
After completing your foundation training, the next step is to apply for paediatric specialty training. The first four years (ST1–ST4) are known as core paediatric training and will typically include posts in general paediatrics, neonatology, and – often – community paediatrics. During this time, you will also gain valuable experience in areas like safeguarding, developmental assessments and working with children with long-term conditions.
At the end of ST4, you can either continue training towards becoming a general paediatrician or apply for subspecialty training in Community Child Health. This will take place over the final three years of training (ST5–ST7).
How Do I Gain Experience?
There are many ways to explore CCH, regardless of your stage of training:
Taster weeks or electives
Ask your medical school or foundation programme about spending time with a local community paediatrics team. Many services welcome short placements.
Attend clinics and meetings
With the right permissions, you may be able to observe:
- Child Protection Medical Examinations
- Initial Health Assessments (a statutory process involving a comprehensive evaluation of a child's health, typically conducted when a child enters the care system)
- Neurodevelopmental clinics
- Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) discussions
- Autism and ADHD assessments
Join a project
Take part in an audit, QI project or case review related to community child health. This could include safeguarding, neurodisabilities, health inequalities and more!
Learn from events
Join BACCH webinars, local teaching sessions or multi-agency training days. Also consider becoming a member of BACCH and an affiliated organisation such as BAPD, CPSIG, BACAPH
Speak to a consultant, community child health subspecialty trainee or SAS doctor
Ask a local community paediatrician about their role, training pathway, and what they enjoy about the job.
Explore Further
Find your local BACCH regional contact
Join an upcoming BACCH event
Community Child Health Welcome Pack
CCH Grid Training Guidance To ARCP (for Trainees & Supervisors)
B) Information for Core Paediatric Trainees (ST1–ST4): Building your portfolio in CCH
Community Child Health (CCH) is an essential part of paediatrics, offering a unique opportunity to develop broad clinical, leadership and safeguarding skills. Whether or not you plan to subspecialise, early exposure to CCH will strengthen your confidence in managing children with complex needs, liaising with other agencies and seeing the child beyond their medical condition.
CCH is offered as a subspecialty training programme. Your early training years are the perfect time to explore this path.
Why gain experience in CCH during core training?
Whether or not your career aim is to become a community paediatrician, gaining experience in CCH will help you to develop important skills in safeguarding and assessing development, behaviour and disability. During a placement in CCH, you can expect to:
- Learn how to write clear, impactful Child Protection Medical Reports
- Gain confidence in multi-agency working
- Build experience in long-term condition management and family-centred care
- Strengthen your CV for future sub-speciality applications or consultant roles with a CCH interest
- Develop as a reflective practitioner
“I hadn’t realised how diverse community paediatrics was until my rotation – developmental clinics, child protection, school visits. It helped me think differently about what being a paediatrician can mean.”
— ST3 Trainee, London
