When the deliberate harm of a child is identified as a possibility, the examining doctor should consider whether taking a history directly from the child is in that child’s best interests. When that is so, the history should be taken even when the consent of the carer has not been obtained, with the reason for dispensing with consent recorded by the examining doctor. Working Together guidance should be amended accordingly. In those cases in which English is not the first language of the child concerned, the use of an interpreter should be considered.