SAFEGUARDING AND CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

SAFEGUARDING and CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

SAFEGUARDING and Child Protection Policy

St Bede’s R C High School

This policy was adopted

DATE May 2013

The policy is to be reviewed

DATE September 2016......

1Introduction

1.1This policy has been developed in accordance with the principles established by the Children Act 1989; and Education Act 2002 and in line with government publications:

  • “Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families” 2000
  • “What to do if You are Worried a Child is Being Abused” 2003
  • DfES guidance “Safeguarding Children & Safer Recruiting in Education” 2006 and the Blackburn with Darwen Child Protection & Safeguarding Procedures (Local Safeguarding Children Boards)
  • “Working Together to Safeguard Children” 2010
  • DoE advice ‘Use of reasonable force: ‘When can reasonable force be used?’ 2012
  • Children and Families Act 2014
  • Keeping Children Safe in Education 2014

The Governing body acknowledges its responsibility under section 175 of the Education Act 2002 to ensure that its functions relating to the conduct of St Bede’s are exercised with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children who are pupils at the school; and to ensure that the school works together with other agencies to ensure adequate arrangements within the school to identify, assess and support those children who are suffering harm.

We recognise the welfare of the child is paramount. All children without exception have the right to protection from abuse, regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality or beliefs.

We recognise that all adults, including temporary staff, volunteers and governors, have a full and active part to play in protecting our pupils from harm, and that the child’s welfare is our paramount concern.

All staff members believe that our school should provide a caring, positive safe and stimulating environment that promotes the social, physical and moral development of the individual child.

The aims of this policy are:

  • To support the child’s development in ways that will foster security, confidence and independence.
  • To provide an environment in which children and young people feel safe, secure, valued and respected, and feel confident, and know how to approach adults if they are in difficulties believing they will be effectively listened to.
  • To raise the awareness of all teaching and non-teaching staff of the need to safeguard children and of their responsibilities in identifying and reporting possible cases of abuse.
  • To provide a systematic means of monitoring children known or thought to be at risk of harm, and ensure we, the school, contribute to assessments of need and support packages for those children.
  • To emphasise the need for good levels of communication between all members of staff.
  • To develop a structured procedure within the school which will be followed by all members of the school community in cases of suspected abuse.
  • To develop and promote effective working relationships with other agencies, especially the Police and Social Care.
  • To ensure that all adults within our school who have substantial access to children have been checked as to their suitability.

2Procedures

2.1 Our school procedures for safeguarding children will be in line with Blackburn with Darwen LSCB Procedures. We will ensure that:

  • All members of the governing body understand and fulfil their responsibilities.
  • Mr Beresford is the designated governor
  • We have 3 nominated designated members of staff, Mrs C Knowles, Mrs A Ormisher and Mr C Fletcher.
  • Our designated child protection leads have undertaken the initial designated member of staff training and subsequent refresher courses every two years.
  • We have a member of staff who will act in the designated members of staff absence – Mr D Milton.
  • All members of staff are provided with ‘Whole School’ Child Protection Training every three years.

All members of staff know:

  • The signs and symptoms of concern
  • How to respond to a pupil who discloses abuse
  • What to if they are concerned about a child
  • All parents/carers are made aware of the responsibilities of staff members with regard to child protection procedures through publication of the schools’ Child Protection Policy, and reference to it in our introductory school materials.
  • Our lettings policy will seek to ensure the suitability of adults working with children on school sites at any time.
  • Community users organising activities for children are aware of the school’s child protection guidelines and procedures.
  • We will ensure that our selection and recruitment of staff met the requirements as set down in Safer Recruitment guidance.
  • We will ensure that there is at least one member of each interview panel who has completed the safer recruitment course

2.2 Our procedures will be regularly reviewed and up-dated.

2.3 The names of the designated members of staff for Safeguarding and Child Protection are clearly advertised in the school, with a statement explaining the school’s role in referring and monitoring cases of suspected abuse.

2.4All new members of staff are given a copy of our Safeguarding and child protection policy.

3Responsibilities

3.1 The Designated Child Protection Lead (DCPL) is responsible for:

  • Referring a child if there are concerns about possible abuse, to the Children Services Social Work Duty and Assessment Team, and act as a focal point for staff to discuss concerns. A written record of the referral will be sent to the Assessment Team by the end of the working day the referral is made. The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) provides advice and support with the referral procedure.
  • Keeping written records of concerns about a child even if there is no need to make an immediate referral. The school has adopted for use the Blackburn with Darwen LSCB Guidance: Record Keeping in Maintained Schools Child Protection and Welfare Concerns
  • Ensuring that all such records are kept confidentially and securely and are separate from pupil records.
  • Ensuring that an indication of further record-keeping is marked on the pupil records.
  • Liaising with other agencies and professionals.
  • Ensuring that they attend Child Protection Conferences, core groups, or other multi-agency planning meetings, contributes to assessments, and provides a report which has been shared with the parents.
  • Advise the Headteacher on requirements for child protection training for all school staff.
  • Support the Head Teacher on providing an annual report for the governing body, detailing any changes and reviews of relevant policy and procedures; training undertaken by the DCPL, and by all staff and governors; number and type of incidents/cases, and number of children subject to a child protection plan (anonymised).

4Supporting Children

4.1 We recognise that a child who is abused or witnesses violence may feel helpless and humiliated, may blame themselves, and find it difficult to develop and maintain a sense of self worth.

4.2 We recognise that the school may provide the only stability in the lives of children who have been abused or who are at risk of harm.

4.3 We accept that research shows that the behaviour of a child in these circumstances may range from that which is perceived to be normal to aggressive or withdrawn.

4.4 Our school will support all pupils by:

  • Encouraging development of self-esteem and self-assertiveness, through the curriculum as well as our relationships through the schools’ overarching values and ethos, whilst not condoning aggression or bullying.
  • Promoting a caring, safe and positive environment within the school.
  • Liaising and working together with all other support services and those agencies involved in the safeguarding of children.
  • Notifying the Children Services Social Work Duty and Assessment Team as soon as there is significant concern.
  • Providing continuing support to a pupil about whom there have been concerns who leaves the school by ensuring that appropriate information is forwarded, under confidential cover, to the pupil’s new school and ensuring the school medical records are forwarded as a matter of priority.

5Confidentiality

5.1 We recognise that all matters relating to child protection are confidential.

5.2 The Headteacher or Designated Child Protection Leads will disclose any information about a pupil to other members of staff on a need to know basis only.

5.3 All staff must be aware that they have a professional responsibility to share information with other agencies in order to safeguard children.

5.4 All staff must be aware that they cannot promise a child to keep secrets which might compromise the child’s safety or wellbeing.

5.5 We will always undertake to share our intention to refer a child to Children Services Social Work Duty and Assessment Team with their parents /carers unless to do so could put the child at greater risk of harm, or impede a criminal investigation. If in doubt, we will consult with the Duty Manager at the Assessment Team on this point.

6Chronology of events for an individual child

6.1The importance of understanding concerns for a child in the context of history, timelines and other known information cannot be underestimated. Chronologies are central to this process.

6.2A chronology must be maintained in the child’s stand-alone file and updated on an ongoing basis as incidents or events occur.

6.3In addition to aiding assessment, a chronology will serve as an important record of the establishment’s actions and, when attached to an inter-agency referral form, can provide evidence for the reason for a referral. It will also enable the establishment to provide evidence to Ofsted of what actions have been taken and what responses the establishment had to any referrals.

6.4A chronology must list specific and significant incidents, events and actions taken in relation to the child and, where appropriate, their family, with a brief explanation or cross-referenced to the relevant record within the file.

6.5In addition to recording incidents and events, the chronology must record all significant and relevant contacts between the establishment and parents, whether it is face-to-face, by email or telephone, with a record of what was discussed and action taken in response.

7 Secure storage, retention and disposal of records

7.1All establishments have a duty to protect personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998. The eight principles of the Act must be adhered to when processing information about children.

7.2The child’s child protection/welfare concerns file must be kept separate from all other records relating to the child in the establishment.

7.3Child protection records on paper must be stored in a locked cabinet with access only to those with direct safeguarding responsibility for children in the establishment.

7.4A senior person must be nominated to be responsible for holding the key to the locked cabinet in the absence of the Safeguarding Lead.This person is Mr Bielby.

7.5If the child protection/welfare concerns file is an electronic file, the establishment must ensure that access privileges to this separate file are limited to only those with safeguarding responsibilities in the establishment.

7.6It is essential to ensure that the leadership team knows the arrangements for access to records in the absence of the Safeguarding Lead.

7.7Child protection records must be retained by all educational establishments until the child’s 25th birthday, unless the records are transferred to a new establishment when the child leaves.

7.8All child protection records retained by the establishment must be securely destroyed immediately after the retention period ends.

8Transfer of child protection/concerns records

8.1When children transfer from primary to secondary school and records of child protection/welfare concerns exist, these should be sent to the receiving establishment as soon as possible. This transfer should be arranged separately from the main educational file in line with Department of Education guidance.

8.2When a child transfers from one education setting to another, their child protection/concerns records should be transferred to the new setting or school as soon as possible.

8.3Records of child protection/concerns must be passed directly to the Safeguarding Lead or another authorised person in the receiving establishment under confidential cover.

8.4If the child is the subject of a child protection plan at the time of transfer, the Safeguarding Lead must speak to their counterpart at the receiving establishment before arranging for the records to be transferred.

8.5Paper or electronic records containing child protection information must be transferred in the most secure method available to the establishment. If posting paper records, it should be by signed-for delivery to a named individual. Electronic records must only be transferred by a secure electronic transfer mechanism or after the information has been encrypted.

8.6If a child subject of a child protection plan leaves the establishment and the child’s new placement is not known, the child’s key worker from Children’s Social Care must be contacted to discuss how records should be transferred.

8.7Where records of child protection/concerns have been kept, and details of the receiving secondary school is not known, schools should follow the Children’s Services Children Missing Education Procedure.

8.8Educational establishments should be aware that some information they hold in child protection records, such as CAFs which are normally made in collaboration with the family, should only be transferred with the consent of thechild or their parents.

9Information sharing

9.1When there is a concern that a child is at risk of significant harm, all information held by the establishment must be shared with Children’s Social Care, police and health professionals. Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 and sections 10 and 11 of the Children Act 2004 empower all agencies to share information in these circumstances. If Safeguarding Leads are in doubt, they should consult the relevant Children’s Social Care Duty Team or MASH.

10Quality assurance of child protection/concerns records

10.1The Safeguarding Lead should audit the establishment’s children protection/welfare concerns files regularly to ensure that procedures are being followed and adequate records are being kept.

10.2The audit should include a check of the following:

  • The chronology is up to date and complete, and includes all incidents as well as all significant and relevant contacts with parents and the establishment’s actions in response
  • Records and notes, including child protection incident/concern forms (Appendix A) are typed or hand-written legibly
  • Incident dates (including year), time and place are fully recorded
  • A factual and correct outline of every incident, concern or disclosure
  • Clear names and job titles of staff members involved, and names, jobtitles and signatures of the people completing forms
  • Notes of actions taken, information shared (what, with whom and when)
  • Copies of referrals and letters sent
  • Copies of minutes or notes of meetings, eg child protection conferences, core group meetings, etc, copied to the file of each child in the family as appropriate.

11Supporting Staff

11.1 We recognise that staff working in the school who have become involved with a child who has suffered harm, or appears to be likely to suffer harm may find the situation upsetting.

11.2 We will support such staff by providing an opportunity to talk through their anxieties with the DCPL and to seek further support as appropriate.

12Allegations against staff and volunteers

12.1 All school staff should take care not to place themselves in a vulnerable position with a child. It is always advisable for interviews or work with individual children or parents to be conducted in view of other adults, however we recognise that this is not always possible.

12.2 All staff should be aware of Blackburn with Darwen Guidance on Behaviour Issues, and the school’s own Behaviour Management policy, systems and procedures.

12.3 We understand that a pupil may make an allegation against a member of staff.

12.4 If such an allegation is made, the member of staff receiving the allegation will immediately inform the Headteacher.The Headteacher, on all such occasions, will discuss the content of the allegation with the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) as soon as is practical or, in very serious/urgent matters, the Police and/or Children Services Social Work Duty Team/MASH.

12.5 If the allegation made to a member of staff concerns the Headteacher, the person receiving the allegation will immediately inform the Chair of Governors who will consult as above, without notifying the Headteacher first.

12.6 Suspension of the member of staff, excluding the Headteacher, against whom an allegation has been made, needs careful consideration, and the Headteacher will seek the advice of the LADO and the Human Resources Adviser.

12.7 In the event of an allegation against the Headteacher, the decision to suspend will be made by the Chair of Governors with advice as above.

13ALLEGATIONS AGAINST PUPILS

13.1 Occasionally, allegations may be made against pupils by others in the school, which are of a safeguarding nature. Safeguarding issues raised in this way may include physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. It is likely that to be considered a safeguarding allegation against a pupil, some of the following features will be found.

The allegation:

  • is made against an older pupil and refers to their behaviour towards a younger pupil or a more vulnerable pupil
  • is of a serious nature, possibly including a criminal offence
  • raises risk factors for other pupils in the school
  • indicates that other pupils may have been affected by this pupil
  • indicates that young people outside the school may be affected by this pupil

Examples of safeguarding issues against a pupil could include:

  • Physical Abuse
  • violence, particularly pre-planned
  • forcing others to use drugs or alcohol

Emotional Abuse

  • blackmail or extortion
  • threats and intimidation

Sexual Abuse

  • indecent exposure, indecent touching or serious sexual assaults
  • forcing others to watch pornography or take part in sexting

Sexual Exploitation

  • encouraging other children to attend inappropriate parties or events
  • photographing or videoing other children performing indecent acts

Young people suffering from sexual exploitation themselves may be forced to recruit other young people under threat of violence.