Guidance for Use

Guidance for use

This model policy has been designed to be adapted by Head Teachers / Principals and Governing Bodies to reflect the ethos of their own school or education setting. It remains the responsibility of the school/academy and their governing body to ensure the policy is compliant with the statutory requirements and guidance which governs Educational Establishments. It is essential that all aspects of this policy are reviewed to ensure that there is parity between the written policy and practice of the educational establishment.

This model policy will be reviewed regularly and updated annually. However, if Statutory Guidance changes, the policy will be updated and re-circulated accordingly. This does not take away the responsibility of the organisation to ensure there is an effective safeguarding policy in place which meets the requirement of the statutory guidance in place at that time.

The School must review and update the safeguarding policy annually and make the policy available publicly via the school or college website or by other means.

In drawing up the safeguarding policy schools will need to consider the range of people who will refer to the policy - teaching staff, support & lunch staff, parent helpers, volunteers, supply staff etc. as well as young people in the setting. Schools will also need to consider such issues as:

·  How will a visiting teacher / agency / supply member of staff be made aware of the information contained within your safeguarding policy and their responsibility to comply?

·  How the policy will be shared with other organisations commissioned to provide a service in your school?

·  Who will inform a volunteer from the local community about issues like confidentiality or how to raise concerns about practice in the school?

It may be useful to produce a brief “welcome sheet” for visitors to the school, including a summary of the child protection policy, the name of the Designated Safeguarding Lead etc.

Links with other Policies

This safeguarding policy has obvious links with the wider safeguarding agenda: when agreeing or reviewing the policy, links should be made with other relevant guidelines and procedures such as (but not limited to):

·  Safer Recruitment Physical Restraint

·  Care and Conduct PSED

·  Disqualification Social networking

·  E-Safety Health & Safety

·  Whistleblowing Staff Code of Conduct

·  Inclusion

In drawing up the policy schools should refer to the procedures of Luton Safeguarding Children Board at http://bedfordscb.proceduresonline.com/index.htm

It is essential that the school safeguarding policy should describe the procedures which are in accordance with the locally agreed interagency procedures published by the LSCB.

Recording systems and procedures

It is essential that the school includes with this policy a section on the internal safeguarding recording procedures. It is highly recommended that the school refers to the Safeguarding children in Luton recording protocol that was distributed to schools in 2010 as this includes the principals of effective safeguarding recording and pro-forma for use.

Maintaining an overview

Schools must ensure that they maintain an overview, whether this is a list, index or something similar which provides an ‘at a view’ glance of the children where safeguarding records exist for them and whether this be an individual case record or an entry within the A-Z folder.
MODEL SAFEGUARDING POLICY FOR SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION SERVICES

CONTENTS

Page number
Part 1: Safeguarding Policy
Introduction / 5
Aims and key principles / 6 7
Key processes / 7
Expectations / 8
The Designated Safeguarding Lead / 8, 9 &10
The Governing Body / 10,11 &12
A safer school culture / 12
Our role in the prevention of abuse / 13
Safeguarding children who are vulnerable to extremism / 13,14 & 15
Safeguarding children who are vulnerable to exploitation, forced marriage, female genital mutilation or trafficking / 15
What we do when we are concerned / 16
Part 2: Key procedures
Involving parents and carers / 17
Multi-agency work / 17
Our role in supporting children / 18
Responding to an allegation or concern about a member of staff, student or volunteer / 18
Children with additional needs / 19 & 20
Children in specific circumstances / 20
Appendices
Appendix 1: Definitions of abuse / 22, 23, 24, 25, 26
Appendix 2: Dealing with a disclosure of abuse / 27 & 28
Appendix 3:Allegations and concerns about a member of staff, volunteer, governor or student working with children / 29 & 30
Appendix 4: Indicators of vulnerability to radicalisation / 31 & 32
Appendix 5: preventing violent extremism / 33 & 34
Appendix 6: Recording procedure / 35
Appendix 7 : Grasmere Nursery School and Children’s Centre Summary of procedures to be read in conjuction with the Model Safeguarding Policy. / 36-45

PART ONE: SAFEGUARDING POLICY

Ratified by the Governing Body 1st December 2015

To be reviewed (annually) December 2016

Version number:

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Safeguarding is defined as –

·  Protecting children from maltreatment;

·  Preventing impairment of children's health or development;

·  Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and

·  Taking action to enable all children to have the best life chances.

(Working Together, DfE 2015)

This includes, but is not limited to safeguarding children in specific circumstances

Neglect / Physical abuse
Emotional abuse / Sexual abuse
Bullying, including online and prejudice-based bullying / Racist, disability and homophobic or transphobic abuse
Gender based violence / violence against women and girls / Radicalisation and /or extremist behaviour
Child Sexual Exploitation and trafficking / The impact of new technologies on sexual behaviour e.g sexting
Teenage relationship abuse / Substance abuse
Gang / youth violence / Domestic abuse / violence
Female Genital Mutilation / Forced Marriage
Fabricated / induced illness / Poor parenting

1.2 Grasmere Nursery School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its children. We believe that:

·  All children have an equal right to be protected from harm;

·  Children need to be safe and to feel safe in school;

·  Children need support which matches their individual needs, including those who may have experienced abuse;

·  All children have the right to speak freely and voice their values and beliefs;

·  All children must be encouraged to respect each other’s values and support each other;

·  All children have the right to be supported to meet their emotional, and social needs as well as their educational needs – a happy healthy sociable child/young person will achieve better educationally;

·  Schools can and do contribute to the prevention of abuse, victimisation, bullying, exploitation, extreme behaviours, discriminatory views and risk taking behaviours; and

·  All staff and visitors have an important role to play in safeguarding children and protecting them from abuse.

1.3 Grasmere Nursery School will fulfil their local and national responsibilities as laid out in the following documents:-

·  Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfE 2015)

·  Keeping Children Safe in Education: Statutory guidance for schools and colleges (DFE July 2015)

·  The Procedures of Luton Safeguarding Children Board

·  The Children Act 1989

·  The Education Act 2002 s175 / s157

·  What to do if you are worried a child is being abused (DfE, 2015)

·  Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools: Departmental Advice (DfE 2014)

·  Prevent Duty, Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015

·  Serious Crime Act 2015

2. OVERALL AIMS

2.1 This policy will contribute to safeguarding our children and promoting their welfare by:

·  Clarifying standards of behaviour for staff and children;

·  Contributing to the establishment of a safe, resilient and robust ethos in the school, built on mutual respect, and shared values;

·  Creating an organisational culture that is safe for children;

·  Introducing appropriate work within the curriculum;

·  Encouraging children and parents to participate;

·  Alerting staff to the signs and indicators that all might not be well;

·  Developing staff’s awareness of the risks and vulnerabilities children face;

·  Addressing concerns at the earliest possible stage in the least intrusive way; and

·  Reducing the potential risks children face of being exposed to violence, extremism, exploitation, or victimisation

2.2 This policy will contribute to supporting children by:

·  Identifying and protecting the most vulnerable

·  Identifying individual needs where possible; and

·  Designing plans to meet those needs.

2.3 This policy will contribute to the protection of children by:

·  Including appropriate work within the curriculum;

·  Implementing child protection policies and procedures; and

·  Working in partnership with children, parents and agencies.

3. KEY PRINCIPLES

3.1 The key principle of safeguarding, as stated by Luton Safeguarding Children Board is that safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility. This is reinforced within the Statutory Guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (2015)

3.2 In addition, Luton Borough Council has identified the following key safeguarding messages for schools.

·  Always see the child first and consider what life is like for the child, maintaining a culture of vigilance

·  Provide support and intervention at the earliest possible opportunity in the least intrusive way in accordance with Luton LSCB Thresholds Framework

·  Have conversations, build relationships and maintain professional curiosity

·  Focus on securing improved outcomes for children and consider what difference support or interventions have made on children’s lived experiences

·  Build a culture of openness and transparency where all staff are able to demonstrate understanding of their role and responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children

·  Every child is entitled to a rich and rounded curriculum.

·  Schools operate with public money: this should be spent wisely, targeting resources on the evidenced needs of children at school now.

·  Governance is corporate and decisions are collective, but individual governors can and should take the lead on specific aspects of school life such as safeguarding.

·  When issues arise, Head Teachers should speak out, addressing them internally where possible and engaging in a multi agency response when required in accordance with interagency procedures

4. KEY PROCESSES

4.1 All staff should be aware of the guidance issued by Luton Safeguarding Children Board Threshold Framework to ensure children in order to secure the support and intervention at the earliest possible opportunity in the least intrusive way. (http://lutonlscb.org.uk/pdfs/threshold-framework.pdf). This document is integral to safeguarding children in Luton educational establishments and will always be used to underpin decision making.

5. EXPECTATIONS

5.1 All staff and visitors will:

·  Be familiar with this safeguarding policy and implement this consistently in the course of their work with children and young people;

·  Be subject to Safer Recruitment processes and checks, whether they are new staff, supply staff, contractors, volunteers etc.

·  Be involved in the implementation of individual education programmes, Early Help assessments and plans, child in need plans and interagency child protection plans;

·  Be alert to signs and indicators of possible abuse (See Appendix One for current definitions and indicators);

·  Record concerns and give the record to the Designated Safeguarding Lead Joy Luxford.

·  Recognise and respond to concerns about the behaviour of staff, students and volunteers which indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children following interagency procedures agreed by the LSCB;

·  Deal with a disclosure of abuse from a child in line with the guidance in Appendix Two - you must inform the Designated Safeguarding Lead immediately, and provide a written account as soon as possible;

5.2 All staff will receive single agency level one training at least once every three years. Key staff with designated responsibility for safeguarding will undertake higher level training and will utilise these training opportunities available from the LSCB and other organisations as agreed by the Governing Body.

Staff training needs will be assessed by taking into consideration LSCB priorities and local context. Plans will be put into place to ensure staff have the appropriate training, skills and knowledge in order to undertake their safeguarding responsibilities safely and effectively.

6. THE DESIGNATED SAFEGUARDING LEAD

6.1 Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Joy Luxford, Headteacher. She will provide support to staff members to carry out their safeguarding duties and who will liaise closely with other services such as the early help hub, children’s social care. Health, police etc. This person has lead responsibility and management oversight for safeguarding and child protection. The Head Teacher, will be ultimately responsible for coordinating all child protection activity within the school.

6.2 The Designated Safeguarding Lead will lead regular case monitoring reviews of vulnerable children. These reviews, together with any actions arising from the review and the rationale for decision making will be recorded in case files.

6.3 When the school has concerns about a child, the Designated Safeguarding Lead will decide what steps should be taken in accordance with the LSCB Thresholds Framework and initiate a response accordingly. The Head Teacher will be kept appraised of cases as appropriate

6.4 Safeguarding and child protection information will be dealt with in a confidential manner and in accordance with the LSCB information sharing guidance. Staff will be informed of relevant details only when the Designated Safeguarding Lead feels their having knowledge of a situation will improve their ability to deal with an individual child and / or family. A written record will be made of what information has been shared with whom, and when.

6.5 Safeguarding and child protection records will be stored securely in a central place separate from academic records. Individual files will be kept for each child: the school will not keep family files.

6.6 Access to safeguarding and child protection records by staff other than by the Designated Safeguarding Lead will be restricted, and a written record will be kept of who has had access to them and when.

6.7 Parents will usually (subject to point 6.8 below) be aware of information held on their children and kept up to date regarding any concerns or developments by the appropriate members of staff. General communications with parents will be in line with any home school policies and give due regard to which adults have parental responsibility.