Safeguarding Self-Assessment Tool for Schools and Other Education Settings in Newcastle

Safeguarding Self-Assessment Tool for Schools and other Education Settings in Newcastle

January 2016

Introduction

What is a Safeguarding Self-Assessment?

Safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility. Section11 (s.11) of the Children Act 2004 places a statutory duty on key organisations to make arrangements to ensure that in discharging their functions they have regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. It is important to remember that s.11 does not give agencies any new functions, nor does it over-ride their existing functions. Instead it requires organisations to carry out their existing functions in a way that takes into account the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

The s.11 duty complements the duty placed by s.175 of the Education Act 2002 on Local Education Authorities and the Governing Bodies of both schools and further education institutions to make arrangements to carry out their functions with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. This self-assessment tool assists schools and other education settings to examine their arrangements and to identify areas which may require strengthening.

How doweknowif s.11/s175is being implemented properly?

Working Together (2015) recommends that Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB) audit organisational compliance with s.11/s175. All organisations represented on Newcastle Safeguarding Children Board [NSCB], are asked to complete an annualself-assessment and provide evidence of how they comply with s.11/s175 when carrying out their day to day business. This audit document is for use by education settingsincluding schools; for them to review how well they are working to keep children safe. As a resultof carrying out the audit settings may need to develop action plans to address any weaknesses identified. It is recommended that education settings carry out an annual review of their safeguarding practices and procedures.

Theself-assessment tool covers eight key areas and within these areas there are standards that education settings should meet. In completing the self-assessment tool, evidence must be providedto demonstrate how the setting meets each of the standards.

The education community

Throughout the self-assessment document there is reference to the ‘education community’. This refers to all stakeholders of an education establishment and includes (but is not exclusive to): children and young people, parents/carers, staff, governors, volunteers, visitors, and contractors.

Reference documentation:

Education settings must consider this self-assessment tool in line with Department for Education (DfE) statutory guidance:Keeping children safe in education: statutory guidance for schools and colleges, July 2015.

Ofsted: Inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills settings: Guidance for inspectors undertaking inspection under the common inspection framework.

Further information, advice or suggestions in relation to the self-assessment

Contact the NSCB Co-ordinator Sue Kirkley d Sandra Davison Health, Wellbeing and Safeguarding Advisor, Newcastle City Council

Details of the education setting completing the self-assessment tool

The Effectiveness of Leadership and Management in Safeguardingand Promoting Children and Young People’s Welfare

• There is a designated lead with overall responsibility for safeguarding throughout the organisation
• Should the safeguarding lead be off-site there is a named and identified deputy who has completed level 2safeguarding training

• The settingseducation community is made aware of the designated lead for safeguarding and deputising arrangements within the organisation

• The designated lead and deputies for safeguarding have a job description which clearly defines their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people
• The designated leadand deputies receive appropriate training and supervision in relation to this role and they are accountable to the governing body

• There is a designated teacher who is appropriately trained to promote the education achievement of children who are looked after

• There are appropriate safeguarding responses to children who go missing from education

• There is a named lead officer for

• Leadership and management effectively promote and engage indialogue with children and young people both when developing services and when making individual case decisions

• The Governing Body or Management Committee carry out their statutory functions in monitoring the work around safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children (DfE Governance Handbook November 2015)

• The education establishment has written safeguarding policies and procedures that are reviewed regularly and updated annually in line withDfE and NSCB guidance

• The education community are made aware of the safeguarding policies and procedures and can access these with ease
• These policies are available publicly either via the organisation’s website or by other means

• The organisation has e-safety policies and procedures, which include a section regarding appropriate use of mobile technologies, personally owned devices and the use of social media that are reviewed regularly
• Policies and procedures are promoted and shared with the widereducation community

• Effective systems are in place, shared with and understood by the education community to make a complaint or ‘whistle blowing’ where they have concerns that action to safeguard has not been followed in accordance with the organisation’s procedures. These systems include clear timescales for resolving complaints
• There is frequent monitoring and evaluation to review the effectiveness of these systems

• The organisation has a clear accountability framework, which covers individual, professional and organisational accountability for safeguarding children. This is also shared with the wider education community

• Staff, volunteers and others appropriate to the education community understand their personal responsibilities and accountabilities in relation to safeguarding and children and young peoples’ welfare

• Safeguarding is incorporated into all aspects of a child’s educational experience including off-site learning and activity

• There is a culture of listening to and engaging in dialogue with children and young people and their families.
• Educational provision and development plans are informed by the views of children and families

• Individual case decisions are informed by the views of children and young people and their families

• The organisation has in place a programme of audit and review with mechanisms in place for continuous improvement and learning of safeguarding practices

• All staff receive appropriate child protection training that is regularly updated. There is an induction for new staffand as a minimum safeguarding training should include:

• A register is kept that shows who has completed induction and child protection training. This is monitored and evaluated regularly

• Additional training (both single and multi-agency) is available for staff and governors working with children and young people appropriate to their role. This is recorded, monitored and evaluated regularly

• Allstaff and governors receive

• Staff and governors are kept up to date with statutory requirements and findings from serious case reviews and inspections

• The organisation has a safer recruitment policy that is monitored and evaluated on a regular basis.
• Staff and governors are aware of this policy and how to access it

• Staff/governors involved in recruitment are suitably trained (e.g. at least one member on the short listing/interview panel must have been on safer recruitment training)

• All staff thathasregularor unsupervised contact with children and young people are properly selected/recruitedand have appropriate checks in line with current legislation and guidance

• There is a named senior member of staff with responsibility in respect of allegations against staff and volunteers.

• There are written procedures for handling allegations againstthe setting’s staff (including volunteers) and are shared with the wider educationcommunity.

• Incidents and allegations of abuse are recorded appropriately and referred to the designated officers at the Local Authority (LADO)

• There are procedures in place to handle allegations against one child to another and these are known by the education community

• Strong education leadership in multi-agency/interschool working is demonstrated by regular attendance at appropriate NSCB meetings and eventse.g. Newcastle Schools Safeguarding Partnership

• Policies and arrangements are in place locally to support effective interschool/multi agency working in individual cases.

• Where appropriate education staff participates in multi-agency meetings and forums to consider individual children such as case conferences, LAC reviews, CAF/TAF, core groups etc.

• Staff are able to identify children who would benefit or require additional services and at what level and act upon it. E.g.CAF/TAF, referral to Children’s Social Care Initial Response Service

• Staff participate in and contributeto Serious Case Reviews (SCR) and other learning reviews when required to do so

• All staff that come into contact with children must understand the purpose of information sharing in order to safeguard and promote children’s welfare(Ref: Working Together guidance 2015: DfE)

• Children are made aware of their right to be safe (including from abuse and neglect and how to communicate any concerns to appropriate adults.

• Information provided is in a format and language that can be easily accessed and understood by all of the education setting’s users.

Newcastle upon Tyne Children’s Safeguarding Board 2016

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