PoliciesGEORGE WHITE JUNIOR SCHOOL A School Policy for Child Protection and Safeguarding N.B. this policy was reviewed in May 2007 taking into account the latest statutory guidance ('Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education') which came into force on Jan 1st 2007 - a copy is in the staffroom. This policy should be read in conjunction with the above guidance, as well as the Norfolk Local safeguarding Children Board (LSCB)'s 'Guide to Inter-agency Working to safeguard and promote the Welfare of Children' (Oct 2006) Other relevant reading: 'Guidance for Safe Working Practice for the Protection of Children and Adults in Education Settings' (Feb 2005) (CP file in HT's office; Also on 'Public' server) 'Preventing Unsuitable People from Working with Children and Young Persons in the Education Service' (2002) Introduction 1.1 The health, safety and well-being of all the children are of paramount importance to all the adults who work in the school. Children have the right to protection, regardless of age, gender, race, culture or disability. They have the right to be safe in the school. 1.2 At George White we respect the children. The atmosphere within the school is one that encourages children to do their best. We provide opportunities that enable children to take and make decisions for themselves. 1.3 The teaching of personal, social / health education and citizenship, as part of the National Curriculum, helps to develop appropriate attitudes in the children and makes them aware of the impact of their decisions on others. We also teach them how to recognise different risks in different situations, and how to behave in response to them. Aims and objectives 2.1 This policy ensures that all staff in the school are clear about the actions to take with regard to a child protection issue. Its aims are: to raise the awareness of all staff and identify responsibility in reporting possible cases of abuse to ensure effective communication between all staff when dealing with child protection issues to lay down the correct procedures for those who encounter an issue of child protection Procedures 3.1 There is a named person in the school who is the Designated Teacher for Child Protection. This is the Headteacher (JS) but she may delegate this responsibility in some circumstances. The alternate is Christine Watkinson (ASS Head) Child Protection Governor is Emma Ward. 3.2 If any teacher suspects that a child in his/her class may be at risk of 'significant harm', they must inform the Designated Teacher about their concerns. N.B. Some incidents of harm are easily recognisable; many are not. However, the following would normally indicate the need for referral: Any allegation of sexual abuse Parents whose behaviour may present a high risk to children because of : domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse mental health problems physical injury caused by assault or neglect which requires medical attention repeated incidents of physical harm that are unlikely to constitute physical harm in themselves but collectively may do so contact with a person assessed as presenting a risk to children children who live in a 'low warmth, high criticism' environment which is likely to have an adverse impact on their emotional development children who suffer from persistent neglect children living in a household where there is domestic violence likely to lead to physical or emotional harm a child living in a household or having significant contact with a person convicted of an offence listed in Schedule 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act children who may be involved in prostitution other circumstances where professional judgment and/or evidence suggests that a child's health, development or welfare may be significantly harmed see Appendix One for more detailed signs and symptoms of abuse 3.3 Where information of concern is passed on by parents or other adults this is Shared with the Designated Teacher who will take action as appropriate For guidance on monitoring, recording etc. with regard to child protection issues see Appendix 2 3.4 Any action that the Designated Teacher takes when dealing with an issue of child protection must be in lines with LA guidance and the Norfolk Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB)'s 'Guide to Inter-agency Working to safeguard and promote the Welfare of Children' (Oct 2006) 3.5 The school's Designated Teacher works closely with Norfolk Social Services and the LSCB when making a referral about a 'child in need'. Initial contact is made by phone to Social Care Dept. of Children's Services. After discussion with Social Services a decision is made about contacting parents, or not. If it is felt necessary to take further action a standard Assessment/Referral form-ACPC1 (see LSCB guidelines in Headteacher's office) is completed within 24 hours. 3.6 When further action is taken by Social Services an initial assessment is made. Decisions following such an assessment can lead to the following actions: no further action immediate provision of services either directly or indirectly referral to another agency strategy discussion or immediate protection: a strategy discussion takes place between social services, the police and any other relevant agency and would happen if there were concerns that a child may be suffering significant harm. This normally takes place within two working days of the referral 3.7 Even where further action is not taken, concerns are recorded as a confidential item together with the reasons following a particular course of action. Such confidential items are kept by the Designated Teacher. Any information of this nature is passed on only to appropriate persons e.g. the Designated Teacher at a child's next school. 3.8 All adults employed in the school are required to be vetted through the Criminal Records Bureau in order to ensure that there is no evidence of offences involving children. Helpers in school are also checked in a similar way. The school office holds a central record of all staff recruitment and vetting checks. 3.9 Concerns staff have can also be recorded in a confidential log held centrally (school office) This is checked regularly by the Head teacher and alternate. The Child Protection Governor also checks the log. All sign to indicate it has been checked. 3.10 If an accusation is made against a member of staff, the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) should be involved at the earliest opportunity. The LADO is available on 01603 223473 Training 4.1 All adults in the school receive training to raise their awareness of child protection issues. The most recent whole staff training was in Nov 2009. Designated Teachers should receive 'refresher' training every two years. 4.2 Headteacher completed 'Safer Recruitment' training on 3rd November 2009. The school has one Governor (Emma Ward) who has also completed the Safer Recruitment training. The Alternate is due to complete Group B training on the 10/12/09 and the new Head teacher on 28/1/2110 4.3 New staff who have not had any child protection/safeguarding training or staff who have had training more than three years ago will receive a brief introduction to safeguarding and will then be trained with the rest of the staff team at least 3 yearly. 4.4 All regular visitors to our school will be told where our policy is kept, they will be told who our Senior Designated and alternate staff members are and what the recording and reporting system is. 4.5 When new pupils join our school, all parents/carers will be told that we have a child protection/safeguarding policy. If parents request a copy they may have one. Parents/carers will be informed of our legal duty to assist our colleagues in other agencies with child protection enquiries and what happens should we have cause to make a referral to Children's Services 4.6 We actively encourage our staff to keep up to date with the most recent local and national safeguarding advice and guidance. This can be accessed on www.lscb.norfolk.gov.uk 4.7 Staff can find the most up to date national safeguarding information on www.teachernet.com Other Relevant Policies 5.1 To underpin the values and ethos of our school and our intent to ensure our children are appropriately safeguarded the following policies are also included under our safeguarding umbrella; Anti bullying Attendance Anti Racism Equal opps Behaviour Monitoring 6.1 The governing body has a named governor responsible for child protection (currently Emma Ward). This person is responsible for liaising with the Designated Teacher over matters concerning child protection. The role involves : Ensuring, in liaison with the Designated Teacher, that the school has a Child Protection policy and procedures in place. ensuring that an annual item is placed on the governors' agenda to report on changes to Child Protection policy, training undertaken by the Designated Teacher, other staff and governors, and the number of incidents/cases(without details or names). liaison (with due regard to issues of confidentiality) with the Designated Teacher re. allegations of child abuse responsibility for the oversight of procedures relating to liaison with Children's Services and the police in relation to any allegations of child abuse by the Headteacher 6.2 For the academic year 2009/10 the following designated staff are in post; Head teacher June sewell Senior Designated Professional - C Gallagher (until training by C Watkinson completed) Alternate Senior Designated Professional C Watkinson Named Governor Emma Ward 6.3 We will review this policy annually and will make amendments as required by national Or local changes to procedure. Appendix 1 Signs and symptoms of abuse The following lists may indicate that a child is being abused. However, in themselves they are not evidence of abuse, but they may suggest abuse if a child exhibits several of them or if a pattern emerges. Remember that there can be other explanations for a child showing such signs or behaving in such ways. Possible signs of PHYSICAL ABUSE Unexplained injuries or burns Bruises and finger marks Refusal to discuss injuries Improbable explanations for injuries Untreated injuries or lingering illnesses not attended to Admission of punishment which appears excessive Shrinking from physical contact Fear of returning home or of parents being contacted Fear of undressing Fear of medical help Aggression/bullying Over compliant behaviour Running away Significant changes in behaviour without explanation Deterioration in work Unexplained pattern of absences which may serve to hide bruises or other physical injuries Possible signs of EMOTIONAL ABUSE Fear of new situation Inappropriate emotional responses to painful situations Self-harm or mutilation Compulsive stealing/scrounging Drug/solvent abuse Neurotic behaviour obsessive rocking, thumb sucking Air of detachment don't care attitude Social isolation does not join in and has few friends Desperate attention-seeking behaviour Eating problems Depression, withdrawal Possible signs of NEGLECT Constant hunger Inappropriate clothing Poor personal hygiene Untreated medical problems Frequent lateness or non-attendance at school Poor social relationships Low self-esteem Constant tiredness Compulsive stealing or scrounging Possible signs of SEXUAL ABUSE Bruises, scratches or bite marks on the body Scratches, abrasions or persistent infections in the anal or genital regions Pregnancy Sexual awareness inappropriate to the child's age e.g. shown in drawings, vocabulary, games etc. Frequent public masturbation Attempts to teach other children about sexual activity Refusing to stay with certain people or go to certain places Aggressiveness, anger, anxiety, tearfulness Withdrawal from friends Possible signs in OLDER CHILDREN Promiscuity, prostitution, provocative sexual behaviour Self-injury, self-destructive behaviour, suicide attempts Eating disorders Tiredness, lethargy, listlessness Over-compliant behaviour Sleep disturbances Unexplained gifts of money Depression Changes in behaviour Appendix 2 We can play a vital role in helping abused children and those who are suspected of being abused, by the effective monitoring and recording of certain aspects of the child's progress and behaviour in school. This is particuarly important when there has been no direct disclosure of abuse, or when a child has communication problems. Good records can be the basis of valuable contributions to child protection conferences and court cases. When is recording needed? When there is concern over: marks on a child's body unusual/different behaviour(including academic functioning) mood changes puzzling statements or stories information from others If requested by another agency Who should record? teachers other staff under the direction of teachers What should be recorded? patterns of attendance changes in mood changes in classroom functioning relationships(with peers,adults) behaviour statements, comments, stories, 'news', drawings general demeanour and appearance parental interest and comments home/family changes medicals injuries/marks, past and present How should it be recorded? try to record information in factual, non-emotive, non-judgmental terms, with notes of the date, time and context information can be recorded in teacher's 'confidential' books or on paper, marked 'Confidential' these are to be passed onto the Headteacher, as Designated Teacher who will decide on further action - except where an allegation is made against the Headteacher(Designated Teacher) Note on access to files: Academic files are open to parents after making a formal request. Access to files can be denied as in the case of actual, alleged or suspected child abuse. Working notes/confidential books are not subject to disclosure but must eventually be summarised on file and then destroyed. Appendix 3 Listening to a child . Receive . Listen to the child, having first let someone else know you are doing this. If you are shocked by what they tell you, try not to show it. Take what they say seriously Accept what the child says. They may retract what they have said if they meet with disbelief. Reassure . Stay calm and reassure the child that they have done right in talking to you. Do not promise confidentiality; you have a duty to refer a child who is at risk. Try to alleviate any feelings of guilt that the child displays. For example, you might say, 'You're not to blame' or 'You're not alone, you're not the only one that this sort of thing has happened to.' Acknowledge how hard it must have been for the child to tell you what happened Empathise with the child; don't tell them what they should be feeling. React . Any disclosure by a pupil should be led by the pupil at his/her pace, without pressure from the teacher React to the pupil only as far as is necessary to establish whether or not you need to refer the matter: do not interrogate for full/further details. Do not ask 'leading' questions such as, 'What did he do next?' Such questions may invalidate evidence that is collected. Try to ask 'open' questions, such as, 'Anything else to tell me?', 'Yes?' or 'And?' Do not criticise the perpetrator : the pupil may love him/her and conciliation may be possible Do not ask the pupil to repeat everything to another member of staff. Explain what you have to do next and to whom you have to talk Inform the Designated Teacher Try to see the matter through yourself and keep in touch with the pupil Record . Make some very brief notes at the time and write them up as soon as possible Record the date, time, place, any noticeable non-verbal behaviour and the words used by the child. If the child uses their family's own 'private' sexual words, record the actual words used, rather than translating them into 'proper, words. Draw a diagram to indicate the position of any bruising etc. Be objective in your recording; include statements and observable things, rather than your interpretations or assumptions Appendix 4 Confidentiality Different circumstances will determine what will happen in each case but generally the spread of information will be limited to the minimum of people. Any files which contain information on actual or suspected child abuse are kept under the supervision of the Designated Teacher with controlled access. Personal information about a child's family should be regarded as confidential. If abuse is suspected, information should be given only to the Designated Teacher. Other members of staff need only know enough to prepare them to act with sensitivity to a distressed pupil; they do not need to know details. The teacher to whom disclosure is made may need to decide on some person from whom they might get support; this can be done without divulging details about the pupil. The pupil, depending on his/her age, should be kept informed of who knows, and what they know, at all stages of the procedures. Relevant Reading (to be read in conjunction with this policy) 'Guidance for Safe Working Practice for the Protection of Children and Adults in Education Settings' (Feb 2005) (CP file in HT's office; Also on 'Public' server) 'Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education' (Hard copy in HT's office) 'Preventing Unsuitable People from Working with Children and Young Persons in the Education Service' (2002) (CP file in HT's office; Also on 'Public' server) 'What to do if You're Worried a Child is Being Abused' (Crown Copyright 2003) Norfolk Local safeguarding Children Board (LSCB)'s 'Guide to Inter-agency Working to safeguard and promote the Welfare of Children' (Oct 2006) 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' (Downloaded to Headteacher's PC-April 07; Also on 'Public' server)) MI Sheet- MI 67/07 (28.4.07) MI Sheet MI160/09 Reviewed: Dec 09(JS) To be reviewed Dec 10 Signed: _____________________ |