Safeguarding Children in Education

1
Safeguarding Children in Education

• Soola Georgiou
• Safeguarding Children in Education Co-ordinator

2
Safeguarding and Protecting

• Tragedy of child deaths
• Laming Enquiry 108 recommendations
• Failures at every level and in every organisation
• Problems in sharing information
• We all have a part to play- Safeguarding children
  is everybodys responsibility

3
The Legislative Context

• Children Act 1989 (significant harm) - Childs
  welfare is paramount
• U.N Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989
• Human Rights Act 1998
• Data Protection Act 1998 does not prevent
  common sense action to prevent harm or save
  lives, CP records exempt from Data Protection Act
• S 175 Education Act 2002 places increased
  responsibility on schools and governing bodies to
  create an environment to safeguard and promote
  the welfare of children
• S157 Education Act (independent schools)
• S11 Children Act 2004

4
Duties of Governing Bodies

• The Governing Body of a maintained school shall
  make arrangements for ensuring that their
  functions relating to the conduct of the school
  are exercised with a view to safeguarding and
  promoting the welfare of children who are pupils
  at their school
• Section 175(2) Education Act 2002

5
Policy Framework/Guidance

• Working Together www.dfes.gov.uk
• What to Do If Youre Worried A Child Is Being
  Abused www.dh.gov.uk
• London Child Protection Procedures 2003 (in
  revision) www.alg.gov.uk/
• Safeguarding Children in Education 2004
  http//publications.teachernet.gov.uk
• Every Child Matters www.everychildmatters.gov.uk
• Your School Child Protection Policy
• Child Protection Training

6
WORKING TOGETHER to SAFEGUARD CHILDREN

• Recognising indicators of possible abuse
• Making decisions with designated member of staff
  about referring children
• Ensuring all communication with parents is
  managed professionally, sensitively and
  non-judgementally
• Making detailed, accurate referral reports
• Giving information to Children Families -
  ensuring they are aware of any communication
  needs or difficulties the child may have
• Supporting the child in school, being sensitive
  to the stress a referral may bring
• Maintaining confidentiality of written records

7
What do we mean by Safeguarding ?

• PROTECT Duty to protect children from impairment
• PREVENT Duty to prevent impairment
• PROMOTE Promoting wellbeing
• By Working Together
• Safeguarding is everybodys business!

8
Everybodys Business

• All those who come into contact with children
  and families in their everyday work, including
  practitioners who do not have a specific role in
  relation to child protection, have a duty to
  safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

(Department of Health, Home Office and Department
for Education and Skills, DCMS, Office of the
Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor (2003)
What To Do If Youre Worried A Child Is Being
Abused. Department of Health Publications,
London.
9
Your Schools Safeguarding Checklist
ALLEGATIONS AGAINST STAFF
WHISTLEBLOWING
PHYSICAL INTERVENTION
SUSPECTED CASES OF ABUSE
RACIST INCIDENTS
BULLYING
CHILD PROTECTION TRAINING
HEALTH AND SAFETY
10
Key Education Personnel

• Nominated CP Governor
• Headteacher
• CP Designated teacher(s)
• LA Lead Officer

11
Safe Schools offer the Best Protection to Children

• Physical Environment
• Cultural Environment

12
The Physical Environment

• Entry security system
• High visibility in pupil areas
• CCTV
• Well maintained school boundaries
• Doors on showers
• Open door policy for teaching

13
The Cultural Environment

• Safe Practice Guidance
• Written protocols for one to one working
• Intimate care
• Use of toilet, shower and changing facilities
• Written protocols on appropriate use of the
  internet, photography, mobile telephones
• Written Child Protection Protocols for premises
  lettings, school trips
• Clear health and safety policy for pupils in and
  out of school
• Readily available pastoral support
• Child Protection Information Board
• Confidential Telephone Access
• Use of the curriculum to teach pupils
• How to protect themselves from harm
• How to speak up if they have concerns

14
SECTION 47 CHILDREN ACT 1989

• Concept of significant harm justifies compulsory
  intervention in family life (S47 Children Act)
• Duty to make enquiries where reasonable cause to
  suspect child suffering or likely to suffer from
  significant harm
• Duty to establish facts and assess the risk
• Assess extent to which childs needs are being
  met
• Working Together to Safeguard Children

15
Risk Factors

• Domestic Abuse/
• Family Discord
• Parental mental illness
• Drug/Alcohol misuse
• Low Tolerance to stress/impulsivity
• Poor attachment
• Larger family size/lower socio economic status
• Rigid attitudes to discipline/unrealistic
  expectations
• High mobility disappearing from school
• Lower educational performance

16
Case Conference

• Parent and child (where appropriate)
• Chair (senior SS staff)
• Social worker and other SS staff
• Health visitor
• GP or other relevant health professionals
• School staff
• Voluntary sector staff, eg Home Start, Sure Start
• The Police
• Other professionals offering a service to the
  child/family
• Interpreter (where appropriate)

17
Case Conference School Staff Responsibility

• Write a report
• Attend Conference
• Give information eg special needs
• Give information clearly and accurately
• Contribute to the decision making and
  recommendations
• Role in core group

18
Child Protection Register

• Centrally held record
• Child considered to be at risk of abuse
• Case conferences - 4/6 months
• Regular meetings of core group -4/6 weeks

19
Child in Need (Children Act 1989 S17)

• A child is taken to be in need if
• Unlikely to achieve or maintain, or have
  opportunity of achieving a reasonable standard of
  health or development without provision of
  services
• Health or development likely to be significantly
  impaired or further impaired without provision of
  such services

20
Categories of Abuse

• Physical Abuse
• Emotional Abuse
• Sexual Abuse
• Neglect

21
PHYSICAL ABUSE

• Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking,
  throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding,
  drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing
  physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also
  be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the
  symptoms of, or deliberately induces illness in a
  child

22
SIGNS OF PHYSICAL ABUSE

• INJURIES WITH CONFLICTING EXPLANATIONS
• A REPEATED PATTERN OF INJURIES THAT SEEM UNLIKELY
  TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED ACCIDENTALLY
• THE CHILD MAY BECOME WITHDRAWN AND AGGRESSIVE,
  LOSE CONFIDENCE OR BE RELUCTANT TO DISCUSS THE
  INJURIES

• FINGERTIP BRUISING
• GRASP MARKS
• IMPLEMENT MARKS
• BROKEN BONES
• BITE MARKS
• SCALDS AND BURNS WITH CLEAR OUTLINES
• BRUISING TO THE FACE OR SOFT TISSUES, BUTTOCKS OR
  TORSO
• BLACK EYES
• UNEXPLAINED INJURIES

23
EMOTIONAL ABUSE

• Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional
  maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe
  and persistent adverse effects on the childs
  emotional development. It may involve conveying
  to children that they are worthless or unloved,
  inadequate, or valued insofar as they meet the
  needs of another person. It may feature age or
  developmentally inappropriate expectations being
  imposed on children.

24
EMOTIONAL ABUSE 2

• These may include interactions that are beyond
  the childs developmental capability, as well as
  overprotection and limitation of exploration and
  learning, or preventing the child participating
  in normal social interaction. It may involve
  seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another.
  It may involve causing children frequently to
  feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation
  or corruption of children. Some level of
  emotional abuse is involved in all types of
  maltreatment of a child, though it may occur
  alone.

25
SIGNS OF EMOTIONAL ABUSE

• Attention seeking behaviour
• Inappropriate behaviour to non-parental adults
• Chronic lack of self esteem and self confidence
• Regression
• Becoming withdrawn
• Failure to make friends
• Development and learning delays
• Angry outbursts
• Over-compliance

26
SEXUAL ABUSE

• .involves forcing or enticing a child or young
  person to take part in sexual activities,
  including prostitution, whether or not the child
  is aware of what is happening. The activities
  may involve physical contact, including
  penetrative (eg rape, buggery or oral sex) or
  non-penetrative acts (oral sex). They may
  include non-contact activities, such as involving
  children in looking at, or in the production of,
  pornographic material or watching sexual
  activities, or encouraging children to behave in
  sexually inappropriate ways.

27
SIGNS OF SEXUAL ABUSE

• Inappropriate sexual knowledge and behaviour in
  the child
• Unusual bleeding or discharge from the genitals
• Bruising or bite marks around the genital area,
  bottom or thighs
• Self-harming
• Eating and sleeping disturbances
• Depression
• Low self-esteem
• Suicidal behaviour
• Inappropriate sexual behaviour towards other
  children and adults

28
NEGLECT

• Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a
  childs basic physical and/or psychological
  needs, likely to result in the serious impairment
  of the childs health or development. Neglect
  may occur during pregnancy as a result of
  material substance abuse. Once a child is born,
  neglect may involve a parent/carer failing to
  provide adequate food and clothing, shelter
  including exclusion from home or abandonment,
  failing to protect a child from physical or
  emotional harm or danger, failure to ensure
  adequate supervision including the use of
  inadequate care-takers, or the failure to ensure
  access to appropriate medical care or treatment.
  It may also include neglect of, or
  unresponsiveness to, a childs basic emotional
  needs

29
SIGNS OF NEGLECT

• Poor hygiene
• Inadequate clothing
• Untreated medical conditions
• Poor self-esteem
• Failure to thrive
• Poor growth and development
• Chronic tiredness and hunger
• Falling asleep in the classroom
• Frequent absences or lateness at school
• High levels of accidents
• Poor social relationships
• Poor hair condition, skin sores etc.

30
Managing a Disclosure

• How to respond patience and sensitivity
• Find a private place where interruptions can be
  minimised
• Listen carefully, do not interrupt the child or
  ask any questions
• Reassure the child and be comforting
• Do not promise confidentiality never tell a
  child you will keep a secret, if you believe if
  that secret may indicate child protection
  concerns
• Record the conversation as soon as possible after
  disclosure, include DATE, TIME, PERSONS PRESENT
  and SIGN it
• Pass on concerns to Designated CP Staff member
  immediately. If unavailable pass it on to
  another member of school staff or Children
  Families
• SAFEGUARDING THE CHILD
• MUST BE YOUR FIRST PRIORITY

31
Forced Marriage

• An abuse of human rights
• A form of child abuse
• A form of domestic violence
• An act not upheld by the teachings of any
  religion
• A form of contemporary slavery, as recognised by
  the United Nations, June 2005
• www.fco.gov.uk/forcedmarriage
• Advice 020 7008 0151
• Emergencies 020 7008 1500
• Child abduction links with forced marriage
• Over 200 cases per year
• Top 5 countries Pakistan, India, Bangladesh,
  Spain and the United Stsates

32
How to Manage the Situation within the School
Setting

• CP Procedures
• Essential to follow correct procedures ensuring
  childs safety
• Your role is not voluntary
• You do not have a choice
• Confidentiality

33
Making a Referral

• Childs social worker or team manager
• Referral and Assessment Team, Children Families
  Social Care
• By telephone [phone]
• Followed up in writing within 24 hours
• Overriding responsibility of all professionals to
  ensure children are safe
• Staff concerns
• It is never acceptable not to report suspected
  abuse

34
Allegations of Abuse against Staff

• All allegations must be taken seriously
• Remember teachers are not automatically guilty
• Headteacher will initiate CP procedures report
  to L.A. lead officer in first instance
• Chair of Governors
• No school investigation unless advised by lead
  officer
• Education Strategy Meeting

• Governors and School Staff should
• be familiar with the school and LA procedure on
  handling allegations
• Know who allegations should be reported to
• Be familiar with the school policy on
• Information sharing
• Whistleblowing
• Know how allegations should be recorded

www.teachernet.gov.uk/childprotection
35
REVIEW

• School Staff should
• be familiar with the Child Protection Policy
• be aware of the indicators of possible abuse
• be familiar with the referral process
• know who the designated teacher is
• keep accurate records
• A Self-Review Tool for Safeguarding and Child
  Protection in Schools

http//www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/familyand
community/childprotection/otheragencyroles/irsc/ir
sc_guidance_documents/
36
What is your Role as a Governor?

• Ensure a safe school environment
• Ensure the school has a child protection policy
• Monitor and annually review safeguarding policy,
  practice and procedure

37
Child Protection Contacts
National Institute for Social Work Mary Ward
House, 5 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9SN Tel
0207 387 9681 Website www.nisw.org.uk
BASPCAN 10 Priory Street, York YO1 6EZ Tel 0190
461 3605 Email baspcan_at_baspcan.org.uk Website
www.baspcan.org.uk

NCH Action for Children 85 Highbury Park, London,
N5 1UD Tel [phone] Website
www.nchafc.org.uk
Barnardos Tanners Lane, Barkingside, Ilford,
Essex, IG6 1QG Tel [phone] Email
dorothy.howes_at_barnardos.org.uk Website
www.barnardos.org.uk
The Childrens Society Edward Rudolf House,
Margery Street, London, WC1X 0JL Tel [phone]
4436 Email info_at_childrenssociety.org.uk Website
www.the-childrens-society.org.uk
National Childrens Bureau (NCB) 8 Wakley Street,
London EC1V 7QE Tel [phone] Website
www.ncb.org.uk
NSPCC 42 Curtain Road, London EC2A 2NH Tel 0800
800 500 Website www.nspcc.org.uk
Our designated teacher is
Kidscape 2 Grosvenor Gardens, London S W1W
0DH Tel [phone] Website
www.kidscape.org.uk
ChildLine Freepost 1111, London EC4 4BB Tel
0800 1111 (24 hour helpline for
children) Website www.childline.org.uk
ParentLine Organisation for Parents Under Stress
(OPUS) 106 Godstone Road, Wyteleafe, Surrey CR3
0GB Tel [phone]