Child Protection Group 1

Refresher Child Protection - Basic Awareness Clive Haines and Helen YoungWelcome

Aims

•To refresh your understanding of safeguarding children and what steps to follow if there is a child protection concern

• To raise awareness about your roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding children and young people within your organisation

Legislation

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015Definitions Signs and Indicators Information sharing

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2015Safe recruitment Educating children in E-safety through the curriculumGovernors’ Responsibilities

Your School Policy Overall statement of safeguarding intentReferral procedures Information sharing Whistle blowing Professional code of conduct

The Role of Designated Person Child Protection

Two minute discussion on your interpretation of the role and responsibilities of the Designated Person.

Feedback

Definitions (Working Together 2015)Reminder Categories of Child Abuse and Neglect

(Ofsted will ask)

• Physical Abuse

• Sexual Abuse

• Emotional Abuse

• Neglect

Including CSE, forced marriage, honour based violence, FGM & Counter Terrorism Act .

Examples of abuse (Working Together 2015)

Child rarely receives praise

Parents regularly drink spirits and let their child sip out of the glass

Parents who punish their child excessively if they do not get the highest marks for every piece of work

Parents ignored child’s compliant of earache and chronic ear discharge

Parents usually punish their child by spanking sometimes leaving red marks on the skin

Children deprived of contact with estranged parent due to adults disagreement

Child rarely receives praise

N/E

Parents regularly drink spirits and let their child sip out of the glass

P

Parents who punish their child excessively if they do not get the highest marks for every piece of work

EParents ignored child’s compliant of earache and chronic ear discharge

P/N

Parents usually punish their child by spanking sometimes leaving red marks on the skin P

Children deprived of contact with estranged parent due to adults disagreement

E

Scenarios – please discuss

1. You overhear two year 8 girls arguing about a boy who is an ex pupil. It would appear both think they are in a relationship with him. The boy is planning to collect girl A from school in his friend’s car. Girl B is asking her not to go. You know that attendance for Girl A has suddenly become erratic however her mother has been out of the country visiting family and father is working and caring for three daughters.

2. During a conversation a colleague tells you his 12 year old daughter has been spending a lot of time on her computer. He tells you that she had taken her 6 year old nephew to her bedroom to play games with her on the computer. When the nephew visited the following week, he cried and didn't want to go the bedroom with her.

3. You have had concerns about a year 11 boy who has started to spend a lot of time on his own rather than with friends in school. When you asked him about an injury to his hand he said that it had happened in rugby practice; your colleague confirmed that the boy plays with no regard for his own safety. One of his friends then complains to you that the boy has punched and damaged several lockers.

When To Act

• A child’s disclosure

• Signs of any of the behavioural or physical indicators of abuse

• Third party witness report

• Admission from someone seeking help because they have harmed a child

Responding to a Child’s Disclosure

What would you not do?• Do not ask leading questions

• Do not investigate or try to get ‘the truth’ of the child’s story

• Do not make any promises that you cannot keep – including keeping confidentiality

• Do not criticise the abuser

• Do not chat about it in the staff room or talk to anyone else other than the Designated Person

Responding to a Child’s Disclosure

What should you do?

• Stay calm• Reassure the child that telling you was the right

thing to do• Allow the child to speak at their own pace• Listen carefully• Explain you cannot keep a secret• Make accurate factual notes with the time, date and

signed• Inform your Designated Person for the school as soon as

possible• Follow procedures of your CP policy or the LSCB Cue Card

Information Sharing

• If you have concerns, seek advice as soon as possible from the DP who can ask advice from Social Care Referral and Assessment

• The concerns should be discussed with the parent(s) if the DP thinks the child will not come to further harm or be placed in immediate significant danger

• All conversations/concerns/incidents should be recorded and shared on a ‘need to know’ basis

• Follow up if you are unsure

• Seek support for yourself at supervision or from DP

Policies and Procedures

• Is your Safeguarding policy up to date?

• Does it reflect Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2015

• Does it include E-safety & Whistle blowing?

• Who reviews the policy?

• Who contributes?

• Do you have a Code of Conduct?

Do you think anything should change following this training?

Remember

Think the unthinkable

A child is a child until 18

It is better to act than to do nothing

Children have the right to be safe

Children want the abuse to stop