Child Protection
Cantell School - Child Protection (Safeguarding)
The Children Act 1989 drew together the main aspects of the law relating to children and highlighted the risks to which many children are exposed. Since then Southampton City Council have issued 'Child Protection Procedures' which lay down the guidelines and procedures for all agencies working with children ie. Education, Social Services, Police, Health, Youth Services and the Education Welfare Service. The aim of this paper is to inform all members of staff of the guidance offered which everyone working in school needs to be aware of.
The paper is in several sections but none of these can fully cover all the possibilities and you should seek further advice if you have any doubts or concerns. All children have the right to be protected from abuse.
Section
- What is abuse?
- Signs of abuse/causes for concern
- Action to be taken after disclosure
- Role of the Child Protection Liaison Officer
- Follow-up and the Child Protection Liaison Registration
- Confidentiality and getting support
1. What is abuse?
The following categories of abuse are recognised for the purposes of the Child Protection Register.
- Neglect: persistent or severe neglect which is detrimental to a child's health, including failure to thrive.
- Physical abuse: actual or risk of physical injury eg. bruising, burns, cuts. Failure to prevent suffering eg. from hunger, cold or harm.
- Sexual abuse: actual or likely sexual exploitation of a child or adolescent.
- Emotional abuse: emotional ill-treatment eg. bullying, rejection.
2. Signs of Abuse/Cause for Concern
Because of our day to day contact with children we are better placed than anyone else to observe outward signs of abuse, changes in behaviour or failure to develop. The signs are varied but staff should remember that something they notice may seem insignificant, but put together with other agencies knowledge it could be a significant cause for concern. Do not hesitate to report your concern however trivial it might first appear.
Signs include:
- Bruises, cuts or burns
- Poor growth, hunger or apparently deficient nutrition
- Excessive attention seeking or dependence
- Behavioural change eg. withdrawal or precocity
- Reluctance to go home
- Very poor attendance
- Changes in behaviour, appearance
A child who is being sexually abused is not of a particular home background, social class, race or academic ability; sexual abuse occurs across the whole spectrum of society.
3. Actions to be taken
All causes for concern should be reported to the school's Child Protection Officer and the Head of Year. If the CPLO thinks there is reasonable concern he/she will telephone Social Services immediately. It is up to Social Services as the lead agency, to decide whether there should be further investigation. It is not appropriate for the school to investigate and question the child once reasonable grounds for concern are established. School staff are not expected to question the child beyond obtaining initial details of the alleged abuse. Full details will be obtained by the Child Protection Enquiry Team
If a child makes a disclosure to you there are four important things to remember:
- Don't ask leading questions.
- Make notes of the disclosure within 24 hours. This may be used by a court as hearsay evidence, only if it is written just after the event. The courts do not allow hearsay evidence recorded months late. Give the notes to the CPLO.
- Act immediately, even if it is Friday afternoon; we have out of hours telephone numbers we should use.
- Do not make contact with those having parental responsibility of the child; this will be carried out by the enquiry team.
Remember it is almost unknown for a child to falsely allege abuse. Therefore, it is important to take seriously what children say, to listen and reassure the child that he/she has the right to tell and is not to blame for what has happened.
The welfare of the child must be the primary consideration at all times. It is the right of the child who is in need or danger to be protected.
4. Child Protection Liaison Officer
The Child Protection Liaison Officer for Cantell School is Tracy Kerr, Inclusions Officer. If she is not in school then inform the Headteacher. It is the CPLO who should make the referral to Social Services, store documentation and liaise with other agencies.
Inter-agency Working - to avoid child abuse going unchecked and leading to the severe harm or even death of young people the government and local authority have demanded that agencies cooperate fully and share information and decision making. We have to inform Social Services of any disclosure and they may inform the police. Sometimes the small amount that a school knows when added to the Social Services information can provide significant cause for concern.
5. Follow-up and Child Protection Registration
Once the incident has been reported to Social Services, the school's role is to support the child in whatever way is appropriate. A teacher can stay with the child while he/she is interviewed by the police or social services if the child requests this. The Child Protection Enquiry Team may do this in school or at a designated facility.
If abuse is confirmed then a case conference will be convened. Teachers have an important role to play in helping the case conference reach its recommendations. If the conference decides the child's name will go on the Child Protection Register a social worker will be appointed and regular reviews held.
The child's behaviour and attendance need to be carefully monitored. If either deteriorates the CPLO should inform Social Services.
6. Confidentiality
- With the victim
It is essential not to make promises that you may not be able to keep. If a child starts to disclose information or you have observed signs of abuse be careful to inform the child at the outset that what is said may have to be told to someone else if it is something that may cause/is causing them harm. If the child is speaking openly be careful not to break their flow.
Never promise to keep a secret even though a child's way into a conversation may be 'I'll tell you if you don't tell anybody else'.
- In School
Keep the child's situation confidential except for those who need to know, ie the CPLO, Headteacher, Head of Year and the Welfare Officer. Children will suffer more if they think everyone is talking about them. Staff will be informed on a 'need to know' basis that a child is at risk, but not necessarily all the details of the offence.
Support for Staff
Child abuse, especially sexual abuse, can arouse strong emotions in professionals. Such feeling can affect teachers personally and it is important to be aware of this. Teachers carry a unique burden in child abuse cases, that of continuing day to day contact with the child. Talking with an informed and sympathetic listener is a good way of getting support and understanding your response.
The most effective way to protect children is for Cantell to provide an ethos in which our pupils feel secure, where their views are valued and where they are encouraged to talk and are listened to.
Click here to see a schematic diagram showing Child Protection procedures.
