KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE

(Safeguarding and Child Protection)

MRS OLAYINKA OBAFISOYE

Head of School, Meadow Hall

MBA, PhD

"Children learn best when they feel..."

Participants are to complete the sentence below in one word (e.g safe, supported, loved etc) using the chat function.

OBJECTIVES OF THE SESSION

To ensure that participants have secure knowledge of how to report and handle child protection issues.

To differentiate between safeguarding and child protection

Recognition of a variety of issues that contribute to children’s experience of school as an unsafe place.

To establish what a safe school is and how to report disclosures

To look at the Prevent Duty

Safeguarding is about being proactive in keeping people safe.

True or False

SAFEGUARDING AND CHILD PROTECTION: DEFINITIONS

Safeguarding refers to the proactive measures taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. It involves creating a safe, secure, and supportive environment where children can thrive and develop to their full potential.

SAFEGUARDING

Child protection is a subset of safeguarding, focusing specifically on identifying, reporting, and responding to cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation. It involves taking immediate action to prevent further harm and ensure the safety and well-being of the child.

CHILD PROTECTION

Safeguarding is not just about reacting to incidents, but also about proactively creating a safe and nurturing environment for all students.

Proactive Approach

Features of Safeguarding

Effective safeguarding requires comprehensive policies and procedures that address a wide range of potential risks and concerns, such as physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, and online safety.

Comprehensive Policies

Safeguarding is a collaborative effort involving school staff, parents, and relevant authorities, such as social services and law enforcement, to ensure the protection and well-being of children.

Collaborative Effort

Safeguarding is an ongoing process that requires regular review, evaluation, and updates to address emerging threats and ensure the effectiveness of the measures in place.

Continuous Improvement

Other Policies Supporting Safeguarding:

Health and safety

Anti-bullying

Behaviour and discipline

Whistleblowing

Every school leader’s safeguarding priorities:

Safer Recruitment-background checks, references etc

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Safe Premises: pupils’ drop-off/pick-up, adult supervision, visiting hours etc

GROUP DEBATE

•This child is sleeping in class,

during your lesson.

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•What actions will you take?

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•What are your considerations?

Duty of care refers to the legal and moral obligations of educators to ensure the safety, well-being, and protection of the students in their care.

Duty of Care

DEFINITON

This includes taking reasonable steps to prevent harm, providing a safe learning environment, and responding appropriately to any concerns or incidents that arise.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Failure to fulfill the duty of care can have serious consequences, such as legal liability, disciplinary action, and damage to the school's reputation and the trust of the community.

CONSEQUENCES OF BREACH

Upholding the duty of care is crucial for creating a safe and nurturing learning environment that supports the holistic development and well-being of all students.

IMPORTANCE

Designated Safeguarding Lead(DSL)

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Assistant Designated Safeguarding Lead(ADSL)

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Designated Safeguarding Governor(DSG)

Reporting Disclosures and other Child Protection Issues

Safe and Unsafe Classrooms/Schools

Characteristics of a Safe Classroom/School

• Positive and inclusive culture

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• Clear policies and procedures for addressing risks and concerns

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• Adequate supervision and monitoring of student activities

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• Accessible and well-maintained facilities and equipment

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• Open communication and collaboration with parents and the community

Characteristics of an UnSafe Classroom/School

• Lack of clear guidelines and procedures for safeguarding

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• Inadequate supervision and monitoring of students

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• Poorly maintained or unsafe facilities and equipment

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• Bullying, harassment, or discrimination among students

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• Lack of engagement and communication with parents and the community

02

01

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STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE CLASSROOM/SCHOOL SAFETY

Establish comprehensive policies and procedures that address a wide range of safeguarding concerns, such as physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, and online safety.

Policy Development

Provide regular training and professional development for all staff members on recognizing, reporting, and responding to safeguarding issues.

Staff Training

Implement age-appropriate educational programs that teach students about personal safety, healthy relationships, and how to recognize and report any concerns.

Student Education

DID YOU KNOW THAT SAFEGUARDING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES VARY ACROSS DIFFERENT COUNTRIES?

FUN

ABOUT

SAFEGUARDING

FACTS

Schools have a legal duty to prevent students from being drawn into terrorism or extremism, and to promote fundamental human values.

The Prevent Duty

Schools must have clear procedures in place for reporting and responding to any safeguarding concerns or incidents, in collaboration with relevant authorities.

Reporting and Response

Effective safeguarding requires strong partnerships and collaboration between schools, parents, social services, and other relevant agencies to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated approach.

Partnerships and Collaboration

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES IN SCHOOLS

Have and consult your SAFEGUARDING CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

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Keep disclosures/issues CONFIDENTIAL

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Engage appropriate personnel

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Ask open ended questions(avoid leading questions)

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Do not promise confidentiality before knowing what the issue is

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Keep records

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Explore the 5Rs of child protection: Recognise, Respond, Report, Record and Refer.

Safeguarding Competencies/Handling Child Protection Issues

WHICH OF THESE ACTIONS HAVE YOU EVER TAKEN IN YOUR CLASS?

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• Beaten or slapped a child?

• Pulled a child’s ear?

• Called a child “stupid, foolish or lazy’’

• Ignored a child when he/she spoke to you or needed your attention?

• Got angry and reacted when a child failed a test/assessment?

•Those particular children that experienced those actions of yours, how do you think they felt?

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•Were there options to those actions?

REFLECTIONS

Physical

Abuse

P

Emotional Abuse

E

Neglect

N

Sexual

Abuse

S

Online

Abuse

O

Children get bumps and scrapes all the time but a pattern or frequency of injury and change in a child's behaviour may be a cause for concern.

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For example, staff may notice that a child is reluctant to get changed for PE or swimming. This could be because they are trying to hide bruises or other injuries.

PHYSICAL ABUSE

• Emotional abuse is the 2nd most common reason for children needing protection. So teachers and schools need to be prepared to help children understand what it is and respond if a pupil discloses that they're being emotionally abused.

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• Emotional abuse is often difficult to recognise. There may be other types of abuse happening, such as bullying and neglect.

EMOTIONAL ABUSE

• Neglect can be hard to recognise and individual instances of neglect such as dirty clothing or a missed breakfast can be easy to make excuses for.

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• School staff see children every day and so are in a position to build up a picture of what the child's home-life is like.

NEGLECT

CONSIDER SAFETY IN THESE CRITICAL AREAS IN YOUR SCHOOL

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Science Laboratories

Swimming Pools

Playgrounds

Restrooms

Car parks

Art rooms

Home Economics Labs

School zoos

• Sexual abuse can be a sensitive subject to approach but schools should be at the heart of helping children to understand what it is and how to protect themselves.

• Most children know their abuser so messages on how to protect themselves from abuse shouldn't just focus on "stranger danger".

SEXUAL ABUSE

• Schools and teachers need to have a good understanding of how children interact online, so they can help them stay safe. Online abuse includes cyber-bullying, online grooming and child sexual exploitation online.

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• Schools should support teachers with an e-safety policy that ensures they and pupils use online technologies safely, responsibly and appropriately.

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• Staff and children also need to know what to do if they are worried about something they see online or something that has been sent to them.

ONLINE ABUSE

• It's an offence for a teacher or member of school staff to enter into a sexual relationship with a pupil whether the young person has consented to the relationship or not.

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• All staff should be aware of, and know how to respond to, signs of inappropriate relationships between staff and pupils.

GROOMING IN POSITION OF TRUST

• Schools should create a culture that makes it clear that bullying of any kind won't be tolerated. There should be an agreed definition of bullying that all children and young people can understand.

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• All concerns and reports of bullying should be taken seriously and treated as a priority. The school's anti-bullying policy should cover all forms of bullying including online bullying and homophobic bullying.

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• Staff should support the child who's being bullied. But it is also important to work with children who display bullying behavior, so that they understand the impact of bullying and are helped to change their behavior.

BULLYING AND CYBER BULLYING

Speak up

A SAMPLE STRATEGY FOR COMBATING BULLYING - SWAG

Walk away

Assert yourself

Get an adult

WHAT ARE

SOME EXAMPLES

OF SAFEGUARDING?

• A Safeguarding and Child Protection policy

• Other safeguarding policies e.g. anti-bullying policy

• Safer recruitment

• Safe premises

• Recognizing and responding to abuse

• Responding to allegations of abuse made against a child

• Recruiting the right people to work and volunteer with children

• Preventing and responding to bullying

• Responding to concerns about online abuse

• Ensuring photographs and images of children are taken, stored and shared appropriately

• Whistleblowing.

EXAMPLES OF SAFEGUARDING

Teachers and Schools play essential roles in protecting children from abuse. Staff have close, regular contact with children and young people. They're in a strong position to:

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Identify child protection concerns early

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Provide help and support

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Help children understand how to stay safe from abuse

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Refer a child to relevant authorities

THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER AND SCHOOL

IT IS EVERY CHILD’S RIGHT TO BE SAFE AND EVERY ADULT’S RESPONSIBILTY TO KEEP THEM SAFE

Would you rather report a suspicion of abuse or ignore it?

IGNORE

REPORT

Three Stars and a Wish"

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1. Ask participants to share in chat:

- 3 key learnings (stars) from the session

- 1 action (wish) they'll implement immediately

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