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Level 2 Safeguarding Training

Keeping Children Safe in Education

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September 2020

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AUDIO PRESENTATION

(Governors, volunteers and staff joining mid-year)

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Sunnymede Junior School

What is

safeguarding?

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined in Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE, 2020) as:

Updated in KCSIE 2020

“protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s mental health and physical health and development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes”

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Safeguarding

Child Protection

Staff Conduct

Curriculum

Managing Allegations Against Staff

Safe Recruitment and Selection

Health and Safety

Behaviour Management

Attendance

Anti Bullying

A “listening school-wellbeing of pupil & staff

Building Design & Site management

Safeguarding

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• Government introduced the concept of ‘safeguarding children’ in 2004/05

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• Safeguarding’ much broader concept (than child protection) based around preventing children / young people from being harmed – focus upon promoting the child / young person’s welfare

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• Child Protection is part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. It refers to activity undertaken to protect specific children identified as either suffering or at risk of suffering significant harm as a result of abuse or neglect.

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• It is only multi-agency working which effectively safeguards children

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The Essex Safeguarding Children Board �(ESCB):

• Working Together 2018 removed statutory requirement for LSCBs – in Essex, ESCB name and brand will remain as part of multi-agency safeguarding arrangements (from September 2019)

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• Aim is to improve outcomes for children by co-ordinating the work of local agencies to safeguard and promote the welfare of children

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• Links with Southend and Thurrock (SET procedures – ESCB, 2019)

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• Director for Education sits on the Board and the Headteacher associations are represented

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• Head of Education Safeguarding and Wellbeing sits on

Stay Safe Groups and other ESCB committees

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Key documents for schools and other settings:

• Working Together to Safeguard Children (HMG, 2018)

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• SET Procedures (ESCB, 2019)

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• Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE, 2020)

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�Working Together to Safeguard Children (HMG, 2018)�

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Two key principles:

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• Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility: for services to be effective each individual and organisation should play their full part;
• A child centred approach: for services to be effective they should be based on a clear understanding of the needs and views of children.

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��SET Procedures 2019��ESCB��The Southend, Essex and Thurrock (SET) Procedures set out how agencies and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people� ��

SET Procedures (2019)

Schools should implement their duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of their pupils under the Education Act 2002 by having a policy that demonstrates how the school will:

• Create and maintain a safe learning environment for children by having arrangements in place to address a range of issues,
• Contribute to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children through the curriculum, by developing children’s understanding, awareness, and resilience;
• Identify where there are child welfare concerns and take action to address them, in partnership with other agencies where appropriate.

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SET Procedures (2019)

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Schools should ensure that they designate a member of the Senior Leadership Team who has been appropriately trained to take overall responsibility for the Safeguarding arrangements within the school. Ronnie Branch in this school. Miss Catharine King is the deputy lead.

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The designated lead should ensure that all staff in the school are aware of the indicators of abuse, changes in behaviour that give rise to concern or the failure of a child to develop, and that reporting arrangements in these circumstances are in place.

SET Procedures (2019)

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The designated lead should ensure that appropriate staff are competent to work in partnership with the local authority children’s social care by:

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• Contributing to the assessment of a child's needs;
• Implementing agreed actions to meet those needs

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The designated lead should ensure that the school’s system for recording concerns or files relating to Child Protection processes for individual children are kept safely and securely and appropriately transferred at time of transition from one school to another

The role of Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)

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The LADO is involved where there is a concern or allegation that someone working or volunteering with children:

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• Has or may have harmed a child
• May have committed a criminal offence related to a child
• Behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children

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Families where there are obstacles and resistance

• Large sibling groups / multiple children in family (additional pressures on parents)

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• Range of uncooperative behaviour by families towards professionals - four types of uncooperativeness:
• Ambivalence
• Avoidance
• Confrontation
• Violence

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• Disguised compliance
• There could be a number of reasons why families may appear

un-cooperative

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Parenting capacity:

There are many factors which can impact on parenting capacity:

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• Substance misuse
• Mental health
• Learning disability

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Cultural issues to consider:

Professionals should seek advice to gain better understanding, where possibility of cultural factors making family resistant to having professionals involved.

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Professionals should:

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• be aware of dates of the key religious events and customs;
• Be aware of the cultural implications of gender;
• acknowledge cultural sensitivities and taboos e.g. dress codes
• consider asking for advice from local experts, who have links with the culture (be aware of potential risks around forced marriage)

Professional Conflict Resolution

“Professionals providing services to children and their families should work co-operatively across all agencies, using their skills and experience to make a robust contribution to safeguarding children and promoting their welfare within the framework of discussions, meetings, conferences and case management”

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Concern or disagreement may arise over another professional's decisions, actions or lack of actions - professionals should attempt to resolve differences in line with SET procedures (S.11)

Keeping Children Safe in Education �(DfE, September 2020)

Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE, September 2020)

“Schools and colleges and their staff are an important part of the wider safeguarding system for children”

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Guidance applies to governing bodies, proprietors / academy trusts and management committees of PRUs

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Above persons should ensure that ALL STAFF read at least Part 1 (including Annex A and Annex B) and that mechanisms are in place to assist staff to understand and discharge their role and responsibilities

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‘Children’ includes everyone under age of 18

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Part One: Safeguarding information for all staff

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What school and college staff should know and do

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined in Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE, 2020) as:

• protecting children from maltreatment
• preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development
• ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

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A child centred approach to safeguarding:

• Safeguarding is EVERYONE’S responsibility - everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play

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• All practitioners should make sure their approach is child-centred and consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child

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• No single practitioner can have a full picture of a child’s needs and circumstances

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• If children and families are to receive the right help at the right time, everyone who comes into contact with them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action.

The role of staff:

School and college staff are in a position to identify concerns early, provide help for children and prevent concerns escalating

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All staff have a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which children can learn

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All staff should be prepared to identify children who may benefit from early help (providing support as soon as a problem emerges in a child’s life)

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What staff need to know:

All staff should be aware of systems within their school which support safeguarding and these should be explained to them as part of staff induction. This includes:

• Child Protection Policy (includes peer on peer abuse)
• Behaviour Policy
• Whistleblowing Policy

- Staff Behaviour Policy ( called a Code of Conduct)

-safeguarding response to children who go missing from education

-the roles of the designated safeguarding lead (and any deputies) – Appendix 6 of CP policy

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This documentation and a copy of Part 1 of KCSIE

Is provided to staff at Induction, including Annex A and Annex B

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�What staff need to know:�

All staff should:

• receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training which is regularly updated. In addition, all staff members should receive safeguarding and child protection updates (as required but at least annually).

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• be aware of the early help process, and understand their role in it (being particularly alert to children with additional vulnerability or needs)

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• be aware of the process for making referrals to children’s social care.

• what to do if a child tells them they are being abused or neglected (involve the DSL)

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What staff should look out for:

Knowing what to look for is vital to early identification of abuse and neglect – all staff:

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• should be aware of the signs of abuse and neglect so they are able to identify children who may be in need of help or protection

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• should always speak to the DSL or DDSL if unsure

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• should be aware that, in most cases, there is overlap of multiple issues (concerns issues are rarely stand-alone events covered by one definition or label)

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What staff should look out for:

Knowing what to look for is vital to early identification of abuse and neglect - all staff:

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• should be aware that safeguarding incidents / behaviours can be associated with factors outside the educational setting

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• Should consider whether children are at risk of abuse / exploitation in situations outside their families – range of extra-familial harms and children can be vulnerable to multiple harms (contextual safeguarding)

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What staff should do if concerned about a child:

Staff members are advised to maintain an attitude of ‘it could happen here’ and should always act in the best interests of the child

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Lauren Wright�1994 - 2000

Serious Case Review – Lauren Wright 1994-2000

• “Lots of times, often she was covered with lots of small bruises and with major bruises about once a month. These included black eyes, bruising on her face and scratches across her back”. Class Teacher
• “her physical deterioration had been apparent for at least five months before she died” Head Teacher

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“I think that the key failure in Lauren’s case was the schooling. She was at school for 16 months before her death. She was aged 6 and lost 4 stone in that time and quite a lot of her hair and presented at school with bruising, as is evidenced in the trial. Yet staff did not report any concerns …”

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• When she died, she had lost four stone and weighed just two stone.
• Lauren often appeared with bruises which were

explained away.

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WHAT WENT WRONG?

• Lauren’s class teacher had received no child protection training
• The Step-mother told the paediatrician that the bruises were the result of bullying in school.
• The Designated Child Protection Co-ordinator had left the school.
• A Governor offered to take on the responsibility for child protection.
• No referral was made by either of the teachers to Social Care.

and….

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Lauren’s Stepmother was

a member of staff at the school

Concerns about another staff member:

• All staff members should be made aware of the boundaries of appropriate behaviour and conduct – set out in the ‘Staff Code of Conduct’ (and signed for by all staff)
• Position of Trust (Sexual Offences Act 2003)
• Staff should refer any concerns about another member of staff (including supply staff/ volunteers)to Headteacher
• If concern is about Headteacher, staff should refer to Chair of Governors or to LADO if Headteacher is sole proprietor

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Remember – ‘it could happen here’

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Concerns about practice:

All staff should be able to raise concerns

Where they feel unable to do so to an employer, or where they feel issues are not being addressed, they may contact the NSPCC whistleblowing helpline on: 0800 028 0285 (line is available from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday to Friday) or by email at: help@nspcc.org.uk 

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