1.4 Child Protection Policy
Introduction
Safeguarding is defined as: protecting children from maltreatment, preventing impairment of children’s health or development, ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes. (Working Together to Safeguard Children, (DfE, 2018), p6)
This Child Protection Policy forms part of a suite of documents and policies which relate to the safeguarding responsibilities of the whole school staff and volunteers. All staff should be aware of systems within their school or college which support safeguarding, and these should be explained to them as part of staff induction. This should include the:
o child protection policy, which should amongst other things also include the policy and procedures to deal with peer-on-peer abuse;
o behaviour policy (which should include measures to prevent bullying, including cyberbullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying);
o staff behaviour policy (sometimes called a code of conduct);
o safeguarding response to children who go missing from education; and
o role of the designated safeguarding lead (including the identity of the designated safeguarding lead and any deputies).
Purpose of a Child Protection Policy
To inform staff, parents, and volunteers about the school’s responsibilities for safeguarding children. To enable everyone to have a clear understanding of how these responsibilities should be carried out. The preschool follows the procedures established by the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership. You can access this by following this link:
https://hertsscb.proceduresonline.com/index.htm
Preschool Ethos
Establish and maintain an ethos and culture where children feel secure, are encouraged to talk, and are listened and responded to when they have a worry or concern.
Establish and maintain an ethos and culture where school staff and volunteers feel safe, are encouraged to talk, and are listened and responded to when they have concerns about the safety and well-being of a child. Ensure children know that there are adults in the school whom they can approach if they are worried.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
The DSL and or Deputy will always be available for staff in the preschool to discuss any safeguarding concerns. The DSL is Lianne Maltman, and the Deputy is Peace Okyere.
The broad areas of responsibility for the DSL are:
o Managing safeguarding concerns
o Contacting the Childhood Support Services when advice is needed regarding child protection concerns
o Act as a source of support, advice, and expertise to staff on matters of safety and safeguarding and when deciding whether to make a referral by liaising with relevant agencies
o Share relevant information with appropriate staff in relation to a child’s look after (CLA) legal status and contact arrangements with birth parents or those with parental responsibility.
o Ensure they have details of a CLA’s social worker and those currently working with the social worker.
When to be concerned
Knowing what to look for is vital for the early identification of abuse and neglect. All staff should be aware of the indicators of abuse and neglect so that they are able to identify cases of children who may be in need of help or protection.
Abuse: a form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or, more rarely, by others. Abuse can take place wholly online, or technology maybe used to facilitate offline abuse. Children maybe abused by an adult or adults or by another child or children.
Physical Abuse
A form of abuse which 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.
Indicators in a child/ young person
Bruises – shape, grouping, site, repeat or multiple
Withdrawal from physical contact
Bite-marks – site and size
Burns and Scalds – shape, definition, size, depth, scars
Aggression towards others, emotional and behaviour problems
Improbable, conflicting explanations for injuries or unexplained injuries
Frequently absent from school
Untreated injuries
Admission of punishment which appears excessive
Injuries on parts of body where accidental injury is unlikely
Fractures
Repeated or multiple injuries
Fabricated or induced illness
Emotional abuse
The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning or preventing the child from participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyberbullying), 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, although it may occur alone.
Indicators in a child/ young person
Self-harm
Over-reaction to mistakes / Inappropriate emotional responses
Chronic running away
Abnormal or indiscriminate attachment
Drug/solvent abuse
Low self-esteem
Compulsive stealing
Extremes of passivity or aggression
Makes a disclosure
Social isolation – withdrawn, a ‘loner’ Frozen watchfulness particularly pre school
Developmental delay
Depression
Neurotic behaviour (e.g.: rocking, hair twisting, thumb sucking)
Desperate attention-seeking behaviour
Neglect
The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy, for example, as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to: provide adequate food, clothing, and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment); protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger; ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate caregivers); or ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.
Indicators in a child/ young person
Failure to thrive - underweight, small stature
Low self-esteem
Dirty and unkempt condition
Inadequate social skills and poor socialisation
Inadequately clothed
Frequent lateness or non-attendance at school
Dry sparse hair
Abnormal voracious appetite at school or nursery
Untreated medical problems
Self-harming behaviour
Red/purple mottled skin, particularly on the hands and feet, seen in the winter due to cold
Constant tiredness
Swollen limbs with sores that are slow to heal, usually associated with cold injury
Disturbed peer relationships
Indicators in a child/ young person
Self-harm - eating disorders, self-mutilation, and suicide attempts
Poor self-image, self-harm, self-hatred
Running away from home
Inappropriate sexualised conduct
Reluctant to undress for PE
Withdrawal, isolation, or excessive worrying
Pregnancy
Sexual knowledge or behaviour inappropriate to age/stage of development, or that is unusually explicit
Inexplicable changes in behaviour, such as becoming aggressive or withdrawn
Poor attention / concentration (world of their own)
Pain, bleeding, bruising, or itching in genital and /or anal area
Sudden changes in schoolwork habits, become truant
Sexually exploited or indiscriminate choice of sexual partners
If staff have any concerns about a child’s welfare, they should act on them immediately. If staff have a concern, they should follow this policy and speak to the DSL/DDSL. The DSL/DDSL are most likely to have a complete safeguarding picture and be the most appropriate person to advise on the response to a safeguarding concern.
Staff should not assume a colleague or another professional will take action and share information that might be critical in keeping children safe. They should be mindful that early information sharing is vital for effective identification, assessment, and allocation of appropriate service provision.
A child centred and coordinated approach to safeguarding
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, each professional should make sure their approach is child centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.
Early years settings and their staff form part of the wider safeguarding system for children. This system is based on the principle of providing help for families to stay together where it is safe for the children to do so, and looking at alternatives where it is not, whilst acting in the best interests of the child at all times.
Children who may require early help (known as Families First in Hertfordshire)
Families First is Hertfordshire's strategy for early help for families. A directory of early help services is available at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/familiesfirst which will help practitioners and families find information and support to prevent escalation of needs and crisis.
All staff should be aware of the early help process, and understand their role in identifying emerging problems, sharing information with other professionals to support early identification and assessment of a child’s needs. It is important for children to receive the right help at the right time to address risks and prevent issues escalating. This also includes staff monitoring the situation and feeding back to the DSL any ongoing/escalation of concerns so that consideration can be given to Children’s Services if the child’s situation doesn’t appear to be improving.
Any child may benefit from early help, but all school and college staff should be particularly alert to the potential need for early help for a child who:
o has special educational needs (whether or not they have a statutory Education, Health and Care Plan);
o has a mental health need;
o is a young carer;
o is at risk of modern slavery, trafficking, sexual or criminal exploitation;
o is at risk of being radicalised or exploited;
o has a family member in prison, or is affected by parental offending;
o is in a family circumstance presenting challenges for the child, such as drug and alcohol misuse, adult mental health issues and domestic abuse;
o has returned home to their family from care;
o is at risk of ‘honour’-based abuse such as Female Genital Mutilation
o is a privately fostered child; and
o is persistently absent from education, including persistent absences for part of the school day.
School and college staff members should be aware of the main categories of maltreatment: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect as well as being aware of the indicators of maltreatment and specific safeguarding issues so that they are able to identify cases of children who may be in need of help or protection.
Children with special educational needs and disabilities:
Additional barriers can exist when recognising abuse and neglect in this group of children.
This can include:
o Assumptions that indicators of possible abuse such as behaviour, mood and injury relate to the child’s impairment without further exploration.
o Assumptions that children with SEN and disabilities can be disproportionally impacted by things like bullying- without outwardly showing signs
o Communication barriers and difficulties.
o Reluctance to challenge carers, (professionals may over empathise with carers because of the perceived stress of caring for a disabled child).
o Disabled children often rely on a wide network of carers to meet their basic needs and therefore the potential risk of exposure to abusive behaviour can be increased.
o A disabled child’s understanding of abuse.
o Lack of choice/ participation.
o Isolation.
Peer on peer abuse (child on child)
Please note some of these indicators might not be age-appropriate for an early childhood setting, however, it is a practitioner’s duty of care to safeguard all children and not only those within the setting.
All staff should be aware that safeguarding issues can manifest themselves via peer-on-peer abuse. This is most likely to include, but may not be limited to:
o Bullying (including cyberbullying).
o Physical abuse such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical harm.
o Sexual violence, such as rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault.
o Sexual harassment, such as sexual comments, remarks, jokes and online sexual harassment, which may be stand-alone or part of a broader pattern of abuse.
o Up-skirting, which typically involves taking a picture under a person’s clothing without them knowing, with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks to obtain sexual gratification, or cause the victim humiliation, distress, or alarm.
o Sexting (also known as sharing nudes or semi-nudes).
o Initiation/hazing type violence and rituals.
Serious violence
All staff should be aware of indicators, which may signal those children are at risk from, or are involved with serious violent crime.
o Increased absence from school
o Change in friendships or relationships with older individuals or groups
o Significant decline in performance
o Signs of self-harm or significant change in wellbeing
o Signs of assault or unexplained injuries
o Unexplained gifts/new possessions
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)
Both CSE and CCE are forms of abuse and both occur where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance in power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child into sexual or criminal activity. Whilst age may be the most obvious, this power imbalance can also be due to a range of other factors including gender, sexual identity, cognitive ability, physical strength, status, and access to economic or other resources. In some cases, the abuse will be in exchange for something the victim needs or wants and/or will be to the financial benefit or other advantage (such as increased status) of the perpetrator or facilitator. The abuse can be perpetrated by individuals or groups, males or females, and children or adults. The abuse can be a one-off occurrence or a series of incidents over time and range from opportunistic to complex organised abuse. It can involve force and/or enticement-based methods of compliance and may, or may not, be accompanied by violence or threats of violence. Victims can be exploited even when activity appears consensual, and it should be noted exploitation as well as being physical can be facilitated and/or take place online.
Mental Health
All staff should be aware that mental health problems can, in some cases, be an indicator that a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering abuse, neglect or exploitation. Only appropriate trained professionals should attempt to make a diagnosis of a mental health problem. Staff, however, are well placed to observe children day-to-day and identify those whose behaviour suggests that they may be experiencing a mental health problem or be at risk of developing one.
If staff have a mental health concern about a child that is also a safeguarding concern, immediate action should be taken by following the procedures in this policy and speaking to the schools DSL.
Prevent: Safeguarding Children and Young People from Radicalisation
Children can be vulnerable to extreme ideologies and radicalisation. Similar to protecting children from other forms of harm and abuse, protecting children from radicalisation must be part of all school and college safeguarding approaches.
All early year’s providers are subject to the Prevent Duty under Section 26 of the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (the CTSA 2015), in the exercise of their functions to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.” Pg. 133 KCSiE (DfE 2021).
There are signs and vulnerability factors that may indicate a child is susceptible to radicalisation or is in the process of being radicalised. It is possible to protect vulnerable people from extremist thinking and intervene to safeguard those at risk of radicalisation. Staff must be alerted to changes in children’s behaviour, which could indicate that they may be in need of Prevent support. They must act proportionately to the concern using the Prevent ‘notice, check, share’ approach, which may lead to the DSL making a Prevent referral.
Local Hertfordshire County Council guidance on Prevent is featured at 6.25 of the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children’s Partnership CP procedures
https://hertsscb.proceduresonline.com/chapters/p_prevent_guide.html
Which outlines the specific duties in Hertfordshire. This guidance also features advice on making a Prevent referral.
Domestic Abuse
Domestic abuse is- any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence, or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. The abuse can encompass but is not limited to psychological; physical; sexual; financial; and emotional. All children can witness and be adversely affected by domestic abuse in the context of their home life where domestic abuse occurs between family members.
Dealing with Disclosure
If a child confides in a member of staff/volunteer and requests that the information is kept secret, it is important that the member of staff/volunteer tell the child in a manner appropriate to the child’s age/stage of development that they cannot promise complete confidentiality – instead they must explain that they may need to pass information to other professionals to help keep the child or other children safe.
If a child discloses that he or she has been abused in some way, the member of staff/volunteer should:
Listen to what is being said without displaying shock or disbelief
Accept what is being said
Allow the child to talk freely
Reassure the child, but not make promises which might not be possible to keep
Never promise a child that they will not tell anyone - as this may ultimately not be in the best interests of the child.
Reassure him or her that what has happened is not his or her fault
Stress that it was the right thing to tell
Listen, only asking questions when necessary to clarify what is being said.
Not criticise the alleged perpetrator
Explain what has to be done next and who has to be told
Make a written record (see Record Keeping)
Pass the information to the DSL without delay (if a DSL or Deputy is not available, staff must inform a senior member of staff or complete a child protection contact referral if this disclosure indicates that the child may be at risk of immediate harm and/or have been suffered significant harm to ensure reporting to Police and/or Children’s Services where necessary is not delayed)
Third Party Disclosures
Its everyone’s responsibility to report concerns related to children and make referrals to Children Services and the Police if suspected that a child has been abused or is at risk of abuse. Therefore, when safeguarding concerns are shared to the DSL in a preschool by a parent or member of the public, it is important to note that there is equal responsibility by the complainant to report the matter also directly rather than assume the responsibility is that of the school. If unsure of how to do this speak to the DSL / manager and they will advise accordingly.
Support
Dealing with a disclosure from a child, and safeguarding issues can be stressful. The member of staff/volunteer should, therefore, consider seeking support for him/herself and discuss this with the DSL.
Record Keeping
All practitioners should be confident of the processing conditions under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the GDPR which allow them to store and share information for safeguarding purposes, including information, which is sensitive and personal, and should be treated as ‘special category personal data’.
All concerns, discussions and decisions made and the reasons for those decisions should be recorded in writing. If in doubt about recording requirements staff should discuss with the DSL.
Record as soon as possible after the conversation. Use the preschools recording forms (found in the safeguarding folder)
Ensure the date, time, place is recorded, and any noticeable non-verbal behaviour and the words used by the child.
Use the body map to indicate the position of any injuries and a clear description of the injury.
Record statements and observations rather than interpretations or assumptions.
Do not destroy the original records in case they are needed by a court.
All records need to be given to the DSL promptly. No copies should be retained by the member of staff or volunteer.
Confidentiality
Safeguarding children raises issues of confidentiality that must be clearly understood by all staff/volunteers in schools.
All staff in preschools, both teaching and non-teaching staff, have a responsibility to share relevant information about the protection of children with other professionals, particularly the investigative agencies.
Staff/volunteers who receive information about children and their families in the course of their work should share that information only within appropriate professional contexts.
Preschool Procedures
If any member of staff is concerned about a child, he or she must inform the DSL. The DSL will decide whether the concerns should be raised to Children’s Services and if deemed to have met the threshold a Child Protection Referral will be completed. If a Child Protection Referral to Children’s Services is made the DSL will discuss the referral with the parents, unless to do so would place the child at further risk of harm.
While it is the DSL’s role to make Child Protection Referrals, any staff member can make a Child Protection Referral to Children’s Services if a child is in immediate danger or is at risk of harm (e.g., concern that a family might have plans to carry out FGM, Forced Marriage etc). In these circumstances a Child Protection Referral should be made to Children’s Services and/or the Police immediately. Where Child Protection Referrals are made by another member of staff, the DSL should be informed as soon as possible.
If a practitioner, in the course of their work in the profession, discovers that an act of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) appears to have been carried out on a girl under the age of 18 the teacher must report this to the police via 101. This is a mandatory reporting duty.
The member of staff must record information regarding the concerns on the same day. The recording must be a clear, precise and a factual account of any verbal disclosures and observations. Particular attention should be paid to the attendance and development of any child about whom the school has concerns, or who has been identified as being the subject of a Child Protection Plan and a written record will be kept.
If a pupil who is/or has been the subject of a child protection plan changes school, the DSL will inform the social worker responsible for the case and transfer the appropriate records to the DSL at the receiving school, in a secure manner, and separate from the child’s academic file.
The DSL is responsible for making the senior leadership team aware of trends in behaviour that may affect pupil welfare. If necessary, training will be arranged.
Communication with Parents
Precious Play Days will ensure the Child Protection Policy is available publicly either via the preschool website or by other means.
Parents should be informed prior to a Child Protection Referral, unless it is considered to do so might place the child at increased risk of significant harm by:
The behavioural response it prompts e.g., a child being subjected to abuse, maltreatment or threats / forced to remain silent if alleged abuser informed.
Leading to an unreasonable delay.
Leading to the risk of loss of evidential material.
(The preschool may also consider not informing parent(s) where this would place a member of staff at risk).
The school will endeavour to ensure that parents understand the responsibilities placed on the preschool staff for safeguarding children.
Where reasonably possible preschools should hold more than one emergency contact number for each pupil and student.
Allegations of abuse made against adults who work with children
An allegation is any information which indicates that a member of staff/volunteer may have:
Behaved in a way that has harmed a child or may have harmed a child.
Possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child.
Behaved towards a child or children in a way which indicates he or she would pose a risk of harm to children or
Behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicated they may not be suitable to work with children.
This relates to members of staff, supply staff and volunteers who are currently working in any preschool, school, or college regardless of whether the preschool, school or college is where the alleged abuse took place. Allegations against a teacher who is no longer teaching should be referred to the police. Historical allegations of abuse should also be referred to the police.
What staff should do if they have concerns about another member of staff who may pose a risk of harm to children allegations against a professional:
o If staff have safeguarding concerns, or an allegation is made about another member of staff (including supply staff and volunteers) posing a risk of harm to children, this is to be referred to the Local Authority Designated Officer(s) LADO. The threshold and forms are located in the safeguarding folder.
o If it is decided it does not require a child protection strategy meeting or joint evaluation meeting, the LADO will provide the employer with advice and support on how the allegations should be managed.