Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy and ProcedureKey contacts (Forest Setting)
The above information is correct as of January 2025. Please visit the below website for any updates:
https://czone.eastsussex.gov.uk/early-years/safeguarding/ Key contacts (Beach Setting)
The above information is correct as of August 2024. Please visit the below website for any updates:
https://czone.eastsussex.gov.uk/early-years/safeguarding Key contacts (Beach Setting)
The above information is correct as of August 2024. Please visit the below website for any updates:
https://czone.eastsussex.gov.uk/early-years/safeguarding/ Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy And Procedure This policy applies to Wild Monkeys Child Care Ltd which is made up of Wild Monkeys Forest Nursery, Wild Monkeys Beach Nursery & Wild Monkeys Nature Nursery Key contacts
Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy
1.9 Not applicable for this setting. 1.10 Not applicable for this setting. 1.11 As well as systems for individual children to raise concerns, we also gather pupil voice, to understand the experience of children at the setting, so that this can inform the development of safeguarding practice. We always aim to capture the full breadth of the children’s demographic, including children’s with SEND and those who are known to be vulnerable. 1.12 Not applicable for this setting. 1.13 Not applicable for this setting. 1.14 The use of technology is a significant component of many safeguarding issues so as part of our whole setting approach to safeguarding we have a separate E-Safety Policy which setting this area of work. This policy includes details of how internet use at the setting is filtered and monitored and how we teach children to stay safe online whether they are at the setting or at home and how we communicate with parents to reinforce the importance of children being safe online. 1.15 We recognise that abuse may occur in a range of situations: within families or households, within the community, or online or face to face. We also recognise too that it is not only adults who may abuse children but also that children can abuse other children as well. 1.16 We recognise that just because children are not raising concerns, that is not to say that there are no concerns. For example, there may be no reported cases of child on child abuse, but such abuse may still be taking place and is simply not being reported, this is why it is so important to listen to children, teach them about risk and safety and raise awareness around how to seek support and what the setting will do. 1.17 Not applicable for this setting. 1.17 We will work with parents to build an understanding of the settings responsibilities to ensure the welfare of all children, including the need for referrals to other agencies, such as Children’s Social Care, in some situations.
2.1 In line with the law, this policy defines a child as anyone under the age of 18 years. 2.2 Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:
2.3 Child protection is the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm.
3 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 3.1 The settings lead person with overall responsibility for child protection and safeguarding is the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). At our Forest setting the DSL is Casey Barnes. At our Nature setting the DSL is Becky Todd and for our Beach setting it is Alison Young. The DSL’s responsibilities are described in Appendix E of this policy. 3.2 This person will have the appropriate authority and be given the time, funding, training, resources and support to provide advice and support to other staff on child welfare and child protection matters, to take part in strategy discussions and inter-agency meetings – and/or to support other staff to do so – and to contribute to the assessment of children. The DSL’s lead responsibility will not be delegated. 3.3 At our setting the Designated Teacher is Jennifer Elliot who will discuss with the setting how available funding can be best used to support the progress of looked after children and meet the needs identified in the child’s personal education plan. 3.4 Not applicable for this setting. 3.5 The person responsible for dealing with allegations of abuse made against setting staff members is the manager. The procedure for managing allegations is detailed in Appendix A of this policy. 3.6 The manager will ensure that the policies and procedures adopted are fully implemented, and resources and time are allocated to enable staff to discharge their safeguarding responsibilities. 3.7 Senior team is collectively responsible for ensuring that safeguarding arrangements are fully embedded within the setting’s ethos and reflected in the setting’s day-to-day practice as part of a whole nursery approach. 3.8 We will ensure that all staff members, volunteers and external providers have received training so that they know how to recognise potential safeguarding concerns, how to respond to children who disclose concerns and what to do if they are concerned about a child. 3.9 All new staff will be provided with a copy of this policy as part of their induction. Existing staff are expected to read the policy at least annually, to familiarise themselves with any updated practice. In either circumstance staff are expected to read the document in its entirety to ensure that they are aware of not just their own role and responsibilities but also the role of other key members of staff such as the Manager and the DSL. 4 SUPPORTING CHILDREN 4.1 Our setting will support all children by:
4.2 Additional vulnerabilities and circumstances can include:
4.3 Children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) or certain health conditions can face additional safeguarding challenges and additional barriers can exist when recognising abuse and neglect in this group of children (whether or not they have a statutory Education, Health and Care Plan). These can include:
4.4 Children who have a social worker due to safeguarding or welfare needs may be vulnerable to further harm due to experiences of adversity and trauma, as well as educationally disadvantaged in facing barriers to attendance, learning, behaviour and positive mental health. Our setting will identify the additional needs of these children and provide extra monitoring to mitigate these additional barriers. We recognise that even when social care intervention has ended, these additional barriers may persist, therefore so too will our additional monitoring and support. 4.5 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. Where it is known that children have suffered abuse and neglect, or other potentially traumatic adverse childhood experiences, this can impact on their mental health, behaviour and education. Our setting will identify the additional needs of these children and provide extra monitoring and pastoral support to mitigate these additional barriers. Where necessary, referrals will be made to mental health professionals for further support. 4.6 Not applicable for this setting. 4.7 Our setting takes a trauma informed approach to supporting children, considering their lived experience, and factoring this into how we can best support them with their welfare and engage them with their learning. 5 CHILD PROTECTION AND SAFEGUARDING PROCEDURE 5.1 We have developed a structured procedure in line with Pan-Sussex Child Protection and Safeguarding Procedures and working together to safeguard children, which will be followed by all members of the nursery community in cases where there are welfare or safeguarding concerns. This is detailed in Appendix A of this policy. 5.2 In line with the procedures, the Children’s Social Care Single Point of Advice (SPoA) will be contacted as soon as there is a significant concern, or where level 3 support is required. 5.3 Where a crime may have been committed the police will be involved as necessary (using the NPCC-When to call the police guidance to inform this decision. 5.4 Not applicable for this setting. 5.5 The DSL is displayed on the website under policies as well as displayed on our staff chart in the porch for parents to see. Parents are sign posted to our website which describes the role of the DSL. Everyone is responsible for safeguarding the children. Concerns about a child are raised with the DSL and they will take necessary steps. 5.6 We will ensure that all parents and carers are aware of the responsibilities of staff members to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and act in the best interests of children by publishing the policy and procedures on our website and by referring to them in our introductory setting materials. 6 THE MANAGEMENT OF SAFEGUARDING 6.1 We recognise that safeguarding is not a discrete area of work: there is a safeguarding dimension to almost every area of our practice. As part of our whole setting approach, and to ensure a holistic view of all children, we have structures and systems in place, such as scheduled meetings. 6.2 We will ensure that the DSL is kept informed of any incident of physical intervention with a child and will be aware of behaviour plans for specific children. (See Physical Contact Policy for further information). 6.3 We will ensure that the DSL is kept informed of attendance patterns, and where there are concerns for individual children the response to this will be considered within the context of safeguarding. (See Child Absence and Punctuality Policy for further information). 6.4 We will ensure that the DSL is kept informed of arrangements for first aid and children with medical conditions and is alerted where a concern arises, such as an error with the administering of medicines or intervention, or repeated medical appointments being missed, or guidance or treatments not being followed by the parents or the child. (See Equal Opportunities Policy and Appendix C of this policy for further information). 6.5 Systems are in place to ensure that hate incidents, e.g. racist, homophobic, transphobic gender or disability-based bullying/cyberbullying, are reported, recorded and considered under safeguarding arrangements by the DSL. (See E-Safety Policy for further information). 6.6 Not applicable for this setting. 7 REPORTING CONCERNS AND RECORD KEEPING 7.1 All safeguarding and welfare concerns, discussions and decisions made will be recorded in writing and kept in line with the ESSCP Keeping Records of Child Protection and Welfare Concerns Guidance. The children have a separate safeguarding folder which is kept in a locked cabinet in the office which only the DSL, managers and office staff have access too. 7.2 The DSL will ensure that child protection files are kept up to date and that information will be kept confidential and stored securely. 7.3 Records will include:
7.5 We will continue to support any child leaving the setting about whom there have been concerns by ensuring that all appropriate information, including welfare and safeguarding concerns, is forwarded under confidential cover as a matter of priority, and within 5 working days. 7.6 When a child is due to transfer to another school the DSL will consider if it would be appropriate to share any information with the new nursery or school in advance of the child leaving. For example, information that would allow the new nursery or school to continue supporting children who have or have had a social worker and been victims of abuse and have that support in place for when the child arrives. 7.7 When a new child joins our setting, and there is a record of safeguarding or welfare concerns, we will ensure that this information is shared appropriately with the DSL, the Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) and the Designated Teacher for Looked After Children (LAC), as necessary. 8 SAFER WORKFORCE AND MANAGING ALLEGATIONS AGAINST STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS 8.1 Our setting has robust safer recruitment procedures to help prevent unsuitable people from working with children. Please see Employment & Suitable People Policy for further details. 8.2 All individuals working in any capacity at our school will be subjected to safeguarding checks in line with the statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education: September 2022. 8.3 We will ensure that agencies and third parties supplying staff provide us with written confirmation that they have made the appropriate level of safeguarding checks on individuals working in our setting. We will also ensure that any agency worker presenting for work is the same person on whom the checks have been made. 8.4 Professional visitors, such as Educational Psychologists, Social Workers or Local Authority Officers, will be expected to provide a professional proof of identity. Where necessary we will seek further reassurances from their employers that these persons have suitable DBS clearance etc. 8.5 External organisations can provide a varied and useful range of information, resources and speakers that can help our setting to enrich children’s education, but we will always give careful consideration to the suitability of any external organisations. This may include an assessment of the education value, the age appropriateness of what is going to be delivered and whether relevant checks will be required. 8.6 Parents or other relatives of children or other visitors attending activities such as a parents events/ stay & plays will not be expected to provide any DBS or barred list checks. The manager and DSL will decide case by case or event by event the level of supervision, if any, required for such persons. 8.7 We will ensure that we receive written confirmation from Alternative Provision providers that they have made the appropriate level of safeguarding checks on individuals working for their organisation. 8.8 Every job description and person specification will have a clear statement about the safeguarding responsibilities of the post holder. 8.9 We will ensure that Valerie Wild – The Owner, has completed safer recruitment training. 8.10 The DSL is responsible for ensuring that our single central record is accurate and up to date. 8.11 We have a procedure in place to manage allegations against members of staff and volunteers, including low-level concerns, no matter how small, in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education: September 2022. This procedure is detailed in Appendix A of this policy. 9 STAFF INDUCTION, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT 9.1 All new members of staff will be given an induction which includes the following:
9.2 The safeguarding induction and ongoing safeguarding training of staff will be integrated aligned and considered as part of the whole setting safeguarding approach and wider staff training and curriculum planning. In particular it will include:
9.3 The DSL will undergo updated safeguarding and child protection training every two years. In addition to this their knowledge and skills will be updated regularly, and at least annually, to keep up with developments relevant to the role. 9.4 All staff members of the setting will receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training (online training) annually. The DSL will provide ongoing briefings to the setting on any changes to safeguarding and child protection legislation and procedures and relevant learning from local and national serious case reviews as required, throughout the year. 9.5 Not applicable for this setting. 9.6 Not applicable for this setting. 9.7 We will ensure that staff members provided by other agencies and third parties, e.g. contractors, have received appropriate safeguarding and child protection training commensurate with their roles before starting work. 9.8 On the first occasion which staff members provided by other agencies and third parties, e.g. bank staff and contractors come to our setting to work; they will be provided with details of the safeguarding arrangements at our school, which will include identifying the DSL and the process for reporting welfare concerns. 9.9 The setting will maintain accurate records of staff induction and training. 10 CONFIDENTIALITY, CONSENT AND INFORMATION SHARING 10.1 We recognise that all matters relating to safeguarding and child protection are confidential. 10.2 The DSL will disclose information about a child to other members of staff on a need-to-know basis, and in the best interests of the child. 10.3 All staff members are aware that they cannot promise a child to keep secrets which might compromise the child’s safety or wellbeing. 10.4 All staff members have a professional responsibility to share information with other agencies in order to safeguard children. 10.5 All our staff members who come into contact with children will be given appropriate training to understand the purpose of information sharing in order to safeguard and promote children’s welfare. 10.6 We will ensure that staff members are confident about what they can and should do under the law, including how to obtain consent to share information and when information can be shared without consent. This is covered in greater detail in Appendix A of this policy. 11 INTER-AGENCY WORKING 11.1 We will develop and promote effective working relationships with other agencies, including agencies providing early help services to children, the police and Children’s Social Care. 11.2 We will ensure that relevant staff members participate in multi-agency meetings and forums, including child protection conferences and core groups, to consider individual children. 11.3 We will participate in safeguarding practice reviews (previously known as serious case reviews), other reviews and file audits as and when required to do so by the ESSCP. We will ensure that we have a clear process for gathering the evidence required for reviews and audits, embedding recommendations into practice and completing required actions within agreed timescales. 12 CONTRACTORS, SERVICE AND ACTIVITY PROVIDERS ALTERNATIVE PROVISION PROVIDERS 12.1 We will ensure that contractors and providers are aware of our setting safeguarding and child protection policy and procedures. We will require that employees and volunteers provided by these organisations use our procedure to report concerns. 12.2 We will seek written confirmation that employees and volunteers provided by these organisations and working with our children have been subjected to the appropriate level of safeguarding check in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education: September 2022. If assurance is not obtained, permission to work with our children or use our school premises may be refused. 12.3 When we commission services from other organisations, we will ensure that compliance with our policy and procedures is a contractual requirement. 12.4 Not applicable for this setting. 13 SITE SECURITY 13.1 Not applicable for this setting. 13.2 All staff members have a responsibility to ensure our buildings and grounds are secure and for reporting concerns that may come to light. 13.3 We check the identity of all visitors and volunteers coming into setting. Visitors are expected to sign in and out in the visitors’ log. Any individual who is not known or identifiable will be challenged for clarification and reassurance. 13.4 The setting will not accept the behaviour of any individual, parent or anyone else, that threatens setting security or leads others, child or adult, to feel unsafe. Such behaviour will be treated as a serious concern and may result in a decision to refuse the person access to the setting. 14 USE OF NURSERY PREMISES FOR NON-NURSERY/ ACTIVITIES 14.1 Not applicable for this setting. 14.2 Not applicable for this setting. 14.3 Not applicable for this setting. 14.4 Not applicable for this setting. 15 WHISTLEBLOWING AND COMPLAINTS 15.1 We recognize that children cannot be expected to raise concerns in an environment where staff members fail to do so. 15.2. We will ensure that everyone is aware of their duty to raise concerns about the management of safeguarding and child protection, which may include the attitude or actions of colleagues (including low level concerns). This includes: · Staff members. · Volunteers. · Students. If there is a concern staff will speak as appropriate with the: · DSL. · Setting Leader. · Manager. · The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). Should staff not feel able to raise concerns they can call the NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice helpline on 0800 028 0285. 15.3 We have a clear reporting procedure for children, parents, and other people to report concerns or complaints, including abusive or poor practice. This is outlined in our Complaints Policy. 16 QUALITY ASSURANCE 16.1 We will ensure that systems are in place to monitor the implementation of and compliance with this policy and accompanying procedures. This will include periodic audits of welfare concern and safeguarding files and records by the DSL. 16.2 We will complete a self-assessment audit of the Setting’s safeguarding arrangements at frequencies specified by the ESSCP and using the audit tool provided by the Standards and Learning Effectiveness Service for this purpose. 16.3 The setting’s senior management will ensure that action is taken to remedy without delay any areas for development identified in safeguarding and child protection arrangements. 17 THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK 17.1 Not applicable for this setting. 17.2 Under section 10 of the Children Act 2004, all maintained schools, further education colleges and independent schools, including free schools, academies and early years providers, are required to cooperate with the local authority to improve the well-being of children in the local authority area. 17.3 Under section 14B of the Children Act 2004, the East Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership (ESSCP) can require a school, college or early years provider to supply information in order to perform its functions. This must be complied with. 17.4 Under section 40 of the Childcare Act 2006, early years providers registered on the Early Years Register and schools providing early years childcare, must comply with the welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage 17.5 This policy and the accompanying procedures have been developed in accordance with the following statutory guidance and local safeguarding procedures:
18 POLICY REVIEW 18.1 This policy and the procedures will be reviewed every year. All other linked policies will be reviewed in line with that policy review cycle. 18.2 The DSL will ensure that staff members are made aware of any amendments to policies and procedures. 19 LINKED POLICIES AND PROCEDURES 19.1 The following policies are available from the SLES Safeguarding czone page:
19.2 Below is a list of our policies:
APPENDIX A Child Protection and Safeguarding Procedure 1 DEFINITIONS 1.1 Children are any people who have not yet reached their 18th birthday; a 16-year-old, whether living independently, in further education, in the armed forces or in hospital, is a child and is entitled to the same protection and services as anyone younger. 1.2 Child protection is part of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and refers to activity undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm. 1.3 Early help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child’s life, from the foundation years to teenage years. 1.4 Harm is ill treatment or impairment of health and development, including impairment suffered from seeing or hearing the ill treatment of another. 1.5 Safeguarding is the action we take to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.
2 CATEGORIES OF ABUSE 2.1 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. Harm can include ill treatment that is not physical as well as the impact of witnessing ill treatment of others. This can be particularly relevant, for example, in relation to the impact on children of all forms of domestic abuse. 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 may be used to facilitate offline abuse. Children may be abused by an adult or adults or by another child or children. 2.2 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. 2.3 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. 2.4 Sexual abuse: involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing, and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse. Sexual abuse can take place online, and technology can be used to facilitate offline abuse. Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children. The sexual abuse of children by other children is a specific safeguarding issue (which is classed within a broader range of issues known as child on child abuse) in education and all staff should be aware of it and of the school policy and procedures for dealing with it. The school response to child on child abuse is detailed within Appendix C of this policy. 2.5 Child sexual exploitation is also sexual abuse; it involves children and young people receiving something, for example accommodation, drugs, gifts or affection, as a result of them performing sexual activities, or having others perform sexual activities on them. It could take the form of grooming of children, e.g. to take part in sexual activities or to post sexual images of themselves on the internet. 2.6 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 care-givers); or ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs. 2.7 Depending on the age and capacity of the child, staff should be aware of possible self-neglect, e.g. where a child may not be following medical guidance or taking medication as prescribed. Where this is this the case this should be raised as a safeguarding concern. 3 RECOGNITION – WHAT TO LOOK FOR 3.1 Staff members should refer to the detailed information about the categories of abuse and risk indicators in the https://sussexchildprotection.procedures.org.uk/page/contents for further guidance. 3.2 In an abusive relationship, the child may:
3.3 In an abusive relationship, the parent or carer may:
3.4 Serious case reviews, now known as safeguarding practice reviews, have found that parental substance misuse, domestic abuse and mental health problems, if they coexist in a family could mean significant risks to children. Problems can be compounded by poverty; frequent house moves or eviction. 4 SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN CONTINUUM OF NEED 4.1 The Safeguarding Children Continuum of Need has been developed so that everyone working with children in East Sussex has a common language for understanding the needs and risks surrounding children and their families. It is important that all members of staff are familiar with it. 4.2 The Continuum of Need shows that a child’s or family’s additional needs can be on a range from one to four, and that needs can shift from early help to child protection and back to preventative early help. It covers children whose needs are increasing as well as children whose needs are decreasing after Children’s Social Care involvement. The Continuum of Need will help practitioners to identify the right level of support for the child in the least intrusive way while keeping the child safe. 
4.3 The Continuum of Need identifies four levels of need. Level 1:
Level 2:
Level 3:
Level 4:
4.4 By referring to the Continuum of Need and indicators, the school can identify when assessment and support for a child and family need 'stepping up' to a referral to Social Care and when the needs of a child and their family have been reduced enough for them the be 'stepped down' to early help services. 4.5 When assessing cases of possible neglect the ESCC Neglect Matrix will be used. This tool mirrors the Continuum of Need, but with greater focus upon potential indicators of neglect mapped across each of the four levels of need. 5 WHAT ACTION TO TAKE IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT A CHILD 5.1 When concerned about the welfare of a child, staff should always act in the best interests of the child. 5.2 Staff should always speak to the DSL or deputy DSL about any concern with a child. 5.3 If staff have any concerns about a child’s welfare, they should act on them immediately. 5.4 Staff should not assume a colleague or another professional will take action. 5.5 The DSL or a deputy should always be available to discuss safeguarding concerns. If in exceptional circumstances, the DSL (or deputy) is not available, this should not delay appropriate action being taken. Staff should consider speaking to a member of the senior leadership team and/or take advice from SPoA. In these circumstances, any action taken should be shared with the DSL (or deputy) as soon as is practically possible. 5.6 All concerns should be reported to your Manager. 6 DEALING WITH A DISCLOSURE MADE BY A CHILD 6.1 If a child discloses that he or she has been abused or experienced harm in some way, the member of staff or volunteer should follow this guidance.
7 DISCUSSING CONCERNS WITH THE FAMILY AND THE CHILD 7.1 In general we will always discuss any concerns the school may have with the child’s parents. They need to know that we are worried about their child. However, we will not discuss our concerns if we believe that this would place the child at greater risk or lead to loss of evidence for a police investigation. 7.2 If we make a decision not to discuss our concerns with the child’s parents or carers this will be recorded in the child’s safeguarding file with a full explanation for our decision. 7.3 It is important to consider the child’s wishes and feelings, if age appropriate, as part of planning what action to take in relation to concerns about their welfare. 7.4 When talking to children, we will take account of their age, understanding and preferred language, which may not be English. It is also important to consider how a disabled child may need support in communicating. 7.5 How we talk to a child will also depend on the substance and seriousness of the concerns. We may need to seek advice from Children’s Social Care or the police to ensure that neither the safety of the child nor any subsequent investigation is jeopardised. 7.6 If concerns have arisen as a result of information given by a child, we will reassure the child but not promise confidentiality. 7.7 We will discuss our concerns with the parents and seek their consent to making a referral to Children’s Social Care, unless we consider that this would place the child at increased risk of significant harm. 7.8 We do not need the parents’ consent to make a referral if we consider the child is in need of protection, although parents will ultimately be made aware of which organisation made the referral. 7.9 If parents refuse to give consent to a referral but we decide to continue, we will make this clear to Children’s Social Care. 7.10 If we decide to refer a child without the parents’ consent, we will record this with a full explanation of our decision. 7.11 When we make our referral, we will agree with Children’s Social Care what the child and parents will be told, by whom and when. 8 EARLY HELP FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 8.1 Most parents can look after their children without the need of help other than from their family or friends. However, some parents may need additional help from our school or other services such as the NHS. Providing help early is more effective in promoting the welfare of children than reacting later. 8.2 Any child may benefit from early help, but all staff should be particularly alert to the potential need for early help for the children identified in part 4 of the main policy document.. 8.3 Our school will work together with other agencies to provide a coordinated offer of early help, in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children July 2018 and local guidance, to any child who needs it. 8.4 We will pool our knowledge within the school and with other agencies about which families or children need additional support in a range of ways so that we can work out how best to help them. We will use the East Sussex Safeguarding Continuum of Need tool to identify what level of need the child or their family has. 8.5 We will work closely with targeted early help services and Children’s Social Care if we feel families need more support and input, or children are at risk of harm, and we will continue to provide support if other services are also needed. 8.6 We will talk to the family about referral to a targeted early help service and explain that there may be a need to involve other professionals, including talking to a social worker about our concerns. We will seek the family’s consent for the referral. 8.7 If the family does not consent to an early help service, we will make a judgement about whether the needs of the child will escalate, or the child will become unsafe without help. If our judgement is that the needs or concerns will escalate, then we will contact the Children’s Social Care Single Point of Advice for a consultation with a qualified social worker in order to make a shared decision about whether the level of concerns calls for a referral to Children’s Social Care. 9 CHILDREN’S SOCIALCARE-LED RESPONSES TO CONCERNS ABOUT A CHILD 9.1 Once Children’s Social Care has accepted our referral as needing a social-care-led response (Level 4 of the Continuum of Need), we will cooperate with Children’s Social Care and the police in any emergency action they take using their legal powers for immediate protection of the child. 9.2 We will participate in any multi-agency discussions (strategy discussions), if invited to do so, and share information about the child and their family to plan the response to concerns. 9.3 We will ensure that a relevant staff member participates in all initial and review child protection conferences, if we are invited to attend. The staff member will work together with other agencies to discuss the need for and agree to an outcome focused child protection plan and will ensure that the child’s wishes, and views are considered in their own right in planning. 9.4 If we are members of the core group to implement a child protection plan, we will ensure a relevant staff member participates in all core group meetings. 9.5 We will ensure that we complete all actions allocated to us as part of the outcome - focused plan, whether a child protection plan or a family support plan, in a timely way. 9.6 We will continue to monitor children once their plans are ended to ensure that they are supported and kept safe. 10 INFORMATION SHARING AND CONSENT 10.1 It is essential that people working with children can confidently share information as part of their day-to-day work. This is necessary not only to safeguard and protect children from harm but also to work together to support families to improve outcomes for all. 10.2 The school may have to share information about parents or carers, such as their medical history, disability or substance misuse issues, for investigations of child abuse carried out by Children’s Social Care. 10.3 We will proactively seek out information as well as sharing it. This means checking with other professionals whether they have information that helps us to be as well informed as possible when working to support children. 10.4 The Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulations 2018 are not barriers to sharing information and do not change duties under safeguarding. They are there to ensure that personal information is managed in a sensible way and that a balance is struck between a person’s privacy and public protection. 10.5 We should be sharing any concerns we have with parents at an early stage, unless this would put a child at greater risk or compromise an investigation. Parents need to know what our responsibilities are for safeguarding and protecting children and that this involves sharing information about them with other professionals. 10.6 We will be clear about the purpose of sharing confidential information and only share as much as we need to achieve the purpose. 10.7 We will try to get consent from parents (or the child, if they have sufficient understanding[1]) to share information, if possible. However, we do not need consent if we have serious concerns about a child’s safety and well-being. If we decide to share information without consent, we will record this with a full explanation of the decision. 10.8 Consent will not be sought from parents or carers (or the child, if they have sufficient understanding), if:
10.9 Consent is not necessary in cases where Children’s Social Care are making child protection enquiries under section 47 of the Children Act 1989. Information needs to be shared with Children’s Social Care; staff members must make sure to record what information has been shared. 10.10 Consent is necessary, for:
10.11 Where there is any doubt about the need for seeking consent, advice will be sought from the DSL or from the Children’s Social Care Single Point of Advice. [1] Children aged 12 or over may generally be expected to have sufficient understanding. Younger children may also have sufficient understanding. All people aged 16 and over are presumed, in law, to have the capacity to give or withhold their consent, unless there is evidence to the contrary. 10.12 A record will be made of the decision to share information, with or without consent, and the reasons for it. Equally a record will be made of any decision not to share information including the reason for this. 11 RECORD KEEPING 11.1 Accurate and timely record keeping is an important part of the school’s accountability to children and their families and will help us in meeting our key responsibility to respond appropriately to welfare concerns about children. 11.2 All concerns, discussions and decisions made, and the reasons for those decisions, will be recorded in writing. Information will be kept confidential and stored securely. 11.3 Records will include:
11.4 Records will be factual, accurate, relevant, up to date and auditable. They will support monitoring, risk assessment and planning for children and enable informed and timely decisions about appropriate action to take. 11.4 All staff members, governors, volunteers, contractors and activity providers will ensure that they record and report safeguarding concerns in line with guidance from the ESSCP Keeping Records of Child Protection and Welfare Concerns Guidance. 11.6 The DSL will ensure that records are maintained accurately for children with safeguarding concerns and that stand-alone files are created and maintained in line with requirements of the above guidance. 12 PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE AND DISAGREEMENTS 12.1 Working with children and families, and in particular child protection work, is stressful and complex, as well as involving uncertainty and strong feelings. To ensure that the best decisions are made for children, we need to be able to challenge one another's practice. 12.2 We will promote a culture within our school that enables all staff members to raise, without fear of repercussions, any concerns they may have about the management of safeguarding in the school. This may include raising concerns about decisions, action and inaction by colleagues about individual children. If necessary, staff members will speak with the Designated Safeguarding Lead, the headteacher, or the chair of governors. 12.3 Cooperation across agencies is crucial; professionals need to work together, 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. 12.4 If there are any professional disagreements with practitioners from other agencies, the DSL or the headteacher will raise concerns with the relevant agency’s safeguarding lead in line with section 7.2 Resolving Professional Differences guidance in the Pan-Sussex Child Protection and Safeguarding Procedures 12.5 If the school disagrees with the child protection conference chair's decision, the DSL or the headteacher will consider whether they wish to challenge it further and raise the matter with Children’s Services Head of Safeguarding. 13 PROCEDURE FOR MANAGING ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE AGAINST STAFF 13.1 Within this document the term staff should be broadly read as any adult working within the school, whether directly employed, providing a contracted service, a one-off service such as a supply teacher or a volunteer. 13.2 Our aim is to provide a safe and supportive environment which secures the wellbeing and very best outcomes for the children at our school. We do recognise that sometimes the behaviour of adults may lead to an allegation of abuse being made. 13.3 Allegations sometimes arise from a differing understanding of the same event but, when they occur, they are distressing and difficult for all concerned. We also recognise that some allegations are genuine and there are some adults who deliberately seek to harm or abuse children. 13.4 We will take all possible steps to safeguard our children and to ensure that the adults in our school are safe to work with children. We will always ensure that the procedures outlined in Part 4 of Keeping Children Safe in Education September 2022 and Pan Sussex Procedures are adhered to and will follow the flowchart in Appendix F of this policy. 13.5 If an allegation is made or information is received about an adult who works in our school which indicates that they have:
the member of staff receiving the information will inform the headteacher immediately. Should an allegation be made against the headteacher, this will be reported to the Chair of Governors. In the event that neither the headteacher nor Chair of Governors are contactable on that day, the information must be passed to and dealt with by either the member of staff acting as headteacher or the Vice Chair of Governors. 13.6 The headteacher or Chair of Governors will follow the flowchart in Appendix F of this policy. No member of staff or the governing body will undertake further investigations before receiving advice from Single Point of Advice or LADO. 13.7 Any member of staff or volunteer who does not feel confident to raise their concerns with the headteacher or Chair of Governors should follow the flowchart in Appendix F of this policy and make the appropriate contact direct. 13.8 Supporting people:
13.9 The school has a legal duty to refer to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) anyone who has harmed, or poses a risk of harm, to a child, or if there is reason to believe the member of staff has committed one of a number of listed offences, and who has been removed from working (paid or unpaid) in regulated activity, or would have been removed had they not left. The DBS will consider whether to bar the person. If these circumstances arise in relation to a member of staff at our school, a referral will be made as soon as possible after the resignation or removal of the individual in accordance with advice from the LADO and/or the Personnel/HR lead for the organisation. In the case of a member of teaching staff, a decision will be made about whether to refer the matter to the Teaching Regulation Agency to consider prohibiting the individual from teaching. 13.10 In line with Keeping Children Safe in Education September 2022, under no circumstances will the school decide to cease to use a supply teacher due to safeguarding concerns, without finding out the facts and liaising with the LADO to determine a suitable outcome. 13.11 Where there are conduct issues with a supply teacher, which may not reach the threshold for safeguarding, we will consult the LADO nonetheless. 13.12 The agency for the supply teacher will be fully involved and expected to co-operate in any enquiries from the LADO, police and/or children’s social services. 13.13 Where directed to do so by the LADO, police and/or children’s social services, the school will support any safeguarding investigation of a supply teacher by collecting the facts when an allegation is made. 13.14 In this respect it may be that the school take a lead on that safeguarding element of investigation. 14 PROCEDURE FOR MANAGING LOW-LEVEL CONCERNS 14.1 As part of our whole school approach to safeguarding, we promote an open and transparent culture in which all concerns about all adults working in or on behalf of the school (including supply teachers, volunteers and contractors) are dealt with promptly and appropriately. 14.2 Creating a culture in which all concerns about adults (including allegations that do not meet the harms threshold are shared responsibly and with the right person, recorded and dealt with appropriately, is critical. This will encourage an open and transparent culture; enable our school to identify concerning, problematic or inappropriate behaviour early; minimise the risk of abuse; and ensure that adults working in or on behalf of the school are clear about professional boundaries and act within these boundaries, and in accordance with the ethos and values of the school. 14.3 If anyone has a ‘low-level’ concern this does not mean that it is insignificant, it means that the behaviour towards a child does not meet the threshold set out in section 13 of this annex. A low-level concern is any concern – no matter how small, and even if no more than causing a sense of unease or a ‘nagging doubt’ - that an adult working in or on behalf of the school may have acted in a way that is inconsistent with the staff code of conduct, including inappropriate conduct outside of work, but does not meet the allegations threshold or is otherwise not considered serious enough to consider a referral to the LADO. 14.4 Examples of such behaviour could include, but are not limited to:
14.5 Such behaviour can exist on a wide spectrum, from the inadvertent or thoughtless, or behaviour that may look to be inappropriate, but might not be in specific circumstances, through to that which is ultimately intended to enable abuse. 14.6 It is crucial that any such concerns, including those which do not meet the allegation/harm threshold, are shared responsibly with the headteacher (this should include self-referral) so that they can be recorded and dealt with appropriately. (Where the concerns may be about the Headteacher, see 13.5 above for who to refer these to). Ensuring they are dealt with effectively should also protect those working in or on behalf of schools and colleges from becoming the subject of potential false low-level concerns or misunderstandings. 14.7 If the concern has been raised via a third party, the headteacher will collect as much evidence as possible by speaking directly to the person who raised the concern, unless it has been raised anonymously and to the individual involved, along with any witnesses. 14.8 Where a low-level concern arises about supply staff or contractors, their employer will be notified so that any potential patterns of inappropriate behaviour can be identified. 14.9 If there is ever any doubt as to whether information which has been shared about a member of staff as a low-level concern in fact meets the harm threshold, then the LADO will be consulted. 14.10 To ensure that there is clarity about how staff should behave, and to avoid inadvertent or thoughtless behaviour, staff should ensure that they have fully read and understood the Staff Handbook. This following italicised section is a working note for schools which should be read, acted upon, but then deleted from the final version of an adopted policy. Paragraphs 436-439 of KCSiE outline guidance on the recording of low-level concerns. This is paraphrased below, but should be read in its entirety within KCSiE:
Within this section of the policy each school needs to add text which reflects the above guidance, adapted to the in school process and linked to the relevant school disciplinary policy. 15 THE USE OF ‘REASONABLE FORCE’ 15.1 There are circumstances when it will be appropriate for staff to use reasonable force to safeguard children. The term ‘reasonable force’ covers the broad range of actions used by staff that involve a degree of physical contact to control or restrain children. This can range from guiding a child to safety by the arm, to more extreme circumstances such as breaking up a fight or where a young person needs to be restrained to prevent violence or injury. ‘Reasonable’ in these circumstances means ‘using no more force than is needed’. The use of force may involve either passive physical contact, such as standing between pupils or blocking a pupil’s path, or active physical contact such as leading a pupil by the arm out of the classroom. 15.2 Please see behaviour policy (and ESBAS Restrictive Physical Intervention Guidance for Schools Settings and Colleges May 2022 ) for further guidance on the use of reasonable force and restrictive physical 15.3 When managing incidents of reasonable force and restrictive physical interventions the school will consider whether to liaise with the LADO, where it is thought that the physical intervention may lead to an allegation. APPENDIX B Specific Safeguarding Issues 1 INTRODUCTION
2 CHILDREN MISSING FROM EDUCATION 2.1 All staff should be aware that children going missing, particularly persistently, can act as a vital warning sign of a range of safeguarding issues including neglect, sexual abuse, and child sexual and criminal exploitation, including involvement in county lines. It may also indicate mental health problems, risk of substance abuse, risk of travelling to conflict zones, risk of female genital mutilation, ‘honor’ based abuse or risk of forced marriage. Early intervention is necessary to identify the existence of any underlying safeguarding risk and to help prevent the risks of a child going missing in future. This includes when problems are first emerging but also where children are already known to Children’s Social Care and need a social worker (such as on a child in need or child protection plan, or as a looked after child), where going missing from education may increase known safeguarding risks within the family or in the community. 2.2 All staff should be aware of the importance of completing registers in a timely and accurate way. 2.3 All in-school procedures around absence, as per the Attendance Policy, should be followed by staff. Although the DSL has oversight of attendance, this does not prevent staff from speaking directly with the DSL about the attendance/absence of any child about whom they have concerns, and indeed they should do so. 3 CCE, CSE AND COUNTY LINES: MACE 3.1 As part of the graduated support available to schools for MACE (Multi Agency Child Exploitation) and VARP (Vulnerable Adolescent Risk Panel) pupils at risk of exclusion there is a mechanism to ensure that schools are aware of the support available to them to maintain the placement when a pupil open to the MACE Operational Group or VARP is at risk of exclusion. To ensure schools are aware of the universal support available to maintain full time education in these cases, and to provide an opportunity for additional, targeted, multi-agency support where required, an Education Review Meeting (ERM) can be requested by the school, through the MACE Operational Group process, or through the VARP, as a tool to prevent exclusion. An ERM will also be automatically triggered by the fixed term exclusion of a pupil open to MACE Operational Group or VARP, to prevent the risk associated with further exclusion. Further information on ERMs is on the ESBAS Resources page as well as a VSB on the topic. 4 DOMESTIC ABUSE 4.1 Domestic abuse can encompass a wide range of behaviors and may be a single incident or a pattern of incidents. That abuse can be, but is not limited to, psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional. Children can be victims of domestic abuse. They may see, hear, or experience the effects of abuse at home and/or suffer domestic abuse in their own intimate relationships (teenage relationship abuse). All of which can have a detrimental and long-term impact on their health, well-being, development, and ability to learn. In some cases, a child may blame themselves for the abuse or may have had to leave the family home as a result. 4.2 Operation Encompass is coordinated by Sussex Police. It helps police and schools work together to provide emotional and practical help to children. The system ensures that when police are called to an incident of domestic abuse, where there are children in the household who have experienced the domestic incident, the police will inform the school, via a secure email, before the child or children arrive at school the following day. This ensures that the school has up to date relevant information about the child’s circumstances and can enable support to be given to the child according to their needs. 4.3 When approaching conversations with children or adults about domestic violence and abuse we will do so in line with the ESCC Domestic Abuse Toolkit: Supported Conversations with Young People and their Carers 5 CHILDREN WITH MEDICAL CONDITIONS 5.1 Children with medical conditions will be supported in accordance with the Equal Opportunities Policy and the statutory guidance Supporting Pupils at School with Medical Conditions 2015. 5.2 The school will ensure that arrangements are in place to support children with medical conditions. These arrangements will be informed through liaison with the parents and medical professionals, where appropriate, and dependent on the age and capacity, the child as well. 5.3 Most ongoing conditions will require an individual healthcare plan, unless it is agreed that this would be inappropriate and disproportionate. 5.4 The healthcare plan will be shared with staff as necessary, to ensure that staff are aware of what arrangements are in place, as well as any emergency procedures. 5.5 Systems are in place to ensure that the Designated Safeguarding Lead is kept informed of arrangements for children with medical conditions and is alerted where a concern arises, such as an error with the administering of medicines or intervention, or repeated medical appointments being missed, or guidance or treatments not being followed by the parents or the child. 5.6 The DSL will consult with Health Professionals and consider further safeguarding actions in the event of:
5.7 In respect of health concerns for a child the DSL will give due consideration to the possibility of fabricated or induced illness and perplexing presentations. 6 PRIVATE FOSTERING 6.1 Parents and carers often fail to notify schools about private fostering arrangements even though they are legally required to notify Children's Services. Often this is because they are unaware of the requirements. They believe that this is a private family arrangement which does not concern anybody else. 6.2 Private Fostering definition: Private fostering occurs when a child under 16 (or 18 if the child is disabled) is cared for and lives with an adult who is not a relative for 28 days or more. This could be a step-parent (by marriage or civil partnership), grandparent, step grandparent, brother, sister, uncle or aunt. 6.3 Private fostering is a private arrangement made by the parent(s), (or those with parental responsibility) for someone to care for their child because they are unable to do so (permanently or temporarily). This may be due to a number of reasons such as parental ill health, a parent going abroad or into prison, a child being bought to the UK to study English or the relationship between the child and parent has broken down. 6.4 School staff play an essential role in identifying privately fostered children. If you know a child is being privately fostered you should advise the parent/carer that they have a legal obligation to report the arrangement to Children Social Care at least six weeks before it happens or within 48 hours if the arrangement is current having been made in an emergency. 6.5 Alert your Designated Safeguarding Lead who will ensure this is followed up with Children Social Care and the arrangement is assessed, approved and monitored. 7 SELF-HARM AND SUICIDAL BEHAVIOUR 7.1 Self harm, self-mutilation, eating disorders, suicide threats and gestures by a child must always be taken seriously and may be indicative of a serious mental or emotional disturbance. We will make use of the ESCC Self-harm Toolkit to support our practice in this area. 7.2 The DSL will always make onward referral to mental health specialist services or Children’s Social Care, in line with the Pan-Sussex Child Protection and Safeguarding Procedures. 7.3 Within East Sussex there is a protocol so that when a young person attends the Emergency Department of The Conquest Hastings or the Eastbourne District General Hospital, and self-harm is evident, the hospital will seek to share information with the DSL at the young person’s school or college. The sharing of this information is based entirely upon consent from the young person/parent/carer, so the school will not receive information about every incident. Where the school does receive information about an incident of self-harm, this will be a care plan devised by a pediatric liaison mental health nurse who assessed the young person at the hospital. Any care plan received will be used to inform the ongoing safeguarding of that young person and communication/liaison with the young person/parent/carer will be arranged to facilitate this. 7.4 If a young person’s presentation at the Emergency Department represents a safeguarding concern, then the safeguarding team at the hospital will raise this through their own safeguarding processes and SPOA will be informed. In this respect not all presentations at the Emergency Department will automatically trigger a referral to SPOA, so if on receipt of a care plan from the hospital further concerns emerge, either from existing contextual information the school has, or from new information shared by the young person, then we will follow our usual safeguarding processes and consider making a referral to SPOA. Further information on the local procedures in response to the above issues can be found within section 8 of the Pan-Sussex Child Protection and Safeguarding Procedures. APPENDIX C CHILD ON CHILD ABUSE At this school we take a zero-tolerance approach to child on child abuse. 1.1 Throughout this appendix reference will be made to the terms perpetrator and victim. These terms appear within DfE guidance such as Keeping Children Safe in Education and are easily understood. These terms are being used within this document to aid the flow of sentences however when discussing incidents of child on child abuse with children, parents or carers the term perpetrator will be replaced with ‘child who has displayed X behavior’ and victim will be replaced with ‘child who has experienced X behavior’. 1.2 All staff will be aware that children can abuse other children (often referred to as child on child abuse) and that it can happen both inside and outside of school and online. It is important that all staff recognize the indicators and signs of child on child abuse and know how to identify it and respond to reports. 1.3 Child on child abuse is most likely to include, but may not be limited to:
1.4 All staff understand the importance of challenging inappropriate behaviors between children, that are actually abusive in nature. Downplaying certain behaviors, for example dismissing sexual harassment as “just banter”, “just having a laugh”, “part of growing up” or “boys being boys” can lead to a culture of unacceptable behaviors, an unsafe environment for children and in worst case scenarios a culture that normalizes abuse leading to children accepting it as normal and not coming forward to report it. 1.5 All staff understand that children may not find it easy to tell staff about their abuse verbally. Children can show signs or act in ways that they hope adults will notice and react to. In some cases, the victim may not make a direct report. For example, a friend may make a report, or a member of school staff may overhear a conversation that suggests a child has been harmed or a child’s own behavior might indicate that something is wrong. If staff have any concerns about a child’s welfare, they will act on them immediately rather than wait to be told. 1.6 The initial response to a report of child on child abuse from a child is incredibly important. How we respond to a report can encourage or undermine the confidence of future victims of child on child abuse to report or come forward. 1.7 Staff understand that an initial disclosure to a trusted adult may only be the first incident reported, rather than representative of a singular incident and that trauma can impact memory and so children may not be able to recall all details or timeline of abuse. 1.8 Staff will be mindful that certain children may face additional barriers to telling someone because of their vulnerability, disability, sex, ethnicity, and/or sexual orientation. 1.9 All staff will reassure victims that they are being taken seriously, regardless of how long it has taken them to come forward, and that they will be supported and kept safe. Abuse that occurs online or outside of the school or college will not be downplayed and will be treated equally seriously. A victim will never be given the impression that they are creating a problem by reporting sexual violence or sexual harassment. Nor will a victim ever be made to feel ashamed for making a report. 1.10 All staff understand, that even if there are no reports in the school of child on child abuse it does not mean it is not happening, it may be the case that it is just not being reported. As such it is important for staff to speak with the DSL or a DDSL if they have any concerns regarding child on child abuse. 1.11 If an allegation of child on child abuse is made:
· Challenging behaviors, such as grabbing bottoms, breasts and genitalia, flicking bras and lifting up skirts. Dismissing or tolerating such behaviors risks normalizing them.
1.14 Sexual violence and sexual harassment can occur between two children of any age and sex, from primary through to secondary stage and into colleges. It can occur through a group of children sexually assaulting or sexually harassing a single child or group of children. Sexual violence and sexual harassment exist on a continuum and may overlap; they can occur online and face to face (both physically and verbally) and are never acceptable. Staff should be aware that some groups are potentially more at risk. Evidence shows girls, children with SEND and LGBT children are at greater risk of experiencing sexual violence or harassment. Although it is more likely that it will be perpetrated by boys, it is recognized that boys will at times be victims as well. In any case, all child-on-child abuse is unacceptable and will be taken seriously and not tolerated. 1.15 Children who are victims of sexual violence and sexual harassment wherever it happens, will likely find the experience stressful and distressing. This will, in all likelihood, adversely affect their educational attainment and will be exacerbated if the alleged perpetrator(s) attends our school as well. 1.16 Sexual violence and harassment form part of a broader range of Harmful Sexual Behaviors (HSB). All problematic and Harmful Sexual Behaviors will be responded to by the school. Sexual violence refers to those behaviors which are offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, as described below:
1.17 When referring to sexual harassment we mean ‘unwanted conduct of a sexual nature’ that can occur online and offline and both inside and outside of school. When we reference sexual harassment, we do so in the context of child-on-child sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is likely to: violate a child’s dignity, and/or make them feel intimidated, degraded or humiliated and/or create a hostile, offensive or sexualized environment. 1.18 Whilst not intended to be an exhaustive list, sexual harassment can include: · sexual comments, such as: telling sexual stories, making lewd comments, making sexual remarks about clothes and appearance and calling someone sexualized names; · sexual “jokes” or taunting; · physical behavior, such as: deliberately brushing against someone, interfering with someone’s clothes (the school will consider when any of this crosses a line into sexual violence - it is important to talk to and consider the experience of the victim). · displaying pictures, photos or drawings of a sexual nature; · upskirting; · online sexual harassment. This may be standalone, or part of a wider pattern of sexual harassment and/or sexual violence. It may include: o consensual and non-consensual sharing of nude and semi-nude images and videos; o sharing of unwanted explicit content; o sexualized online bullying; o unwanted sexual comments and messages, including, on social media; o sexual exploitation; coercion and threats, and o coercing others into sharing images of themselves or performing acts they’re not comfortable with online. 1.19 All child on child abuse is unacceptable and will be taken seriously. APPENDIX D PREVENTING EXTREMISM AND RADICALISATION 1.1 All schools and colleges are subject to a 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”. This duty is known as the Prevent Duty. 1.2 Children are vulnerable to extremist ideology and radicalization. Similar to protecting children from other forms of harms and abuse, protecting children from this risk is all part of our whole school approach to safeguarding. 1.3 When approaching this area of work our school uses the following accepted Governmental definitions of extremism, radicalization and terrorism:
1.4 There is no place for extremist views of any kind in our school, whether from internal sources, pupils, staff or governors, or external sources - school community, external agencies or individuals. 1.5 Any prejudice, discrimination, or extremist views, including derogatory language, displayed by pupils or staff will always be challenged and, where appropriate, dealt with in line with our Behavior Policy for pupils and the Code of Conduct for staff. 1.6 We are aware that technology is a significant component of many safeguarding and wellbeing issues and that children are at risk of being exposed to illegal, inappropriate or harmful content including radicalization and extremism online. As such the school will ensure that children are safe from terrorist and extremist material when accessing the internet in school by establishing appropriate levels of filtering and supporting this with our Preventative Curriculum. For further information please see our Online Safety policy (school to link relevant policy) 1.7 We will promote the values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs. 1.8 We will teach and encourage pupils to respect one another and to respect and tolerate difference, especially those of a different faith or no faith. 1.9 We will ensure that all our teaching approaches help our pupils build resilience to extremism and give pupils a positive sense of identity through the development of critical thinking skills. 1.10 We will ensure that all our staff are equipped to recognize extremism and are skilled and confident enough to challenge it. 1.11 We will be flexible enough to adapt our teaching approaches, as appropriate, to address specific issues to become even more relevant to the current issues of extremism and radicalization 1.12 As part of our whole school safeguarding responsibilities school staff will be alert to:
1.13 We encourage the use of external agencies or speakers to enrich the experiences of our pupils; however, we will positively vet those external agencies, individuals or speakers who we engage to provide such learning opportunities or experiences for our pupils. 1.14 Our school will assess the suitability and effectiveness of input from external agencies or individuals to ensure that:
1.15 We recognize, however, that the ethos of our school is to encourage pupils to understand opposing views and ideologies, appropriate to their age, understanding and abilities, and to be able to actively engage with them in informed debate, and we may use external agencies or speakers to facilitate and support this. 1.16 We are aware of the potential indicating factors that a child is vulnerable to being radicalized or exposed to extreme views, including peer pressure, influence from other people or the internet, bullying, crime and anti-social behavior, family tensions, race/hate crime, lack of self-esteem or identity, prejudicial behavior and personal or political grievances.
1.17 The arrangements for recruiting all staff, governors and volunteers, to our school will follow guidance for safer recruitment. Within this we will be alert to the possibility that people may seek to gain positions within our school to unduly influence our schools’ character and ethos. We are aware that such people seek to limit the opportunities for our pupils thereby rendering them vulnerable to extremist views and radicalization as a consequence. 1.18 Where the school premises are used for non-school activities we will ensure due diligence around those activities to ensure that these do not conflict with the Prevent Duty. 1.19 The headteacher, Chair of Governors and DSL will all complete Prevent Training. Whole school safeguarding training will include Prevent. 1.20 The ongoing whole school approach to fulfilling the Prevent Duty will be informed by a risk assessment which will take into account the local context and the pupil demographic. This will determine the level and frequency of any additional training as well as curriculum content or interventions for groups or individual pupils. Risk assessment considerations for 2022/23 (East Sussex) Local Channel referral themes currently include:
APPENDIX E The role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead 1 Role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead 1.1 The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) at our school will always be a senior member of staff from the school leadership team, and their lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection (including online safety) will always be explicit in their job description. 1.2 The DSL will be given the additional time, funding, training, resources and support they need to carry out the role effectively. 1.3 Their additional responsibilities include providing advice and support to other staff on child welfare, safeguarding and child protection matters, taking part in strategy discussions and interagency meetings, and/or supporting other staff to do so, and to contributing to the assessment of children. 2 Availability 2.1 During term time the DSL or a deputy will always be available (during school hours, or out of hours for a school arranged activity such as a school trip) for staff in the school to discuss any safeguarding concerns 3 Manage referrals 3.1 The DSL will refer cases:
4 Working with others 4.1 The DSL will:
5 Information sharing and managing the child protection file 5.1 The DSL will ensure that child protection files are kept up to date and that information will be kept confidential and stored securely. 5.2 Records will include:
5.3 The DSL will ensure that files are only accessed by those who need to see them and where files or content are shared, this will happen in line with information sharing advice and guidance. 5.4 Where children leave the school (including in year transfers) the DSL will ensure their child protection file is transferred to the new school or college as soon as possible, and within 5 days for an in-year transfer or within the first 5 days of the start of a new term. This will be transferred separately from the main pupil file, by secure transit, and confirmation of receipt will be obtained. We will make use of the ESCC Transition - Information Sharing guidance to support this process. 5.5 When our school receives safeguarding information about a new or existing pupil this will be shared by the DSL with other key members of staff such as the SENCO. 5.6 Because a lack of information about their circumstances can impact on a child’s safety, welfare and educational outcomes, in addition to the child protection file, the DSL will also consider if it would be appropriate to share any additional information with the new school or college in advance of a child leaving to help them put in place the right support to safeguard this child and to help the child thrive in the new school or college. 5.7 Where a parent/carer has expressed their intention to remove a child from the school with a view to educating at home, the DSL will liaise with East Sussex Elective Home Education (EHE) Team to ensure that any safeguarding concerns (should there be any) are shared adequately with them, so as to inform next steps. 6 Raising Awareness 6.1 The DSL will:
7 Training, knowledge and skills 7.1 The DSL (and any deputies) will undergo training to provide them with the knowledge and skills required to carry out the role. This training will be updated at least every two years. The DSL will undertake Prevent awareness training. This training will provide the DSLs with a good understanding of their own role, how to identify, understand and respond to specific needs that can increase the vulnerability of children, as well as specific harms that can put children at risk, and the processes, procedures and responsibilities of other agencies, particularly children’s social care, so they:
7.2 In addition to the formal training set out above, their knowledge and skills will be refreshed (this might be via e-bulletins, meeting other DSLs, or simply taking time to read and digest safeguarding developments) at regular intervals, as required, and at least annually, to allow them to understand and keep up with any developments relevant to their role. 8 Providing support to staff 8.1 Training will support the DSL in developing expertise, so they can support and advise staff and help them feel confident on welfare, safeguarding and child protection matters. This includes specifically to:
9 Understanding the views of children 9.1 It is important that children feel heard and understood at our school. Therefore, the DSL will be supported in developing knowledge and skills to:
10 Holding and sharing information 10.1 Due to the critical importance of recording, holding, using and sharing information effectively the DSL will be equipped to:
11 Quality Assurance 11.1 Monitor the implementation of and compliance with policy and procedures, including periodic audits of child protection and welfare concerns files (at a minimum twice a year). 11.2 Complete a self-assessment audit of the school’s safeguarding arrangements at frequencies specified by the ESSCP and using the audit tool provided by ESCC/SLES for this purpose 11.3 Provide regular reports, to the governing body detailing changes and reviews to policy, training undertaken by staff members and the number of children with child protection plans and other relevant data. 11.4 Take lead responsibility for remedying any areas for development identified in safeguarding and child protection arrangements. APPENDIX F Managing Allegations Flowchart
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