Transcript No Slide Title

Child protection training for schoolbased teaching and non-teaching staff
and volunteers in Devon
Version 2, last revised 2005)
•This training should be delivered by the trained and designated person for child protection in the
school.
• It is expected that this training will last about three hours. It would take longer if a case study
and/or Q. and A. session are incorporated. Exact timings and customising are the responsibility of
the person delivering training to determine.
•These training materials need to be carefully considered before delivery to ensure familiarity with
them and the other resources referred to. Potential issues and queries which are likely to arise
should also inform the planning of the session.
•This training pack provides additional notes beneath each slide for those designated people less
accustomed to whole-school CP training. These could be printed off as a ‘Word’ document and
used as prompts by the ’trainer’.
•Queries about these materials/contents can be made to Devon
LEA’s Lead Officer for Child Protection.
•The presentation starts with the next slide.
SAFEGUARDING
CHILDREN
S U PPO RTI N G STAF F
Child Protection Training
For Education Staff in Devon
Aims
To provide an opportunity to explore values
and attitudes in relation to child abuse
To provide basic child protection information
for education staff
To know what to do when you have
concerns about a child
To consider safeguarding children and safe
working practices for adults in school
(One way of accessing support for
adults with personal concerns)
NSPCC National Helpline number:
0808 8005000
Education staff’s crucial role in child
protection
“Through their day to day contact with
pupils and direct work with families,
education staff have a crucial role to
play in noticing indicators of possible
abuse or neglect, and in referring
concerns to [social services]”
Working Together to Safeguard Children.
Lauren Wright was a little girl whose life might
have been saved if the systems designed to
protect her had been in place
She died in 2000.
She regularly attended the village primary school,
where her stepmother was employed.
The school had no designated child protection
person and no effective procedures in place.
The staff had not received training.
(see handout)
Education Act 2002(section
175)
‘LEAs and Governors and FE’... “shall
make arrangements for ensuring that
their functions relating to the conduct of
the school are exercised with a view to
safeguarding and promoting the
welfare of children who are pupils at the
school”.
What do you think?
Activity
(see handout)
THE CHILDREN ACT 1989
Principles:
the welfare of the child is paramount
children are best kept within birth families where possible
working in partnership with families
children’s wishes and feelings ascertained
race, culture, religion and language to be taken into account
intrusion into family life should be minimised
The Children Act 1989 (cont.d)
• Children must be protected from serious
harm. The local authority has a duty to
investigate any report that a child is
suffering, or likely to suffer, significant
harm. (section 47)
• Services necessary to safeguard and
promote the welfare of children in need
should be provided (section 17)
A Legal Definition of Child Abuse
The Children Act 1989 does not use the
term ‘child abuse’. It uses the words
‘significant harm’. The court can legally
intervene in order to protect a child only if
the child is suffering from or likely to suffer
significant harm.
Who abuses?
Abuse can be inflicted or not prevented by a
person who looks after the child, a person
known to the child who is not the carer,
someone who works with the child, or
more rarely someone not known to the
child. Abuse can also be committed by
another child.
In many cases children are subjected to a
combination of forms of abuse.
Abusers Can Be:
 Any age
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Male or female (including sexual abusers)
From any social class
‘Nice’ people
Work in ‘helping professions’
Related to the child or not
Damaged individuals, but very convincing
liars. May appear to be “pillars of the
community
Is Abuse a Significant Problem?
• At least 150,000 children annually suffer severe
physical punishment
• Up to 100,000 each year have a potentially
harmful sexual experience
• 350,000-400,000 children live in an atmosphere
low in warmth and high in criticism
• 450,000 are bullied at school once a week
(National Commission of Inquiry Into The
Prevention of Child Abuse, 1996)
Child Maltreatment in the UK
In any group of 50 children:
at least 7 are likely to go home to families which
they do not experience as loving or close
As many as 10 may be going home to care for
parents who are incapacitated by their own
health or social problems
2 or 3 will be going home in fear of violent
outbursts from one or both parents
2 or 3 will be returning to a life of regular beating
and denigration
These figures are not cumulative and some
children will be experiencing several or all of
these situations
These factors can impact upon any
carer’s ability to safeguard children
• Social exclusion, lack of social support,
financial difficulties, harassment
• Mental ill health,
• Drug and alcohol misuse
• Domestic violence
• Power/control issues
• Attachment difficulties
What makes a child vulnerable?
– Disability
– Special Needs
– “Difficult child”
– Vulnerable child e.g. previous trauma or
abuse
– Dependent child
– Lack of opportunities to develop resilience
What makes a child more resilient?
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It seems likely that children will be more resilient to
adverse circumstances if they have :
supportive relationships with at least one parent
supportive relationships with siblings and grandparents
a committed non-parental adult who takes a strong
interest in the young person and serves as an ongoing
mentor and role model
positive experience in school
positive friendships
a capacity to think ahead and plan their lives
Physical Abuse
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 feigns the symptoms of, or
deliberately causes ill-health to a child
whom they are looking after (this is called
fabricated or induced illness.)
For
Non-Accidental
Injuries
Eyes
Ears
Cheeks
Mouth
Neck
Shoulder
Chest
Upper Arms
Inner Arms
Stomach
Genitals
Front Thighs
Buttocks
Back Thighs
For
Accidental
Injuries
Forehead
Crown
Body spinal
protuberances
Elbow
Liana crest
(hip)
Knees
Shins
For example, this may include:
• Extreme, inappropriate physical
chastisement
• Deliberate, malicious injuries
• Restraining a child inappropriately
Emotional Abuse
Actual or likely adverse effect on the
emotional and behavioural development of
a child under the age of 18 years, caused
by persistent or severe emotional illtreatment or rejection.
For example, for a child this can mean:
• Persistent ridicule, rejection, humiliation
• Living in an atmosphere of fear and
intimidation
• Being allowed no contact with other
children
• Inappropriate expectations being imposed
• Low warmth, high criticism
• Being bullied, scapegoated
Neglect
Children under the age of 18 years who
have been persistently or severely
neglected or the failure to protect a child
from exposure to any kind of danger. This
would include exposing a child to extreme
temperatures or starvation or failure to
carry out important aspects of care
resulting in the significant impairment of
the child’s health or development.
For example, for a child this can mean:
• Lack of adequate nourishment/shelter
• Not receiving medical attention when
necessary
• Lack of interest in the welfare of the child
• Inappropriate clothing
• No boundaries or limits in terms of actions
and behaviour
Sexual Abuse
Sexual Abuse of children is the actual or
likely sexual exploitation of a child or
adolescent under 18 years of age by any
person. This would include any form of
sexual activity to which the child cannot
give true consent either by law or because
of ignorance, dependence, developmental
immaturity, or fear.
For example, for a child this may include:
• Exposure to pornographic materials
• Being involved in the sexual activities of
adults
• Being touched or talked to in sexually
explicit ways- directly or indirectly
• Being spoken to about sex in ways which
are inappropriate for the child and which
seek to gratify the needs of others
Sexual Offences Act 2003
• Young people under 18 years of age are
included in the safeguards.
• It defines a new offence of meeting a
child following sexual grooming, on and
off-line.
• The ‘abuse of a position of trust’ makes it
a criminal offence to have a sexual
relationship with any young person up to
the age of 18 if you are in a position of
trust in relation to that young person.
Indicators of Possible Abuse
 Marks (bruises, injuries, cuts, burns
 Changed eating habits
 ‘Fearful’ ’changed’, ‘unusual’, ‘difficult’,
‘withdrawn’,behaviour
 Poor hygiene
 Inappropriate touching
 Developmental delay
 Self injury
 Relationship changes
 Tiredness
Ways Children May Disclose Abuse
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Talk
Play
Drawings
Writing
Behaviour
Helping a child who wants to
communicate a concern
DO:
• Take the child seriously
• Take your time (if you haven’t time at that
moment, explain why and say when you
will have time asap)
• Let him/her speak
• Reassure (that it is OK to tell you)
• Listen carefully
DO:
• Ask – open question (s)
• Clarify by open questions
• Say what you will do next, (ie.that you will
speak to the DP)
• Record Verbatim and sign and date
• Provide factual information
• Consider medical attention
• Liaise with the Designated Person (who
will refer to SSD)
Helping a child who wants to
communicate a concern
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DON’T:
Promise (to keep it a secret)
Stop the child from speaking
Ask ‘leading’ questions
Question unnecessarily
Make assumptions
Minimise (eg. “that doesn’t sound serious”
Don’t:
• Try to deal with the matter on your own
• Delay (in passing on your concern
• Force to recall
• Ask to show injuries requiring removal
of clothing
• End the conversation abruptly
• Criticise the alleged perpetrator
Sharing a concern in school:
• You must pass your concern to your Designated
Person as soon as possible.
• If the DP not available, see his/her deputy DP
• Confidentiality? NO -you cannot keep such a
concern to yourself, but only discuss it with
appropriate others.
• Record –keeping of what was actually said is
essential
• Next?
Communication with parents
• There is a general requirement to seek parental consent
prior to making a referral. However, if it is suspected that
a child may suffer significant harm and consent is
withheld, it will be legitimate to make a referral despite
the lack of parental consent.
• There may be exceptional circumstances in which a
police and social care investigation may be undermined
if parental consent is sought, eg. where evidence may be
destroyed.
• In such circumstances the DP should clarify with the
statutory agencies, how best, when and by whom, the
parents should be told about the referral
SAFEGUARDING
Apart from child protection, what else does
safeguarding children mean for education
staff?
Could you discuss with a colleague the various
ways that you safeguard children in the
course of your working day?
Safeguarding means?
1. ‘Arrangements in place to ensure that the risks of harm to
child/rens’ welfare are minimised’, and
2. ‘Arrangements to take all appropriate actions to address
concerns about the welfare of a child/ren, working to agreed
local policies and procedures in full partnership with other
local agencies’
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is much
wider than simply protecting children from abuse and
neglect. It also encompasses health, safety, bullying,
medical needs of children, first aid, school security,
substance misuse, physical restraint, safe employment
issues etc. and policies /arrangements which must be in
place.
Safeguarding applies to all children
healthy
supportive
safe
environment
child in
need
child in need of
protection
seriously
abusive
environment
. child protection .
.
.
safeguarding
assessment framework
.
.
Safe practices? Your views?
• What safeguarding risks do
you/colleagues take?
• A 1:1 with a pupil?
• Socialising with pupils? Lifts? Gifts?
• A member of staff appearing to favour or
‘pick on’ a particular pupil? Touching?
• Taking action about the behaviour of a
colleague?
Summary
• Staff have a duty to pass on child protection
concerns to the (named) senior designated
person in the school.
• His/ her deputy(ies) is/are:
• S/he will act in accordance with local child
protection procedures and the guidance
‘What To Do If You’re Worried A Child Is Being
Abused’, and will provide further advice and
support as necessary.
• Staff are best placed to protect children when
they understand the school’s child protection
and other safeguarding policies.