The process starts with the Department for Education (DFE). They are responsible for creating laws, which are mandatory and have to be passed through Parliament, and guidelines that protect children in England. It then passes to the local councils, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire etc. Once the councils have approved the guidelines they are sent to the local authorities, e.g. HSCB, Herts Safeguarding Children Board. They then use this information/law to create a policy such as the Herts Safeguarding Toolkit to which all schools must abide. This policy is then passed to schools and other workplaces to be put into practice and they are responsible for following the procedures in their everyday work. These new rules and regulations are monitored by Ofsted as part of their inspection visit.
Childcare practice is a term used to describe those that work with children whether that be, children’s homes, schools, nurseries, child-minders etc. Before being allowed to work in an environment where you will be in contact with children a DBS check will be required as well ensuring that the proper training has been completed. The professionals working within childcare must adhere to the guidelines and policies set out by the organisation. They must also ensure correct safeguarding and report any concerns they may have regarding the welfare of the children.
Child protection is a huge responsibility for all those who work with children. To make sure that this is executed correctly, you need to be aware of the schools policies regarding reporting and recording suspected abuse and neglect. If a pupil reports anything that could be a cause for concern, then the school has to ensure that it is recorded correctly. If the school has a meeting with other agencies then any notes, times and dates must be documented. Schools are required to inform the parents, in advance, if any photographs will be taken of their children for child protection purposes.
Risk assessments are a crucial part of working with children and should be carried out daily to reduce the chance of injuries. Before carrying out an activity, an individual risk assessment has to take place again to eliminate potential injuries. Each year the school will also do a risk assessment on the buildings and the grounds.
Ensuring the child that their voice has been heard is essential, as it shows them that someone is listening to them when they are experiencing something difficult or potentially distressing. Advocacy services such as The National Youth Advocacy Services are also there to provide support for the children and to ensure that their voices are being heard.
When a child or a young person is expressing concerns it is important to listen carefully to what they need to say. Once they have finished, you should reassure them that they have done the right thing by telling an adult and inform them of what action will be taken. It is important that the child tells you in their own words what has happened and do not push for any further information. It is imperative to inform the child that this information cannot remain confidential and they may need to talk to other adults about what has happened.
The Data Protection Act 1998 states that all professionals working within a setting will treat each child’s file as confidential, however the information can be shared with the parents/guardians of that child. Parents should only be allowed to see their own child’s file, school books, and progress but never any other. Other agencies or receiving schools will have access to the files, and parents/guardians should be made aware of this information.
Protecting children’s’ or young people’s files is extremely important and there are many forms of protection in place to ensure they are kept confidential. In my setting, we have locked filing cabinets which contain all of the children’s files. These are kept in the school office. The school office is always occupied and, in the unlikely event that it isn’t, the door is locked to prevent anyone from gaining entry. Another way of protecting the information is to ensure that any data held on computer files is protected by way of a secure password that is subject to a mandatory change every 6 weeks.
At the start of each academic year my setting sends a letter to all the parents asking if there are any changes to the information they previously supplied. This includes emergency contact details, allergies, address. This is done to ensure that the school files are always up to date.
There are
many policies and procedures in
place to try and protect children and young people; they also help the
practitioners that work with them. These policies are designed to provide a
safer working environment for the children or young person but also to protect
the adult from any allegation of wrongdoing
The policies and procedures for a
safer working environment include:
Working in an open and
transparent way; this mainly helps to protect the professionals from any allegations. If
you need to take a child out of the room for any reason inform a member of
staff where you are going and what you are doing; that would be working in an
open way. It also means not to be left alone with the children. If necessary
leave the doors and the blinds open so it is clear what is going on. Another
approach to working in open way is to explain to staff why you are working in a
particular manner.
Listening to children and young
people is
incredibly important as they might reveal something to suggest they are being
harmed or abused. You should always record what they are saying accurately
whilst informing them they have done the right thing. Providing support and
reassurance is vital, as this will often be a traumatic and difficult time for
them.
Physical contact is something that most
practitioners are concerned about as it is different in every setting. Younger
children are affectionate and will often give you a hug or want to hold your
hand. Ensure that you are acting sensibly and not instigating the physical
contact. If you are alone, try not to have any physical contact with the child
or young person. There are some circumstances where more physical contact will
be need especially if dealing with special needs and you have to attend to
their personal care. If you are unsure of anything just refer to your settings
policy and ensure you are abiding by the guidelines at all times.
Duty of care is something that all professionals
working with children or young people have. We try to provide a safe learning
environment and always act responsibility. Children have a huge amount of trust
in us as members of authority and we should remember to always listen and
comfort them about any concerns they may be experiencing
As teachers
or support staff, we will all be in a
position of power and trust. The children will look to you as a member of
authority for guidance and support. It is important to always listen to what
they have to say and treat it with respect. If they have any issues they are
concerned about it is important they have enough trust in you that they can
talk to you about it.
Sharing concerns/ recording and
reporting incidents; this plays an extremely important part in safeguarding children and
young people. If a child discloses to you that they are being harmed or abused
it is important to record this information accurately and report it to the DSP.
If you have any concerns about a child due to something they had said or you’ve
seen then it is important to share these concerns with other members of staff
or the DSP.
As a
professional working within a school, propriety
and behaviour are extremely important as we could be seen as role models.
Whilst working with the children, we should always act responsibly, sensibly
and appropriately. We should set out clear examples of accepted behaviour by
own interactions with others and show the children what is expected of
them. Every child and young person has the right to privacy and respect;
this includes Intimate personal care, changing clothes. There will be some
circumstances where a member of staff may need to step in to assist; adults
need to be aware about their own behaviour. Adults should make sure the
supervision is appropriate to the ages and the individual needs of the
children.
Off site visits are a big part of school
learning however they can present a huge number of new potential dangers. A
complete risk assessment needs to take place, before the trip can take place,
to assess all the potential risks and how best to reduce/eliminate them. A few
of the things you will need to take into consideration are; transport, adult to
child ratio, planned activities and parental consent. The facilities are also a
huge factor as if travelling with a disabled child then special requirements
may need to be taken.
Photography and video are being used more and more in
schools. If you wish take photographs or videos of the children, to use in
their learning journals or on the school website then permission slips should
be sent out to all parents/guardians to give consent or not. If a
parent/guardian denies consent it is important that you abide by this and make
sure they are not included in any of the photographs.
