Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Primary School
child protection policy
School Details
Head teacher:
Acting headteacher
Designated Safeguarding Lead:
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead(s):
Mrs C Sergeant
Mrs L Partington
Mrs C Sergeant/Mrs Partington
Mrs Finnigan
Designated Teacher for Looked-after Children: Mrs J Brown
Link Governor for Safeguarding:
Mr P Crilly
Chair of Governors:
Policy Date:
Policy Status:
Policy Review Cycle:
Next Review Date:
Bishop T A Williams
Autumn 2023
Statutory
Annual
Autumn 2023
This policy provides guidance to all adults working within the school whether paid or voluntary or
directly employed by the school or by a third party.
This policy should be read alongside Part 1 and Annex B of Keeping Children Safe in Education
2023, and in conjunction with Section 1 of the School Improvement Liverpool Schools Safeguarding
Handbook, which is made available to all staff and volunteers.
1.
Introduction
Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Primary School and its governing body recognises its duty towards
safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children as set out in Section 175 / 157 of the Education Act
2002 / Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.
Our school will prevent and respond to abuse and neglect by ensuring that the ethos and atmosphere
of the school is conducive to a safe environment. Pupils and parents/carers will feel supported and able
to report safeguarding concerns to any member of staff or volunteer. Staff and volunteers will feel they
are supported by colleagues and the senior management team, including the governing body, and are
able to report and seek advice and guidance on any safeguarding concerns, including those regarding
colleagues or themselves. We will protect children at risk of abuse or neglect by having procedures in
place that reflect current legislation, guidance and best practice.
As part of our safeguarding ethos, we encourage children to respect the fundamental British values of
democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different
faiths and beliefs. We will ensure that partisan political views are not promoted in the teaching of any
subject in the school and where political issues are brought to the attention of the pupils, reasonably
practicable steps will be taken to offer a balanced presentation of opposing views to pupils. We will
ensure that reasonable steps are taken to ensure visitors to the school do not share messages with the
school community which are contrary to our school ethos and beliefs.
Safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility and, as such, this policy applies to all staff and volunteers
working in the school. An allegation, disclosure or suspicion of abuse, or an expression of concern about
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abuse, could be made to any member of staff, not just those with a teaching or welfare-related role.
Similarly, any member of staff may observe or suspect an incident of abuse.
2.
Child Protection Statement
Our school is committed to safeguarding children and promoting children’s welfare and expects all
staff, governors, volunteers and visitors to share this commitment and maintain a vigilant and safe
environment. Everyone has a responsibility to act, without delay, to protect children by reporting
anything that might suggest a child is being abused or neglected. It is our willingness to work safely
and challenge inappropriate behaviours that underpins this commitment. The school seeks to work
in partnership with families and other agencies to improve the outcomes for children who are
vulnerable or in need.
‘Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes
into contact with children and their families has a role to play. In order to fulfil this responsibility
effectively, all professionals should make sure their approach is child centred. This means that they
should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.’ (DFE 2023)
3.
Definitions
Child:
A child includes everyone under the age of 18. The fact that a child has reached 16 years of age, is living
independently or is in further education, is a member of the armed forces, is in hospital or in custody
in the secure estate, does not change their status or entitlements to services or protection.
Child Protection:
Part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. This refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect
specific children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm.
Where a child is suffering significant harm, or is likely to do so, action should be taken to protect that
child.
Safeguarding Children:
Action should be taken to promote the welfare of a child in need of additional support, even if they are
not suffering harm or are at immediate risk.
‘Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined providing help and support to meet the
needs of children as soon as problems emerge; as protecting children from maltreatment; whether the
risk of harm comes from within the child’s family and/or outside (from the wider community), including
online: preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development; ensuring that
children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; promoting the
upbringing of children with their birth parents, or otherwise their family network4 through a kinship care
arrangement, whenever possible and where this is in the best interests of the children and taking action
to enable all children to have the best outcomes set out in the Children’s Social Care National Framework.’
(DfE 2023)
Abuse:
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Abuse is 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, including where they see, hear, or experience its effects. Children
may be abused in a family or in an institutional or extra-familial contexts 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 another child or children.
Physical Abuse:
A form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning,
suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a
parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.
Emotional Abuse:
The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent 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 participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill
treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyber bullying), 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, though it may occur alone
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 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)
• ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment
• provide suitable education
It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.
Sexual Abuse:
Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily
involving a high level of 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.
Further information regarding the signs and indicators of abuse are set out in the DFE guidance Keeping
Children Safe in Education and can be found within the School Improvement Liverpool Schools
Safeguarding Handbook. This includes amongst others, the definitions and indicators of Child Sexual
Exploitation, Child Criminal Exploitation (including County Lines), Serious Violence, Female Genital
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Mutilation, Forced Marriage, Honour Based Abuse, child on child abuse, Sexual Violence and Sexual
Harassment (including sexting and other related issues), Vulnerabilities to Extremism and Children
Missing Education.
4.
Policy Aims
• To ensure school takes appropriate action, in a timely manner, to safeguard and promote the
welfare of all children
• To ensure responsibilities and procedures are fully understood and that everyone can recognise
signs and indicators of abuse or neglect and respond to them appropriately.
• To ensure that the school’s practice meets local and national guidance and all statutory
requirements are in place.
5.
Key Principles
• The child’s needs and welfare are paramount. All children have a right to be protected from abuse
and neglect and have their welfare safeguarded.
• Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE 2023) reminds us that all staff should maintain an attitude
of “it could happen here” where safeguarding is concerned.
• Children should be listened to and their views and wishes should inform any assessment and
provision for them. Staff should always act in the interests of the child, in order to protect them.
• The school recognises that scrutiny, challenge and supervision are key to safeguarding children.
• The school is committed to working with other agencies to provide early help for children before
they become at risk of harm or require a ‘child in need’ statutory assessment. ‘Early Help means
providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child’s life, from the foundation
years through to the teenage years.’ (DfE 2023)
• All staff should be aware of the early help process and understand their role in it. This includes
identifying emerging problems, liaising with the designated safeguarding lead, sharing information
with other professionals to support early identification and assessment and, in some cases, acting
as the lead professional in undertaking an early help assessment.
• ‘All staff should be aware of the process for making referrals to children’s social care and for statutory
assessments under the Children Act 1989, especially section 17 (children in need) and section 47 (a
child suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm) that may follow a referral, along with the role
they might be expected to play in such assessments.’ (DFE 2023)
• All staff have responsibility to report their concerns about a child without delay to the Designated
Safeguarding Lead, or in their absence the deputy designated safeguarding lead(s) or other senior
member of staff. This should be done both verbally and in writing, using the agreed format. Whilst
the Designated Safeguarding Lead will normally make referrals to Children’s Services, anyone can
refer their concerns to children’s social care directly in emergencies or if they feel they need to do
so. Safeguarding-Mate can support any member of staff through the process of making a referral.
• Everyone has responsibility to escalate their concerns and ‘press for reconsideration’ if they believe
a child’s needs remain unmet or if the child is failing to thrive and in need or if the child is at risk of
harm. Concerns about a child should always lead to help for a child at some point and the child’s
situation should improve.
• The school will work in partnership with other agencies to promote the welfare of children and
protect them from harm, including the need to share information about a child in order to safeguard
them. ‘Fears about sharing information cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the need to
promote the welfare and protect the safety of children.’ Working Together to Safeguard Children
(DfE 2023)
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• The school will work with other agencies to ensure any actions that are part of a multi-agency
coordinated plan are completed in a timely way.
• The school will follow the Local Authority and the Local Safeguarding Children Partnership
procedures and provide them with information as required.
• Staff, children and families will need support following child protection processes being followed.
• Children have a right to learn ways to keep themselves safe from harm and exploitation.
6.
Legislation and Guidance
Schools and colleges must have regard for the DfE statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in
Education (DfE 2023). This child protection policy should be read alongside this statutory guidance and
all staff must read and understand at least Part 1 and Annex B of this guidance.
Local authorities have a duty to make enquiries under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 if they have
reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm, to enable
them to decide whether they should take any action to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare.
There may be a need for immediate protection whilst the assessment is carried out.
A ‘child in need’ is defined under the Children Act 1989 as a child who is unlikely to achieve or maintain
a satisfactory level of health or development, or their health and development will be significantly
impaired, without the provision of services; or a child who is disabled. A social worker will lead and co
ordinate any assessment under section 17 of the Children Act 1989.
Section 175 of the Education Act 2002 places a duty on local authorities (in relation to their education
functions, and governing bodies of maintained schools and further education institutions, which include
sixth-form colleges) to exercise their functions with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare
of children who are pupils at a school, or who are students under 18 years of age attending further
education institutions. The same duty applies to independent schools (which include Academies and
free schools) by virtue of regulations made under section 157 of the same Act.
Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfE 2023) provides additional guidance which makes it clear
that protecting children from harm and promoting their welfare depends upon a shared responsibility
and effective joint working between different agencies:
Everyone who works with children has a responsibility for keeping them safe. No single
practitioner can have a full picture of a child’s needs and circumstances and, if children and
families are to receive the right help at the right time, everyone who comes into contact with
them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action.
In addition, Working Together to Safeguard Children also reinforces the need to take action to provide
early help before statutory services are required:
‘Early help is support for children of all ages that improves a family’s resilience and outcomes or reduces
the chance of a problem getting worse.’ DFE 2023
The school therefore understands its responsibility to engage with other professionals in Early Help
Assessments when a child’s needs according to the Local Safeguarding Children Partnership’s
Responding to Need and Level of Needs framework sit below the requirement for a statutory
assessment.
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The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 places a duty upon local authorities and educational
providers to ‘have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’. The DfE
has provided statutory guidance for schools and child care providers: ‘The Prevent Duty’ (December
2023). The guidance summarises the requirements of schools and child care providers in terms of four
general themes: risk assessment, working in partnership, staff training and IT policies. Our school will
ensure that staff are aware of the indicators of extremism and radicalisation and know how to respond
in keeping with local and national guidance by completing regular training in relation to Prevent. Staff
will use their judgement in identifying children who might be at risk of radicalisation and act
proportionately which may include making a referral via Children’s Services to the Channel programme.
Equally children will be made aware of the risks and support available to them. We will ensure that
children are safe from terrorist and extremist material when accessing the internet in schools. The
Government has developed an ‘educate against hate’ website providing information and resources for
schools and parents to support them to recognise and address extremism and radicalisation in young
people. Given Liverpool is a priority area, schools can seek additional advice, guidance and training from
the Local Authority’s Prevent Coordinator or Local Authority’s Prevent Education Officer (details in
School Improvement Liverpool’s Safeguarding Handbook).
‘Section 5B of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 (as inserted by section 74 of the Serious Crime
Act 2015) places a statutory duty upon teachers along with regulated health and social care
professionals in England and Wales, to report to the police where they discover (either through
disclosure by the victim or visual evidence) that FGM appears to have been carried out on a girl under
18. Those failing to report such cases will face disciplinary sanctions. It will be rare for teachers to see
visual evidence, and they should not be examining pupils, but the same definition of what is meant by
“to discover that an act of FGM appears to have been carried out” is used for all professionals to whom
this mandatory reporting duty applies. Information on when and how to make a report can be found
at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/mandatory-reporting-of-female-genital-mutilation
procedural-information
Teachers must personally report to the police cases where they discover that an act of FGM appears
to have been carried out. Unless the teacher has a good reason not to, they should also still consider
and discuss any such case with the school or college’s designated safeguarding lead and involve
children’s social care as appropriate. The duty does not apply in relation to at risk or suspected cases
(i.e. where the teacher does not discover that an act of FGM appears to have been carried out, either
through disclosure by the victim or visual evidence) or in cases where the woman is 18 or over. In
these cases, teachers should follow local safeguarding procedures. DFE 2023
The school will also consult the government guidance Multi-agency statutory guidance on female
genital mutilation (revised 2016) and will have reference to guidance provided by the National FGM
Centre FGM Schools Guidance – National FGM Centre.
In addition, the school recognises the important role schools have in safeguarding children from Forced
Marriage. The Forced Marriage Unit has published Multi-agency statutory guidance, with pages 79-84
focusing on the role of schools and colleges. The school is clear that when it comes to the marriage of
a child, the distinction between a forced marriage and an arranged marriage does not exist. Following
the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022, which came into force in February 2023,
it is an offence to engage in any conduct for the purpose of causing a child to marry before their
eighteenth birthday, even if violence, threats or another form of coercion are not used. Such a marriage
is deemed a forced marriage. (The same legislation also provides that the minimum age at which one
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can legally marry or enter into a civil partnership in England and Wales is 18.) School and college staff
can contact the Forced Marriage Unit if they need advice or information. Contact: 020 7008 0151 or
email: fmu@fco.gov.uk.
Early years providers have a duty under section 40 of the Childcare Act 2006 to comply with the welfare
requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.
The Teachers’ Standards (DfE 2013, updated 2021) also requires all teachers to ‘uphold public trust in
the profession and maintain high standards of ethics and behaviour, within and outside school,
including:
• treating pupils with dignity, building relationships rooted in mutual respect, and at all times
observing proper boundaries appropriate to a teacher’s professional position
• having regard for the need to safeguard pupils’ well-being, in accordance with statutory provisions
• showing tolerance of and respect for the rights of others
• not undermining fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty
and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
• ensuring that personal beliefs are not expressed in ways which exploit pupils’ vulnerability or might
lead them to break the law.
In addition, the Sexual Offences Act 2003 makes it clear that all members of staff are in a position of
trust and would therefore be committing a criminal offence to have a sexual relationship with a young
person below the age of 18, even if that pupil is over the age of consent. In addition, it would be a
breach of trust to have a relationship with any school student over the age of 18.
The Human Rights Act 1998 sets out fundamental rights and freedoms that everyone is entitled to and
contains the Articles and protocols of the European Convention on Human Rights that are deemed to
apply within the UK. It compels public organisations to protect and respect an individual’s human rights
when they make decisions about them. Under the human Rights Act it is unlawful for schools and
colleges to act in a way that is incompatible with the Convention. The specific convention rights applying
to schools and colleges are:
• Article 3: the right to freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment (an absolute right)
• Article 8: the right to respect for private and family life (a qualified right) includes a duty to protect
individuals’ physical and psychological integrity
• Article 14: requires that all of the rights and freedoms set out in the Act must be protected and
applied without discrimination,and
• Protocol 1, Article 2: protects the right to education
We recognise that being subjected to harassment, violence and or abuse, including that of a sexual
nature, may breach any or all of these rights, depending on the nature of the conduct and the
circumstances.
Schools and colleges also have obligations under the Equality Act 2010 whereby schools and colleges
must not unlawfully discriminate against pupils because of their sex, race, disability, religion or belief,
gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, or sexual orientation (protected characteristics).
Whilst all of the above protections are important, in the context of safeguarding, Keeping Children Safe
in Education, and the legal duties placed on schools and colleges in relation to safeguarding and
promoting the welfare of children, governing bodies and proprietors should carefully consider how they
are supporting their pupils and students with regard to particular protected characteristics – including
disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment and race. Guidance to help schools understand
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how the Equality Act affects them and how to fulfil their duties under the act can be found at Equality
Act 2010: advice for schools.
In addition, the Public Sector Equality Duty places a general duty on schools and colleges to have due
regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, to advance the
equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a relevant protected
characteristic and those who do not. The duty applies to all protected characteristics and specific
consideration must be given to equality implications such as, for example, the need to eliminate
unlawful behaviours that relate to them such as sexual violence and sexual harassment,
misogyny/misandry and racism. Further information can be found in the document Technical Guidance
on Public Sector Equality Duty: England.
The school and this policy also takes account of additional guidance including:
• CSE Definition and guidance for practitioners DFE 2017
• Criminal Exploitation of children and vulnerable adults: County Lines Guidance DFE 2017
• Disqualification under the Childcare Act DFE 2006
• Information sharing: Advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services HMG 2018
• The Prevent Duty – Departmental advice for schools and childcare providers DFE 2015
• How social media is used to encourage travel to Syria and Iraq DFE 2015 (Briefing note for schools)
• The Ofsted School Inspection Handbook and Ofsted guidance: Inspecting safeguarding in early years,
education and skills
• What to do if you are worried a child is being abused: Advice for practitioners DFE 2015
• Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young
people DDCMS / UKCIS 2020
• Serious Violence Duty: statutory guidance Home Office 2022
• Domestic Abuse: statutory guidance Home Office 2022
• Working together to improve school attendance DFE 2022
• Searching, screening and confiscation: advice for schools 2022 DFE 2022
• Other DFE statutory guidance including: online safety and children who go missing from home or
care is found here: https://www.gov.uk/topic/schools-colleges-childrens-services/safeguarding
children
7.
Communicating with parents and visitors
The school is committed to the principles of Working Together to Safeguard Children which states that
‘A child centred approach is fundamental to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every child. All
practitioners should follow the principles of the Children Acts 1989 and 2004. These Acts make clear that
the welfare of children is paramount and that they are best looked after within their families, with their
parents playing a full part in their lives, unless compulsory intervention in family life is necessary.
The following statement is provided to parents/carers so they are aware of the school’s responsibilities:
‘The school ensures children learn in a safe, caring and enriching environment. Children are taught how
to identify risky, unsafe or problematic situations, how and when to seek help, how to develop positive
and healthy relationships and how to avoid situations where they might be at risk including by being
exploited.
The school also has a statutory responsibility to share any concerns it might have about a child in need
of protection with other agencies and in particular police, health and children’s services. Schools are not
able to investigate child protection concerns but have a legal duty to refer them. In most instances the
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school will be able to inform the parents/carers of its need to make a referral. However, sometimes the
school can in certain circumstances share information without the consent of the family and may be
advised by children’s services or police that the parent/carer cannot be informed whilst they investigate
the matter or make enquires. We understand the anxiety parents/carers understandably feel when they
are not told about any concerns from the outset. The school follows legislation that aims to act in the
interests of the child.
The school will always seek to work in partnership with parents and other agencies to ensure the best
possible outcomes for the child and family.’
The following notice is made available to all visitors in reception. In addition, all visitors are provided
with additional safeguarding guidance. This statement is also available on the school website.
Our school is committed to safeguarding children and promoting children’s welfare and expects all
staff, governors, volunteers and visitors to share this commitment and maintain a vigilant and safe
environment. Everyone has a responsibility to act without delay to protect children by reporting
anything that might suggest a child is being abused or neglected. We would expect you to also
report to the headteacher or Designated Safeguarding Lead any behaviours of any adults working
in the school that may concern you. By signing our visitors book you are agreeing to follow the
volunteers.
school’s safeguarding advice to visitors and where appropriate the code of conduct for staff and
The names and photographs of the Designated Safeguarding Lead and those who deputise for them
are displayed in reception and the learning mentors room ,the staff toilets and parents noticeboard at
the main gate
8.
Roles and responsibilities
The Head Teacher is: Mrs C Sergeant
The Acting headteacher is: Mrs L Partington
The Chair of Governors is: Bishop TA williams
The Designated Safeguarding Lead for Child Protection is: Mrs C Sergeant/Mrs L Partington
Those trained to provide cover for the role of Designated Safeguarding Lead are: Mrs D Finnigan, Mrs J
Brown
The Designated Teacher for Looked-after Children is: Mrs J Brown
The nominated Link Safeguarding / Child Protection Governor is: Mr P Crilly
The nominated governor for dealing with allegations against the Head Teacher is: Bishop TA Williams
Young Carers champion : Mrs D Finnigan
Key staff can be contacted by email : admin@oliprimaryschool.co.uk
All staff (and volunteers) should:
• Contribute to ensuring students learn in a safe environment.
• Maintain the belief that ‘it could happen here’.
• Read and understand as a minimum Part 1 and Annex B of the DFE (2023) guidance Keeping Children
Safe in Education and engage in training which enables them to identify children who may need
additional help or who are suffering or likely to suffer significant harm and take appropriate action.
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Staff should have an understanding of the specific safeguarding issues outlined in Part 1 and Annex
B of the DFE (2023) guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education e.g. fabricated or induced illnesses,
faith abuse. Staff should be aware that behaviours linked to drug taking, alcohol abuse, truanting
and sexting can put children in danger. Staff should be alert to the signs of child on child abuse and
take appropriate action.
• Have access to Section 1 of the Schools Safeguarding Handbook which will further support
knowledge and understanding of key issues to enable them to identify and respond to children who
need additional help. Staff will ensure that they have read and understood this document.
• Recognise that any child may benefit from early help, but all school and college staff should be
particularly alert to the potential need for early help for a child who: – is disabled or has certain health conditions and has specific additional needs – has special educational needs (whether or not they have a statutory education, health and care
plan) – has a mental health need – is a young carer – is showing signs of being drawn in to anti-social or criminal behaviour, including gang
involvement and association with organised crime groups or county lines – is frequently missing/goes missing from care or from home – is at risk of modern slavery, trafficking, sexual or criminal exploitation – is at risk of being radicalised or exploited – has a family member in prison, or is affected by parental offending – is in a family circumstance presenting challenges for the child, such as drug and alcohol misuse,
adult mental health problems and domestic abuse – is misusing alcohol or other drugs themselves – has returned home to their family from care – is at risk of ‘honour’-based abuse such as Female Genital Mutilation or Forced Marriage – is showing early signs of abuse and/or neglect – is a privately fostered child – is persistently absent from education, including persistent absences for part of the school day
• Be aware that safeguarding incidents and/or behaviours can be associated with factors outside of
the school or college and/or can occur between children outside of these environments. All staff
should consider whether children are at risk of abuse of exploitation in situations outside of their
family home. Extra-familial harms take a variety of different forms and children can be vulnerable
to multiple harms including (but not limited to) sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation and serious
youth violence.
• Be aware that mental health problems can, in some cases, be an indicator that a child has suffered
or is at risk of suffering abuse, neglect or exploitation. Staff are well placed to observe children day
to day and identify those whose behaviour suggests that they may be experiencing a mental health
problem or be at risk of developing one.
• Understand that where children have suffered abuse or neglect, or other potentially traumatic
adverse childhood experiences, this can have a lasting impact throughout childhood, adolescence
and into adulthood. All staff should be aware of how these experiences can impact on a child’s
mental health, behaviour and education.
• Understand that all staff play an important part in working to prevent sexual harassment, online
sexual abuse and sexual violence between children. Staff will assume that these behaviours are
happening in our school and will work as part of a whole school approach to address such issues,
including via the curriculum. Staff will understand how to handle reports of sexual violence or
harassment.
• Staff must ensure that they appropriately challenge any form of derogatory and sexualised language
or behaviour to ensure that everyone is respectful at all times.
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All staff should be able to reassure victims that they are being taken seriously and that they will be
supported and kept safe. A victim should never be given the impression that they are creating a
problem by reporting abuse, sexual violence or sexual harassment. Nor should a victim ever be made
to feel ashamed for making a report.
• Report any concerns about a child’s welfare without delay to the Designated Safeguarding Lead or
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead or in their absence a senior member of staff.
• Ensure that they record their concerns using the school’s agreed reporting procedure, CPOMS in a
contemporaneous fashion. Records will note the difference between fact and opinion. The child’s
voice will be made clearly evident.
• Ensure that concerns relating to children remain confidential and are only shared with the
appropriate safeguarding staff.
• Understand that any member of staff can make a referral to children’s services should that be
required, informing the Designated Safeguarding Lead of any action taken.
• Understand their responsibility to escalate their concerns and ‘press for reconsideration’ if a child
remains at risk or their needs are not met or if it appears that the school is not taking effective action
in line with expected procedures. This includes the understanding that any member of staff can
make a referral to Children’s Services if required to do.
• Teachers and those providing teaching must personally report to the police cases where they
discover that an act of FGM appears to have been carried out.
• Be aware safeguarding issues can manifest themselves via child on child abuse.
• Understand that it may be appropriate to discuss with the Head teacher matters outside of work,
which may have implications for the safeguarding of children in the workplace. This includes
information about themselves. Staff will ensure that they are aware of the circumstances where this
would be applicable.
• Report any concerns (including those which might be considered to be low level concerns) about
the behaviour of an adult towards a child without delay to the Head Teacher, Designated
Safeguarding Lead, Chair of Governors or if required the Local Authority Designated Officer for
Allegations against Staff.
• Follow the school’s policies including this child protection policy and the school’s code of conduct
for adults and the Guidance for safer working practice for those working with children and young
people in education settings (2022)
• Understand the circumstances where it may be necessary to ‘self-report’ incidents where they could
have found themselves in a situation which could be misinterpreted, or may appear compromising
to others, or if they have behaved in a manner which, on reflection, they consider to fall below the
standards set out within the code of conduct for staff.
• Be aware that behaviour by themselves, those with whom they have a relationship or association,
or others in their personal lives (in or out of school or online), may impact on their work with
children.
• Be aware that if their role is within the scope of the Childcare Act 2006 and they commit a relevant
offence that would appear on their DBS certificate or they become disqualified under the Childcare
Act 2006, then they must inform their head teacher
• Be aware that they should inform their head teacher of any cautions, convictions or relevant order
accrued during their employment, and/or if they are charged with a criminal offence.
• Understand that some children, including those with Special Educational Needs or Looked After,
may be more vulnerable to abuse.
‘Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or certain health conditions can face
additional safeguarding challenges. This can include:
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– assumptions that indicators of possible abuse such as behaviour, mood and injury relate to the
child’s disability without further exploration; – these children being more prone to peer group isolation or bullying (including prejudice-based
bullying) than other children; – the potential for children with SEND or certain medical conditions being disproportionally
impacted by behaviours such as bullying, without outwardly showing any signs; and – communication barriers and difficulties in overcoming these barriers.’ (DFE 2023)
The DFE has provided additional practice guidance ‘Safeguarding Disabled Children’ DFE 2009.
• Have access to the school’s managing allegations against adults procedures and whistle blowing
policy. In addition, the NSPCC whistleblowing helpline is available for staff who do not feel able to
raise concerns regarding child protection failures internally. Staff can call: 0800 028 0285 – line is
available from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday to Friday and Email: help@nspcc.org.uk.
• Have access to What to do if you are worried a child is being abused 2015: Advice for practitioners
DFE 2015
• Understand that all staff play a key role in encouraging and promoting full attendance of the children
in school
• Understand that any indication of failure to follow any of the procedures set out within this policy
will lead to a formal investigation by the school.
The Governing Body should ensure that:
• The school meets the statutory responsibilities set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education (DFE
2023) and Working Together to Safeguard Children (DFE 2023).
• The school has a strategy for providing early help together with other agencies and supporting
children and families by carrying out early help assessments, drawing upon the Local Safeguarding
Children Partnership (LSCP) ‘Responding to Needs Framework.’
• The child protection policy is reviewed at least annually by the full governing body and available to
parents, normally via the school’s website.
• All adults working within the school are aware of the school’s code of conduct and this guidance is
in keeping with the Guidance for safer working practice for those working with children and young
people in education settings (Safer Recruitment Consortium 2022)
• The school’s practice is reviewed in line with Local Authority guidance, Local Safeguarding Children
Partnership (LSCP) priorities and procedures and any actions identified in the Local Authority 175
Audit are completed.
• There is a named Designated Safeguarding Lead who is a member of the school leadership team.
Governors will ensure that this person has the appropriate status and authority within the school to
carry out the duties of the post. They will 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. There are colleagues trained to provide cover for the
role. Governors will ensure that all staff undertaking the role of Designated Safeguarding Lead or
Deputy will have this role explicitly described within their job description.
• The school has procedures in keeping with the LSCP for dealing with any allegations made against
any adult working within or on behalf of the school.
• There is a nominated governor, usually the chair, who is the case manager for managing any
allegations against the Head Teacher.
• There is an additional nominated safeguarding governor to liaise with the Designated Safeguarding
Lead and champion child protection/safeguarding on behalf of the safeguarding body.
• The school follows safer recruitment procedures, including the statutory pre-employment checks
on all staff working with young people. The Chair of Governors and safeguarding governor together
with the headteacher review the school’s single central record.
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• The school itself is a safe environment where the views of children and families are listened to and
where children are taught about safeguarding and how to keep themselves safe, including on the
internet or when using new technology. Any complaints about services lead to improvements in
practice.
• Ensure the school audits the health and safety of the school environment and any actions arising
from the audit are addressed.
• The school ensures there are appropriate filters and monitoring systems in place in respect of
internet use and encourage safe and responsible use of digital technologies.
• It scrutinises the impact of the school’s training strategy so that all staff, including temporary staff
and volunteers, are aware of the school’s child protection procedures. All staff must have child
protection training which is regularly updated and forms part of an integrated, aligned training
programme which is considered as part of the whole school safeguarding approach and wider staff
training and curriculum planning. The Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Designated
Safeguarding Leads undertake training in keeping with statutory training.
• Ensure that all governors and trustees receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection
(including online safety) training at the point of induction. This training will equip them with the
knowledge to provide strategic challenge to test and assure themselves that policies and procedures
are effective, and will support the delivery of a robust whole school approach to safeguarding. This
training should then be regularly updated. Governors who also undertake a child facing role in school
(either in a paid or voluntary capacity) will in addition, complete the school’s safeguarding training
for staff and volunteers.
• There is effective analysis of safeguarding data including bullying, attendance, exclusions, behaviour
logs, incidents of sexual violence or harassment, pupils taken off roll, the views and progress and
participation of vulnerable students. As a school we draw upon the guidance from Ofsted in respect
of analysing behaviour data.
• All safeguarding practices are quality assured by the leadership team, including the auditing of
safeguarding records and the supervision of the Designated Safeguarding Lead and other members
of the safeguarding team.
• The governing body will appoint an appropriately trained designated teacher to promote the
educational achievement of children who are looked after, or have been previously looked after.
• There are clear systems and processes in place for identifying possible mental health problems,
including routes to escalate and clear referral and accountability systems.
• There are clear systems and processes in place to identify and respond to issues of sexual violence,
sexual harassment or harmful sexualised behaviours between children, including a sequenced
curriculum designed to specifically address sexual harassment, online abuse, sexual violence and
issues of consent in an age and stage appropriate way.
Governing bodies are accountable for ensuring the school has effective policies and procedures in place
in line with local and national guidance, and for monitoring the school’s compliance with them. Neither
the Governing Body nor individual governors have a role in dealing with individual child protection cases
or the right to know the detail of cases (except when exercising their disciplinary functions in respect
of allegations against a member of staff or investigating a complaint brought to their attention).
The Head Teacher will ensure that:
• The Single Central Record is up to date and the safer recruitment practices set out in Keeping
Children Safe in Education (DFE 2023) are followed in line with the school’s Safer Recruitment Policy
and Procedures. At least one member of every recruitment panel has attended safer recruitment
training.
• Job descriptions and person specifications for all roles make specific reference to child protection
and safeguarding.
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• There is a listening culture within the school where both staff and children are able to raise concerns
about poor or unsafe practices.
• Referrals are made to the Disclosure and Barring Service and/or the Teaching Regulation Agency as
appropriate.
• They liaise with the Local Authority Designated Officer where an allegation is made against a
member of staff.
• They liaise with the designated safeguarding lead in respect of any concerns raised about staff or
volunteers which do not meet the harm threshold and are dealt with by means of the low level
concerns policy or procedure.
• The Designated Safeguarding Lead has a job description in keeping with the requirements of Keeping
Children Safe in Education (DFE 2023) and that sufficient time, training and support are allocated to
this role, including the appointment of colleagues able to deputise for the Designated Safeguarding
Lead who have undertaken the same training and who also have the role explicitly referenced within
their job description.
• The curriculum provides opportunities to help students stay safe including when online. Children
should be aware of the support available to them.
• The RSHE / PSHE / safeguarding curriculum is appropriately sequenced to ensure children are taught
about key issues in a planned and age/stage appropriate way, building on previous knowledge as
they move through the school.
• They quality assure the school’s child protection practices including the auditing of safeguarding
records and the supervision of the Designated Safeguarding Lead and other members of the
safeguarding team to ensure that actions and decisions are reviewed appropriately and that staff’s
emotional needs are met.
• The school meets its responsibilities under the Prevent Duty including ensuring there are reasonable
checks made on visiting speakers and monitoring and filtering is in place across the school’s IT
systems. All staff have had opportunity for Prevent training either through face to face training or
access to online resources:
https://www.support-people-vulnerable-to-radicalisation.service.gov.uk/
The Designated Safeguarding Lead:
The Designated Safeguarding Lead will be a senior member of staff from the school’s leadership team
and the role will be explicit within their job description. The school will also appoint a deputy designated
safeguarding lead(s) who will be trained to the same level as the designated safeguarding lead and the
role will also be explicit within their job description, however the lead responsibility remains with the
designated safeguarding lead. The designated safeguarding lead will take lead responsibility for
safeguarding and child protection (including online safety and understanding the filtering and
monitoring systems and processes in place).
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023 sets out the broad areas of responsibility for the Designated
Safeguarding Lead within Annex C. These are detailed below.
Manage referrals
The designated safeguarding lead is expected to:
• refer cases of suspected abuse to the local authority children’s social care as required;
• support staff who make referrals to local authority children’s social care;
• refer cases to the Channel programme where there is a radicalisation concern as required;
• support staff who make referrals to the Channel programme;
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• refer cases where a person is dismissed or left due to risk/harm to a child to the Disclosure and
Barring Service as required; and
• refer cases where a crime may have been committed to the Police as required. The NPCC document
When to call the Police: Guidance for schools and colleges can support with this.
Work with others
The designated safeguarding lead is expected to:
• act as a point of contact with the safeguarding partners;
• liaise with the headteacher or principal to inform him or her of issues- especially ongoing enquiries
under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 and police investigations. This should include being aware
of the requirement for children to have an Appropriate Adult when in contact with Police Officers
who suspect them of an offence. The DSL (or deputy) will communicate any vulnerabilities known
to the school to a police officer who wishes to speak to a pupil about an offence and this
communication will be recorded in the child’s CPOMS file. Further information can be found in the
Statutory guidance – PACE Code C 2019;.
• as required, liaise with the “case manager” (as per Part four of KCSIE) and the designated officer(s)
at the local authority for child protection concerns in cases which concern a staff member;
• liaise with staff (especially pastoral support staff, school nurses, IT Technicians, and SENCOs or the
named person with oversight for SEN in a college and Senior Mental Health Leads) on matters of
safety and safeguarding (including online and digital safety) and when deciding whether to make a
referral by liaising with relevant agencies so that children’s needs are considered holistically;
• liaise with the school’s senior mental health lead and where available, the Mental Health Support
Team, where safeguarding concerns are linked to mental health;
• promote supportive engagement with parents and/or carers in safeguarding and promoting the
welfare of children, including where families may be facing challenging circumstances;
• work with the headteacher and relevant strategic leads, taking lead responsibility for promoting
educational outcomes by knowing the welfare, safeguarding and child protection issues that
children in need are experiencing, or have experienced, and identifying the impact that these issues
might be having on children’s attendance, engagement and achievement at school or college. This
includes:
o ensure that the school or college knows who its cohort of children who have or have had a social
worker are, understanding their academic progress and attainment, and maintaining a culture of
high aspirations for this cohort; and,
o support teaching staff to provide additional academic support or reasonable adjustments to help
children who have or have had a social worker reach their potential, recognising that even when
statutory social care intervention has ended, there is still a lasting impact on children’s
educational outcomes.
• work with the Virtual School Headteacher who retains a non-statutory responsibility for the strategic
oversight of the educational attendance, attainment and progress of children with a social worker;
• act as a source of support, advice and expertise for all staff.
Undertake training
The designated safeguarding lead (and any deputies) should undergo training to provide them with the
knowledge and skills required to carry out the role. This training should be updated at least every two
years. The designated safeguarding lead should undertake Prevent awareness training. Training should
provide designated safeguarding leads 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
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specific harms that can put children at risk, and the processes, procedures and responsibilities of other
agencies, particularly children’s social care, so they:
• understand the assessment process for providing early help and statutory intervention, including
local criteria for action and local authority children’s social care referral arrangements.
• have a working knowledge of how local authorities conduct a child protection case conference and
a child protection review conference and be able to attend and contribute to these effectively when
required to do so;
• understand the importance of the role the designated safeguarding lead has in providing
information and support to children social care in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of
children;
• understand the lasting impact that adversity and trauma can have, including on children’s behaviour,
mental health and wellbeing, and what is needed in responding to this in promoting educational
outcomes;
• are alert to the specific needs of children in need, those with special educational needs and
disabilities (SEND) and young carers;
• understand the importance of information sharing, both within the school and college, and with the
safeguarding partners, other agencies, organisations and practitioners.
• are able to keep detailed, accurate, secure written records of concerns and referrals;
• understand and support the school or college with regards to the requirements of the Prevent duty
and are able to provide advice and support to staff on protecting children from the risk of
radicalisation;
• are able to understand the unique risks associated with online safety and be confident that they
have the relevant knowledge and up to date capability required to keep children safe whilst they are
online at school or college;
• can recognise the additional risks that children with SEN and disabilities (SEND) face online, for
example, from online bullying, grooming and radicalisation and are confident they have the
capability to support SEND children to stay safe online;
• obtain access to resources and attend any relevant or refresher training courses; and
• encourage a culture of listening to children and taking account of their wishes and feelings, among
all staff, in any measures the school or college may put in place to protect them.
In addition to the formal training set out above, their knowledge and skills should be refreshed (this
might be via e-bulletins, meeting other designated safeguarding leads, 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. This includes attendance
at relevant multi agency training provided by the LSCP.
Raise Awareness
The designated safeguarding lead should:
• ensure each member of staff has access to, and understands, the school’s or college’s child
protection policy and procedures, especially new and part-time staff;
• ensure the school’s or college’s child protection policy is reviewed annually (as a minimum) and the
procedures and implementation are updated and reviewed regularly, and work with governing
bodies or proprietors regarding this;
• ensure the child protection policy is available publicly and parents are aware of the fact that referrals
about suspected abuse or neglect may be made and the role of the school or college in this; and
• link with the safeguarding partner arrangements to make sure staff are aware of any training
opportunities and the latest local policies on local safeguarding arrangements.
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• help promote educational outcomes by sharing the information about the welfare, safeguarding and
child protection issues that children, including children with a social worker, are experiencing, or
have experienced, with teachers and school and college leadership staff. Their role could include
ensuring that the school or college, and their staff, know who these children are, understand their
academic progress and attainment and maintain a culture of high aspirations for this cohort;
supporting teaching staff to identify the challenges that children in this group might face and the
additional academic support and adjustments that they could make to best support these children.
Providing support to staff
Training will support the designated safeguarding lead in developing expertise so that they can support
and advise staff and help them feel confident on welfare, safeguarding and child protection matters.
This includes specifically to:
• ensure staff are supported during the referrals processes; and
• support staff to consider how safeguarding, welfare and educational outcomes are linked, including
to inform the provision of academic and pastoral support.
Understanding the views of children
Understanding the views of children is essential to respond appropriately to their needs. It is important
that children feel heard and understood. The designated safeguarding lead will be supported in
developing knowledge and skills to:
• encourage a culture of listening and taking account of children’s wishes and feelings, among all staff,
and in any measures the school may put in place to protect them; and
• understand the difficulties that children may have in approaching staff about their circumstances
and consider how to build trusting relationships which facilitate communication.
Holding and sharing information
The designated safeguarding lead should be equipped to:
• understand the importance of information sharing, both within the school and college, and with
other schools and colleges on transfer including in-year and between primary and secondary
education, and with the safeguarding partners, other agencies, organisations and practitioners;
• understand relevant data protection legislation and regulations, especially the Data Protection Act
2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR); and
• be able to keep detailed, accurate, secure written records of concerns and referrals and understand
the purpose of this record-keeping.
Child protection file
The designated safeguarding lead is responsible for ensuring that child protection files are kept up to
date. Information is kept confidential and stored securely. Records include a clear and comprehensive
summary of the concern; details of how the concern was followed up and resolved; and a note of any
action taken, decisions reached and the outcome. Files are only accessed by those who need to see it
and any sharing of information happens in line with information sharing advice set out in Keeping
Children Safe in Education.
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Where children leave the school or college (including for in year transfers) the designated safeguarding
lead should 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 should be transferred separately from the main pupil file, ensuring secure transit, and confirmation
of receipt should be obtained. Receiving schools and colleges should ensure key staff such as designated
safeguarding leads and SENCOs or the named person with oversight for SEN in colleges, are aware as
required.
In addition to the child protection file, the designated safeguarding lead should also consider if it would
be appropriate to share any information with the new school or college in advance of a child leaving to
help them put in place the right support to safeguard the child and help the child thrive in the new
setting. A lack of information about a child’s circumstances can impact on the child’s safety, welfare
and educational outcomes. For example, information that would allow the new school or college to
continue supporting victims of abuse and have that support in place for when the child arrives.
Availability
During term time the designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy) should always be available (during
school or college hours) for staff in the school or college to discuss any safeguarding concerns. Whilst
generally speaking the designated safeguarding lead (or deputy) would be expected to be available in
person, it is a matter for individual schools and colleges, working with the designated safeguarding lead,
to define what “available” means and whether in exceptional circumstances availability via phone and
or Skype or other such media is acceptable.
It is a matter for individual schools and colleges and the designated safeguarding lead to arrange
adequate and appropriate cover arrangements for any out of hours/out of term activities
According to Local Guidance it is expected that the Head Teacher will be the case manager for any
allegations against staff and make referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service and/or Teaching
Regulation Agency.
In addition to the role outlined in Keeping Children Safe the Designated Safeguarding Lead is also
expected to ensure that:
• The school has a specific safeguarding email account which is accessible by all members of the
safeguarding team, and ensures that all communication of a safeguarding nature is seen and
responded to by the school.
• The social worker is notified if a child subject to a child protection plan is absent without explanation.
• The social worker is informed when a child subject to a child protection plan or a child in need plan
moves to a new setting.
• A training log is kept of all child protection training including the names of those attending. All staff
must have regular training and updates. Staff or volunteers who are unable to attend training will
be offered the chance to receive missed training at the earliest opportunity.
• Child protection records are kept securely and separately from the child’s normal file. Records will
be transferred and/or retained in keeping with the Local Authority and NSPCC guidance.
• The school attends and contributes to child protection case conferences and child in need meetings,
ensuring actions are completed in a timely manner. The school will complete the LSCP agency report
ahead of each child protection conference.
• The school escalates its concerns with other agencies when a child’s needs are not being met
following the Local Safeguarding Children Partnership Escalation and Resolution Policy.
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• All members of the safeguarding team have received appropriate training; that all referrals made
are quality assured and that regular safeguarding supervision is provided to the safeguarding team
to monitor all decisions and actions taken alongside the well-being of each team member.
• All staff read and understand part 1 and Annex B of the DfE (2023) guidance Keeping Children Safe
in Education and make available to them other key documents and guidance.
• School has an appropriately trained member of staff to in order to fulfil its obligations under
Operation Encompass, and that the school’s commitment to Operation Encompass is known
throughout the school community via the means of staff training, parental letters, posters and the
school website.
9.
Safeguarding Framework
In addition to this child protection policy the school has procedures or policies in relation to other areas
for safeguarding children including:
• attendance
• administering medicines
• anti-bulling including cyber bullying
• alternative and off-site provision
• behaviour and relationships policy
• code of conduct for staff, governors and volunteers (guidance on safer working practices)
• children in care (Looked After Children)
• clubs, trips, educational visits and extended school activities
• data protection
• drug and substance misuse
• disability objectives and accessibility plan
• equal opportunities
• emergency planning
• evacuation and lock-down procedures
• first aid
• intimate care
• managing allegations against staff and volunteers
• mental health and wellbeing
• on-line safety
• risk assessments
• safeguarding advice for visitors
• safer recruitment practices
• school and site security
• sex and relationships education
• special educational needs and disabilities
• taking and using photographs
• whistle-blowing
10. Training and Induction
All staff and volunteers working in the school must be given a copy of the Child Protection policy
immediately upon starting work at the school as part of their induction. All staff and volunteers working
in the school must complete safeguarding training appropriate to their role as part of their induction
and at a minimum of annually thereafter. As part of the requirement for all staff to undergo regular
updated safeguarding training (including online safety which, amongst other things, includes an
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understanding of the expectations, applicable roles and responsibilities in relation to filtering and
monitoring), safeguarding training will be integrated, aligned and considered as part of the whole
school safeguarding approach and wider staff training and curriculum planning. The school’s
safeguarding training plan will build upon existing staff knowledge, in addition to refreshing key
knowledge, and will be pertinent to the needs of the school community. The school draws upon School
Improvement Liverpool’s induction template and Safeguarding Induction Booklet (Schools’
Safeguarding Handbook) to ensure all appropriate policies and guidance are shared. The school delivers
safeguarding training and updates in the autumn term to reflect national safeguarding changes and
priorities. Safeguarding training is ongoing throughout the year in staff meetings, the sharing of
information in emails, discussions in morning briefings and through online training platforms. This work
is planned in light of outcomes from the staff safeguarding questionnaire, current school, local or
national priorities and targets within the school’s 175 safeguarding audit.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead and deputies must complete safeguarding training relevant to their
role. This level of training must be refreshed at least every two years, with further safeguarding training
to be accessed on a minimum of an annual basis as best practice. This is to ensure designated staff have
appropriate, up to date knowledge and skills which will enable them to identify concerns and make
decisions that support the safety of the school community.
The governing body should receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection (including online
safety) training at the point of induction. This training should equip them with the knowledge to provide
strategic challenge to test and assure themselves that policies and procedures are effective, and will
support the delivery of a robust whole school approach to safeguarding. This training should be
regularly updated. Governors who also undertake a child facing role in school (either in a paid or
voluntary capacity) will in addition, complete the school’s safeguarding training for staff and volunteers.
The Link Governor for Safeguarding should attend appropriate training to enable them to fulfil the
expectations of the role.
All staff have had opportunity for Prevent training either through face to face training or access to
online resources: https://www.support-people-vulnerable-to-radicalisation.service.gov.uk/
The school will keep a safeguarding training log evidencing the training attended by the different groups
of staff/governors and will seek to evidence the ongoing impact of this training.
11. Procedures for reporting child protection or child welfare concerns:
• All members of the school community have a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare
of children and young people. Staff and governors should not investigate possible abuse or neglect
themselves.
• School Improvement Liverpool provide an online resource ‘Safeguarding-Mate’ to support
colleagues decision making: www.schoolimprovementliverpool.co.uk/safeguarding-mate/
• All concerns should be reported without delay directly to the Designated Safeguarding Lead,
Designated Safeguarding Deputies, Head Teacher or any member of the School Leadership Team.
This should be followed by a written account of the concerns completed on the child’s CPOMS file
using the category “ Referral to DSL”
• Consideration will need to be given to immediately protecting the child and contacting the police
and/or ringing for an ambulance if the child is injured.
• The Designated Safeguarding Lead or Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead will take immediate
action without delay and will make a referral to children’s services by telephone if a child is believed
to be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This referral will always be followed up in writing.
• Children’s Services contact details are as follows:
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Liverpool Careline Hub 0151 233 3700
Halton Social Care Contact Centre 0151 907 8305 (Out of hours 0345 050 0148)
Knowsley MASH 0151 443 2600
Sefton 0345 140 0845 (Out of hours 0151 934 3555)
St Helens Contact Centre 01744 676 600
Warrington 01925 443322 (Out of hours 01925 444400)
Wigan Duty Team 01942 828300 (Emergency out of hours duty 0161 834 2436)
Wirral Integrated Front Door 0151 606 2008 (Out of hours 0151 677 6557)
• The Designated Safeguarding Lead or Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead will follow the LSCP and
Local Authority multi-agency procedures and consider the child’s needs alongside the LSCP’s Levels
of Needs/Responding to Needs Framework (Threshold document) and consider whether an early
help assessment or referral to children’s services is needed.
Liverpool
Halton
https://liverpoolscp.proceduresonline.com/
www.proceduresonline.com/pancheshire/halton/index.html
Knowsley https://knowsleyscb.proceduresonline.com/index.htm
Sefton
Wirral
https://seftonlscb.safeguardingpolicies.org.uk/scp/procedures-manual/1-introductionlevel
of-need
St Helens https://sthelensscb.proceduresonline.com/index.htm
Warrington www.proceduresonline.com/pancheshire/warrington/index.html
Wigan
https://greatermanchesterscb.proceduresonline.com/
www.wirralsafeguarding.co.uk/procedures/
• The Designated Safeguarding Lead or Deputy is able to refer to an online tool which helps
professionals assess a child’s level of need and decide which method of referral they should
complete (EHAT or MARF). The online ‘Levels of Need Slider’ tool can be accessed here:
https://liverpool.gov.uk/referrals/childrens-social-care-referrals/make-an-urgent-marf-referral/
Schools can also make a Level 3 Early Help referral using the following link:
https://liverpool.gov.uk/referrals/childrens-social-care-referrals/access-early-help-support/
• Concerns about a child should always lead to help for a child. The school may need to escalate its
concerns with Children’s Services to ensure a referral is accepted or work with other agencies to
ensure an Early Help Assessment is completed.
• The school will always seek to follow the Local Safeguarding Children Partnership procedures which
can be found on their website.
• If school does not receive feedback within one working day regarding the outcome of a referral
made to Children’s Services, the Designated Safeguarding Lead will contact Children’s Services
immediately to determine the outcome of the referral.
• If school disagrees with the outcome of a referral, the Designated Safeguarding Lead will ask to
speak to the social worker and/or manager who made the decision. Following this conversation, if
they remain dissatisfied they will follow the Local Safeguarding Children Partnership Escalation and
Resolution Procedures.
‘School Improvement Liverpool Schools’ Safeguarding Handbook’ and Part 1 of Keeping Children Safe
in Education (DFE 2023) provides key flowcharts and guidance to support staff and volunteers’
understanding and decision making. This will support staff to make a referral themselves should that
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become necessary. The Designated Safeguarding Lead should be informed, as soon as possible,
following the need for another member of staff to make a referral.
‘School Improvement Liverpool Schools’ Safeguarding Handbook’ will provide additional guidance
about indicators of abuse and harm and how to respond to a disclosure. Guidance is also available on
the NSPCC website: www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/
If a teacher in the course of their work in the profession, discovers that an act of Female Genital
Mutilation appears to have been carried out on a girl under the age of 18 the teacher must report this
to the police. Keeping Children Safe in Education provides additional guidance.
Concerns that a child is being radicalised should follow the normal safeguarding referral mechanism
with an additional Channel or Prevent referral being made to the Local Authority’s Prevent and Channel
team. Contact details can be found in the School’s Safeguarding Handbook.
12. Process to follow if a child makes a disclosure
If a child makes a disclosure of abuse, staff should:
• Listen and keep calm. Do not interrupt
• Not promise the child that they will keep the matter confidential. Explain to the child who they will
need to tell and why
• Observe visible bruises and marks, but should not ask a child to remove or adjust their clothing to
view them
• Keep questions to a minimum as their role is not to investigate. If staff need to ask questions in order
to ascertain whether this is a safeguarding concern, they should ensure they are open questions
• Use the “TED” model for asking open ended questions: “Tell me about that”, “Explain that to me”,
“Describe that”
• Make a record of what has been said immediately afterwards in words used by the child and the
member of staff to the best of their memory. Use capital letters for the child’s words to help
distinguish between the two.
• Note anything about the child which is connected i.e. any visible injuries including the position and
description, the demeanour of the child i.e. crying, withdrawn etc.
• Clearly indicate whether fact, opinion or third party information
• Report the matter immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead
• Seek advice from the Designated Safeguarding Lead if in doubt
Staff should not:
• Ask leading questions, put words into the child’s mouth or press for details
• Rush the child
• Examine the child
• Investigate
• Promise confidentiality
• Summarise or use your own words to describe events
• Delay sharing the information with the Designated Safeguarding Lead
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Further information can be found in part 1 of the School Improvement Liverpool Schools Safeguarding
Handbook.
All staff should also be aware that children may not feel ready or know how to tell someone that
they are being abused, exploited, or neglected, and/or they may not recognise their experiences
as harmful. For example, children may feel embarrassed, humiliated, or being threatened. This
could be due to their vulnerability, disability and/or sexual orientation or language barriers. This
should not prevent staff from having a professional curiosity and speaking to the DSL if they have
concerns about a child. It is also important that staff determine how best to build trusted
relationships with children and young people which facilitate communication.
13. Confidentiality, information sharing, record transfer and record keeping and retention
Information sharing is vital in identifying and tacking all forms of abuse and neglect, and in promoting
children’s welfare, including their education outcomes. Schools have clear powers to share, hold and
use information for these purposes.
The school recognises that all matters relating to child protection are confidential. The Head teacher,
Designated Safeguarding Lead and/or Deputy will disclose any information about a child to other
members of staff on a ‘need to know basis’ only. Guidance about sharing information can be found in
the 2018 document Information Sharing: Advice for Practitioners providing safeguarding services to
children, young people, parents and carers 2018 and the Data protection: toolkit for schools. The school
understands the need to keep child protection and safeguarding records securely. The school uses
CPOMs to store all safeguarding records and any historical files are stored within a locked drawer with
limited access to the safeguarding team only. When a child transfers to secondary school any historical
safeguarding files are hand delivered to their new school.The receiving school signs a receipt and a copy
of the receipt is kept for the schools records.
Staff cannot promise children confidentiality but must always act in the best interests of the child
and share disclosures made by the child or others with the Designated Safeguarding Lead. All staff
are aware that they have a professional responsibility to share information with other agencies
in order to safeguard children.
The school will aim to seek consent of parents before sharing information with other agencies, however
legislation states that schools and other agencies can share information without the consent of a
parent/carer in particular circumstances.
The school pays due regard to the relevant data protection principles which allow us to share personal
information, as provided for in the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection
Regulation (GDPR). The school is aware of the processing conditions under the Data Protection Act 2018
and the GDPR which allow school to store and share information for safeguarding purposes, including
information which is sensitive and personal, and this is treated as ‘special category personal data’.
Where school would need to share special category personal data, we are aware that the Data
Protection Act 2018 contains ‘safeguarding of children and individuals at risk’ as a processing condition
that allows us to share information. This includes allowing school to share information without consent,
if it is not possible to gain consent, it cannot be reasonably expected that we can gain consent, or if to
gain consent would place a child at risk.
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‘The Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR do not prevent the sharing of information for the
purposes of keeping children safe and promoting their welfare…
…Fears about sharing information must not be allowed to stand in the way of the need to safeguard
and promote the welfare of children’ (DfE 2023)
The school will transfer records securely to the next setting and discuss the child’s needs before the
child starts at the next setting. The Designated Safeguarding Lead will speak to their counterpart in the
school to which the child is transferring in order to ensure that they are aware that the file is to be
transferred. Upon confirmation of the child starting on roll the file should be transferred as soon as
possible (within 5 school days), but separately to the main school file. The file should be signed upon
receipt, and delivered by hand wherever possible. School will follow the transfer of records protocol
detailed within the Schools’ Safeguarding handbook.
The school will retain records in keeping with Local Authority guidance and NSPCC guidelines:
https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/briefings/child-protection-records-retention
storage-guidance. This in turn references the Information and Records Management Society (IRMS)
Information management toolkit for schools 2019.
School Improvement Liverpool’s Safeguarding Handbook provides further key guidance for transferring
records including a ‘Transfer of CP records Template’.
14. Additional child protection guidance will be provided to all adults working with young
people which will include:
• The school’s child protection policy which includes the role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead
• Part 1 and Annex B of Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE 2023)
• The School’s Code of Conduct for staff and volunteers within the leaflet for visitors and volunteers
• The school’s behaviour policy for children
• The staff handbook
• The student handbook
• Guidance for safer working practices for those working with children and young people in education
settings (Safer Recruitment Consortium 2022)
• A flowchart summarising the child protection procedures
• Definitions of abuse or neglect and possible indicators
• Identified groups of children more vulnerable to abuse
• Specific guidance related to safeguarding issues including Female Genital Mutilation, Forced
Marriage, Child Exploitation including sexual and criminal, Extremism and Radicalisation, Neglect,
Sexual violence and harassment and online-safety
• Dealing with allegations against staff and volunteers procedures
• Whistleblowing procedures
• ‘What to do if you are worried a child is being abused: Advice for practitioners’ DFE 2015
15. Managing allegations against adults (including all staff, supply teachers and volunteers)
working at or on behalf of the school
All school staff and other adults working at or on behalf of the school will be aware of and work within
the school’s Code of Conduct and other relevant policies and procedures. The Staff Code of Conduct
includes guidance for staff regarding the school expectations of the use of mobile phones, electronic
equipment and social media.
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All staff and volunteers must report any concerns about a member of staff’s behaviour towards children
(including supply staff and volunteers) to the Headteacher who will act as the case manager. Concerns
can also be discussed with the Designated Safeguarding Lead. Concerns about the headteacher should
be raised with the Chair of Governors or nominated governor.
Local Safeguarding Children Partnership multi-agency procedures will be followed in all cases where it
is alleged that a member of staff has:
• behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child;
• possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child;
• behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children;
or
• behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with children
The school’s managing allegations against staff and volunteers policy and procedures will support
everyone to take appropriate action. This includes a flowchart to guide colleagues thinking.
In some circumstances, the school will have to consider an allegation against an individual who is not
directly employed by the organisation and where our disciplinary procedures do not fully apply (for
example supply teachers). Whilst the school is not the employer of the individual, we still have
responsibility to ensure allegations are dealt with properly and will liaise where appropriate with
relevant parties. The school will not cease to use the services of a supply teacher as a result of
safeguarding concerns, without finding out the facts and liaising with the LADO to determine a suitable
outcome.
In addition, School Improvement Liverpool provide an online resource ‘Safeguarding-Mate’ to support
colleagues decision making: https://www.schoolimprovementliverpool.co.uk/safeguarding-mate/
Concerns can also be taken directly to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), if needed, via
Children’s Services.
Part 4 of the DFE guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education provides further guidance. In addition to
the school’s own procedures, multi-agency procedures can be found on the school’s website.
There are occasions when a person who works with children behaves in a way that is concerning and
raises questions about their ability to recognise and take steps to safeguard children in their care that
may not always meet the threshold of LADO. As an employer the school has a duty to consider whether
the issue indicates that they are unsuitable to continue in their role for the immediate future or
indefinitely. These are known as issues of suitability and if they do not meet the harm threshold for
allegations they, would be dealt with via the school’s disciplinary and low level concerns procedures.
Issues of suitability can include:
• Where an employee is being investigated for an offence against an adult, or
• Their behaviour in their personal lives brings into question their suitability to work with children
However if an adult who works with children has involvement from Children’s Services in respect of
their own child, or a child that they live with or have contact with, it is the responsibility of Children’s
Services to assess the immediate concern and inform the LADO of whether the adult poses a risk to
children. Examples of this may include:
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• Allegations of assault, physical or emotional, on their own child or on a child they live with or have
contact with
• Domestic abuse
• Substance misuse
• Lives with or is in a relationship with a person who is identified as a risk to children
The situation would meet the threshold of LADO should the child in question be made subject to a Child
Protection plan. This is because Children’s Services has determined that the adult presents a risk to the
associated child either directly or due to a failure to protect.
If school are made aware of any of the circumstances detailed above, they will have a consultation with
the LADO in order to determine whether the threshold is met for a referral under the managing
allegations process.
All staff should ensure that they disclose information about themselves relating to the above to
the Head teacher as soon as possible. School will create an environment and culture where staff
are supported and empowered to be able to do this.
If the school receives an allegation relating to an incident that happened when an individual or
organisation was using their school premises for the purpose of running activities for children (for
example community groups, sports associations, or service providers that run extra-curricular
activities), the school will follow its own policies and procedures, including informing the LADO.
16. Low Level Concerns
School must develop this section and should set out their own specific procedures and protocol for
managing low level concerns including who such concerns should be reported to (KCSIE suggests this
could be the Designated Safeguarding Lead or the Headteacher, although where it is the DSL, they
should inform the headteacher in a timely fashion and the headteacher should be the ultimate decision
maker, however it is for the school to determine their own process), and how they will be recorded and
stored within school (use of personnel files?), and the retention policy for such concerns. The Farrer
and Co document regarding developing a low level concerns policy can guide thinking.
Our school recognises that there may be times when there are concerns about a professional’s
behaviour which do not meet the harm threshold as set out in section 15 of this policy. This includes
third party staff and volunteers. Concerns such as this may arise in several ways and from a number of
sources. Examples of this may be:
• suspicion, complaint or disclosure made by a child, parent or other adult within or outside of our
school; or
• as a result of vetting checks undertaken during recruitment
Our school promotes an open and transparent culture in which all concerns about adults working in or
on behalf of the school are dealt with promptly and appropriately. Creating this culture in which all
concerns are shared responsibly, in a timely way with the headteacher and are recorded and dealt with
appropriately is critical to effective safeguarding practice. This culture enables the school to identify
concerning, problematic or inappropriate behaviour at the earliest possible stage, minimises the risk of
abuse and ensures that all adults working in or on behalf of the school are clear about professional
boundaries and act within these, in accordance with our ethos and values. This culture also empowers
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individuals to share concerns with key staff about their own behaviour at the earliest possible
opportunity.
The term ‘low level concern’ does not mean that the behaviour is insignificant. It means a behaviour
towards a child which does not meet the threshold set out in section 15 of this policy and part 4 of
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023. A low level concern is any concern (no matter how small, and
even if no more than causing a sense of unease) that an adult working in or on behalf of the school may
have acted in a way that:
• is not consistent with the staff code of conduct, including conduct outside of the workplace, and/or
• does not meet the allegations threshold or is otherwise not considered serious enough for a referral
to the LADO.
Examples of such behaviour could include, but are not limited to:
• being over friendly with children;
• having favourites;
• taking photographs of children on their mobile phone;
• engaging with a child on a one-to-one basis in a secluded area or behind a closed door; or,
• humiliating children.
Behaviours which are not consistent with the standards and values of our school, and which do not
meet the expectations set out in our code of conduct for staff, must be addressed. Behaviours such as
this, can exist on a spectrum from 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.
It is essential that concerns such as this are shared responsibly and with the right person, and that they
are recorded and dealt with appropriately. Effective reporting and management of such concerns also
protects staff from potential false allegations of misunderstandings. Concerns should be shared as soon
as is reasonably possible, and ideally within 24 hours of becoming aware of a problem, however it is
never too late to share a concern.
Occasionally a member of staff may find themselves in a situation which could be misinterpreted, or
may appear compromising to others. Equally, a member of staff may have behaved in a manner which,
on reflection, they consider to fall below the standards set out within our code of conduct for staff.
Self-reporting such circumstances is actively encouraged as it allows issues to be dealt with at the
earliest opportunity and it is an important means of maintaining our culture of everyone aspiring to
have the highest standards of conduct and behaviour.
Staff do not need to be able to determine whether their concern is a low level concern, or if it would
be dealt with under our managing allegations policy. Staff must simply by empowered to share their
concern. The determination regarding process will be made by the designated safeguarding lead and
headteacher. Staff
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Low level concerns should be reported in writing to the Headteacher. Where a low level concern is in
relation to the Headteacher, it should be shared with the Chair of Governors. Where the concern is
regarding the DSL, they should inform the headteacher in a timely fashion in writing and the
headteacher will be the ultimate decision maker
If a report of a low level concern is received, it will be dealt with responsively, sensitively, and
proportionately. Where a concern is reported, the Headteacher should collect as much evidence as
possible by speaking directly with the person who raised the concern (unless it has been raised
anonymously), and by speaking to the individual involved along with any witnesses. The information
collected will help to categorise the behaviour and determine what further action may needed to be
taken. Support and advice will be provided to ensure any identified behaviours can be corrected at an
early stage.
All low level concerns will be recorded in writing and this record should include the details of the
concern, the context and the action taken, including the rationale for any decisions. Records must be
kept confidential and held securely in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data
Protection Regulation. Records will be kept in individual personnel files and will be retained for the
duration of the individual’s employment
Records should be reviewed so that potential patterns of concerning, problematic or inappropriate
behaviour can be identified. Where a pattern of such behaviour is identified, school will decide on a
course of action either through our disciplinary procedures or where a pattern of behaviour moves
from a concern to meeting the harms threshold, referral to LADO.
The Headteacher will regularly review all low level concerns reported to them, along with the outcome
of the concern. If a concern has been raised the headteacher records will be reviewed monthly or
sooner if appropriate. This is to ensure there is appropriate scrutiny and analysis of information in order
to agree at what point a series of low level concerns or a pattern of behaviour would escalate and meet
the threshold set out in section 15 of this policy and part 4 of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023.
Low level concerns will not be included in references unless they relate to an issue which would
normally be included in a reference. Paragraph 441 of Keeping Children Safe in Education specifies:.
Schools and colleges should only provide substantiated safeguarding concerns/allegations (including a
group of low-level concerns about the same individual) that meet the harm threshold in references.”
17. Allegations of abuse against another pupil (child on child abuse), including issues of sexual
violence and harassment
Staff should recognise that children are capable of abusing other children, and that not all children will
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 staff may overhear a conversation. It is essential that all
victims are reassured 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. Victims will never be given the impression
that they are creating a problem by reporting an incident and they will never be made to feel ashamed
or their experience minimised.
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The DFE states ‘The initial response by a school or college to a report from a child is incredibly
important. How the school or college responds to a report can encourage or undermine the
confidence of future victims of sexual violence and sexual harassment to report or come forward.’
Staff must act on the assumption that children may be experiencing sexual violence or harassment,
even if there are no specific reports of such behaviour. Staff must ensure that they challenge any form
of derogatory and sexualised language or behaviour. Staff should be vigilant to sexualised/aggressive
touching/grabbing, particularly towards girls or other vulnerable groups of children. Behaviours by
children should never be passed off as ‘banter’, ‘having a laugh’ or ‘part of growing up’ as this can lead
to an unsafe culture which normalises abuse and inappropriate behaviours and can lead to children
accepting it as normal and therefore not reporting such issues. Our school will prevent sexual
harassment, online sexual abuse and sexual violence through a carefully planned and sequenced
relationships, sex and health education curriculum alongside effective challenge and response to
specific issues when they arise. All staff will reassure victims that they are being taken seriously and
that they will be supported and kept safe.
All concerns must be reported immediately through CPOMS and discussed with the Designated
Safeguarding Lead, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead or senior member of staff. Behaviours can
happen in school, online or in the community and are most likely to include, but not limited to:
• abuse within intimate personal relationships between peers;
• bullying (including cyber bullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying);
• serious violence;
• sexual violence such as rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault (this may include an online
element which facilitates, threatens and/or encourages sexual violence);
• sexual harassment such as sexual comments, remarks, “jokes”, taunting and online sexual
harassment which may be standalone or part of a broader pattern of abuse;
• sexual comments, such as: telling sexual stories, making lewd comments, making sexual remarks
about clothes and appearance and calling someone sexualised names;
• physical behaviour, such as: deliberately brushing against someone, interfering with someone’s
clothes;
• displaying pictures, photos or drawings of a sexual nature;
• causing someone to engage in sexual activity without consent;
• online sexual harassment including consensual and non-consensual sharing of nude and semi-nudes
images and/or videos, sharing of unwanted explicit content, sexualised online bullying, unwanted
sexual comments and messages including on social media, sexual exploitation, coercion and threats
and coercing others into sharing images of themselves or performing acts they are not comfortable
with online;
• Upskirting, which typically involves taking a picture under a person’s clothing without their
permission (this is a criminal offence);
• physical abuse such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical
harm; and
• initiation/hazing type violence and rituals (this could include activities involving harassment, abuse
or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group and many also include an online
element).
When responding to reports of child on child abuse, the Designated Safeguarding Lead will respond to
each report on a case-by-case basis. If an allegation is potentially criminal in nature, a report will be
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made to the Police. This will generally be in parallel to a referral to children’s services. School can refer
to the NPCC guidance When to call the Police for additional support.
The school will also handle reports which include an online element carefully. This includes being aware
of Searching, screening and confiscation: advice for schools and UKCIS Sharing nudes and semi-nudes:
advice for education settings working with children and young people.
Children with special educational needs and disabilities are more vulnerable to sexual violence and
harassment and staff should be aware that additional barriers can exist when recognising abuse in these
children. The fact that a child or a young person may be LGBT is not in itself an inherent risk factor for
harm however children who are LGBT+ or perceived to be, may also be targeted by their peers and
harassed or assaulted. Risks can be compounded where children who are LGBT lack a trusted adult with
whom they can be open. It is therefore vital that all staff endeavour to reduce the additional barriers
faced, and provide a safe space for children to speak out or share their concerns.
Being subjected to harassment, violence and or abuse, including that of a sexual nature, may breach
any or all of the protections set out under the Human Rights Act 1998, depending on the nature of the
conduct and the circumstances. In addition, the Public Sector Equality Duty places a general duty on
schools and colleges to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment
and victimisation, to advance the equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who
share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not. The duty applies to all protected
characteristics and specific consideration must be given to equality implications such as, for example,
the need to eliminate unlawful behaviours that relate to them such as sexual violence and sexual
harassment, misogyny/misandry and racism.
Victims of child on child sexual harm will be supported by the school’s pastoral system and referred to
specialist agencies including, for example, ‘CAMHS’, Seedlings ‘Brook’ and ‘Barnardo’s’. When there has
been a report of sexual violence, the designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy) will make an immediate
risk and needs assessment. Where there has been a report of sexual harassment, the need for a risk
assessment will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The school uses the Brook Sexualised Behaviour
Traffic Light Tool and the DSL team will complete the online training in Autumn 2023.Risk assessments
will be recorded on CPOMS and will be kept under regular review. The school curriculum will support
young people to become more resilient to inappropriate behaviours towards them, risk taking
behaviours and behaviours that children may be coerced into including ‘sexting’ or ‘initiation/hazing’
behaviours.
Additional guidance is available on the NSPCC website:
https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-abuse-and-neglect/online-abuse
18. Children at risk of Serious Violence and/or Child Criminal or Sexual Exploitation
All staff should be aware of the indicators which may suggest a child is at risk from, or is involved with
serious violent crime. These may include:
• Increased absence from school;
• A change in friendships or relationships with older individuals or groups;
• A significant decline in performance;
• Signs of self harm or a significant change in wellbeing; or
• Signs of assault or unexplained injuries
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Unexplained gifts or new possessions could also indicate that children have been approached by, or are
involved with, individuals associated with criminal networks or gangs and may be at risk of criminal
exploitation.
All staff should be aware of the range of risk factors which increase the likelihood of involvement in
serious violence, such as being male, having been frequently absent or permanently excluded from
school, having experienced abuse or neglect and having been involved in offending such as theft or
robbery. Additional information and advice can be found in the Home Office’s Serious Violence Duty;
Preventing and reducing serious violence, Preventing youth violence and gang involvement and
Criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults: county lines guidance.
Engagement in education is a strong protective factor against children and young people’s risk of
involvement in serious violence. Through engaging in good quality education, children and young
people feel a sense of belonging, achievement and are equipped with skills and resilience they need to
be safe and to succeed in life. Our school recognises that we play a vital role in preventing and reducing
serious violence by facilitating early interventions, prevention and safeguarding children.
Both child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation are forms of abuse that occur where an
individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance in power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child
into taking part in sexual or criminal activity, in exchange for something the victims needs or wants,
and/or for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator and/or through
violence or the threat of violence. Child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation can affect
children, both male and female, and can include children who have been moved (commonly referred
to as trafficking) for the purpose of exploitation.
Staff will understand that whilst the age of the child may be a contributing factor for an imbalance of
power, there are a range of other factors that could make a child more vulnerable to exploitation,
including gender, sexual identity, cognitive ability, learning difficulties, communication ability, physical
strength, status, and access to economic or other resources.
All staff should be aware of the indicators which may suggest a child is at risk from or experiencing child
criminal or sexual exploitation. These may include:
• appear with unexplained gifts, money or new possessions;
• associate with other children involved in exploitation;
• have been the victim or perpetrator of serious violence (e.g. knife crime);
• suffer from changes in emotional well-being;
• misuse drugs and alcohol;
• go missing for periods of time or regularly come home late and are found in areas away from their
home;
• are found in accommodation that they have no connection with; and
• regularly miss school or education or do not take part in education.
All staff will be aware that children who are involved in criminal exploitation often commit crimes
themselves, therefore their vulnerability as victims is not always recognised by adults and professionals.
They may still have been exploited even if the activity appears to be something they have agreed or
consented to. Staff will also have an understanding of the fact that the experience of girls who are
criminally exploited can be very different to that of boys. The indicators may not be the same, however
professionals should be aware that girls are at risk of criminal exploitation too. It is also important to
note that both boys and girls being criminally exploited may be at higher risk of sexual exploitation.
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All staff will be aware that child sexual exploitation is child sexual abuse. Exploitation of this nature can
be a one off occurrence and may happen without the child’s immediate knowledge e.g. through the
sharing of videos or images. It can also affect any child who has been coerced into engaging in sexual
activities. This includes 16 and 17 year olds who can legally consent to have sex. Some children may not
realise they are being exploited e.g. because they believe they are in a genuine relationship.
Our school understands that children who have been exploited or are at risk of serious violence, will
need additional support to help maintain them in education. Further guidance is provided to staff in
Section 1 of the Schools’ Safeguarding Handbook.
19. Domestic Abuse and Operation Encompass
All staff and volunteers are aware that domestic abuse can encompass a wide range of behaviours 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.
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 recognises children as victims of Domestic Abuse in their own right and
sets out statutory multi-agency responsibilities, including specific responsibilities on education
providers. Amongst other things, these include how school deliver an effective PSHE / RSHE curriculum
which supports children to recognise and report feelings of being unsafe, and covers the concepts of,
and laws relating to, sexual consent, sexual exploitation, abuse, grooming, coercion, harassment, rape,
domestic abuse, forced marriage, ‘honour’-based abuse and FGM, and how these can affect current
and future relationships.
Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Primary School is part of Operation Encompass. Operation Encompass is
a national police and education early intervention safeguarding partnership which supports children
and young people who experience Domestic Violence and Abuse. Operation Encompass enables every
child to receive support, regardless of whether the incident has been recorded as a crime and regardless
of whether there is involvement with children’s services. Operation Encompass means that the police
will share information with our school about all police attended Domestic Abuse incidents which involve
any of our children prior to the start of the next school day.
In order to support the school’s response, key members of staff have undertaken specific training
related to Operation Encompass.
Our DSL undertook training July 2023
Our deputy DSL(s) undertook training July 2023
Key information about the principles of Operation Encompass is been cascaded to all other school staff
and Governors. This includes discussing with staff how we can support children who are experiencing
Domestic Abuse on a day-to-day basis, and particularly following an Operation Encompass notification.
No actions taken by school will put the child/ren or adult victim at risk.
Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Primary School ensures that parents are fully aware of Operation
Encompass and when a new child joins our school we ensure that the parents/carers are informed
about Operation Encompass.
Operation Encompass notifications are stored in line with all other confidential safeguarding and child
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protection information record on CPOMS
Operation Encompass data will form part of the termly safeguarding report to Governors. All
information is anonymised for these reports.
The school has used the Operation Encompass Key Adult Responsibilities checklist to ensure that all
appropriate actions have been taken.
From March 2024 using Operation Encompass, Merseyside Police will share information with our school
about all children who are or who have been missing from home or care (MfH). The Key Adult (DSL) and
their deputy/s (DDSLs) have completed the online Operation Encompass Key Adult training which contains
a module about MfH. Information about MfH notifications have been shared with all other school staff and
Governors. Our parents are fully aware that this information is being shared with our school.
The Operation Encompass MfH information is stored in line with all other confidential safeguarding and
child protection information.
Our school has discussed how we can support our children who have gone missing and how we will act
following an Operation Encompass MfH notification. Our curriculum includes work in this area. We have
used the Operation Encompass Handbook on MfH to inform our thinking. We are aware that we must do
nothing that puts the child/ren at risk.
Should the Head Teacher, DSL or DDSLs leave the school and other staff are appointed, Our Lady
Immaculate Catholic Primary School will ensure that all key information shared with the new Head
Teacher/Key Adults and that the new member of staff will undertake the Operation Encompass online
training.
20. Online safety, data protection and the use of mobile phones and digital photographic
equipment
School should set out within this section their own procedures for online safety, data protection, use
of mobile phones, etc.
It is essential that children are safeguarded from potentially harmful and inappropriate online
material. Our school implements a whole school approach to online safety that sets out to protect
and educate both children and staff in their use of digital technologies alongside establishing
mechanisms to identify, intervene in and escalate any concerns, recognising that many children and
young people have unlimited and unrestricted access to the internet via mobile phones and other
digital devices.
Staff should also report any concerns about sexting (youth produced sexual imagery or ‘nudes’) to the
Designated Safeguarding Lead, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead or senior member of staff who
will follow the guidance in Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with
children and young people (UK Council for Child Internet Safety, December 2020). This document
provides clarity as to how staff should respond to these incidents.
The school’s Online safety policy and the children’s acceptable use agreement clearly outlines the way
in which the school uses by all. This policy also includes appropriate filtering and monitoring on school
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devices and school networks. There is a clear code of conduct for staff and volunteers which sets out
the use of digital technologies, mobile phones and personal photographic equipment around children.
The school will consider, in particular, Looked after Children (Children in Care) who might be put at risk
by being included in publicity materials or school photographs.
The DfE highlights the risks of new technologies:
‘An effective approach to online safety empowers a school or college to protect and educate pupils,
students, and staff in their use of technology and establishes mechanisms to identify, intervene in, and
escalate any concerns where appropriate. The breadth of issues classified within online safety is
considerable and ever evolving, but can be categorised into four areas of risk:
• content: being exposed to illegal, inappropriate or harmful content, for example: pornography, fake
news, racism, misogyny, self-harm, suicide, anti-Semitism, radicalisation, and extremism
• contact: being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users; for example: peer to peer
pressure, commercial advertising and adults posing as children or young adults with the intention to
groom or exploit them for sexual, criminal, financial or other purposes
• conduct: personal online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm; for example,
making, sending and receiving explicit images (e.g. consensual and non-consensual sharing of nudes
and semi-nudes and/or pornography, sharing other explicit images and online bullying, and
• commerce: risks such as online gambling, inappropriate advertising, phishing and or financial scams’
The use of technology has become a significant component of many safeguarding issues such as child
sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, radicalisation and sexual abuse. Technology often provides
the platform that facilitates harm.
Schools and colleges should ensure online safety is a running and interrelated theme whilst devising
and implementing policies and procedures. This will include considering how online safety is reflected
as required in all relevant policies and considering online safety whilst planning the curriculum, any
teacher training, the role and responsibilities of the designated safeguarding lead and any parental
engagement.
Staff should bring immediately to the attention of the Headteacher, Designated Safeguarding Lead or
senior leadership team any behaviours by adults or children themselves that may be risky or harmful.
Our Governing Body will ensure that our school has appropriate filters and monitoring systems in place
and will regularly review their effectiveness. (KCSIE paragraph 141, September 2023). The school will
adhere to the DFE Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges which sets out that
schools should:
• identify and assign roles and responsibilities to manage filtering and monitoring systems.
• review filtering and monitoring provision at least annually.
• block harmful and inappropriate content without unreasonably impacting teaching and learning.
• have effective monitoring strategies in place that meet their safeguarding needs
Our school recognises that technology, and risks and harms related to it, evolve and change rapidly.
The school will carry out an annual review of our approach to online safety and will conduct a risk
assessment which considers and reflects the risks our children face. We are currently in the process of
the 360 safe assessment.
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The DfE guidance Teaching Online Safety in Schools (2023) also outlines how schools can ensure their
pupils understand how to stay safe and behave online as part of forthcoming and existing curriculum
requirements.
Where children are asked to learn online at home, our school ensures this is done safely by referencing
key guidance such as Providing remote education: guidance for schools, Safeguarding and remote
education and advice from the London Grid for Learning.
21. Children requiring mental health support
Our school recognises that it has an important role to play in supporting the mental health and
wellbeing of our students. We also recognise that in some cases, mental health problems can be an
indicator that a child has suffered, or is at risk of suffering abuse, neglect or exploitation. The designated
safeguarding lead will regularly liaise with the senior mental health lead where safeguarding concerns
are linked to mental health to ensure there is an effective and appropriate response by school. Within
our school we adopt a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing, which includes
promoting positive mental health, wellbeing and resilience across the whole school community.
Our Mental Health and Wellbeing team: Mrs C Bowcock, Mr T Cotton, Mrs A Bradley. For more
information on our school approach to mental health see our website
www.oliprimary.co.uk/parents-info/mental-health-and-wellbeing/
22. Monitoring attendance
A child missing from an education setting is a potential indicator of abuse or neglect, including
exploitation. Local Authority guidance and procedures will be followed for dealing with a child who is
missing from education, particularly on repeated occasions or if a child suddenly stops attending. The
school will follow the pan-Merseyside missing children protocol. For those children and families who
have chronic poor attendance or severe or persistent absenteeism, school will consider whether
educational neglect is present and whether a referral to children’s services is required, or whether the
school should seek consent to begin an Early Help Assessment in order to coordinate a multi-agency
plan of support for the child and family. School will ensure that our response is in line with Working
together to improve school attendance DFE 2022.
Attendance will be closely monitored. In line with the school’s attendance policy, the attendance of
children with known welfare and attendance concerns will be monitored closely, particularly those with
chronic poor attendance or severe or persistent absentees, or if a child suddenly stops attending.
Schools should also scrutinise the attendance of off-site provision to ensure children are attending and
are safe. Similarly, the attendance of children who are vulnerable or with known welfare and
safeguarding concerns such as children who have a child protection plan, a child in need, are Children
Looked After and/or SEN will be rigorously monitored on a daily and weekly basis. The child’s social
worker will be informed immediately when there are unexplained absences or attendance concerns.
It is important that the school’s attendance team, including the EWO, school nurse and Safer Schools
Officer, are aware of any safeguarding concerns. It is critical that when a child is not attending school
their welfare is confirmed and expected practice would be for an appropriate professional to visit the
home and speak to the child alone, particularly if there are any safeguarding concerns. The timing for
this home visit will be determined on a case by case basis. The school will seek to ensure it has at least
three emergency contacts for each family and consider what urgent action it may need to take when a
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vulnerable child and family are not contactable and the child has not attended school. Where necessary,
this may include reporting the child missing to the police. The school will ensure it is aware, in advance,
of any difficulties in accessing the premises of a child’s family home.
Due to the clear link between attendance and safeguarding, the Designated Safeguarding Lead and
Designated Attendance Lead will meet regularly in order to analyse and discuss data and agree future
action in respect of vulnerable children.
It is essential that all staff are alert to signs to look out for and the individual triggers to be aware of
when considering the risks of potential safeguarding concerns such as travelling to conflict zones,
Female Genital Mutilation and forced marriage.
Where children are experiencing social, emotional or mental health issues and this is impacting on their
attendance, school will refer to DFE guidance Mental health issues affecting a pupil’s attendance:
guidance for schools.
Children Missing Education (CME) are children of compulsory school age who are not registered pupils
at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school. All staff should be aware
that children missing education are at significant risk of underachieving, being victims of harm,
exploitation or radicalisation, and becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) later in
life. Children going missing can also be an indicator of mental health problems, risk of substance abuse,
risk of travelling to conflict zones, risk of female genital mutilation or risk of forced marriage. Effective
information sharing between parents, schools and local authorities is critical to ensuring that all
children of compulsory school age are safe and receiving suitable education. Maintained schools have
a safeguarding duty in respect of their pupils, and as part of this should investigate any unexplained
absences. Academies and independent schools have a similar safeguarding duty for their pupils. When
a child is deemed to be missing from education, school will make reasonable enquiries to establish the
whereabouts of the child jointly with the local authority, before deleting the pupil’s name from the
register. Once these enquiries have been undertaken, our school will follow the local protocol for
Children Missing Education and make a CME referral to the Local Authority Officer for CME.
Some parents will decide to remove their child from the school role in order to educate them at home.
For the majority of children, this choice will be with the child’s best education at the heart of their
decision and it will be a positive learning experience. However, this is not the case for all, and home
education can mean that some children become less visible to services who are there to keep them
safe and supported in line with their individual needs. Where a parent or carer has expressed their
intention to remove their child from the school roll with a view to educating at home, the school will
work together with other key professionals and will, where possible, attempt to facilitate a meeting
with the family to ensure that all parties have considered what is in the best interests of the child. This
is particularly important for those children who have SEND, are vulnerable, and/or who have a social
worker. The school will also link with the named officer for Elective Home Education within the Local
Authority.
23. Private fostering
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The Children Act 1989, 2004 and Children (Private Arrangements for Fostering) Regulations 2005
set out that Private Fostering occurs when a child under the age of 16 (under 18, if disabled) is
provided with care and accommodation by a person who is not a parent, person with parental
responsibility for them or a relative in their own home. A child is not privately fostered if the
person caring for and accommodating them has done so for less than 28 days and does not intend
to do so for longer.
Our school has a mandatory duty to report to the local authority if they believe a child is subject to a
private fostering arrangement. (This does not include close family relatives e.g. grandparent, brother,
sister, uncle or auntie.) This means making a referral to children’s services. A private fostering
arrangement is made without the knowledge of the local authority for the care of a child under the age
of 16 years (under 18 for children with disabilities) whereby the child is in the care of someone other
than their parent or close relative. Further guidance is available in Keeping Children Safe in Education
(DFE, 2023) and in Children Act 1989 private fostering. When a child is privately fostered a social worker
must carry out an assessment to ensure the placement is appropriate and consider any support needed.
24. Safer recruitment
The school will ensure that all appointments follow its recruitment policy and the guidance set out in
Keeping Children Safe in Education (DFE 2023). At least one member of the appointments panel will
have undertaken safer recruitment training. The school will undertake all the required DFE pre
employments checks and where appropriate will record these checks on the single central record and
retain evidence in personnel files. The school will seek written confirmation that third-party
organisations including contractor and alternative education providers have undertaken appropriate
checks. The school’s Safer Recruitment Policy and Procedures set out the processes in more detail and
are drawn from School Improvement Liverpool’s Safeguarding Handbook.
The school is required to inform relevant staff who fall within the scope of Disqualification under the
Childcare Act 2006 and establish they are not disqualified. The criteria for disqualification under the
2006 Act and the 2018 Regulations includes inclusion on the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
Children’s Barred List or committing a relevant offence.
25. The Safeguarding Curriculum
The school will ensure it has a curriculum map which sets out how to help children keep themselves
safe from harm. This will include messages which are taught through the Relationships education,
relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education and PSHE curriculums, alongside standalone
pieces of work and messages delivered through other curriculum areas, as part of a broad and balanced
curriculum. Children will be provided with age appropriate skills, knowledge and understanding to help
them recognise and respond to issues such as consent and healthy relationships. Children will be
supported to develop their understanding, at the appropriate age, of risks including: when using
technology, the internet, and risks associated with grooming and radicalisation, gang and criminal
exploitation and misusing drugs and alcohol. The curriculum will include specific sequenced lessons to
address sexual harassment, online abuse, sexual violence and issues of consent in an age and stage
appropriate way. Our school recognises that a one size fits all approach may not be appropriate for all
children, and a more personalised approach for more vulnerable children, victims of abuse and some
SEND children may be necessary. Children will also learn about the wider safeguarding curriculum which
for children would include road safety, anti-bullying and know how to seek support when needed. The
school will ensure the curriculum promotes an understanding of the values needed to live within a
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democratic society including the rule of law, and individual liberty. It will promote tolerance and respect
for all faiths (and those of no faith), races, genders, ages, disability and sexual orientations.
See our school website for information on the Safeguarding/PHSE/RSHE curriculum
www.oliprimary.co.uk
26. Safeguarding children who attend off-site alternative provision
When identifying that a child would benefit from attending off site provision, our school will undertake
an assessment to determine that this placement is in the best interests of the child. We will ensure that
the provision identified is suitable to meet the needs of that child using the alternative provision quality
assurance document. The school will retain responsibility for the safeguarding of any pupils we place in
off-site provision. The school will undertake appropriate quality assurance checks to ensure that it is a
safe place for the child to attend and will draw upon the specific guidance in the Schools’ Safeguarding
Handbook relating to this. The school will obtain written confirmation from the provider that the
appropriate safeguarding checks have been carried out in respect of individuals working at the
establishment. The school will have a formal agreement with the alternative provision and parent/carer
regarding when the pupil should attend and what procedures that will be followed should the child not
attend the placement. The school will ensure it seeks the views of the young people at off-site provision
to ensure they feel happy and safe. When commissioning places at alternative provision, the school will
pay due regard to Working together to improve school attendance, Alternative provision – DfE
Statutory Guidance and Education for children with health needs who cannot attend school – DfE
Statutory Guidance.
Our school is responsible for the safeguarding and welfare of pupils who are educated off site. We will
ensure that the appropriate coding is used within attendance registers. If we use the B code, we have
confirmed that the child is attending an education provision that is supervised, and measures have been
taken to safeguard the pupil. We will ensure that we have arrangements in place where the provider of
the provision will notify the school of any absences. Our attendance policy will be followed in these
circumstances.
27. Complaints and Whistleblowing
Complaints about safeguarding should follow the school’s complaints policy.
The school recognises that children cannot be expected to raise concerns in an environment where
staff fail to do so.
All staff should be aware of their duty to raise concerns, where they exist, which may include the
attitude or actions of colleagues. The school’s Whistleblowing Policy is there to support and aid
them in these circumstances. The Local Authority also has whistleblowing procedures.
Whistleblowing regarding the Head teacher should be made to the Chair of the Governing Body, whose
contact details should be readily available to staff.
The NSPCC whistleblowing helpline is available for staff who do not feel able to raise concerns regarding
child protection failures internally. Staff can call: 0800 028 0285.
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28. Escalation
If any member of staff is unhappy with the response they have received in relation to a
safeguarding concern they have raised, it is their responsibility to ensure they escalate their
concern within the organisation. All members of staff are aware of their responsibility to escalate
and refer concerns on to Children’s Services when it is appropriate to do so.
Where professional disagreement occurs and the Designated Safeguarding Lead and/or Deputy are
unhappy with the actions or decisions of another agency, they will escalate their concern in line with
the Local Safeguarding Children Partnership’s formal escalation policy to ensure a timely resolution.
The first step of any escalation process with another agency is to raise any concerns directly with the
other professional and their line manager. A professionals meeting is always a positive way of resolving
differences and remaining focussed on the outcomes for the child.
29. Proactive Safeguarding
Our school recognises that school plays a significant part in the prevention of harm to our children by
providing them with opportunities to learn, good lines of communication with trusted adults,
supportive peers and an ethos of protection. As a result, safeguarding and child protection is at the
heart of everything and underpins all policy and procedures within our school.
Our school recognises that we may provide the only stability in the lives of children who have been
abused or who are at risk of harm.
Our school recognises that safeguarding incidents and/or behaviours can be associated with factors
outside the school or can occur between children outside the school. All staff, but especially the
Designated Safeguarding Lead and deputy should consider the context within which such incidents or
behaviours occur. This is known as contextual safeguarding, or extra-familial harm, which means
assessments of children should consider whether wider environmental factors are present in a child’s
life that are a threat to their safety and/or welfare.
In order to maintain a whole school approach to safeguarding, our school community will:
• Work to establish and maintain an ethos where children feel secure and are encouraged to talk and
are always listened to. This ethos will be modelled and replicated by staff and governors.
• Promote a caring, safe and positive environment within the school.
• Ensure that the school site is a safe, secure and welcoming place to learn and grow.
• Encourage self-esteem and self-assertiveness through the curriculum as well as through personal
relationships, whilst not condoning aggression or bullying.
• Include regular consultation with children e.g. through safety questionnaires, participation in anti
bullying week, etc.
• Ensure that all children know there is an adult in the school whom they can approach if they are
worried or in difficulty.
• Include safeguarding messages across the full curriculum, including RSHE/PSHE, to ensure that the
children are equipped with the skills they need to recognise risky behaviours, stay safe from harm
and to know to whom they should turn for help. In particular this will include e.g. staying safe online,
anti-bullying, e-safety, road safety, pedestrian and cycle training, focused work in Year 6 to prepare
for transition to Secondary school and more personal safety/independent travel, issues around
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consent, sexting, positive mental health, etc. Y6 also take part in a GANGS workshop during anti
bullying week
• Offer a positive school experience.
• Ensure all staff are aware of school guidance for their use of mobile technology and have discussed
safeguarding issues around the use of mobile technologies and their associated risks
• Ensure that all staff, volunteers, governors, policies and procedures operate with the best interests
of the child at their heart.
30. Monitoring and Quality Assurance
Policies and procedures only remain effective if they are regularly monitored and reviewed to ensure
that they are still applicable and relevant. Our school and its governors recognise the importance of
monitoring and quality assuring the effectiveness of our child protection policy and the procedures set
out within it. The aim of monitoring and evaluating the child protection policy is to learn from practical
experience, which will contribute to inform policy reviews and future changes to the policy and
procedures. The process of monitoring and quality assurance will help the school and governors to
identify the policy strengths and weaknesses, and will help to provide an understanding of the reasons
for these, so that decisions can be made to resolve any limitations with immediate effect.
Monitoring and evaluation will be done by checking whether the standards from the child protection
policy are implemented and whether safeguards are working and will be undertaken throughout the
year by the Designated Safeguarding Lead, the Head teacher and the Chair of Governors. Activities
which could form part of the ongoing monitoring of effectiveness are:
• Scrutiny of the Single Central Record and personnel files to ensure pre-employment checks are
robust and up-to-date, and that job descriptions for new positions include reference to child
protection, etc.
• Scrutiny of the school’s annual 175 safeguarding audit by the Chair of Governors and Link Governor
for Safeguarding, alongside the full governing body having oversight of any actions arising from the
audit.
• Confirmation that training has been undertaken according to planned schedule and that all relevant
staff and volunteers have participated
• There is effective analysis of safeguarding data including bullying, attendance, exclusions, behaviour
logs, pupils taken off roll, the views and progress and participation of vulnerable students. In
particular, the school will monitor the link between attendance and safeguarding and those
persistently absent, frequently late, missing school (including part of the school day) or those who
suddenly stop attending.
• Methods such as regular ‘safeguarding training questionnaires’ used to evidence the effectiveness
of staff training and their understanding of Part 1 of Keeping Children Safe in Education.
• Regular meetings with staff, volunteers and children which include the opportunity to discuss
safeguarding and child protection, or use of questionnaires to evidence this
• Safeguarding learning walks designed to evidence and test out key safeguarding standards
• Adapting and amending the policy and procedures outside of their annual review date to reflect
current issues which may have recently arisen in order to ensure that all children are protected at
all times.
Our school will also draw upon additional quality assurance activities and templates referenced within
the School Improvement Liverpool Schools Safeguarding Handbook e.g. Single Central Record Checklist,
Personnel Record Checklist and the Headteacher’s Quality Assurance Checklist.
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