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Model Statement on Child Protection"

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Model Statement on Child Protection Policy Last Reviewed:- March 2019 E.4 Senior School Safeguarding and Child Next Review:- September 2019 Review Initiated by:- DSL Protection Policy This policy is in accordance with the inter-agency procedures of the Sheffield Safeguarding Children Board Child Protection. These procedures may be found in electronic form at http://sheffieldscb.proceduresonline.com/ and are also available in printed form at reception and in the Staff Common Room. The policy takes account of ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (HM Government 2018), ‘Information Sharing’ (2015), ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (HM Government September 2018) and ‘Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges’ (HM Government 2018). This policy should be read in conjunction with E.4a Interaction with Pupils – Model Code of Conduct for Staff, E.3a Anti-Bullying Policy, E.4b Policy for Pupils on Abuse Issues, E.27 Missing Pupil Policy, E.28 Policy on Managing Images of Children, E.31 Staff Recruitment Policy and E.4c E- safety Policy. The policy also takes account of ‘Prevent Duty Departmental Advice’ and ‘Social Media Guidance’ (DfE). Key Personnel identified in this policy: Head Master – Mr Peter Harris Deputy Head Master/Designated Safeguarding Lead – Mr Nicholas Pietrek Director of Studies/Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead – Mr Philip King E.4.1 STATEMENT OF INTENT The safety and well being of all our pupils at Birkdale School is our highest priority. Our business is to know everyone as an individual and to provide a secure and caring environment, so that every pupil can learn in safety and grow up and live in a safe environment. We expect respect, good manners and fair play to be shown by everyone so that every pupil can develop his/her full potential and feel positive about him/herself as an individual. All pupils should care for and support each other. All members of staff have a duty to model good conduct to pupils, to protect pupils from abuse and bullying and to promote their well-being. This duty extends to preventing pupils from becoming radicalised and holding extremist views. The school recognises that it has a duty to children in need to support and help them often through working with external agencies such as the relevant Multi-Agency Assessment Team (MAST) and through the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) procedure. The school recognises that it has a duty to children at risk of harm to protect them through working with external agencies such as the Children’s Social Care Office, through a referral process, or the police. E.4.2 WHAT IS CHILD ABUSE? Child abuse is the term used when an adult, or another child, harms a child under the age of 18. Child abuse can take four forms, all of which can cause long term damage to a child: physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and emotional abuse. Bullying and domestic violence are also forms of child abuse. 1 Birkdale Senior School Safeguarding Policy Abuse can also manifest itself as: Peer on peer abuse which is any form of physical, sexual, emotional, financial, and/or coercive control exercised between children and young people; this includes intimate and non-intimate relationships. Child trafficking Arranged marriages Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Grooming - befriending and establishing an emotional connection with a child, and sometimes the family, to lower the child's inhibitions with the objective of sexual abuse. Child grooming is also regularly used to lure minors into various illicit businesses such as child trafficking, child prostitution, or the production of child pornography. Radicalisation - the action or process of causing someone to adopt radical positions on political or social issues. E.4.3 SYMPTOMS The definitions of abuse presented in this section are taken from Keeping Children Safe in Education (September 2018). The possible signs or symptoms of abuse are taken from the NSPCC website (referenced in KCSIE). Physical abuse is 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. It is normal for children to have cuts and bruises on their bodies caused by accidents which happen whilst they are moving about and/or playing. These are marks that have an acceptable and reasonable explanation. Marks or injuries which do not have an acceptable explanation may indicate that a child has been physically abused. This may include: Bruising Bruises on the cheeks, ears, palms, arms and feet. Bruises on the back, buttocks, tummy, hips and backs of legs. Multiple bruises in clusters, usually on the upper arms or outer thighs. Bruising which looks like it has been caused by fingers, a hand, or an object i.e. belt, shoe etc. Large oval shaped bite marks. Burns or scalds Any burns which have a clear shape of an object, e.g. cigarette burns. Burns to the backs of hands, feet, legs, genitals, or buttocks. Other signs of physical abuse include multiple injuries (i.e. bruising, fractures) inflicted at different times. It is particularly concerning if parents/carers are unable to explain these injuries and it is not clear whether they took the child to receive medical treatment at the time of the injury. 2 Birkdale Senior School Safeguarding Policy 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 (including via the internet). Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children. Signs of sexual abuse may include: Masturbating in public. Showing adult-like sexual behaviour or knowledge. Physical signs such as anal or vaginal soreness or an unusual discharge. Having sexual contact with younger children or older adults. Pregnancy when the child does not have a boyfriend. Sexually transmitted diseases. Neglect is 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); or ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs. In practical terms, neglect may involve a parent’s or carer’s failure to: provide adequate food, clothing and shelter protect the child from physical and emotional harm or danger supervise the child properly make sure the child receives appropriate medical care or treatment. Signs of neglect may include: A child is often tired at school due to a lack of routine at home (e.g. regular bedtimes). A child frequently appears to be hungry, dirty, smelly or poorly clothed. Parents are dismissive and non-responsive to professional concerns (e.g. the need for medical care or taking action over bullying). Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being 3 Birkdale Senior School Safeguarding Policy 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 cyberbullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, although it may occur alone. These signs are not evidence themselves; but may be a warning, particularly if a child exhibits several of them or a pattern emerges. It is important to remember that there may be other explanations for a child showing such signs. Abuse is not easy to diagnose, even for experts. Sometimes, over-protective parenting or parenting which places undue pressure on children to behave in a certain way or to perform at a high level in academic or extra- curricular activities can be abusive. Signs of emotional abuse may
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