Child Protection Policy
The Norwegian School in LondonCHILD PROTECTION POLICY
This policy was written and adopted on 10 February 2009
Reviewed 1 September 2011
The policy to be reviewed by 1 September 2012
1. Introduction
1.1. The aim of this Policy is to promote the safety of the children at The Norwegian School in London.
1.2. All Schools are required by law to have procedures, for handling suspected cases of abuse of pupils, including procedures to be followed if a member of staff is suspected of abuse.
1.3. Once it has been identified that an issue raised by a pupil relates to protection of a child, the School will refer the case to the relevant Social Service Department as promptly as possible.
2. General Principles and Aims
2.1. The School follows the LEA Guidelines for Child Protection, in conjunction with the All London Child Protection Procedures.
By following Child Protection Procedures we:
• Care for the Child
• Care for our School
• Respond to guidelines and procedures of other agencies.
3. Definition; what is abuse?
Abuse can involve inflicting harm or failing to act to prevent harm and can include any one or more of the following:
3.1. Physical Abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm, including by fabricating the symptoms of or deliberately causing ill health.
3.2. Emotional Abuse, which is persistent emotional ill treatment such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on a persons emotional state or a child’s emotional development.
3.3. Sexual Abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or person to take part in sexual activities, whether or not they are aware of what is happening.
3.4. Neglect is the persistent failure to meet basic physical and/or psychological needs likely to result in serious impairment of health or development.
4. School Policy
4.1. Our school policy for Child Protection will be in line with LSCB and LEA procedures. We will ensure that:
• We have a Designated Person who undertakes regular training.
• We have a member of staff who will act in the Designated Persons absence.
• All members of staff know how to respond to a pupil who discloses abuse.
• All parents /carers are made aware of the responsibilities of staff members with regard to Child Protection Procedures.
4.2. Our Policy will be regularly reviewed and up-dated.
4.3. All new members of staff will be given a copy of our Child Protection Policy as part of their induction into the school.
5. Procedure
5.1. When a member of staff has concerns about a child, individual staff should refer those concerns to School Designated Person for Child Protection.
5.2. When a pupil discloses a member of staff that abuse has taken place:
Individual staff should:
• Listen
• Stay calm
• Take him/her seriously
• Ask clarification questions (if necessary)
• Refer him/her to the Designated Person for Child Protection
NB! Staff cannot make guarantees of confidentiality. If possible, they should warn pupil about this before they disclose the abuse. If the pupil then does not wish to continue they should be encouraged to access support from other specialist organisations.
5.2.2. A member of staff should not question the pupil in depth. This is because asking leading questions or attempting to investigate the allegations could jeopardise any criminal investigation that may follow. The member of staff should re-assure the student that they are doing the right thing in telling, but avoid making comments or judgements.
5.2.3. If the pupil wishes to continue to disclose the abuse, the member of staff should:
• Refer the pupil to the School Designated Person as soon as possible.
• Inform the pupil of the action that would follow the conversation and assure them that they will be kept informed of developments.
• Write down what pupil told them as soon as they can, using the pupils own words, including the time, setting and names of those present and give this to the School Designated Person.
• If the pupil volunteers the information, it is useful to record the general nature of the allegation, where and when it occurred, who was involved and if any other persons were present.
• This written account should be signed, timed and dated by the member of staff
Individual staff should never deal with abuse disclosures in isolation and should always refer to the School Designated Person with responsibility for Child Protection. These are the only people who should make the decision whether or not to report suspected abuse to Social Services or the Police.
6. School Designated Person for Child protection
6.1.The School Designated Person is Hege Webster,The Norwegian school, 28 Arterberry Road, SW20 8AH, London, Cell Phone 07846113544 and she is the link person for the Local Safeguarding Children Board in Merton, and is responsible for reviewing and updating the Child Protection Policy.
6.2. The Designated Person for Child Protection is responsible for
• Adhering to the LSCB, LEA and school procedures with regard to referring a child if there are concerns about possible abuse.
• Keeping written records of concerns about a child even if there is no need to make an immediate referral.
• Ensuring that all such records are kept confidentially and securely and separate from pupil records.
• Ensuring that an indication of further record-keeping is marked on the pupil records.
• Ensuring that any pupil currently on the child protection register who is absent without explanation for two days is referred to Social Services.
7. Confidentiality
7.1 . All matters relating to Child Protection are confidential.
7.2 . The Designated Person will disclose any information about a pupil
to other members of staff on a need to know basis.
7.3. All staff must be aware that they have a professional responsibility to share information with other agencies in order to safeguard children.
8. Supporting Staff
8.1. We recognise that staff working in the school who have become involved with a child who has suffered harm, or appears to be likely to suffer harm may find the situation stressful and upsetting.
8.2. We will support such staff by providing an opportunity to talk through their anxieties with the Designated Person and to seek further support as appropriate.
9. Allegations against Staff
9.1. These should be referred to immediately to the Headteacher, not to the School Designated Person for Child Protection. The Headteacher on all such occasions will discuss the content of the allegation with the LEA Lead Officer for Child Protection.
9.2. If the allegation made to a member of staff concerns the Headteacher, the designated teacher will immediately inform the Chair of Governors who will consult with the LEAs Lead Officer for Child Protection.