Child Safeguarding
Notes for the Seminar
“ It is everyone's responsibility to make sure all our children and young people are safe and protected from harm and to act if we are worried or notice something that causes concern. Child Protection procedures are what we follow for children who have been harmed or who we suspect are at risk of abuse, harm, or neglect. “
“It serves to protect vulnerable individuals from harm, promote equal opportunities, prevent crime and exploitation, foster trust, and meet legal and ethical obligations.”
As you see in these explanations, there are two aspects you as staff have to keep in mind when you work with children
⇢⇢ protection and prevention
⇢⇢ action
Safeguarding is the protection and prevention of harm. Child protection is procedures you follow if you suspect or notice any sort of abuse.
Have a look at these short video clips and then discuss a few questions:
Question:
Name 2-3 areas the children need safeguarding from. And what part should you as staff play in a child’s safeguarding? Name 2-3 areas
The two aspects
Everyone who works in the education sector has a legal duty to keep the children who attend safe from harm. Namely, this includes teachers, teaching assistants, headteachers and after school staff.
And we do this in two ways:
⇢⇢ We put practices in place so nothing bad can happen in our Afterschool program, also called Best practices
⇢⇢ We learn about how to work with children, what abuse is, how to detect the ‘red flags’ and how to go about it if we notice something, also called Child Protection Procedures
Best practices for iSMART Academy & O.C.S.C
It is important for all staff and others in contact with children to:
be aware of situations which may present risks and manage them
plan and organize the work and the workplace so as to minimize risks
always have at least two staff in a program
as far as possible, be visible in working with children (open doors, never alone with a child)
ensure that a culture of openness exists to enable any issues or concerns to be raised or discussed
ensure that a sense of accountability exists between staff so that poor practice or potentially abusive behaviour does not go unchallenged
talk to children about their contact with staff or others and encourage them to raise any concerns
teach about safeguarding in Life skills lessons
empower children – discuss with them their rights, what is acceptable and unacceptable, and what they can do if there is a problem
every teacher needs 2 references and every full-time teacher needs a police clearance in addition to the references
In general, it is inappropriate to:
spend excessive time alone with a child away from others
have extended physical closeness with a child
take children to your home, especially where they will be alone with you.
disrespecting their privacy (presence when they are changing clothes etc.)
Staff and others must never:
hit or otherwise physically assault or physically abuse children
develop physical/sexual relationships with children: physical relationship means hugging, touching, showing special favour to a certain child
develop relationships with children which could in any way be deemed exploitative or abusive
Child Protection procedures
We want iSMART Academy and O.C.S.C. to be a SAFE PLACE. We want the children to feel safe enough to disclose if something bad has/is happening to them. How do we make this happen? By doing our best practices and building relationships with them. We also need to be TRAINED and AWARE of how potential abuse could look like.
We also have PROCEDURES for you to follow if a child discloses to you or you suspect abuse.
But first, have a look at the next video clip on abuse
There are four types of abuse:
Physical
Psychological
Sexual
Neglect
Abuse may be carried out deliberately or unknowingly. Abuse may be a single act or repeated acts. People who behave abusively come from all backgrounds and walks of life. They may be people in positions of trust; they may also be relatives, friends, neighbours, or people who use the same services as the person experiencing abuse.
⇢⇢ You as a teacher are legally required to report any suspicion of abuse ⇠⇠
Let’s look at an example:
Scenario
Gloria, aged 8
Gloria is known for being an inquisitive and chatty member of the class. Recently, however, you have noticed a complete change in her behaviour. For the last couple of weeks, Gloria has been much quieter and withdrawn. You also notice that although it is a very hot summer and Gloria wore dresses a few weeks ago, she has recently been consistently wearing clothes that cover her whole body.
Do you think this has the potential to be a safeguarding issue?
Here, you have no evidence that Gloria is at risk of harm. However, as her teacher, you know the child well. You have your suspicions that Gloria’s drastic change in personality may be a result of physical abuse occurring. This is coupled with the fact that Gloria is standing out wearing what is considered winter uniform in hot temperatures when a few weeks before she was wearing summer dresses.
Questions:
What are the red flags in this example?
Why did Gloria change her behaviour and appearance?
What would you do as a teacher?
What to do if you suspect abuse:
Write a report: (Your Supervisor will have a form you can fill out)
- Date, time, place, your name
- Facts: Name and grade of child. What do you see (bruises, clothing, items etc.)
- What have you observed (behaviour, language, etc.)
- Your concerns
- Give report to your Supervisor (The iSMART Coordinator)
- Together talk to the child in a safe and confidential place
- Keep it confidential!
Example of a report in Gloria’s situation:
Date: Oduduma High School, August 8, 2024, Marie Mueller
Facts: Name of child: Gloria xxxxx, Gr.2.
Lately Gloria has only been wearing clothing that covers her body. This is unusual since she always used to wear dresses. Her behaviour has also changed a lot over the last few weeks. Where Gloria used to be curious and chatty, she is now very withdrawn. She doesn’t say much anymore and seems to try to be invisible.
My concern is that Gloria is being abused at home in a physical way - that might be the reason for her covering herself up in warm weather.
Exercise - Read through this scenario!
Samantha
Samantha is 12 years old. She has some cognitive difficulties and struggles a little in class. However, she is very popular and has a large group of friends. One day a teacher notices Samantha showing the other girls in class a picture of her ‘boyfriend’. The teacher makes a mental note of it but this is fairly typical behaviour of young girls and so continues with the lesson. Later that day, as the teacher is leaving school, she sees Samantha kissing a boy at the school gates. They get into the boy’s car and drive away.
Now write a report of your suspicion. Once that is done, keep reading about Samantha and the safeguarding issue.
Is this a safeguarding issue?
Yes, and an urgent one at that. There are a number of worrying things in this scenario. Firstly, that the boy is considerably older than Samantha, hence his driving. Secondly, the sexual behaviour between the two considering that Samantha is 12. This would be concerning even if the boy wasn’t considerably older. It is over-sexualised behaviour for a young girl and would suggest to me she might be viewing or witnessing something at home or when out with friends. Thirdly, there are Samantha’s cognitive difficulties which open a whole other can of worms, as those working in special education will know. There are the issues of consenting and understanding what is happening that need to be taken into account. In this situation, the teacher should refer straight away to the safeguarding lead and record the incident in detail, following the school’s policy.
What to do if a child discloses to you (tells you about abuse going on)
1) Reassure the person concerned.
2) Listen to what they're saying and believe them
3) Record what you have been told/witnessed as soon as possible.
4) Remain calm and do not show shock or disbelief.
5) Tell them that the information will be treated seriously.
6) Ask questions to ensure you gather the full facts but do not start to investigate or ask detailed or probing questions.
7) Use the vulnerable child’s own words where possible.
8) Do not promise to keep it a secret
9) Tell the child what you are going to do next and explain that you will need to get help to keep him/her safe.
10) Give report of your encounter to your Supervisor
Important: CONFIDENTIALITY
It’s very important to keep everything you hear or see about abuse CONFIDENTIAL. That means - you only tell your supervisor or the people that really need to know and you also make sure your report isn’t laying around for everyone to see. The report needs to be locked in a cupboard!
Remember - it probably took a lot of courage for the child to tell about what was going on and we want to RESPECT the child by not telling THEIR personal story to everyone!
-> God has entrusted these precious children to Oduduma for now and we want to steward this gift well!
Documents / Forms for your reference and download: