Aims of the unit

1
Aims of the unit

• To build a basic understanding of child
  protection matters likely to be encountered by
  school support staff.
• To inform support staff what to do if they have
  concerns about children that relate to child
  protection.
• To raise awareness of health, safety and child
  protection matters that may arise when parents
  contact support staff.
• To make sure that support staff are aware of
  their responsibilities for the health and safety
  of pupils.

OHT RR 1.1
2
Section 175 Education Act 2002

• Local Education Authorities and governing bodies
  must make arrangements to ensure their functions
• are exercised with a view to safeguarding and
  promoting the welfare of children.
• Local Education Authorities and governing bodies
  must
• have regard to any guidance given from time to
  time by the Secretary of State.

OHT RR 1.2
3
Safeguarding

• All agencies working with children, young people
  and their families take all reasonable measures
  to ensure that the risks of harm to childrens
  welfare are minimised.
• Where there are concerns about children and young
  peoples welfare, all agencies take all
  appropriate actions to address those concerns
  working to agreed local policies and procedures.

OHT RR 1.3
4
What do we mean by child abuse?

• Abuse is when a child is hurt or harmed by
  another person in a way that causes significant
  harm to that child and which may well have an
  effect on the child's development or well being.

OHT RR 1.4
5
Duty to refer

• Through their day-to-day contact with pupils, and
  direct work with families, education staff have a
  crucial role to play in noticing indicators of
  possible abuse or neglect, and in referring
  concerns to the designated senior teacher in
  their school.
• Working Together to Safeguard Children,
  DoH/DfEE/Home Office (1999)

OHT RR 1.5
6
Senior designated teacher

• The senior designated teacher
• is responsible for co-ordinating action on child
  protection
• liaises with other agencies about child
  protection concerns and referrals
• offers support and advice to staff who may have
  concerns about children in school.

OHT RR 1.6
7
Barriers to diagnosis

• The biggest barrier to diagnosis is the
  existence of emotional blocks in the minds of
  professionals. These can be so powerful that they
  prevent diagnosis even being considered in quite
  obvious cases. All those working with children
  should be warned that their overwhelming impulse
  on confronting their first case is to cover it
  up.
• British Medical Journal (1989)

OHT RR 1.7
8
Physical abuse

• Physical abuse 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 feigns the
  symptoms of, or deliberately causes ill health
  to, a child whom they are looking after.

OHT RR 1.8
9
Emotional abuse

• Actual or likely adverse effect on the emotional
  and behavioural development of a child under the
  age of 18 years, caused by persistent or severe
  emotional ill-treatment or rejection.

OHT RR 1.9
10
Neglect

• Persistent or severe neglect of children under
  the age of 18 years, or the failure to protect a
  child from exposure to any kind of danger.

OHT RR 1.10
11
Sexual abuse

• Sexual abuse is the actual or likely sexual
  exploitation of a child or adolescent under the
  age of 18 years by any person. This would include
  any form of sexual activity to which the child
  cannot give true consent either by law or because
  of ignorance, dependence, developmental
  immaturity or fear.

OHT RR 1.11
12
Golden rules

• Listen carefully to what the child has to say,
  but do not question them in a way that puts
  words in their mouth.
• It is important to make accurate notes about what
  has been heard, seen or told.
• Concerns should always be made known quickly to
  an appropriate authority, such as the senior
  designated teacher.
• Concerns should not be discussed with parents
  unless part of an agreed strategy.
• A child must not be promised confidentiality
  about any information on abuse they may choose
  to disclose.

OHT RR 1.12
13
Contacts with parents

• 1. A phone call from a parent to report that
  their child is ill and will be absent from
  school.
• 2. A parent, encountered in the playground at
  mid-day, who is angry because her son's new
  coat has been torn. She claims that playground
  behaviour is poorly supervised and out of
  control.
• 3. An adult encountered on the premises who
  claims to be a parent looking for his daughter
  to take out of school for a dental appointment.
• 4. A parent who asks a mid-day supervisor to give
  her eight-year-old daughter a dose of 'cough
  mixture' before the afternoon school session
  begins.

OHT RR 1.13
14
True or false?

• Accident statistics suggest that children are
  safer in school than in their own homes or on the
  street.

OHT RR 1.14
15
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act

• It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure,
  so far as is reasonably practicable, the health,
  safety and welfare at work of all his employees.
  (HSWA Section 2).
• It shall be the duty of every employer to conduct
  his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so
  far as is reasonably practicable, that persons
  not in his employment who may be affected
  thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to
  their health and safety. (HSWA Section 3).
• Section 7 of the Act confers duties on every
  employee to take reasonable care for the health
  and safety of himself and of other persons who
  may be affected by his acts or omissions, and to
  co-operate with the employer so that duties can
  be performed or requirements complied with.

OHT RR 1.15
16
Subjects covered by this course

• Use of ICT
• Behaviour management
• Inclusion
• Special Educational Needs
• Disabilities
• Curriculum
• Learning English as an Additional Language
• Child protection
• Health and Safety

OHT RR 2.1
17
Eyes, ears and faces

• School support staff are often the eyes, ears and
  face of the school. They are often the faces
  that welcome parents. They are not always the
  appropriate staff to take action but they are
  always in a position to transmit important
  information on which others might decide to act.
  Confidentiality is a key principle of role of the
  support staff.

OHT RR 2.2