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Child Protection Policy
Introduction
1. What is Child Abuse?
Child 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 have an effect on the child's development or well-being.
1.1 The health, safety and well-being of all our children are of paramount importance to all the adults who work in our school. Our children have the right to protection, regardless of age, gender, race, culture or disability. They have a right to be safe in our school.
1.2 In our school we respect our children. The atmosphere within our school is one that encourages all children to do their best. We provide opportunities that enable our children to take and make decisions for themselves.
1.3 Our teaching of personal, social and health education and citizenship, as part of the National Curriculum, helps to develop appropriate attitudes in our children and makes them aware of the impact of their decisions on others. We also teach them how to recognise different risks in different situations, and how to behave in response to them.
2 Aims and Objectives
2.1 This policy ensures that all staff in our school are clear about the actions necessary with regard to a child protection issue. Its aims are:
§ To raise the awareness of all staff and identify responsibility in reporting possible cases of abuse.
§ To ensure effective communication between all staff when dealing with child protection issues.
§ To lay down the correct procedures for those who encounter an issue of child protection.
3 Procedures
3.1 There is a named person in our school who is the Child Protection Co-ordinator. This is the Headteacher and in her absence is the Assistant Headteacher.
3.2 If any teacher suspects that a child in his/her class may be a victim of abuse, they must immediately inform the named person about their concerns. Abuse can be of a verbal, sexual, emotional or physical nature. It can also be the result of neglect.
3.3 Any action that the named person takes when dealing with an issue of child protection must be in line with the procedures outlined in the Local Authority Child Protection guidelines.
3.4 The head teacher works closely with the Children's Services when investigating any allegations of abuse. All parties involved handle such investigations in a sensitive manner, but the interest of the child is of paramount importance.
3.5 We will follow the procedures set out by the Area Child Protection Committee and the Children's' Services, and take account of guidance issued by the Department of Education and Skills.
3.6 We regard all information relating to individual child protection issues as confidential, and we treat this accordingly. We only pass information on to appropriate persons. We ensure safe selection and recruitment practices are always followed.
3.7 We require all adults employed in school to have their application vetted through police records in order to ensure that there is no evidence of offences involving children or abuse.
3.8 There may be times when adults in our school, in the course of their duty, use physical intervention to restrain children. The Headteacher requires the adult involved in any such incident to report this to her immediately, and to record it in the interventions book.
3.9 All adults in the school are aware of their responsibility to report any concerns regarding the health and well being of the children to the Child Protection Officer, (Head teacher) and the paramount importance of total confidentiality and sensitivity at all times.
3.10 All adults in the school receive regular training to raise their awareness of abuse and their knowledge of the Local Authority's agreed child protection procedures.
4. Monitoring and Review:
This policy will be reviewed in the Spring Term 2012 or in the light of new legislation
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