Child Protection Policy

Saint Paul's Academy, Abbey Wood

Updated February 2010

1 Policy statement

1.1 This policy has been authorised by the Governors, is addressed to all members of staff and volunteers, is available to parents on request and is published on the Academy website. It applies wherever staff or volunteers are working with students even where this is away from the Academy, for example at an activity centre or on an educational visit.

1.2 Every student should feel safe and protected from any form of abuse which, in this policy, means any kind of neglect, non-accidental physical injury, sexual exploitation or emotional ill-treatment.

1.3 Saint Paul's Academy (Academy) is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The Academy will take all reasonable measures to:

Ensure that we practise safer recruitment in checking the suitability of staff and volunteers (including staff employed by another organisation) to work with children and young people in accordance with the guidance given in Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education and the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003 as amended
Ensure that we carry out all necessary checks on the suitability of people who serve on the Academy's governing body in accordance with the above regulations and guidance given in Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education
Ensure that we follow the Academy Principals' Handbook, section 5
Ensure that where the Academy ceases to use the services of any person (whether employed, contracted, a volunteer or student) because that person was considered unsuitable to work with children, a prompt and detailed report is made to the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA)
Ensure that where staff from another organisation are working with our students on another site, we have received assurances that appropriate child protection checks and procedures apply to those staff
Follow the local inter-agency procedures of the Greenwich Safeguarding Children Board
Protect each student from any form of abuse, whether from an adult or another student
Be alert to signs of abuse both in the Academy and from outside
Deal appropriately with every suspicion or complaint of abuse
Design and operate procedures which promote this policy
Design and operate procedures which, so far as possible, ensure that teachers and others who are innocent are not prejudiced by false allegations
Support children who have been abused in accordance with his / her agreed child protection plan
Be alert to the medical needs of children with medical conditions
Operate robust and sensible health & safety procedures
Take all practicable steps to ensure that Academy premises are as secure as circumstances permit
Operate clear and supportive policies on drugs, alcohol and substance misuse
Consider and develop procedures to deal with any other safeguarding issues which may be specific to individual children in our Academy or in our local area
Have regard to guidance on safeguarding and child protection issued by the Secretary of State for Children, Academies and Families (DCSF) in accordance with section 157 of the Education Act 2002 and associated regulations.

1.4 Every complaint or suspicion of abuse from within or outside the Academy will be taken seriously and in all proper circumstances will be referred to an external agency such as the Social Services, the child protection unit of the Police or the NSPCC. In each of these cases, the matter will be referred by one of the Designated People to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), London Borough of Greenwich (Veronica Mythen (Acting LADO) Tel: 0208 856 9932).

2 The Designated People

2.1 The Academy has appointed senior members of staff with the necessary status and authority (Designated People) to be responsible for matters relating to child protection and welfare. Parents are welcome to approach one of the Designated People if they have any concerns about the welfare of any child in the Academy, whether these concerns relate to their own child or any other. If preferred, parents may discuss concerns in private with the student's form teacher or Principal who will notify the appropriate Designated Person in accordance with these procedures.

2.2 The main responsibilities of the Designated People are:

To be the first point of contact for parents, students, teaching and non-teaching staff and external agencies in all matters of child protection
To co-ordinate the child protection procedures in the Academy
To maintain an ongoing training programme for all Academy employees
To monitor the keeping, confidentiality and storage of records in relation to child protection
To liaise with the child protection officer appointed by Social Services (Local Authority Designated Officer)
To keep parents informed of action to be taken under these procedures in relation to their child in accordance with paragraph 6.10
To monitor students' child protection plans
To liaise with other professionals to ensure that children with child protection plans are monitored
Where appropriate, to take part in the child protection conferences or reviews
To inform Social Services in writing when a child with a child protection plan moves to another school and to inform the new school of the child's status, as advised by Social Services.

2.3 The Designated People for the Academy are:

Miss Mary Wheeler, Vice Principal, Tel: 0208 311 3868 Ext 107 and
Mr Graham Sidwell, Head of Student Services & Assistant Principal, Tel: 0208 311 3868 Ext 118.

They are assisted by:

Kim Nicholas, Lead Mentor, Tel: 0208 311 3868 Ext 140 and
Margaret O'Connor, Chaplain, Tel: 0208 311 3868 Ext 121.

They will:

Advise and act upon all suspicion, belief and evidence of abuse reported to them
Keep the Principal informed of all actions unless the Principal is the subject of a complaint. In this situation, the Designated Person should consult with David Mallen, Chair of Governors or in his absence, Patricia Worden, the Vice Chair of Governors
Liaise with Social Services and other agencies on behalf of the Academy.

2.4 The Designated People have undertaken basic child protection training and training in inter-agency working and will attend refresher training at two yearly intervals.

3 Types of abuse

3.1 Abuse can be:

Physical abuse, for example beating or punching
Emotional abuse, for example rejection and denial of affection
Sexual abuse, for example sexual assault or encouraging a child to view pornographic material
Neglect, for example failure to provide appropriate care including warmth or medical attention.

4 Signs of abuse

4.1 Possible signs of abuse include (but are not limited to):

The student says s/he has been abused or asks a question which gives rise to that inference
There is no reasonable or consistent explanation for a student's injury; the injury is unusual in kind or location; there have been a number of injuries; there is a pattern to the injuries
The student's behaviour stands out from the group as either being extreme model behaviour or extremely challenging behaviour; or there is a sudden change in the student's behaviour
The student asks to drop subjects with a particular teacher and seems reluctant to discuss the reasons
The student's development is delayed
The student loses or gains weight
The student appears neglected, e.g. dirty, hungry, inadequately clothed
The student is reluctant to go home, or has been openly rejected by his / her parents or carers.

5 Duty of employees, governors and volunteers

5.1 Every employee and governor of the Academy as well as every volunteer who assists the Academy is under a general legal duty:

To protect children from abuse
To be aware of the Academy's child protection procedures and to follow them
To know how to access and implement the procedures, independently if necessary
To keep a sufficient record of any significant complaint, conversation or event
To report any matters of concern to the Designated Person.

Every employee is under a legal duty to undertake appropriate training including refresher training at three-yearly intervals.

5.2 Whistleblowing: All staff are required to report to the Principal or the Chair of Governors in his absence, any concern or allegations about Academy practices or the behaviour of colleagues which are likely to put students at risk of abuse or other serious harm. There will be no retribution or disciplinary action taken against a member of staff for making such a report provided that it is done in good faith.

5.3 Students with special responsibility: Students who hold positions of responsibility over other students will be briefed on appropriate action to take should they receive any allegations of abuse.

6 Procedures

6.1 Initial complaint: A member of staff suspecting or hearing a complaint of abuse:

Must listen carefully to the child and keep an open mind. Staff should not take a decision as to whether or not the abuse has taken place
Must not ask leading questions, that is, a question which suggests its own answer such as "did he do x to you". Instead, use open questions such as "tell me what happened"
Must reassure the child but not give a guarantee of absolute confidentiality. The member of staff should explain that they need to pass the information to a Designated Person who will ensure that the correct action is taken
Must keep a sufficient written record of the conversation. The record should include the date, time and place of the conversation and the essence of what was said and done by whom and in whose presence. The record should be signed by the person making it and should use names, not initials. The record must be kept securely and handed to a Designated Person.

6.2 Preserving evidence: All evidence (for example, scribbled notes, mobile phones containing text messages, clothing, computers) must be safeguarded and preserved.

6.3 Reporting: All suspicion or complaints of abuse must be reported to a Designated Person, or if the complaint involves a Designated Person, to the Principal.

6.4 Action by a Designated Person: The action to be taken will take into account:

The local inter-agency procedures of the Greenwich Safeguarding Children Board
The nature and seriousness of the suspicion or complaint. A complaint involving a serious criminal offence will always be referred to Social Services or the Police without further investigation within the Academy
The wishes of the student who has complained, provided that the student is of sufficient understanding and maturity and properly informed. However, there may be times when the situation is so serious that decisions may need to be taken, after all appropriate consultation, that override a student's wishes
The wishes of the complainant's parents, provided they have no interest which is in conflict with the student's best interests and that they are properly informed. Again, it may be necessary, after all appropriate consultation, to override parental wishes in some circumstances. If a Designated Person is concerned that disclosing information to parents would put a child at risk, he or she will take further advice from the relevant professionals before making a decision to disclose
Duties of confidentiality, so far as applicable
The lawful rights and interests of the Academy community as a whole including its employees and its insurers
If there is room for doubt as to whether a referral should be made, the Designated Person may consult with the LADO or other appropriate professionals on a no names basis without identifying the family. However, as soon as sufficient concern exists that a child may be at risk of significant harm, a referral will be made without delay. If the initial referral is made by telephone, the Designated Person will confirm the referral in writing to Social Services within 24 hours. If no response or acknowledgment is received within three working days, the Designated Person will contact Social Services again.

6.5 Referral guidelines: A referral to Social Services or Police will not normally be made where:

The complaint does not involve a serious criminal offence; and
A referral would be contrary to the wishes of a student complainant who is of sufficient maturity and understanding and properly informed, and contrary also to the wishes of the complainant's parents; and
The case is one that can be satisfactorily investigated and dealt with under the Academy's internal procedures, the parents being kept fully informed, as appropriate.

However, if during the course of the internal procedures, it appears that the situation is more serious, the Designated Person will again consider whether a referral should be made in accordance with paragraph 6.4 above.

6.6 External agencies: Whether or not the Academy decides to refer a particular complaint to Social Services or the Police, the parents and student will be informed in writing of their right to make their own complaint or referral to Social Services or the Police and will be provided with contact names, addresses and telephone numbers, as appropriate.

6.7 Allegations against staff: The Academy has procedures for dealing with allegations against staff (and volunteers who work with children) that aim to strike a balance between the need to protect children from abuse and the need to protect staff and volunteers from false or unfounded allegations. These procedures follow the guidance in chapter 5 of 'Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education'.

Suspension will not be an automatic response to an allegation. Full consideration will be given to all the options, subject to the need to ensure:

The safety and welfare of the students or student concerned
The need for a full and fair investigation.

Where an allegation or complaint is made against a Designated Person or any other member of staff or a volunteer, the matter should be reported immediately to the Principal.

Where an allegation or complaint is made against the Principal, the person receiving the allegation should immediately inform the Chair of Governors, or in his absence the Vice Chair, without first notifying the Principal.

Detailed guidance is given to staff to ensure that their behaviour and actions do not place students or themselves at risk of harm or of allegations of harm to a student. This guidance is contained in the Staff Code of Conduct. The Academy's policy on physical restraint is included in the behaviour policy and the Staff Code of Conduct.

If the Academy ceases to use the services of a member of staff (or a governor or volunteer) because they are unsuitable to work with children, a compromise agreement will not be used and there will be a prompt and detailed report to the Independent Safeguarding Authority. Any such incidents will be followed by a review of the safeguarding procedures within the Academy, with a report being presented to the Governors without delay.

6.8 Allegations against students: A student against whom an allegation of abuse has been made may be suspended from the Academy during the investigation and the Academy's policy on behaviour, discipline and sanctions will apply. The Academy will take advice from the LADO on the investigation of such allegations and will take all appropriate action to ensure the safety and welfare of all students involved including the student or students accused of abuse. If it is necessary for a student to be interviewed by the police in relation to allegations of abuse, the Academy will ensure that, subject to the advice of the LADO, parents are informed as soon as possible and that the student is supported during the interview by an appropriate adult. In the case of students whose parents are abroad, the student's guardians will be requested to provide support to the student and to accommodate him/her if it is necessary to suspend him/her during the investigation.

6.9 Suspected harm from outside the Academy: A member of staff who suspects that a student is suffering harm from outside the Academy should seek information from the child with tact and sympathy using 'open' and not leading questions. A sufficient record should be made of the conversation and if the member of staff continues to be concerned he or she should refer the matter to a Designated Person.

6.10 Informing parents: Parents will normally be kept informed as appropriate of any action to be taken under these procedures. However, there may be circumstances when a Designated Person will need to consult the LADO and/or the Principal before discussing details with parents.

7 Secure Academy premises

7.1 Academy Premises: The Academy will take all practicable steps to ensure that Academy premises are as secure as circumstances permit.

7.2 Visitors Book: The Academy keeps a Visitors Book at Reception. All visitors must sign in on arrival and sign out on departure. Visitors will usually be escorted whilst on Academy premises by a member of staff or appropriately vetted volunteer. All visitors will be given a name badge which must be clearly displayed.

8 Confidentiality and information sharing

8.1 Confidentiality and information sharing: The Academy will keep all child protection records confidential, allowing disclosure only to those who need the information in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The Academy will co-operate with Social Services and the Police to ensure that all relevant information is shared for the purposes of child protection investigations under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 in accordance with the requirements of 'Working Together to Safeguard Children'.

8.2 Reporting to a Designated Person: Disclosure of confidential information relating to child protection is on a need-to-know basis, but all staff, including all adults in the Academy who work with students, have a duty to report child protection concerns to a Designated Person. This procedure is required by law and is designed to aid monitoring of child protection and bullying incidents.

9 Monitoring

9.1 Any child protection incidents at the Academy will be followed by a review of the safeguarding procedures within the Academy and a prompt report to the Governors.

9.2 In addition, the Designated People will monitor the operation of this policy and its procedures and will make an annual report to the Governors.

9.3 The Governors will undertake an annual review of this policy and how their duties under it have been discharged.

9.4 The Governors will ensure that any deficiencies or weaknesses in regard to child protection arrangements at any time are remedied without delay.