Where a child is thought to be at risk of significant harm, the primary concern will be for their safety and staff should contact the Head of Pastoral Care who will act as the Designated Safeguarding Lead, or Deputy Child Protection Officers in the first instance. If in doubt, please refer to the Designated Safeguarding Leads; if in doubt, pass it on.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead must consider the immediate needs of a child once a concern about their possible safety is raised, considering the following questions:
. Is the child at immediate risk?
. What is placing this child at immediate risk?
. What needs to happen to remove this risk now?
The staff of a school have an important part to play in the sensitive and delicate work of dealing with known or suspected cases of abuse. But in addition to that they have a role of very particular importance in the identification of the signs of abuse. There are opportunities within
the context of school life for observing symptoms which could otherwise well pass unnoticed. However, for advantage to be taken of these opportunities there is a need for some knowledge of those symptoms and an awareness of the action which requires to be taken when they are identified.
In a boarding school we have a particular responsibility to ensure that the children in our care are safe and secure. All staff must be familiar with the content of these guidelines.
Signs of Possible Child Abuse: The Four Categories of Significant Harm:
. Neglect - Failure to meet a child’s basic/psychological needs, including food, shelter, clothing, emotional support, medical care and protective environment safe from physical harm.
. Physical Abuse – This includes hitting or shaking a child or grabbing a child by an article of clothing.
. Sexual Abuse - This includes physical contact, making children look at pornography, grooming or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.
. Emotional Abuse – Persistent ill-treatment of a child, which may involve conveying that the child is worthless, unloved, or inadequate. It may also involve the imposition of inappropriate expectations.
It is important to remember that lists such as the one below are neither definitive nor exhaustive. The information must be used in the context of the child’s whole situation and in combination with a range of other information related to the child and his/her circumstances. Account will be taken of any relevant cultural differences in communication and context when dealing with Child Protection matters.
Children with Additional Support Needs can be especially vulnerable. Disabled and deaf children are three times more likely to be abused than their peers. These children can face
additional barriers when recognising abuse and neglect including:
. assumptions that indicators of possible abuse such as behaviour, mood and injury relate
to the child’s disability without further exploration;
. being more prone to peer group isolation than other children;
. the potential for being disproportionally impacted by behaviours such as bullying, without outwardly showing any signs.
These are general indicators that the child may be troubled but not necessarily about abuse. The child may have some of these problems or none at all. It is the combination, frequency and duration of signs that will alert you to a problem. Try to notice all changes in usual behaviour. There can be an overlap between all the different forms of child abuse, and all or several can co-exist. When considering the possibility of non-accidental injury, it is important to remember that the injuries may have occurred for other reasons e.g., genuine accidents or medical disorders.
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