Page 10 - TASIS Safeguarding - Child Protection Policy

To be considered a safeguarding concern or allegation, it is likely that some of the following features may be found:
• Physical abuse - violence, particularly pre-planned; forcing others to use drugs or alcohol.
• Emotional abuse - blackmail or extortion; threats and intimidation.
• Sexual abuse and exploitation - indecent exposure/touching or serious sexual assaults;
forcing others to watch pornography or take part in sexting; encouraging other students to attend inappropriate parties; photographing or videoing other students performing indecent acts.
• Neglect - the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development.
TASIS recognises that abuse, neglect and safeguarding issues are rarely safeguarding events that can be covered with one definition or label. In most cases, multiple issues will overlap with one another.
Expert and professional organisations are best placed to provide up-to-date guidance and practical support on specific safeguarding issues. For example the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) offers information for schools and colleges on the TES website and also on its own website www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/. Schools can also access broad government guidance on the issues listed here via the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/.
Three Main Elements Of Safeguarding
The three main elements to our school’s safeguarding policy are:
Prevention:
Safeguard children whether they are at risk of maltreatment or abuse or in need of specific local authority or inter-agency care. Our safer recruitment procedures include checking and recording the suitability of staff and volunteers developing procedures to deal with safeguarding issues, which may be specific to individual children in our school. The school seeks to actively promote the welfare of students at all times. Staff must be alert to situations where students appear to be unhappy or where there are marked changes in behaviour. The aim will be to ‘listen’ to students through the provision of early help, either through the school (counsellors, independent visitor) or through children’s services under ‘child in need’ provisions.
Protection:
Staff are trained and supported to respond appropriately and sensitively to all safeguarding concerns following our agreed procedures. We identify and act on early signs of abuse, neglect and reassess concerns when situations do not improve to ensure the right help at the right time to address risks and prevent risks escalating. We ensure that allegations, concerns, suspicions and complaints against staff are dealt with promptly, and in accordance with DfE and local guidance. We keep accurate records and share relevant information quickly in order to challenge inactivity. Additionally, we take all practical and appropriate steps to ensure that our school premises are as secure as circumstances permit.
Support:
We support children who may have been at risk of significant harm (which includes the way staff respond to their concerns and any work that may be required) or children who have been abused, in accordance with their agreed Child Protection Plan. We seek to address both the mental and emotional welfare of children and families through: the provision of individual counselling, providing a positive and safe school environment, careful and vigilant teaching, accessible pastoral care, good adult role models and by promoting full cooperation with and contributions to the provision of appropriate coordinated support and/or early help from external agencies. Additionally, we operate robust and sensible health and safety procedures, along with clear and