Contents

Introduction:

• What to do (box)
• Why we need a policy

Background information:

• What is abuse?
• Abusers come from all walks of life
• Ways in which you may become aware of abuse
• Indicators of Abuse
• Signs and Symptoms checklist

Procedures:

• What to do - Listen, reassure and protect
• Report
• Confidentiality

• Flow Chart 1 - Safeguarding Children Issue Raised By Education Otherwise Member
• Flow Chart 2 - Procedure For Expressions Of Concern From Outside Bodies

Appendices

• Education Otherwise key objectives in relation to children of members
• Indications of abuse summary
• Signs and symptoms checklist
• Statement for children and young people
• Form - recording allegations or suspicions of child abuse
• Incident report form

EDUCATION OTHERWISE
SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN POLICY AND PROCEDURES

Education Otherwise has a responsibility to safeguard children in Education Otherwise. You should read this Safeguarding Children Policy carefully and keep it for your own information. It summarises why we need a policy and what you should do if you suspect a child is being abused.

If you suspect abuse you should contact your local social services department, NSPCC or local police station.

Local social services contact (please complete): ....................

Local police station (please complete): ....................

NSPCC child protection help lines: 0800 800 5000

NB it is not within the remit of anyone in Education Otherwise to investigate allegations of child abuse.

Why we need a policy

Education Otherwise recognises that parents have the main responsibility for the protection of their children. However, Education Otherwise also has a moral and legal obligation to protect the children and young people who come into contact with staff, volunteers and members within our network. It is the responsibility of all Education Otherwise paid staff, volunteers and members to ensure safe, accessible services are provided. We all have a role to play in acting on issues raised and implementing the objectives.

Abusers may be present themselves as members, volunteers or national, regional or local staff.

Abuse and neglect can have serious, long-standing effects on children's health and development and may affect their personal, social and employment opportunities, as they become adults. Education Otherwise is committed to providing a secure and caring environment in which children have the right to be safe. In order to fulfil this commitment to protecting children from abuse and harm, it is expected that the policy and procedures adopted will be followed by all staff, volunteers and members. Remember that child protection policies also protect adults, as abuse can result in either civil or criminal proceedings against them. The police or local authority must investigate all allegations of child abuse.

The safety of the child is paramount. In cases where the member, volunteer or staff member has reason to believe that the child is suffering, or likely to suffer harm, their duty is to the child. Suspected and actual harm must be reported to the appropriate authorities, such as social services, immediately.

If you feel that the matter is urgent, contact the Social Services, NSPCC, or the Police without giving the family’s name and relate the facts. They will then be able either to allay your concerns or advise you that this needs to be taken further and investigated.

Background Information

Many families come under stress from time to time. Often they can deal with this with support from family, friends and other members of their local group. However, families sometimes encounter a series of events where the parent finds it difficult to cope with the help of their usual support network or in the absence of an adequate support network and further support needs to be offered.

What is abuse?

There are four types of abuse:

Neglect: This is the actual or likely persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and/or psychological needs which is likely to seriously impair the child's health and development. It may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, failing to ensure a child gets access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of the child’s basic emotional needs.

Physical injury: This may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Factitious (that is unreal or false) or induced illness may also constitute physical abuse, whereby a parent or carer feigns the symptoms of, or deliberately causes ill health in a child.

Emotional abuse: This is actual or likely persistent or significant emotional ill treatment or rejection of a child resulting in severe, adverse effects on the emotional, physical and/or behavioural development of the child. It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate or valued only in so far as they meet the needs of another person. It may involve causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill-treatment of children, though it may occur alone.

Sexual abuse: Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative or non-penetrative acts. They may include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at pornographic material or watching sexual activities, or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.

Abusers come from all walks of life

They may:

• Be male or female.
• Come from all classes, ethnic groups and religions.
• Often be someone the child knows well, e.g. a relative or family friend or other trusted adult or another child.

Child sexual abuse can take place in a number of settings.

• Most commonly where the child or young person knows and trusts an individual. This may be a parent, carer, babysitter, sibling, relative or friend of the child or family.
• The abuser is sometimes someone in authority such as a teacher or youth leader or children's worker, a volunteer or member in Education Otherwise.

Ways in which you may become aware of the actual or likely occurrence of abuse

• You may just instinctively feel that there is a problem or you may observe signs of abuse.
• A child may tell you that they or another child has been abused either in their home, during an activity or in another setting.
• A child may show some signs of physical injury for which there appears to be no satisfactory explanation.
• A child's behaviour may indicate to you that it is likely that he or she is being abused.
• Something about a person's behaviour or the way he or she relates to a child alerts you.
• Someone else may tell you that a child has told them or that they strongly believe a child has been or is being abused.
• You may observe one child abusing another.

Indicators of Abuse

These are not all inclusive: some of these signs may reflect something other than child abuse or neglect.

Signs of Physical Abuse

• Unexplained injuries or burns, particularly if they are recurrent
• Improbable excuses given to explain injuries - any injuries to babies
• Bruising – especially in places not easily injured
• Refusal to discuss injuries
• Admission of punishment which appears excessive
• Bald patches
• Withdrawal from physical contact
• Arms and legs kept covered in hot weather
• Fear of returning home
• Fear of medical help
• Self destructive tendencies, aggression towards others
• Running away
• Human Bites

Signs of Emotional Abuse

• Physical, mental and emotional development lags
• Admission of punishment which appears excessive, over-reaction to mistakes
• Continual self-deprecation
• Sudden speech disorders
• Inappropriate emotional responses to painful situations
• Fear of new situations
• Self-mutilation, running away
• Extremes of passivity or aggression
• Drugs/solvent abuse
• Compulsive stealing , scavenging
• Withdrawn and anxious, doesn’t play or seem to enjoy themselves
• Loss of confidence and self esteem
• Demanding attention seeking
• Inability to Communicate

Signs of Neglect

• Poor personal hygiene
• Constant Tiredness, listless
• Poor State of clothing
• Thin, pale uncared for
• Untreated medical problems
• Destructive tendencies
• Low self esteem
• Neurotic behaviour
• Non social relationships
• Running away
• Compulsive stealing or scavenging
• Weight loss
• Untreated nappy rash

Signs of Abuse

• Display of affection in a sexual way-inappropriate to age
• Highly sexualised language
• Tendency to cling or need reassurance or cry easily
• Regression to younger behaviour – thumb sucking, playing with discarded toys, acting like a baby
• Complaints of genital itching or pain
• Distrust of a familiar adult. Anxiety about being left with a relative, baby sitter
• Apparent secrecy
• Wetting – day or night
• Anorexia, bulimia, phobias, panic attacks
• Chronic venereal diseases, pregnancy

Signs, indicators and symptoms should not be taken in isolation but within a context or new change in bahaviour.

What to do

If a child tells you they have been abused - Listen, reassure and protect

• Listen carefully to what the child has to say and do not attempt to question the child or investigate further.
• Take the allegation of abuse seriously.
• Remain calm – do not appear shocked or disgusted.
• The child must be reassured that they were right to tell you.
• Respect the trust and confidence the child has placed in you. However, whilst respecting confidentiality, tell the child that you will need to tell someone else.
• Be aware that the child may have been threatened and fear reprisals for having spoken to you.
• Do not make comments, derogatory or otherwise, with regard to the alleged abuser, as the child could possibly have mixed emotions about him or her.
• Explain what you will do next.

Report (See flow chart ‘Safeguarding Children Issue Raised by Education Otherwise Member’)

• In the case of an allegation of abuse, record in writing accurately and as quickly as possible what the child has told you. See the form at the back of this policy, which provides some guide as to what information is required.
• Concerns should be discussed with the parent or carer and, where possible, their permission should be sought before making a referral to social services unless this places a child at increased risk of significant harm. For example, cases of allegations of sexual abuse must be referred directly to social services.
• When making the referral to Social Services or other official body, confirm the referral in writing. At the end of any discussion you should be clear about who is taking what action or that no further action is required. (It is a good idea to find out their phone numbers immediately and fill them in the box at the beginning of this pull out).
• Record details of any decision and/or action. You should not discuss your suspicions or allegations with anyone other than the people named in the box at the beginning of this article.

Expressions of concern by outside bodies: (See flow chart ‘Procedure for expressions of concern from outside bodies’). Members of staff or group officers may be contacted by outside agencies such as social services or a school.

Confidentiality

Any sharing of confidential information with any other person in relation to child protection may only be undertaken with the expressed permission of the parent, except where it is considered necessary for the welfare and protection of a child.

Children and young people will be particularly sensitive to other children, parents and professionals knowing about difficult and personal events in their lives. They will need reassurance about procedures and what is likely to happen next.

Confidentiality and Secrecy

No member of staff or group member should ever promise to keep confidential to a child where there are safety concerns. This can result in colluding with the secrecy which often surrounds abuse.

Recording allegations or suspicions of child abuse

Make a note of the following details:
Date…………………..Location…………………………………………….
Name of person reporting……………………………………………………
Address……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Telephone number……………………………………………………………
Name of child…………………………………..Age of child……………….
Parent's name……………………………………………………………..…
Parent’s Phone No……………………………………….………….……….
Address………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Are you expressing your own concerns or passing on those of someone else?

What has prompted the concerns? Include dates, times etc of any specific incidents.

Has the child been spoken to? If so, what was said?

Has anybody been alleged to be the abuser? If so, record details?

Has the parent(s) been contacted? If so, what was said?

Has anyone else been consulted? If so, record details.

Education Otherwise's key objectives in relation to children of members are:

1. To promote a safe environment for all children within Education Otherwise.
2. To treat children and young people with respect and sensitivity and to accord them dignity and equality.
3. To follow and implement child protection procedures and monitor regularly to consider how best Education Otherwise can meet the needs of those who face abuse.
4. To ensure that children and parents know how to voice complaints and concerns.
5. To respect confidentiality without promising to keep secrets.
6. To put a full stop to smacking, physical and verbal abuse within Education Otherwise and regional or national meetings.
7. To provide opportunities for staff, volunteers and members to familiarise themselves with our Child Protection Policy and Procedures and to discuss positive approaches to parenting.
8. To ensure that all childcare facilities used in relation to Education Otherwise activities are accessible to all children and are child friendly.
9. To ensure that all children have equal access to Education Otherwise’s services irrespective of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or religion.

Reference

Camden social services Statutory Framework Papers.

Safeguarding Children & Young People, A working manual for child protection and Safe practice, childprotectionuk.net

EO Council
19 November 2007