SAFEGUARDING POLICY

POLICY STATEMENT ON SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN

Leeds Supply Service recognises that all children and young people have a right to protection from abuse. We take our responsibility to protect and safeguard the welfare of children and young people very seriously.

We require all staff placed by Leeds Supply Service to take all necessary steps to ensure they know how to spot signs of possible child abuse and/or neglect, and to be fully aware of the arrangements for safeguarding children in the schools where they are placed.

You must

  • Respond swiftly and appropriately to all suspicions or allegations of abuse, and provide parents and children with the opportunity to voice their concerns
  • Be aware of the systems in place in each school, for dealing with concerns about possible abuse,
  • Maintain good links with statutory childcare authorities.

Leeds Supply Service recognises that many children and young people today are the victims of neglect, and physical, sexual and emotional abuse.  Accordingly, Leeds Supply Service has adopted the policy contained in this document.  The policy sets out agreed guidelines relating to responding to allegations of abuse, including those made against staff and volunteers.

Leeds Supply Service recognises the need to build constructive links with the statutory services. They will be kept under review and be supported by appropriate training.

“Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility”. Everyone who works with children has a responsibility for keeping them safe. This policy applies to all candidates who act on behalf of Leeds Supply Service and who come directly into contact with children and young people.

Please make sure you know who the Designated Safeguarding Lead is in each setting that you work in. Every individual has a responsibility to inform the Safeguarding Lead or their Deputy of concerns relating to safeguarding children.  The Safeguarding Lead must decide if the concerns should be communicated to Children and Families Service or the Police.

DEFINITIONS

Child/Young Person

In this policy a child or young person is anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday. The fact that a child has reached 16 years of age, is living independently or is in further education, is a member of the armed forces, is in hospital or in custody in the secure estate, does not change his/her status or entitlements to services or protection.

Abuse

A form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Harm can include ill treatment that is not physical as well as the impact of witnessing ill treatment of others. This can be particularly relevant, for example, in relation to the impact on children of all forms of domestic abuse. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or, more rarely, by others. Abuse can take place wholly online, or technology may be used to facilitate offline abuse. Children may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.

Child Sexual Exploitation

Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.

Controlling or Coercive Behaviour

Also known as coercive control, the use of control and coercion in relationships is a form of domestic abuse and, since December 2015, a criminal offence.

Controlling and coercive behaviour is outlined in Government guidance issued under section 77 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 as part of the Government’s non-statutory definition of domestic violence and abuse. It is described as:

  • Controlling behaviour is: a range of acts designed to make a person subordinate and/or dependent by isolating them from sources of support, exploiting their resources and capacities for personal gain, depriving them of the means needed for independence, resistance and escape and regulating their everyday behaviour; and
  • Coercive behaviour is: an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim

Coercive control is a form of abuse that involves multiple behaviours and tactics which reinforce each other and are used to isolate, manipulate and regulate the victim. This pattern of abuse creates high levels of anxiety and fear. This has a significant impact on children and young people, both directly, as victims in their own right, and indirectly due to the impact the abuse has on the non-abusive parent. Children may also be forced to participate in controlling or coercive behaviour towards the parent who is being abused.

Domestic Abuse

Domestic abuse can encompass a wide range of behaviours and may be a single incident or a pattern of incidents. Domestic abuse is not limited to physical acts of violence or threatening behaviour, and can include emotional, psychological, controlling or coercive behaviour, sexual and/or economic abuse. Types of domestic abuse include intimate partner violence, abuse by family members, teenage relationship abuse and adolescent to parent violence. Anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality or background and domestic abuse can take place inside or outside of the home.

 

Domestic abuse continues to be a prevalent risk factor identified through children social care assessments for children in need. Domestic abuse has a significant impact on children and young people. Children may experience domestic abuse directly, as victims in their own right, or indirectly due to the impact the abuse has on others such as the non-abusive parent.

Emotional Abuse

The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyber bullying), 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 maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone.

Extremism

Extremism goes beyond terrorism and includes people who target the vulnerable – including the young – by seeking to sow division between communities on the basis of race, faith or denomination; justify discrimination towards women and girls; persuade others that minorities are inferior; or argue against the primacy of democracy and the rule of law in our society.

Extremism is defined in the Counter Extremism Strategy 2015 as the vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, including the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also regard calls for the death of members of our armed forces as extremist.

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. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to:

  1. provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment)
  2. protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger
  3. ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers)
  4. ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment

It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

Physical Abuse

A form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

Sexual Abuse

Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse. Sexual abuse can take place online, and technology can be used to facilitate offline abuse. Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

Training and Awareness  

Leeds Supply Service will provide all staff with adequate safeguarding training in order to carry out their role and responsibilities under this policy.  Individuals within the organisation need to be alert to the potential abuse of children both within their families and also from other sources, including abuse by members of that staff and volunteers.

Responding to a Safeguarding Concern

All members of Leeds Supply Service should respond to any suspected or actual abuse of a child in accordance with these procedures.

Make sure to find out the schools policies and follow their procedures if you have concerns that need to be reported.

What to do if children talk to you about abuse or neglect

It is recognised that a child may seek share information about abuse or neglect with staff and volunteers, or talk spontaneously to individuals or in groups.  In these situations:

  • You must:
  • Listen carefully to the child.
  • Give the child time and attention
  • Allow the child to give a spontaneous account; do not stop a child who is freely recalling significant events
  • Make an accurate record of the information you have been given, taking care to record the timing, setting and people present, the child’s presentation as well as what was said. Recordings must be kept secure and in accordance with organisation policies and procedures
  • Use the child’s own words where possible
  • Explain that you cannot promise to keep information secret and you may need to speak to others about the information they have shared
  • Reassure the child that:
    • you are glad they have told you
    • they have not done anything wrong
    • what you are going to do next
  • Where appropriate, explain that you need to get help to keep the child(ren) safe
  • Treat all children and young people with respect
  • Ensure that, whenever possible, there is more than one adult present with children and young people, or at least that you are within sight or hearing of others
  • Respect a young person’s right to personal privacy
  • Make children or young people comfortable and caring enough to point out any safeguarding concerns
  • Recognise that caution is required when you are discussing sensitive issues with children or young people
  • Operate within Leeds Supply Service principles and behaviour policy, specific procedures and any other guidance as applicable and required
  • Challenge unacceptable behaviour and report all allegations/suspicions of abuse

You must not:

  • DO NOT directly question the child
  • Children should not be required to provide multiple accounts of events within Leeds Supply Service
  • Have inappropriate physical or verbal contact with children or young people
  • Allow yourself to be drawn into inappropriate attention-seeking behaviour/ make suggestive or derogatory remarks or gestures in front of children or young people
  • Reach conclusions about others without checking facts
  • Either exaggerate or trivialise safeguarding issues
  • Show favouritism to any individual

What you should do if you suspect abuse

You may become concerned about a child for a number of reasons, this may include but is not limited to the child or young person:

  • Speaking to you about something which is concerning them
  • Telling you about a concern for a friend or other child(ren)
  • Avoiding speaking to you
  • They are clearly upset
  • Displaying a change in behaviour
  • Being disengaged or are having trouble concentrating
  • Changing their friendship groups and associates
  • Having new marks, bruises or scars, or are trying to conceal them

You may also identify concerns:

  • Because of your observations, or
  • Changes in performance of the child or young person (relevant for schools, clubs, etc)
  • A concern has been raised to you by a colleague, parent or third party

It is good practice to ask a child why they are upset or how a cut or bruise was caused, or respond to a child wanting to talk to you.  This practice can help clarify concerns and result in appropriate action.

If you are concerned about a child you must share your concerns.  Initially you should talk to the Safeguarding Lead or their deputy.  You should make a note of your concerns and any actions agreed following your discussion with the Safeguarding Lead or their deputy.

Please contact the office if you have serious concerns and feel that these have not been dealt with correctly or according to the schools safeguarding policies and procedures.