1. Introduction
Small Office Home Office (SOHO) Computer Network Nepal PVT LTD believes that all children have a right to be protected from harm. Children cannot learn effectively if they do not feel secure. Awareness of safety and self-protection should be included in the curriculum where appropriate. So SOHO launch business project with Amajika Nepal (NGO) about Cyber Crime Investigation and Online Children Protection. Initially we go to field and conduct seminar and then develop software or work as agent of different countries of working areas of that field as firewall which will protect child and youth.
All staff and principals have a pastoral responsibility towards the children and they must ensure that the correct procedures are followed in order to protect children from abuse or further abuse. We also have a legal duty of the Children Act to assist local authority social services departments acting on behalf of children in need or enquiring into allegations of child abuse. The aim of this policy is to:
• protect the children and recognise the signs of abuse
• to ensure everyone knows the correct procedures
This procedure is in line with the statutory duties and procedures and follows the guidance in Safer Working Practice for the Protection of Children and Staff in Education Settings Area Child Protection Committee procedures and advice from the Education Department Designated Child Protection Office. The Head Teacher and the Child Protection Officer (CPO) will refer to online multi-agency child protection procedures in each case of suspected or actual abuse.
2. The Child Protection Officer/Designated Teacher
Responsibility is given to head teacher. He/She should be contacted immediately if any member of staff has a concern that could be considered to be about child protection. Her Role is discussed further in Section 9. All concerns must be reported to the CPO, the Head Teacher or the project co-ordinator. Concerns should be recorded on a child welfare/child protection form which will be kept in a confidential file in the Principal’s office.
3. Definitions of Abuse
The Abuse children suffer from usually falls into one of four main categories defined in Safer Working Practice for the Protection of Children and Staff in Education Settings , but a single child may suffer more than one type of abuse.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse 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 feigns symptoms of or deliberately causes ill health to a child they are looking after. This situation is commonly described using terms such as factitious illness by proxy or Munchausen's syndrome by proxy.
Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional ill treatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child's emotional development: It may involve conveying to the child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only in so far as they meet the needs of another person. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. 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 a child although 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, e.g. rape or buggery or non-penetrative acts. They may include non-contact activities such as involving children in looking at or in the production of pornographic material or watching sexual activities or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.
Neglect
Neglect is 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. It may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, failure to protect a child from physical harm or danger. Alternatively neglect is the failure by the parent or carer to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment for the child. It may also include neglect of or unresponsiveness to a child's basic emotional needs.
4. Possible Signs of Abuse
Staff should be alert to possible indicators of abuse of children in their care, but should also be aware that the following signs may also have other explanations.
Physical Abuse
• Unexplained injuries or burns, particularly if they are recurrent
• Improbable reasons given for injuries either by the child or the parent
• Refusal to discuss injuries
• Admission of punishment that appears excessive
• Fear of parents being contacted
• 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
• Chronic running away
Neglect
• Constant hunger
• Poor personal hygiene
• Constant tiredness
• Poor state of clothing
• Emaciation
• Frequent lateness or non-attendance at school
• Untreated medical problems
• Destructive tendencies
• Low self esteem
• Neurotic behaviour (e.g. rocking, hair twisting, thumb sucking
• No social relationships
• Chronic running away
• Compulsive stealing or scavenging
Emotional Abuse
• Physical, mental and emotional development lags
• Admission of punishment that appears excessive
• Overreaction to mistakes
• Sudden speech disorders
• Fear of new situations
• Inappropriate emotional responses to painful situations
• Neurotic behaviour
• Self-mutilation
• Fear of parents being contacted
• Extremes of passivity or aggression
• Drug/solvent abuse
• Chronic running away
• Compulsive stealing/scavenging
Sexual Abuse
Children may show no signs at al1 or they may show some of the following signs
• Hint about secrets that they cannot tell about
• Say a friend has a problem
• Ask if you will keep a secret if they tell you something
• Begin lying, stealing, blatantly cheating in the hope of being caught
• Have unexplained sources of money
• Have terrifying dreams
• Start wetting themselves
• Exhibit sudden inexplicable changes in behaviour, such as becoming aggressive or withdrawn
• Stop enjoying previously liked activities such as music, sports, art, gym, uniformed organisations
• Become fearful or refuse to see certain adults for no apparent reason; dislike a baby sitter, relative or other adult
• Act in a sexual way inappropriate for their age
• Draw sexually explicit pictures depicting some act of abuse
• Seem to be keeping secret something that is worrying them
• Have frequent urinary infections, bleeding in the genital or anal areas
• Have soreness or bleeding in the throat
• Have chronic ailments, such as stomach pains or headaches
• Develop eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia
• Become severely depressed and even attempt suicide
• Have a poor self image, self mutilate
• Continually running away
• Regress to younger behaviour such as thumb sucking, surrounding themselves with previously discarded toys
• Show discomfort when walking
• Say they are no good, dirty, rotten
• Be wary, watchful
• Repeat obscene words or phrases which may have been said during the abuse
• Attempt to sexually abuse another younger child
• Talk or write about sexual matters
• Find hundreds of excuses for not going home or to a friend's house after school (places where abuse may be happening) .
5. Responding to Concerns
If staff are concerned that children are showing any of the above behaviours or children speak to them about abuse they should immediately contact the Child Protection Officer for the school and she will instigate the procedures as appropriate.
The Child Protection Officer must inform the local Social Services department immediately of any child protection concern and this must be supported by written confirmation within 24 hours.
Staff should record their concern on a dated sheet, with details as follows:
• What the concern is
• What was the evidence that led to the concern
• What the child said
• What the member of staff said or did in response
• Always sign and date the notes
• Never offer to maintain confidentiality but always ensure that information is only disclosed to those who 'need to know'.
This record should use the actual words spoken as far as possible, at the outset if an investigation takes place it may be used as evidence.
If a member of staff is the first to see an injury then they must inform the Child Protection Officer immediately.
If a child chooses a member of staff to disclose abuse to, they should try to ensure a degree of privacy and arrange for cover for the class if necessary.
6. The Distinctions between an Allegation and a Suspicion
The differences between these two possible Child Protection .issues are very important when bringing them to the attention of the Child Protection Officer. An allegation is very important and should be dealt with immediately. Once the allegation has been brought to the member of staff's attention then this member of staff should immediately inform the Child Protection Officer so that the correct procedures can be put into place. Along with this, when an allegation is made the member of staff should ask the minimum number of questions to satisfy them self of abuse in order not to compromise any police or social services investigation. The child should be allowed to talk and the member of staff should not try to pose situations that may have happened so that the child can say yes or no. Do not tell the child that his or her secret can be kept and nobody else will need to know and as soon as possible after the conversation with the child write down a transcript of the conversation so that you have an accurate account of what was said should be needed in the future.
With a suspicion there is not the urgency that an allegation would create. Again the Child Protection Officer will need to be told as quickly as possible but it does not need to be immediately. Similar actions as stated above should still be used in case in the future the suspicion becomes an allegation.
7. Helping the Child when Abuse is Disclosed
• Be prepared to listen and comfort
• Do not show revulsion or distress however distasteful the events are
• Stay calm and controlled
• Don't make false promises i.e. that you will keep the abuse a secret or that the police will be involved
• Let the child know at once that it was not his or her fault and keep restating this
• Be aware of your own feelings about abuse and find someone that you can share those feelings with once the procedures have been completed Reassure the child that you still care for them and that what they have said does not make you care less for them
• Reassure the child that they were right to tell, even though the abuse may have happened a long time ago
• As soon as possible write a first hand account of what was said and done
• Follow internal procedures
• Information will only be shared on a need to know basis
• Do not ask leading questions
• Offer to stay with the child
8. Reactions to Abuse
What to expect from a child who has been abused. A child may experience a range of reactions to abuse, including some or all of the following:
• A feeling of shame or guilt. 'It must have been my fault', ‘I'm bad’
• A feeling that she is dirty - Spoilt - degraded
• Embarrassment 'I'm sure everyone knows'
• A desire to continually talk about the abuse and to gain reassurance
• Dislike of being touched and touching others
• Loss of confidence
• Trouble sleeping, nightmares
• Hatred of self and of his or her body
• Destructive behaviour
• Inability to complete school work
• Inability to relate to other children or adults
• Many of the behaviours indicated are an attempt by the child to express feelings that he/she cannot express in words and are a response/reaction to abuse
• Difficulties may continue for a long time after the abuse and the child may need specialist support.
9. The Role of the Child Protection Officer
The designated teacher has the responsibility for ensuring that the procedures are followed and for liaising with the local Social Services Area Office i for any cases of abuse.
All child protection concerns or allegations should be discussed with the Child Protection Officer (CPO).
The CPO will decide which cases should be referred to or discussed with the duty officer at Social Services.
When you have raised your concerns with the CPO and he/she has decided that further action needs to be taken then the CPO will contact the local Social Services Department during the normal working day or the emergency duty team at all other times.
10. Protecting Children
Appointment of Staff
Our recruitment and selection procedures follow guidance in 'Safeguarding children: Safer Recruitment and Selection in Education Settings'. We are committed to safeguarding the promoting the welfare of children and young people and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this_ commitment. For this reason all staff will be required to complete a CRB check at the enhanced level and all positions will be made firm only after receiving satisfactory references and medical affirmation.
How to Behave Appropriately as a Member of Staff
Remember to never get yourself into a situation that could be misconstrued by the pupil. Some things to remember would be do not speak or touch a pupil in a way that could be interpreted as a sexual insult, do not offer to meet a pupil in a closed space, when in a room make sure that the door is left open, do not show open favouritism and refrain from making remarks that could be seen as showing favouritism. These are only a few pointers, as a member of staff you should be aware of other things that may not be appropriate and could lead to allegations.
Male Members of Staff
It is recommended that male members of staff do not go into any of the areas which are private to the girls, without a female member of staff present. This is to protect both the pupils and the members of staff and to give girls privacy within their own areas.
Female Members of Staff
It is recommended that female members of staff do not go into any of the areas which are private to the boys, without a male member of staff present. This is to protect both the pupils and the members of staff and to give boys the privacy within their own areas.
Internet Safety
All computers at the school which are connected to the internet are screened by the service provider to ensure that only material suitable for children are accessible through them.
11. The Procedure to follow if the allegation of abuse is against a Member of Staff
If an allegation is made against a member of staff it must be responded to: there is an obvious need to act immediately and with utmost discretion. The informant should be told that the matter will be referred in confidence to the appropriate people. This must be done, and the written record passed on the same day to the CPO or the Head Teacher.
The circumstances should be kept strictly confidential until the Head Teacher has been able to judge whether or not an allegation or concern indicates possible abuse. The next step is always to discuss the situation with the appropriate Social Services Manager.
If it is decided that an investigation is called for, it is the responsibility of the Social Services Manager to arrange a meeting to discuss how the next steps are handled. This would normally involve the Police and the Head Teacher.
The arrangements agreed upon will include informing the parents and seeking their consent for any immediate medical examination if necessary.
He/She would normally be informed as soon as possible after the result of the initial investigation is known, or the decision is made to dispense with one, but not invited to make a response. There should be a warning that anything said will be recorded.
If it is established that the allegation is not well founded, either on the basis of the medical evidence or further statements, then the person against whom the complaint has been made would normally be informed that the matter is closed. The complainant and the parents would also need to be informed of this.
If the Police decide to take the case further and the allegation is against a member of staff, he/she would normally be suspended or, where the circumstances are considered to warrant it, dismissed. It is reasonable to ask the Police to give some indication of their timescale. There have been cases where the period of suspension has been unacceptably long.
12. Allegations Involving Sexual Impropriety
Whenever a member of staff is approached by a pupil concerning an event involving sexual impropriety of any kind, whether between pupils or staff and pupils, the following steps should be taken:
• Listen sympathetically and afterwards briefly note the content of what was disclosed, sign and date it.
• Contact the CPO immediately, who will discuss with the Head Teacher whether Social Services should be notified.
• If Social Services are notified and express no great concern, the CPO will interview the complainant and report as quickly as possible to the Head Teacher, who will oversee the disciplinary aspects of the enquiry.
• If Social Services express concern, they will themselves open an enquiry. In these circumstances, our own disciplinary enquiry will be suspended until cleared by the Social Services. This would normally involve the Police and the Head Teacher.
The above should be implemented regardless of whether the complainant is over or under 16. Parents should be informed as soon as a reference to the Social Services has been made by the CPO.
13. Confidentiality
Staff have a professional responsibility to share relevant information about the protection of children with other professionals.
Staff should not promise to keep secret information given to them by a child, but should explain that they will pass the information only to those who need to know can help.
14. What to do if the Designated Child Protection Officer is not in School
In the event of the designated Child Protection Officer not being in school for any reason then any member of staff who has concerns about any child should contact the Head Teacher. The Head Teacher will become the designated Child Protection Officer and continue to deal with concerns until the CPO returns to School. In the case of both the CPO and Head Teacher being absent from school, a senior member of staff will be designated as temporary CPO.
15. What to do if the Complaint is About the Child Protection Officer
If the allegation or complaint is about the person who is designated as the Child Protection Officer for the school then any information obtained from the child should be shared with the Head Teacher who will then act as the Child Protection Officer for the school during the investigations and communicate with the Social Services.
16. The Nursery Department
The named CPO for the Nursery Department is as required by OFSTED. He/She maintains a link with the CPO for the whole School and they will communicate of any issues that require it.
17. Training
The CPO will require training every two years in child protection and inter-agency liaison. The Head Teacher and all staff require training (updated every three years) and all part-time or voluntary staff who works with children is to be made aware of the arrangements.
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