Children and their families have the right to lead their lives in safety free from the unwarranted intrusion of others. The responsibility for protecting children from abuse does not fall to one agency alone.

Background

The police and social services have the primary responsibility in the field of child protection. The Children Act 1989, the Education Act 2002, subsequent Circular 1095 ‘Protecting children from abuse', Education regulations (independent schools' standards 2003) and Safeguarding Children in Education September 2004, place a duty on local authorities to protect children in appropriate circumstances and gives certain powers to the police so that they can take action to protect children.

 A child as a person under the age of 18 within this legislation.

"Working Together Under the Children Act 1989" published by the Department of Health sets out the government guidance on child protection and says that all staff in the education service should be aware of the need to alert the social services, the NSPCC or the police, when they believe a child has been abused or is at risk of abuse.

"Working Together"  sets out four categories of abuse:

• Neglect
• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Emotional abuse.

Some kinds of abuse are more obvious than others, and there are examples of behaviour which constitutes abuse within these categories, and circumstances in which children may have a heightened vulnerability to abuse.  There are also kinds of abuse that may not be so obviously recognisable or are encountered less frequently than others e.g.

• Drug/Alcohol Abusing Parents
• Domestic violence
• Child to child abuse
• Fabricated or induced illness (Munchausen Syndrome by proxy)
• Forced marriage

Children should know that they are secure in an environment in which they are listened to and where there are a range of adults they can approach if they are worried.

PSME / PSHME and Circle Time will allow opportunities for children to develop the skills they need to recognise and stay safe from abuse.

Parents will also be advised of the need to be vigilant about child protection and to know the School's responsibilities in child protection concerns.

Responsibilities

Alton Convent School and its Governing Body recognise that they have a responsibility to provide a safe environment for children to receive their education.  They further recognise that staff have a role to play in safeguarding the welfare of children and preventing their abuse. They have a responsibility to ensure that there are effective policies and procedures in place in accordance with legal requirements and to monitor the school's compliance with them.

It recognises it has a responsibility towards children attending or visiting the school to safeguard and promote their welfare and to take appropriate decisions about how this can be achieved. It is not the school's responsibility to investigate abuse. Nevertheless, it has a duty to act if there is cause for concern, to ensure that the child is kept safe and to notify the appropriate agencies so that they can investigate and take any necessary action. 

It is the School's responsibility to have systems which ensure safe recruitment practices and which prevent unsuitable people working with children.  These systems should include ensuring that all staff and volunteers have CRB checks There is also a Visitor's Policy which ensures that site visitors are CRB checked and/or never left alone with children.

Staff will ensure that their behaviour and actions do not place pupils or themselves at risk of harm or of allegations of harm to a pupil.

There is a responsibility to ensure that the School has procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse against members of staff/volunteers (refer to Child Protection Procedure For Dealing With Suspicions Or Allegations Of Child Abuse)

The School is committed to working together with the local Children's Services Department (Hampshire) and to comply with their procedures.

The nominated person with responsibility for child protection will be the Deputy Headmistress with reference to the Headmistress. The school counsellor is also nominated to have responsibility.

Training

The designated person with responsibility for Child Protection  will receive training in inter-agency work and  will receive refresher training at 2-yearly intervals.  All staff who work with children will undertake training that equips them to carry out their responsibilities for child protection and will receive refresher training at 3-yearly intervals.  Temporary staff will be made aware of the school's arrangements for child protection and their responsibilities. A Governor will have a nominated role with a responsibility for Child Protection.

Parents

Parents may have access to the policy via the School Website or on request.

Review and Monitoring of the Procedures

The school will revise and monitor the procedures and seek advice of the Children's Services Department (Hampshire) and local authority social services department and bring about a change in the procedure if necessary.

There will be an annual review of procedures and policies relating to safeguarding.

Pupils who abscond

Any child absconding from school for whatever reason is deemed to be      at serious risk. The school will report missing pupils to the police, and inform parents/governors as soon as is reasonable after checks with peer groups and any immediate searches on site and in the immediate locality have been completed.

Additional Comments 

Any weaknesses observed in the Child Protection arrangements will be reported       without delay to the Headmistress who will alert the Governors to make       amendments  as appropriate and as a priority.

The Governing Body will review this policy annually.