Safeguarding

Ofsted 2018: Pupils are kept safe at school because leaders have ensured that it is given a high priority.

Ofsted 2018: Leaders have created an ethos where every member of staff cares about the safety and well-being of the pupils.

Safeguarding is a broad term for everything that we do to keep children safe. It incorporates child protection, behaviour, health and safety, safe recruitment and premises management, to name just a few of the areas.

One aspect of Safeguarding is Child Protection. We have a duty to take action when we are concerned that a child has experienced or is at risk of experiencing one or more of the following 4 types of abuse:

1. 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 / carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

2. Sexual abuse - forcing or enticing a child 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 or non-penetrative acts. 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 (including via the internet). Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

3. Emotional abuse - the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and 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

*seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another
*serious bullying (including cyberbullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger

*the exploitation or corruption of children

*not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate

*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.

Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, although it may occur alone.

4. Neglect - 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: provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment); protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger; ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

When we have Child Protection concerns about a child, we will always take action. We follow the procedures set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education and the Southend, Essex and Thurrock SET Procedures. 
We work with other agencies to ensure that the child receives the support they need. If we can, we will talk to parents and carers about our concerns and will continue to work with the family and other agencies to ensure that the risk to the child is no longer a concern. Beyond that point, we will continue to ‘check in’ with the child and family, to see if any further help is needed. Families can also get in touch if they require help or support. 

Alongside the 4 areas of abuse, we ensure that we do all we can to keep children safe from other risks. These include, but are not limited to:

* Child on Child abuse

* Child Sexual Exploitation

*Child Criminal Exploitation & County Lines

* The Prevent Duty

* Children Missing in Education

* Female Genital Mutilation

* Online Safety

* Domestic Abuse

Since Covid, instances of domestic abuse have risen steeply. Allowing children to witness or hear domestic abuse is a form of child abuse and parents and carers should take action to stop the domestic abuse taking place.
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, please talk to us or contact other agencies such as Next Chapter, Colchester and Tendring Refuge and the police. You can also get help and information via the following links: