Coopers Lane School - Child protection Policy

October 2011

Introduction:
At Coopers Lane Primary School we have a primary responsibility for the care, welfare and safety of pupils in our charge. We provide a caring, supportive and safe environment in which children can learn and develop.

We have a through Safeguarding Policy and practice which ensures that all our staff and volunteers have been subject to rigorous and appropriate background checks.

The purpose of the following procedures on Child Protection is to protect our pupils by ensuring that everyone who works in our school has clear guidance on the action which is required where abuse or neglect of a child is suspected. The overriding concern of all caring adults must be the care, safety and welfare of the child, and the welfare of each child is paramount.

The issue of child abuse will not be ignored by anyone who works in our school, and we know that some forms of child abuse are also a criminal offence.

What is child abuse?

The following “working together” definitions are currently in use:

Neglect:
The persistent or severe neglect of a child, or the failure to protect the child from exposure to any kind of danger, including cold or starvation, or extreme failure to carry out important aspects of care, resulting in the significant impairment of the child’s health or development, including non-organic failure to thrive.

Physical abuse:
Actual or likely physical injury to a child or failure to prevent physical injury (or suffering) to a child including deliberate poisoning, suffocation and Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy.

Sexual abuse:
Actual or likely sexual exploitation of a child or adolescent. The child may be dependent and/or developmentally immature.

Emotional abuse:
Actual or likely severe adverse effect on the emotional and behavioural development of a child caused by persistent or severe emotional ill treatment or rejection. This category should be used where it is the sole or main form of abuse.

Bullying:
Bullying is a highly distressing and damaging form of abuse and is not tolerated at Coopers Lane (See Behaviour and Anti Bullying Policy)

Procedures for reporting suspected (or disclosed) child abuse:
The Designated Teacher for Child Protection at Coopers Lane is the Head Teacher. He has received all the relevant training for designated teachers and has attended the Safer Recruitment accredited Training. This training is done every two years.In his absence the Deputy Head Teacher will assume responsibility for child protection matters.

If a child makes a disclosure to a teacher or other member of staff which gives rise to concerns about possible abuse, or if a member of staff has concerns about a child, the member of staff must act promptly.

The member of staff should not investigate-this is a matter for social services-but should report these concerns immediately using the school’s Concern Record Sheet which can be obtained from the main office or from the class register. This should be discussed with and handed to the Designated Teacher. The notes made should record exactly either the nature of concern or the accurate record of what was disclosed and should not contain amended words (eg Use “willy” rather than “penis” if that is what the child has said. Do not amend to make it sound nicer.) Or opinion.

The Designated Teacher will then decide on the next course of action. This could be to monitor, to discuss the concern with parent or to refer to Social Services by