Question 1
Outline current policies and legislation relating to children and how these affect your practice.
Whether you are a headteacher, teacher or teaching assistant you have a vital part to play in protecting and promoting the welfare of the children and young people in your care. Below are some of the policies and legislation that all education professionals should be aware and inform their practice accordingly.
The ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ document (2006 revised 2010) looks at how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in accordance with the Children Act (1989) and the Children Act (2004). It is
The school designated safeguarding lead is the first point of contact for any member of the school staff who has a concern about the safety and wellbeing of a pupil.
School governing bodies are accountable for making sure that their school has effective safeguarding policies and procedures in place and for monitoring their school's compliance with them.
Headteachers and their leadership teams must also be clear about their statutory responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and the steps they are taking to develop good practice beyond the statutory minimum. There is a need for all staff to be particularly sensitive to signs which may indicate possible safeguarding concerns, for example poor or irregular attendance or children missing from school.
Schools are expected to promote children's safety and wellbeing by creating safe and secure learning environments. Also using the curriculum to make pupils aware of how they can keep themselves safe and what behaviour towards them is not acceptable. It is important that children and young people are taught to recognise when pressure from others including people they know, threatens their personal safety and wellbeing. The school must have effective arrangements in place to address a range of issues such as bullying, internet safety and racist abuse to name a few.
Because of their day-to-day contact with children and young people, teachers and their support staff are uniquely placed to be able