Safeguarding Policy and Procedure

Introduction

NAJM is committed to ensuring that its pupils are safe from any form of harm and/or abuse. To achieve this, it provides its staff and volunteers with training and guidance so that they are able to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse, neglect and protect the well-being and welfare of children and young people.

The procedures for safeguarding and child protection at NAJM are in line with national and local child protection procedures.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is:

● protecting children from maltreatment and all forms of abuse
● preventing impairment of children’s health and development
● ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care and undertaking that role so as to enable those children to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successively
● Developing a behaviour management policy which will include mutual respect, discipline and respect.

Framework

Key guidance that informs this policy are:

● Keeping Children Safe; DFE Code of Practice for community settings
● Working together to safeguard children
● Tower Hamlets Local safeguarding Children partnership
● Charity Commission Safeguarding for charities – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Aims of this Policy

This policy aims to provide clear direction to staff and volunteers about the expected behaviour when dealing with safeguarding or child protection issues. It makes explicit the NAJM commitment to the development of good practice and sound procedures. This ensures that child protection concerns, referrals and monitoring are handled sensitively, professionally and in ways that support the child’s needs. This policy applies to all pupils, staff, NAJM Management, volunteers, parents, and visitors to NAJM.

Framework – Three main elements of this policy

Prevention

● Providing an environment in which children and young people feel safe, secure, valued, and respected, feel confident and know how to approach adults if they are in difficulties.
● Raising awareness to all staff and volunteers, of the need to safeguard children and their responsibilities in identifying and reporting possible cases of abuse.
● Ensuring that all adults within NAJM who have access to children have been rigorously checked as to their suitability using safe recruitment procedures.

Protection

● Through the establishment of a systematic means of monitoring children, known or thought to be at risk of harm.
● Through the establishment of structured procedures within the school which will be followed by all members of the school community in cases of suspected abuse.
● Through the development of effective working relationships with all other agencies, involved in safeguarding children and young people, particularly the Local Authority.

Support

● Ensuring key concepts of child protection are integrated within the curriculum and pupils are educated about risks associated with internet use and new technology.
● Ensuring that children are listened to, their concerns are taken seriously and acted upon.

Roles and Responsibilities

The NAJM management will take seriously its responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and to work together with other agencies to ensure adequate arrangements are met, to identify, assess, and support those children who are suffering harm.

Safeguarding also encompasses issues such as health and safety, bullying and a range of other issues, e.g., arrangements to meet the medical needs of children with medical conditions, providing first aid, security, drugs, and substance misuse.

The NAJM Management and management are responsible for reviewing this policy annually
or earlier in accordance with any relevant guidance.

Training and Support

The NAJM Management will ensure that:

● There is a designated member of the staff who has undertaken Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) training.
● A member of staff is fully trained for safeguarding.
● There is another member of staff who will act in the absence of the DSL, who also has appropriate training.
All members of staff will receive appropriate training to develop their:
● understanding of the types of abuse and their symptoms, (appendix 1).
● understanding of handling disclosures of abuse, (appendix 2).
● understanding reporting procedures to be followed if there are concerns about a child’s welfare (appendix 3).

Safe recruitment

Preventing unsuitable people from working with children and young people is essential to keeping children safe. Rigorous selection and recruitment of staff and volunteers is a key responsibility of the NAJM Management and management. A single central record of checks will be maintained and reviewed regularly by NAJM Management and management.

Records and monitoring

NAJM is clear about the need to record any concern held about a child/ren within any provision. Child protection records will be kept in a locked cabinet or electronic documents password protected, noted as Confidential. The records will only be shared on a need-to-know basis.

Responsibilities of the director

The director will:

● Ensure the safeguarding policies and procedures are fully implemented and followed.
● Ensure staff receive appropriate training and support for safeguarding and child protection.
● Be responsible for receiving allegations against staff and volunteers.

The director will consult the Local Authority to ensure that the matter is dealt with in an objective and transparent manner. All investigations will be dealt with in accordance with guidelines.

Responsibilities of the designated safeguarding lead

● Ensuring all records are kept confidential, and security is not compromised.
● Making arrangements and coordinating early support as appropriate.
● Referring a child if there are concerns about a child’s welfare, possible abuse, or neglect, to the Children’s Social Care duty team at the Local Authority (LA).
● Acting as a focal point for staff/volunteers’ concerns and liaising with other agencies and professionals.
● Attend relevant training for the role and keep up to date with guidance.

Responsibilities of staff

● Undertake child protection training once every year as part of the induction.
● Be alert to signs of abuse and report immediately to the DSL (see appendix 3).
● Comply with NAJM policies and procedures on behaviour management.

Confidentiality

NAJM recognises all matters relating to safeguarding and child protection are confidential.
The DSL will disclose personal information about a pupil to other members of staff/volunteers on a need-to-know basis only.
All staff/volunteers must be aware they cannot promise a child to keep secrets which might compromise the child’s safety or well-being or that of another.

Supporting staff

NAJM recognises that at times, staff may become distressed in handling concerns or cases of child harm/ abuse.
NAJM will support staff and volunteers by providing an opportunity to talk through their anxieties with the DSL and to seek further support from outside agencies.

Allegations against staff or volunteers

All NAJM staff and volunteers should take care not to place themselves in a vulnerable position with a child/ren. All staff and volunteers are made aware of NAJM’s behaviour/discipline policy and the staff code of conduct, with reference to professional boundaries.

We understand that a pupil may make an allegation against a member of staff or a volunteer. If such an allegation is made, the member of staff receiving the allegation will immediately inform the director.

The director will discuss the content of the allegation with the NAJM Management before the matter is discussed with the member of staff concerned.

Allegations against the director

If an allegation made to a member of staff/volunteer, concerns the behaviour of the director, the person receiving the allegation will immediately inform the NAJM Management who will consult the LADO (Local Authority’s Designated Officer) without notifying the director to obtain guidance depending on the nature of the allegation.

Links with other policies

This child protection policy should be read in conjunction with NAJM’s policy on ‘Behaviour and discipline’ and ‘Code of Conduct’.

Parental involvement

It is important that parents/carers understand NAJM has a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child’s welfare.

In general, the staff will seek to discuss any concerns about a child’s welfare with the family and, where possible, seek their agreement to make a referral to children’s social care. However this should only be done where it will not place a child at increased risk of significant harm.