SWSC5
SWSC5
1.1) Identify current legislation and guidelines for safeguarding the welfare of
children and young people, within UK Home Nations:
Barlby Bridge Community Primary School states on its website that they are up
to date with the government’s Prevent Strategy. In reference to the Prevent
Duty for Schools, it states:
“At Barlby Bridge, we build pupils’ resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British
values and enabling our pupils to challenge extremist views. You can read about what we do to
promote British values in this section of the website. Further information is also available from Mrs
Herrington, our SMSC and British Values lead in school.”
It is also mentioned that staff received training from North Yorkshire County
Council on how to deal with any issues that happen inside or out of school and
that Senior Leaders have been trained on Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE).
As for policies, Barlby Bridge Community Primary School promotes
safeguarding in the following ways described below.
Anti-bullying Policy: aimed at staff, pupils, parents, and governors to be aware
of bullying is and its impact on the development of children as well as how to
deal if bullying happens, ensuring the school is a safe place.
Behaviour Policy: aimed at children to ensure respect and positive behaviour is
in place. It explains that if children follow the rules (listen carefully to each
other; follow instructions; speak politely to everyone; be kind and respectful;
always try their hardest and do their best) the staff is expected in return to
provide a safe environment free from disruption, bullying, discrimination,
harassment or aggression.
Child Protection Policy: aimed at all adults, including volunteers, working in the
school. It states that the school follows the North Yorkshire Safeguarding
Children Board procedures. The safeguarding Lead is the head teacher Claire
Hughes and the deputy headteacher G. Dyer on Friday. In their absence, the
person responsible is teacher J. Ellis. It states that the school is committed to
Safeguarding and Promoting the welfare of pupils and will work with other
services to ensure the welfare is met.
Data Protection Policy: it states that the school follows the General Data
Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA). It is
aimed at staff and it says the school will always be transparent about how it
obtains and uses personal information.
Online Safety Policy: it follows the guidance from North Yorkshire County
Council. It is aimed at pupils, staff, governors, and parents who have access to
the school IT systems and to personal technologies (like mobile phones,
laptops) whilst in school. The school e-safety governor is Stephen Walker, but
it does not mention who the coordinator is. It aims to educate pupils about
how to be safe online. Problems with cyber-bullying will be dealt with
according behaviour and anti-bullying policies.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): aimed at parents and pupils to
know what the school does with personal information.
Personal Care Policy: it states that according to the Equality Act 2010, the
school will provide inclusive environment support for all children regardless of
any disability or delayed development. It also states that all of the school staff
had a DBS check and that intimate care will be provided by a member of the
staff familiar to the child.
Safeguarding Policy: it explains that the school has a safe recruitment process,
where candidates have a DBS check, are interviewed and have their past
experiences and references checked. This policy also ensures that pupils are
safe. It mentions that the school is working with other agencies (North
Yorkshire County Council Safeguarding Board, Social Care, Police, York and
Selby Health and Surestart) and that members of staff receive regular training
about safeguarding.
Children Not Collected from School: aimed at all members of the school
community, including parents, to ensure children are safe and it offers
guidance for parents who arrive late to collect their child from school.
Whistleblowing Policy: this policy follows the guidelines of the County Council
and it is aimed at staff to raise awareness of how to report any concerns about
the misconduct or malpractice of another member of staff.
There are other policies on the website but they need permission to be
accessed. They are: Drugs Policy, Early Years Policy, Health and Safety Policy
and Off Site Activities Policy.
The Department for Education Website gives information about the
safeguarding and welfare requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage. It
states that schools do not need to have separate policies for this stage
provided the requirements for this age group are already covered in the
existing policies. Some of the requirements are explained below.
Child Protection: policies and procedures to safeguard children in accordance
with the local Safeguarding Children Board. Staff must be trained about
safeguarding and how to identify abuse and neglect.
Suitable People: providers need to make sure that everybody who is in contact
with the child is suitable for the child’s needs. It recommends having a DBS
check.
Staff taking medication/other substances: any person working with children
must not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If taking medication,
ensure with a doctor if it is safe to keep working with children and keep the
medicine away from them.
Staff qualifications, training, support and skills: it highlights the importance of
training to provide a good service for children.
Key person: every child must be assigned to a key person to ensure the child’s
individual needs are met.
Child ratios: ensure children are supervised and safe. For children under 2,
there should be one member of staff for every three children. For children
aged 2, one member of staff for every four children. For children over 3, at
least one member of staff for every eight or thirteen children, depending on
whether a qualified teacher is present. The maximum number of pupils in
reception in a mainstream school is thirty per school teacher.
Childminders: need to show to parents and Ofsted inspectors that the
individual needs of children are met. They can care for a maximum of six
children under eight years old. If there is an assistant, parents or carers need to
give permission for the assistant to be with their children.
Health: there needs to be a policy for administering medicine and providers
need to know how to stop infections from spreading.
Food and drink: the snacks provided must be healthy and the provider must
know about any dietary requirements.
Accident and injury: the provider must have a first aid box and keep a written
record of an accident.
Managing behaviour: no corporal punishment in the school and at home will
be tolerated.
Safety: the provider must ensure the building is safe and comply with health
and safety legislation. They also need to check the identity of people entering
the building.
Barlby Bridge Community Primary School lists its policies on its website and
these ones would cover the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage:
Early Years Policy, Child Protection Policy, Healthy Eating Policy, Health and
Safety Policy, Medical Policy, Personal Care Policy, Safeguarding Policy, Use of
Force to Restrain Pupils Policy, Whistleblowing Policy, Prevent Policy and Child
Not Collected Policy.
2.1) Identify signs of ill health in children and young people:
The NHS website lists chickenpox, measles, mumps, slapped cheek disease,
German measles and whooping cough as infections illnesses in children. Many
can be prevented by having vaccinations. Other common illnesses are sore
throat, ear pain, urinary tract infection, skin infection, bronchitis, bronchiolitis,
common cold, bacterial sinusitis, cough, ringworm, and sickness or diarrhoea.
Allergies can also happen. Symptoms of ill health are:
-raised temperature
-diarrhoea
-headache
-child can become quiet and withdrawn
-tiredness
-pale skin
-clammy skin
-flushed cheeks
-skin rash
-sickness
-aching muscles
-sore throat
-skin blisters
-runny nose
-swellings in the skin or glands
2.2) Describe the actions to take when children and young people are ill or
suffer a minor injury:
As Burnham (2018) explains, older children can talk to a member of staff when
they are not feeling well whilst some young children may not be able to do
this, so it is very important to observe children for signs of ill health.
Generally, when a child is unwell they should be sent to the first aider who will
then decide if parents should be contacted and if it is better for the child to be
sent home. But in college, the decision to go home is made by the young
person.
Minor injuries are a first aid accident that can be dealt with in schools. They
can be described as bumps, scratches, cuts, and bruises that can happen at any
time, especially in playgrounds. In these cases, a first aider does not have to be
involved if the teacher or the teaching assistant knows how to treat. For these
injuries, the area can be washed; the child can get an ice pack and have
reassurance and quiet time.
More severe injuries, on the other hand, will have to be seen by the first aider
and parents should be informed.
In the event of a nose bleed, the child needs to be standing upright and you
need to pinch above the nostrils for about 10 -15 minutes. Ice packs can be put
at the top of the nose. If the nose bleeds for over 20 minutes, then the child
needs medical help.
Special attention needs to be given to bumps to the head because although
they might be a minor injury, they can cause problems later on. Because of
this, bumps to the head must be recorded and parents should always be
notified when this happens.
If the child faints or loses consciousness, they have to sit or lie down and put
their heads between their knees. An ambulance should be called if a child
faints and does not come around after 2 minutes.
Schools have health and safety policies to serve as guidelines when an accident
happens. It is important that injuries are recorded to protect the child and also
because if many accidents happened in a certain area of the school, then it
might be the case of refurbishing the area to make it safer and prevent more
accidents from happening in the future.
When you start working in a school, it is very important to find out who the
first aider is and where the first aid box is located.
Fire: schools will have different procedures about fire incidents. Evacuation
drills should happen at least once a term so everybody is familiar with the
procedures. It is very important to know where the fire exit is located and how
to raise the alarm if you find the fire. At Barlby Bridge Community Primary
School, once the alarm has rung, each teacher will blow a whistle in front of
their classroom, to make sure everybody in the school can hear. Children must
go inside their classrooms and sit on the floor. Once all children are in their
classrooms, each teacher will then take them outside the school building.
Records about fire drills and the servicing of fire safety equipment are kept.
The attendance register must be taken outside so all children are accounted
for. Nobody can enter the school without permission from the fire brigade.
Parents should be contacted.
Security incidents: these can be bomb scares, strangers in the school and
weapon incidents. For all these cases, you have to be familiar with the policies
the school has. Barlby Bridge Community Primary school has a policy for Health
and Safety, but you need permission to have access to it. Always move children
away from danger as soon as possible. All security incidents must be reported
as soon as seen. Records about what the incident was, the date it happened,
any evidence and the actions taken by the school should be kept. In some
cases, the police will have to be contacted.
Missing children: At Barlby Bridge Community Primary school, the register is
done twice a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon after lunch. In
the morning, if a child is absent and the parents have not contacted the school,
the school will contact the parents to ask what happened to the child. If there
is a child missing after lunch, the school needs to be checked and parents need
to be contacted. In some cases, the police will be contacted too.
Medical emergency (it requires medical treatment or emergency services):
according to Burnham (2018) these can be broken bones, allergic reaction,
burns, and other dangerous accidents and diseases. These emergencies need
to be dealt very quickly so again it is very important you are familiarised with
the policies and procedures of the school.
In the event of a broken bone, avoid moving the child, call an ambulance and
contact parents. Keep reassuring the child.
When an allergic reaction happens, a first aider must be called.
When the emergency is a burn, first make sure the child is away from what
caused the burn and start to cool down the area using lukewarm water for
about 20 minutes. Do not remove anything that is stuck to the burnt area.
Cover the burn with cling film and depending on what caused the burn,
medical help will be needed.
All serious accidents and certain diseases need to be reported to the Health
and Safety Executive (HSE).
In its Medical Policy, Barlby Bridge Community Primary School states that
emergency procedures are regularly revised at staff training. All PE teachers
are first aid trained and the ambulance phone number is easily accessible in
the school office. This policy gives further guidance to staff about
administering medicine and their responsibilities in the event of medical
emergencies. It also states that all members of staff receive yearly awareness
training on conditions like asthma, allergic reactions and epilepsy. If a child or
young person needs to be taken into hospital, an ambulance will be requested
and if parents cannot go, a member of staff will go with the child and wait at
the hospital until a parent or career arrives. Staff cannot take a child into
hospital using their own car unless it is an absolute necessity. When a child has
a medical condition, the school will ask for more information on the condition
and its treatment from the parents and develop an Individual Health Plan
where important details will be recorded such as administration of medicine.
Regardless of the nature of the emergency, the staff needs to know the
policies to know what they must do if such a situation arises. Children’s safety
is paramount and children need to be removed from danger. If you are the first
on the scene, call for help. Keep records of the emergencies.
3.2) Describe the actions to take if a child or young person discloses harm or
abuse:
Burnham (20018) points out that children can ask teaching assistants for
advice or even tell them something that is happening because of the
relationship and trust teaching assistants can develop with children they see
on a regular basis. Because of this, it is very important for teaching assistants
to know what to do if a child discloses harm or abuse. The NSPCC website
offers guidance about what to do in this situation.
Listen carefully to the child: do not show shock or disbelief and do not express
your opinions, just listen to the child. Do not ask questions.
Let them know they’ve done the right thing: reassure the child they have done
well in telling you this.
Tell them it’s not their fault: reassure the child.
Say you will take them seriously: reassure the child you believe them.
Don’t talk to the alleged abuser: you could make the situation worse for the
child if you do this. Do not criticise the abuser.
Explain what you will do next: explain you will need to report what happened
to the appropriate person. Use appropriate age-related language. Do not
disclose information about a child to people outside the school. Do not
promise to keep the disclosure a secret.
Don’t delay reporting the abuse: report as soon as possible so actions can be
taken.
It is also important to take notes using the child’s own words.
3.3) Describe the actions to take in response to concerns that a colleague may
be:
The NSPCC website has online safety advice under the topics “how to set up
parental controls”; “share aware” and “talking to your child about staying safe
online”, which are helpful to parents and teachers.
Schools and colleges can implement e-safety through policies and procedures.
Barlby Bridge Community Primary School has a policy called Online Policy
which was created based on the North Yorkshire County Council Online Safety
Guidance for Schools and Settings in North Yorkshire (September 2017). There
are an e-safety coordinator and an e-safety governor. School staff receives e-
safety training every 2 years and parents are offered workshops. It also states
that pupils are taught about how to keep themselves safe when on the
internet through activities that are age appropriate. There are assemblies
where the topic can be discussed. Staff must monitor ICT activities and all
websites have to be previously checked and appropriate for the child’s age. It
also mentions that online safety appears in all aspects of the curriculum and
activities. The policy described in detail what are the roles and responsibilities
of governors, headteacher, staff, pupils, parents, and ICT technicians.
Schools can also block some websites to prevent pupils from having access to
unsuitable material.
Burnham (2018) says that all schools and colleges must legally have a
confidentiality policy and that school and staff should not share information
about pupils with others who are outside the school. It is also a legal
requirement that all schools and colleges must be registered with the
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and state why they are holding
personal data; what data they hold; the source of the date; any countries they
may transfer data to; to whom they will disclose the data. Personal
information about both staff and pupils has to be kept secure and safe.
Staff needs to be aware of the confidentiality policies to ensure they comply
with them.
-Confidentiality: it means that only the person who needs to know can have
access to personal data. Barlby Bridge Community Primary school states under
its Data Protection Policy that the school will train staff about their data
protection responsibilities and that failure to comply may lead to disciplinary
action and dismissal for misconduct. All staff is responsible for keeping
information secure and must be careful how they use and disclose personal
information, following the policy and procedures.
-Data Protection: according to the Data Protection Act 1998, information about
pupils and staff are confidential. You only share information when appropriate
and to the appropriate person exclusively. There is an updated version of this
act called Data Protection Act 2018 that makes data protection laws fit for the
digital age we currently are and staff must be aware of this act so they know
how to deal with theirs and other people’s data.
-Disclosure of information: as mentioned before, in accordance with the
legislation, data about pupils is confidential and should only be shared with the
appropriate person. In some situation though, you need to disclose
information to other professionals, parents, and to another country if the child
is going to study abroad. Parents have the right to see their child’s educational
records. If the school needs to transfer data abroad, according to the law, it
must be checked if the new school has equivalent data security measures, as
highlighted by Burnham (2018).
The General Data Protection Regulation policy from Barlby Bridge Community
Primary School offers guidance to parents and pupils about how the school
shares their personal data. It says the school shares personal data with other
schools that the pupils attend after leaving Barlby Bridge; the Local Educational
Authority North Yorkshire County Council; the Department for Education and
with the National Health Services bodies. It also says that they will not share
personal data outside the school without consent unless the law states they
can.
-if you know someone is acting on misinformation and you know the correct
information
-if you need to share information with other professionals to access their
services (police, social services, etc)
-if you think a child is at risk of harm.
If you have to breach a protocol, follow the policies and procedures of your
school or college. Keep a record of the information shared.
Reference:
Department for Education Website – Statutory framework for the early years
foundation stage (3 March 2017). Available at:
https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2017/03/EYFS_STATUTORY_FRAME
WORK_2017.pdf (Accessed: 18/06/2019)
NSPCC – Child protection fact sheet the definitions and signs of child abuse
(April 2009). Available at:
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/studentambassadors/assets/documents/NSPCCDefiniti
onsandsignsofchildabuse.pdf (Accessed: 20/06/2019)
The Legislation Gov UK Website: Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. Available
at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/23/section/1 (Accessed:
20/06/2019)
Unicef Website- Introducing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child. Available at:: https://www.unicef.org.uk/rights-respecting-schools/the-
rrsa/introducing-the-crc/ (Accessed: 18/06/2019)
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