Safeguarding Policy

Introduction

Safeguarding Children is of paramount importance to ensure the safety of every child and young person in D&B. All staff will be aware of how they may access advice, understand their role in protection and understand importance of effective inter agency communication. Safeguarding is defined as protecting children from maltreatment, preventing impairment of health and/or development, ensuring that children grow up in the provision of safe and effective care and optimising children’s life chances. This Safeguarding Policy forms part of a suite of documents and policies which relate to the safeguarding responsibilities of D&B. In particular this policy should be read in conjunction with the Safer Recruitment Policy, Behaviour Policy, Eating Disorders, Extremism and anti-radicalisation, Specific Learning Needs and Bullying Policy.

 

The purpose of a child protection policy is:

  • To inform staff, parents and volunteers about D&B’s responsibilities for safeguarding children.
  • To enable everyone to have a clear understanding of how these responsibilities should be carried out.

 

D&B staff and volunteers are particularly well placed to observe outward signs of abuse, changes in behaviour and failure to develop because they have regular contact with children. All staff and volunteers will receive safeguarding children training, so that they are knowledgeable and aware of their role in the early recognition of the indicators of abuse or neglect and of the appropriate procedures to follow. This training is refreshed every two years. Temporary staff will be made aware of the safeguarding policies and procedures by the relevant Principal. All staff will know how to report any alleged malpractice, allegations and/or concerns relating to a child and will be supported when dealing with safeguarding concerns.

 

D&B Aims to:

  • Establish and maintain an environment where children feel secure, are encouraged to talk, and are listened to when they have a worry or concern.
  • Establish and maintain an environment where D&B staff and volunteers feel safe, are encouraged to talk and are listened to when they have concerns about the safety and well being of a child
  • Effective procedures are in place for responding to complaints, concerns and allegations of suspected or actual abuse.
  • Contribute to the five outcomes which are key to children’s well being:
    • be healthy
    • stay safe
    • enjoy and achieve
    • make a positive contribution
    • achieve economic well being

 

The policy will be reviewed. It will be implemented through D&B’s induction and training and as part of day to day practice. Compliance with the policy will be monitored by the Child Safeguarding Officers.

 

 

Statutory Framework

In order to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, D&B will act in accordance with the following legislation and guidance:

  • The Children Act 1989
  • The Children Act 2004
  • Education Act 2002 (section 175)
  • Local Safeguarding Partnership Inter-agency Child Protection and Safeguarding Children Procedures
  • Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education (DfES 2006)
  • Keeping Children Safe in Education Statutory Guidance 2018
  • Working Together to Safeguard Children (HM Government 2018)
  • Dealing with Allegations of Abuse Against Teachers and Other Staff (DfE 2011)

 

The Safeguarding Office

The Safeguarding Officers for D&B are Aaron Ramsden and Nicola Gibberd

It is the role of the Safeguarding Officer to:

  • Ensure that he/she receives refresher training at two yearly intervals to keep his or her knowledge and skills up to date
  • Ensure that all staff who work with children undertake appropriate training to equip them to carry out their responsibilities for safeguarding children effectively and that this is kept up to date by refresher training at two yearly intervals
  • Ensure that new staff receive a safeguarding children induction within 7 working days of commencement of their contract
  • Ensure that temporary staff and volunteers are made aware of D&B’s arrangements for safeguarding children within 7 working days of their commencement of work
  • Ensure that D&B operates within the legislative framework and recommended guidance
  • Ensure that all staff and volunteers are aware of the LSCB Inter-agency Child Protection and Safeguarding Children Procedures
  • Ensure that the Principals and Department Heads (Nikki Gummer and Kerri Doolan) are kept fully informed of any concerns
  • Develop effective working relationships with other agencies and services
  • Decide upon the appropriate level of response to specific concerns about a child e.g. discuss with parents or refer to the Local Children’s Social Care
  • Liaise and work with Children’s Social Care and the Police over suspected cases of child abuse
  • Ensure that accurate safeguarding records relating to individual children are kept separate from the academic file in a secure place, marked ‘Strictly Confidential’. These files are kept on a password protected folder.
  • D&B make parents aware of the safeguarding procedures used and how to access the safeguarding policy and will discuss with parents the role of D&B’s safeguarding responsibilities

 

Staff Responsibilities

If any member of staff is concerned about a child he or she must inform the Safeguarding Officer. The member of staff must record information regarding the concerns on the same day. The recording must be a clear, precise, factual account of the observations and signed and dated. The Safeguarding Officer will decide whether the concerns should be referred to the Local Children’s Social Care or in certain cases the police. If it is decided to make a referral to Children’s Social Care this will be discussed with the parents, unless to do so would place the child at further risk of harm. Particular attention will be paid to the attendance and development of any child about whom D&B has concerns, or who has been identified as being the subject of a child protection plan and a written record will be kept.

 

Definitions

Definitions in relation to the following terms used within this document are taken from statutory guidance (HM Government, 2018):

  • “Child” or “young person”, as in the Children Act 1989 and 2004, is anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday.
  • Safeguarding” and “promoting the welfare of children” is the process of protecting children from abuse or neglect and/or preventing impairment of their health or development. This includes ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care and taking action to enable all children to have the best life chances.
  • “Child Protection” is one element of safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare.
  • Child protection refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm.
  • “Significant Harm” is the concept introduced by the Children Act 1989 as the threshold that justifies compulsory intervention in family life in the best interests of children. It gives Local Authorities a duty to make enquiries to decide whether they should take action to safeguard or promote the welfare of a child who is suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm.
  • Abuse is the violation of an individual’s human and civil right usually for gratification. In the terms of safeguarding it is used to refer to any intentional or negligent act by another and any form of abuse is usually perpetrated as the result of deliberate intent.
  • “Abuse” and “Neglect:” are forms of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or, more rarely, by others (e.g. via the internet). They may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.

 

When to be concerned

All staff and volunteers should be aware of the following types of abuse:

  • Physical – deliberate injury to a person however slight.
  • Emotional – Persistent ill treatment of a person that adversely affect their wellbeing or development. Emotional abuse is involved in all types of harm but can also occur on its own.
  • Sexual – the involvement of sexual activities when a person does not want or understand or who is unable to validate effective consent. This may include sexual assault, rape, exposure to inappropriate material or inappropriate sexual contact.
  • Neglect – continuous failure to prevent harm, not meeting a person’s basic needs and/or psychological needs. Can impair health and development.
  • Online abuse – is any type of abuse that happens on the web, whether through social networks playing online games or using mobile phones. Children and young people may experience cyberbullying, grooming, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation or emotional abuse.
  • FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) – it is illegal in the UK and refers to a surgical procedure that intentionally change or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is also illegal to take a female out of the UK to do this.
  • Bullying – when either an individual or group of people engage in behaviour that is degrading, demeaning, aggressive, threatening and/or intimidating towards others.
  • Sexual exploitation – a type of sexual abuse where children are sexually exploited for power, status and/or money.
  • Radicalisation – is defined as a process when those who are vulnerable come to support terrorism and/or violent extremism to directly participate in or support terrorist groups.

All staff and volunteers should be concerned about a child if he/she presents with indicators of possible significant harm – see Appendix 1 for details. Generally, in an abusive relationship the child may:

  • Appear frightened of the parent/s or other household members e.g. siblings or others outside of the home
  • Act in a way that is inappropriate to her/his age and development (full account needs to be taken of different patterns of development and different ethnic groups)
  • Display insufficient sense of ‘boundaries’, lack stranger awareness
  • Appear wary of adults

 

Dealing with a disclosure

If a child discloses that he or she has been abused in some way, the member of staff / volunteer should:

  • Keep calm
  • Reassure the child that they were right to tell you, and that they are not to blame and take what the child says seriously.
  • Be careful not to lead the child or put words into the child’s mouth – ask questions sensitively
  • Do not promise confidentiality.
  • Fully document the conversation on a word by word basis immediately following the conversation while the memory is fresh.
  • Fully record dates and times of the events and when the record was made and ensure that all notes are kept securely.
  • Inform the child/ young person what you will do next.
  • Refer to the Safeguarding Officer or Deputy.
  • Decide if it is safe for a child to return home to a potentially abusive situation. It might be necessary to immediately refer the matter to social services and/or the police to ensure the child’s safety.

Support – Dealing with a disclosure from a child, and safeguarding issues can be stressful. The member of staff/volunteer should, therefore, consider seeking support for him/herself and discuss this with the Safeguarding Officer.

 

Dealing with a disclosure

If a child discloses that he or she has been abused in some way, the member of staff / volunteer should:

  • Keep calm
  • Reassure the child that they were right to tell you, and that they are not to blame and take what the child says seriously.
  • Be careful not to lead the child or put words into the child’s mouth – ask questions sensitively
  • Do not promise confidentiality.
  • Fully document the conversation on a word by word basis immediately following the conversation while the memory is fresh.
  • Fully record dates and times of the events and when the record was made and ensure that all notes are kept securely.
  • Inform the child/ young person what you will do next.
  • Refer to the Safeguarding Officer or Deputy.
  • Decide if it is safe for a child to return home to a potentially abusive situation. It might be necessary to immediately refer the matter to social services and/or the police to ensure the child’s safety.

Support – Dealing with a disclosure from a child, and safeguarding issues can be stressful. The member of staff/volunteer should, therefore, consider seeking support for him/herself and discuss this with the Safeguarding Officer.

 

Confidentiality

Safeguarding children raises issues of confidentiality that must be clearly understood by all staff/volunteers in schools, but we must remember that Safeguarding overrides confidentiality and the Data Protection Act.

  • All staff have a responsibility to share relevant information about the protection of children with other professionals, particularly the investigative agencies (Children’s Social Services and the Police).
  • If a child confides in a member of staff/volunteer and requests that the information is kept secret, it is important that the member of staff/volunteer tell the child in a manner appropriate to the child’s age/stage of development that they cannot promise complete confidentiality – instead they must explain that they may need to pass information to other professionals to help keep the child or other children safe.
  • Staff/volunteers who receive information about children and their families in the course of their work should share that information only within appropriate professional contexts.

 

Communication with Parents

D&B will: Undertake appropriate discussion with parents prior to involvement of another agency unless to do so would place the child at further risk of harm i.e. sexual abuse, Forced Marriage, HBV or physical abuse. Ensure that parents understand the responsibilities placed on D&B and staff for safeguarding children.

 

Record Keeping

When a child has made a disclosure, the member of staff/volunteer should:

  • Make brief notes as soon as possible after the conversation
  • Do not destroy the original notes in case they are needed by a court
  • Record the date, time, place and any noticeable non-verbal behaviour and the words used by the child
  • Draw a diagram/Body map to indicate the position of any injuries
  • Record statements and observations rather than interpretations or assumptions
  • Sign and Date records

All records need to be given to the Principal and the Child Protection Officer promptly. No copies should be retained by the member of staff or volunteer.

 

Allegations involving school staff/ volunteers

An allegation is any information which indicates that a member of staff/volunteer may have:

  • Behaved in a way that has, or may have harmed a child
  • Possibly committed a criminal offence against/related to a child
  • Behaved towards a child or children in a way which indicates s/he would pose a risk of harm if they work regularly or closely with children

This applies to any child the member of staff/volunteer has contact within their personal, professional or community life.

The person to whom an allegation is first reported should take the matter seriously and keep an open mind. S/he should not investigate or ask leading questions if seeking clarification; it is important not to make assumptions. Confidentiality should not be promised and the person should be advised that the concern will be shared on a ‘need to know’ basis only.

Actions to be taken include making an immediate written record of the allegation using the informant’s words – including time, date and place where the alleged incident took place, brief details of what happened, what was said and who was present. This record should be signed, dated and immediately passed on to the Safeguarding Officer.

If the concerns are about the Safeguarding Officer, then the principals should be contacted.

The recipient of an allegation must not unilaterally determine its validity, and failure to report it in accordance with procedures is a potential disciplinary matter.

The Principal will not investigate the allegation itself, or take written or detailed statements, but will refer the matter immediately to the Safeguarding Officer, who will assess whether it is necessary to refer the concern to the Local Authority Designated Officer. If the allegation meets any of the three criteria set out at the start of this section, contact should always be made with the Local Authority Designated Officer without delay.

If it is decided that the allegation meets the threshold for safeguarding, this will take place in accordance with Local Safeguarding Partnership Inter-agency Child Protection and Safeguarding Children Procedures.

If it is decided that the allegation does not meet the threshold for safeguarding, it will be handed back to D&B for consideration via D&B’s internal procedures.

The Safeguarding Officer should, as soon as possible, following briefing and directions from the Local Authority Designated Officer inform the subject of the allegation.

 

Signs of Abuse

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

 

Indicators in the child

Bruising- It is often possible to differentiate between accidental and inflicted bruises. The following must be considered as non-accidental unless there is evidence, or an adequate explanation provided:

  •  Bruising in or around the mouth
  • Two simultaneous bruised eyes, without bruising to the forehead, (rarely accidental, though a single bruised eye can be accidental or abusive)
  • Repeated or multiple bruising on the head or on sites unlikely to be injured accidentally, for example the back, mouth, cheek, ear, stomach, chest, under the arm, neck, genital and rectal areas
  • Variation in colour possibly indicating injuries caused at different times
  • The outline of an object used e.g. belt marks, hand prints or a hair brush
  • Linear bruising at any site, particularly on the buttocks, back or face
  • Bruising or tears around, or behind, the earlobe/s indicating injury by pulling or twisting
  • Bruising around the face
  • Grasp marks to the upper arms, forearms or leg
  • Petechae haemorrhages (pinpoint blood spots under the skin.) Commonly associated with slapping, smothering/suffocation, strangling and squeezing

Fractures- Fractures may cause pain, swelling and discoloration over a bone or joint. It is unlikely that a child will have had a fracture without the carers being aware of the child’s distress. If the child is not using a limb, has pain on movement and/or swelling of the limb, there may be a fracture. There are grounds for concern if:

  • The history provided is vague, non-existent or inconsistent
  • There are associated old fractures
  • Medical attention is sought after a period of delay when the fracture has caused symptoms such as swelling, pain or loss of movement

Rib fractures are only caused in major trauma such as in a road traffic accident, a severe shaking injury or a direct injury such as a kick.

Skull fractures are uncommon in ordinary falls, i.e. from three feet or less. The injury is usually witnessed, the child will cry and if there is a fracture, there is likely to be swelling on the skull developing over 2 to 3 hours. All fractures of the skull should be taken seriously.

Mouth Injuries- Tears to the frenulum (tissue attaching upper lip to gum) often indicates force feeding of a baby or a child with a disability. There is often finger bruising to the cheeks and around the mouth. Rarely, there may also be grazing on the palate.

Poisoning- Ingestion of tablets or domestic poisoning in children under 5 is usually due to the carelessness of a parent or carer, but it may be self-harm even in young children.

Fabricated or Induced Illness- Professionals may be concerned at the possibility of a child suffering significant harm as a result of having illness fabricated or induced by their carer. Possible concerns are:

  • Discrepancies between reported and observed medical conditions, such as the incidence of fits
  • Attendance at various hospitals, in different geographical areas
  • Development of feeding / eating disorders, as a result of unpleasant feeding interactions
  • The child developing abnormal attitudes to their own health
  • Non organic failure to thrive – a child does not put on weight and grow and there is no underlying medical cause
  • Speech, language or motor developmental delays
  • Dislike of close physical contact
  • Attachment disorders
  • Low self esteem
  • Poor quality or no relationships with peers because social interactions are restricted
  • Poor attendance at school and under-achievement

Bite Marks- Bite marks can leave clear impressions of the teeth when seen shortly after the injury has been inflicted. The shape then becomes a more defused ring bruise or oval or crescent shaped. Those over 3cm in diameter are more likely to have been caused by an adult or older child. A medical/dental opinion, preferably within the first 24 hours, should be sought where there is any doubt over the origin of the bite.

Burns and Scalds- It can be difficult to distinguish between accidental and non-accidental burns and scalds. Scalds are the most common intentional burn injury recorded. Any burn with a clear outline may be suspicious e.g. circular burns from cigarettes, linear burns from hot metal rods or electrical fire elements, burns of uniform depth over a large area, scalds that have a line indicating immersion or poured liquid.

Old scars indicating previous burns/scalds, which did not have appropriate treatment or adequate explanation. Scalds to the buttocks of a child, particularly in the absence of burns to the feet, are indicative of dipping into a hot liquid or bath.

The following points are also worth remembering:

  • A responsible adult checks the temperature of the bath before the child gets in.
  • A child is unlikely to sit down voluntarily in a hot bath and cannot accidentally scald its bottom without also scalding his or her feet.
  • A child getting into too hot water of his or her own accord will struggle to get out and there will be splash marks

Scars- A large number of scars or scars of different sizes or ages, or on different parts of the body, or unusually shaped, may suggest abuse.

Emotional/behavioural presentation

  • Refusal to discuss injuries
  • Admission of punishment which appears excessive
  • Fear of parents being contacted and fear of returning home
  • Withdrawal from physical contact
  • Arms and legs kept covered in hot weather
  • Fear of medical help
  • Aggression towards others
  • Frequently absent from school
  • An explanation which is inconsistent with an injury
  • Several different explanations provided for an injury

Indicators in the parent

  • May have injuries themselves that suggest domestic violence
  • Not seeking medical help/unexplained delay in seeking treatment
  • Reluctant to give information or mention previous injuries
  • Absent without good reason when their child is presented for treatment
  • Disinterested or undisturbed by accident or injury
  • Aggressive towards child or others
  • Unauthorised attempts to administer medication
  • Tries to draw the child into their own illness.
  • Past history of childhood abuse, self-harm, somatising disorder or false allegations of physical or sexual assault
  • Parent/carer may be over involved in participating in medical tests, taking temperatures and measuring bodily fluids
  • Observed to be intensely involved with their children, never taking a much-needed break nor allowing anyone else to undertake their child’s care
  • May appear unusually concerned about the results of investigations which may indicate physical illness in the child
  • Wider parenting difficulties may (or may not) be associated with this form of abuse
  • Parent/carer has convictions for violent crimes.

Indicators in the family/environment

  • Marginalised or isolated by the community
  • History of mental health, alcohol or drug misuse or domestic violence
  • History of unexplained death, illness or multiple surgery in parents and/or siblings of the family
  • Past history of childhood abuse, self-harm, somatising disorder or false allegations of physical or sexual assault or a culture of physical chastisement.

 

EMOTIONAL ABUSE

Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development.

It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate.

It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond the child’s developmental capability, as well as over protection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another.

It may involve serious bullying (including cyber bullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children.

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

Indicators in the child:

  • Developmental delay
  • Abnormal attachment between a child and parent/carer e.g. anxious, indiscriminate or no attachment
  • Aggressive behaviour towards others
  • Child scapegoated within the family
  • Frozen watchfulness, particularly in pre-school children
  • Low self-esteem and lack of confidence
  • Withdrawn or seen as a ‘loner’ – difficulty relating to others
  • Over-reaction to mistakes
  • Fear of new situations
  • Inappropriate emotional responses to painful situations
  • Neurotic behaviour (e.g. rocking, hair twisting, thumb sucking)
  • Self-harm
  • Fear of parents being contacted Extremes of passivity or aggression Drug/solvent abuse
  • Chronic running away Compulsive stealing Low self-esteem
  • Air of detachment – ‘don’t care’ attitude
  • Social isolation – does not join in and has few friends
  • Depression, withdrawal
  • Behavioural problems e.g. aggression, attention seeking, hyperactivity, poor attention
  • Low self-esteem, lack of confidence, fearful, distressed, anxious
  • Poor peer relationships including withdrawn or isolated behaviour

Indicators in the parent:

  • Domestic abuse, adult mental health problems and parental substance misuse may be features in families where children are exposed to abuse.
  • Abnormal attachment to child e.g. overly anxious or disinterest in the child
  • Scapegoats one child in the family
  • Imposes inappropriate expectations on the child e.g. prevents the child’s developmental exploration or learning, or normal social interaction through over protection
  • Wider parenting difficulties, may (or may not) be associated with this form of abuse

Indicators of in the family/environment

  • Lack of support from family or social network.
  • Marginalised or isolated by the community.
  • History of mental health, alcohol or drug misuse or domestic violence.
  • History of unexplained death, illness or multiple surgery in parents and/or siblings of the family
  • Past history of childhood abuse, self-harm, somatising disorder or false allegations of physical or sexual assault or a culture of physical chastisement.

NEGLECT

Neglect is the 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

Indicators in the child:

  • Physical presentation
  • Failure to thrive or, in older children, short stature
  • Underweight
  • Frequent hunger
  • Dirty, unkempt condition
  • Inadequately clothed, clothing in a poor state of repair
  • Red/purple mottled skin, particularly on the hands and feet, seen in the winter due to cold
  • Swollen limbs with sores that are slow to heal, usually associated with cold injury
  • Abnormal voracious appetite
  • Dry, sparse hair
  • Recurrent / untreated infections or skin conditions e.g. severe nappy rash, eczema or persistent head lice / scabies/ diarrhoea
  • Unmanaged / untreated health / medical conditions including poor dental health
  • Frequent accidents or injuries
  • Development
  • General delay, especially speech and language delay
  • Inadequate social skills and poor socialisation
  • Emotional/behavioural presentation
  • Attachment disorders
  • Absence of normal social responsiveness Indiscriminate behaviour in relationships with adults
  • Emotionally needy
  • Compulsive stealing
  • Constant tiredness
  • Frequently absent or late at school
  • Poor self esteem
  • Destructive tendencies
  • Thrives away from home environment
  • Aggressive and impulsive behaviour
  • Disturbed peer relationships
  • Self-harming behaviour

Indicators in the parent:

  • Dirty, unkempt presentation
  • Inadequately clothed
  • Inadequate social skills and poor socialisation
  • Abnormal attachment to the child .e.g. anxious
  • Low self-esteem and lack of confidence
  • Failure to meet the basic essential needs e.g. adequate food, clothes, warmth, hygiene
  • Failure to meet the child’s health and medical needs e.g. poor dental health; failure to attend or keep appointments with health visitor, GP or hospital; lack of GP registration; failure to seek or comply with appropriate medical treatment; failure to address parental substance misuse during pregnancy
  • Child left with adults who are intoxicated or violent
  • Child abandoned or left alone for excessive periods
  • Wider parenting difficulties, may (or may not) be associated with this form of abuse

Indicators in the family/environment:

  • History of neglect in the family
  • Family marginalised or isolated by the community.
  • Family has history of mental health, alcohol or drug misuse or domestic violence.
  • History of unexplained death, illness or multiple surgery in parents and/or siblings of the family
  • Family has a past history of childhood abuse, self-harm, somatising disorder or false allegations of physical or sexual assault or a culture of physical chastisement.
  • Dangerous or hazardous home environment including failure to use home safety equipment; risk from animals
  • Poor state of home environment e.g. unhygienic facilities, lack of appropriate sleeping arrangements, inadequate ventilation (including passive smoking) and lack of adequate heating
  • Lack of opportunities for child to play and learn

SEXUAL ABUSE

Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person 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 (for example, rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. 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.

Indicators in the child:

  • Physical presentation
  • Urinary infections, bleeding or soreness in the genital or anal areas
  • Recurrent pain on passing urine or faeces
  • Blood on underclothes
  • Sexually transmitted infections
  • Vaginal soreness or bleeding
  • Pregnancy in a younger girl where the identity of the father is not disclosed and/or
  • there is secrecy or vagueness about the identity of the father
  • Physical symptoms such as injuries to the genital or anal area, bruising to buttocks, abdomen and thighs, sexually transmitted disease, presence of semen on vagina, anus, external genitalia or clothing
  • Emotional/behavioural presentation
  • Makes a disclosure.
  • Demonstrates sexual knowledge or behaviour inappropriate to age/stage of development, or that is unusually explicit
  • Inexplicable changes in behaviour, such as becoming aggressive or withdrawn
  • Self-harm – eating disorders, self-mutilation and suicide attempts
  • Poor self-image, self-harm, self-hatred
  • Reluctant to undress for PE
  • Running away from home
  • Poor attention / concentration (world of their own)
  • Sudden changes in school work habits, become truant
  • Withdrawal, isolation or excessive worrying
  • Inappropriate sexualised conduct
  • Sexually exploited or indiscriminate choice of sexual partners
  • Wetting or other regressive behaviours e.g. thumb sucking
  • Draws sexually explicit pictures
  • Depression

Indicators in the parents:

  • Comments made by the parent/carer about the child.
  • Lack of sexual boundaries
  • Wider parenting difficulties or vulnerabilities
  • Grooming behaviour
  • Parent is a sex offender

Indicators in the family/environment:

  • Marginalised or isolated by the community.
  • History of mental health, alcohol or drug misuse or domestic violence.
  • History of unexplained death, illness or multiple surgery in parents and/or siblings of the family
  • Past history of childhood abuse, self-harm, somatising disorder or false allegations of physical or sexual assault or a culture of physical chastisement.
  • Family member is a sex offender.

CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION

Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity

(a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or

(b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator.

The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.

Indicators in the child

  • Persistently going missing from school or home and / or being found out-of area;
  • Unexplained acquisition of money, clothes, or mobile phones;
  • Excessive receipt of texts / phone calls;
  • Relationships with controlling / older individuals or groups;
  • Leaving home / care without explanation;
  • Suspicion of physical assault / unexplained injuries;
  • Carrying weapons;
  • Significant decline in school results / performance;
  • Gang association or isolation from peers or social networks;
  • Self-harm or significant changes in emotional well-being

ONLINE ABUSE

Online Abuse’ relates to four main areas of abuse to children:

  • Abusive images of children (although these are not confined to the Internet);
  • A child or young person being groomed for the purpose of Sexual Abuse;
  • Exposure to pornographic images and other offensive material via the Internet; and
  • The use of the internet, and in particular social media sites, to engage children in extremist ideologies.

The term digital (data carrying signals carrying electronic or optical pulses) and interactive (a message relates to other previous message/s and the relationship between them) technology covers a range of electronic tools. These are constantly being upgraded and their use has become more widespread through the Internet being available using text, photos and video. The internet can be accessed on mobile phones, laptops, computers, tablets, webcams, cameras and games consoles.

Social networking sites are often used by perpetrators as an easy way to access children and young people for sexual abuse. In addition, radical and extremist groups may use social networking to attract children and young people into rigid and narrow ideologies that are intolerant of diversity: this is similar to the grooming process and exploits the same vulnerabilities. The groups concerned include those linked to extreme Islamist, or Far Right/Neo Nazi ideologies, various paramilitary groups, extremist Animal Rights groups and others who justify political, religious, sexist or racist violence.

Online abuse may also include cyber-bullying or online bullying (see Bullying). This is when a child is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child using the Internet and/or mobile devices. It is essentially behaviour between children, although it is possible for one victim to be bullied by many perpetrators. In any case of severe bullying it may be appropriate to consider the behaviour as child abuse by another young person.

Sexting describes the use of technology to generate images or videos made by children under the age of 18 of other children; images that are of a sexual nature and are indecent. The content can vary, from text messages to images of partial nudity to sexual images or video. These images are then shared between young people and/or adults and with people they may not even know. Young people are not always aware that their actions are illegal and the increasing use of smart phones has made the practice much more common place.

E-Safety is the generic term that refers to raising awareness about how children, young people and adults can protect themselves when using digital technology and in the online environment, and provides examples of interventions that can reduce the level of risk for children and young people.

Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

1.1 We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of our website visitors; in this policy we explain how we will treat your personal information.

1.2 [We will ask you to consent to our use of cookies in accordance with the terms of this policy when you first visit our website. / By using our website and agreeing to this policy, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with the terms of this policy.]

2. Collecting personal information

2.1 We may collect, store and use the following kinds of personal information:

(a) [information about your computer and about your visits to and use of this website (including [your IP address, geographical location, browser type and version, operating system, referral source, length of visit, page views and website navigation paths]);]

(b) [information that you provide to us when registering with our website (including [your email address]);]

(c) [information that you provide when completing your profile on our website (including [your name, profile pictures, gender, date of birth, relationship status, interests and hobbies, educational details and employment details]);]

(d) [information that you provide to us for the purpose of subscribing to our email notifications and/or newsletters (including [your name and email address]);]

(e) [information that you provide to us when using the services on our website, or that is generated in the course of the use of those services (including [the timing, frequency and pattern of service use];]

(f) [information relating to any purchases you make of our [goods / services / goods and/or services] or any other transactions that you enter into through our website (including [your name, address, telephone number, email address and card details];]

(g) [information that you post to our website for publication on the internet (including [your user name, your profile pictures and the content of your posts]);]

(h) [information contained in or relating to any communications that you send to us or send through our website (including [the communication content and meta data associated with the communication]);]

(i) [any other personal information that you choose to send to us; and]

(j) [[provide details of other personal information collected].]

2.2 Before you disclose to us the personal information of another person, you must obtain that person’s consent to both the disclosure and the processing of that personal information in accordance with this policy.

3. Using your personal information

3.1 Personal information submitted to us through our website will be used for the purposes specified in this policy or on the relevant pages of the website.

3.2 We may use your personal information to:

(a) [administer our website and business;]

(b) [personalise our website for you;]

(c) [enable your use of the services available on our website;]

(d) [send you goods purchased through our website;]

(e) [supply to you services purchased through our website;]

(f) [send statements, invoices and payment reminders to you, and collect payments from you;]

(g) [send you non-marketing commercial communications;]

(h) [send you email notifications that you have specifically requested;]

(i) [send you our email newsletter, if you have requested it (you can inform us at any time if you no longer require the newsletter);]

(j) [send you marketing communications relating to our business [or the businesses of carefully-selected third parties] which we think may be of interest to you, by post or, where you have specifically agreed to this, by email or similar technology (you can inform us at any time if you no longer require marketing communications);]

(k) [provide third parties with statistical information about our users (but those third parties will not be able to identify any individual user from that information);]

(l) [deal with enquiries and complaints made by or about you relating to our website;]

(m) [keep our website secure and prevent fraud;]

(n) [verify compliance with the terms and conditions governing the use of our website [(including monitoring private messages sent through our website private messaging service)]; and]

(o) [[other uses].]

3.3 [If you submit personal information for publication on our website, we will publish and otherwise use that information in accordance with the licence you grant to us.]

3.4 [Your privacy settings can be used to limit the publication of your information on our website, and can be adjusted using privacy controls on the website.]

3.5 [We will not, without your express consent, supply your personal information to any third party for the purpose of their or any other third party’s direct marketing.]

4. Disclosing personal information

4.1 We may disclose your personal information to [any of our employees, officers, insurers, professional advisers, agents, suppliers or subcontractors] insofar as reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this policy.

4.2 We may disclose your personal information to any member of our group of companies (this means our subsidiaries, our ultimate holding company and all its subsidiaries) insofar as reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this policy.

4.3 We may disclose your personal information:

(a) to the extent that we are required to do so by law;

(b) in connection with any ongoing or prospective legal proceedings;

(c) in order to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights (including providing information to others for the purposes of fraud prevention and reducing credit risk);

(d) [to the purchaser (or prospective purchaser) of any business or asset that we are (or are contemplating) selling; and]

(e) [to any person who we reasonably believe may apply to a court or other competent authority for disclosure of that personal information where, in our reasonable opinion, such court or authority would be reasonably likely to order disclosure of that personal information.]

4.4 Except as provided in this policy, we will not provide your personal information to third parties.

5. International data transfers

5.1 Information that we collect may be stored and processed in and transferred between any of the countries in which we operate in order to enable us to use the information in accordance with this policy.

5.2 Information that we collect may be transferred to the following countries which do not have data protection laws equivalent to those in force in the European Economic Area: [the United States of America, Russia, Japan, China and India.

5.3 Personal information that you publish on our website or submit for publication on our website may be available, via the internet, around the world. We cannot prevent the use or misuse of such information by others.

5.4 You expressly agree to the transfers of personal information described in this Section 6.

6. Retaining personal information

6.1 This Section 7 sets out our data retention policies and procedure, which are designed to help ensure that we comply with our legal obligations in relation to the retention and deletion of personal information.

6.2 Personal information that we process for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes.

6.3 Without prejudice to Section 7.2, we will usually delete personal data falling within the categories set out below at the date/time set out below:

(a) [personal data type] will be deleted [date/time; and]

(b) [repeat as necessary].]

6.4 Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section 7, we will retain documents (including electronic documents) containing personal data:

(a) to the extent that we are required to do so by law;

(b) if we believe that the documents may be relevant to any ongoing or prospective legal proceedings; and

(c) in order to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights (including providing information to others for the purposes of fraud prevention and reducing credit risk).

7. Security of your personal information

7.1 We will take reasonable technical and organisational precautions to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal information.

7.2 We will store all the personal information you provide on our secure (password- and firewall-protected) servers.

7.3 All electronic financial transactions entered into through our website will be protected by encryption technology.

7.4 You acknowledge that the transmission of information over the internet is inherently insecure, and we cannot guarantee the security of data sent over the internet.

7.5 You are responsible for keeping the password you use for accessing our website confidential; we will not ask you for your password (except when you log in the parent login page).

8. Amendments

8.1 We may update this policy from time to time by publishing a new version on our website.

8.2 You should check this page occasionally to ensure you are happy with any changes to this policy.

8.3 We may notify you of changes to this policy [by email or through the private messaging system on our website.

9. Your rights

9.1 You may instruct us to provide you with any personal information we hold about you; provision of such information will be subject to:

(a) the payment of a fee (currently fixed at GBP 10); and

(b) the supply of appropriate evidence of your identity [(for this purpose, we will usually accept a photocopy of your passport certified by a solicitor or bank plus an original copy of a utility bill showing your current address)].

9.2 We may withhold personal information that you request to the extent permitted by law.

9.3 You may instruct us at any time not to process your personal information for marketing purposes.

9.4 In practice, you will usually either expressly agree in advance to our use of your personal information for marketing purposes, or we will provide you with an opportunity to opt out of the use of your personal information for marketing purposes.

10. Third party websites

10.1 Our website includes hyperlinks to, and details of, third party websites.

10.2 We have no control over, and are not responsible for, the privacy policies and practices of third parties.

11. Updating information

11.1 Please let us know if the personal information that we hold about you needs to be corrected or updated.

12. Cookies

12.1 Our website uses cookies.

12.2 A cookie is a file containing an identifier (a string of letters and numbers) that is sent by a web server to a web browser and is stored by the browser. The identifier is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server.

12.3 Cookies may be either “persistent” cookies or “session” cookies: a persistent cookie will be stored by a web browser and will remain valid until its set expiry date, unless deleted by the user before the expiry date; a session cookie, on the other hand, will expire at the end of the user session, when the web browser is closed.

12.4 Cookies do not typically contain any information that personally identifies a user, but personal information that we store about you may be linked to the information stored in and obtained from cookies.

12.5 We use both session and persistent cookies on our website.

12.6 The names of the cookies that we use on our website, and the purposes for which they are used, are set out below:

(a) we use standard cookies on our website to recognise a computer when a user visits the website / track users as they navigate the website / enable the use of a shopping cart on the website / improve the website’s usability / analyse the use of the website / administer the website / prevent fraud and improve the security of the website / personalise the website for each user / target advertisements which may be of particular interest to specific users.

12.7 Most browsers allow you to refuse to accept cookies; for example:

(a) in Internet Explorer (version 10) you can block cookies using the cookie handling override settings available by clicking “Tools”, “Internet Options”, “Privacy” and then “Advanced”;

(b) in Firefox (version 24) you can block all cookies by clicking “Tools”, “Options”, “Privacy”, selecting “Use custom settings for history” from the drop-down menu, and unticking “Accept cookies from sites”; and

(c) in Chrome (version 29), you can block all cookies by accessing the “Customise and control” menu, and clicking “Settings”, “Show advanced settings” and “Content settings”, and then selecting “Block sites from setting any data” under the “Cookies” heading.

12.8 Blocking all cookies will have a negative impact upon the usability of many websites.

12.9 If you block cookies, you will not be able to use all the features on our website.

12.10 You can delete cookies already stored on your computer; for example:

(a) in Internet Explorer (version 10), you must manually delete cookie files (you can find instructions for doing so at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/278835);

(b) in Firefox (version 24), you can delete cookies by clicking “Tools”, “Options” and “Privacy”, then selecting “Use custom settings for history”, clicking “Show Cookies”, and then clicking “Remove All Cookies”; and

(c) in Chrome (version 29), you can delete all cookies by accessing the “Customise and control” menu, and clicking “Settings”, “Show advanced settings” and “Clear browsing data”, and then selecting “Delete cookies and other site and plug-in data” before clicking “Clear browsing data”.

12.11 Deleting cookies will have a negative impact on the usability of many websites.

13. Our details

13.1 This website is owned and operated by D & B Academy Of Performing Arts.

13.2 We are registered in England and Wales under registration number [number], and our registered office is at D & B, Central Studios 470 Bromley Road Bromley Kent BR1 4PQ.

13.3 Our principal place of business is at D & B, Central Studios 470 Bromley Road Bromley Kent BR1 4PQ

13.4 You can contact us by writing to the business address given above, by using our website contact form, by email to info@dandbperformingarts.co.uk or by telephone on 020 8698 8880