The Governors of KCS as proprietors of The Rowans School are responsible for the protection of every child in the school.

Policy Statement

Every child should feel safe and protected from any form of abuse which, in this policy, means any kind of neglect, accidental physical injury, sexual exploitation or emotional ill treatment.

Our policy and commitment at The Rowans School, as part of KCS, is to take all reasonable measures to safeguard and promote the welfare of each child in our care and:

The Headteacher is the Designated Person responsible for matters relating to child protection and welfare. The main responsibilities of the Designated Person are:

It is advisable to discuss with the family any concerns there may be about a child’s welfare and, where possible seek their agreement to making referrals to social services. However, this should only be done where it will not place a child at increased risk of significant harm. Particular care needs to be taken in informing parents of referrals where there is a strong possibility of a police investigation. 

The child’s views should also be taken into account. Any decision to override the wishes of either the parent or the child must be carefully considered, bearing in mind not only the interests of the individual child or family but also possible repercussions on other children in the school or community at large. The school’s first and paramount duty is to the individual child.

When should there be a referral to Social Services

The designated officer should have sufficient training and skill to be able to recognise when it is necessary to refer an allegation or suspicion of abuse to Social Services. Referral should always be made:

1. Where the conduct that is the subject of the allegation amounts to a serious criminal offence

2. Where the child indicates that s/he has suffered or is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm.

There may be circumstances particularly where the allegations are against staff where it will be appropriate to take a measured approach which may result in a decision not to refer an allegation to the statutory agencies. Government guidelines indicate three instances where allegations against staff do not need to be referred to Social Services:

1. Where the allegation relates to the use of reasonable force to restrain a pupil in accordance with s550 Education Act 1996. Provided that the allegation does not go beyond reasonable force, the guidance states that it is appropriate for the Head to deal with the matter at school level, recording the incident and taking disciplinary action if necessary. This will not of course prevent parents from making their own complaint to either police or social services.

2. Where following initial consideration it is absolutely clear to the Head (or if the allegation is against the Headteacher, the Head of KCJS) that the allegation is demonstrably false, then again the matter can be dealt with at school level. However, as an obvious false allegation by a child can be an indicator of abuse elsewhere, consideration should be given to discussing this with a relevant Social Services contact.

3. The allegation may represent inappropriate behaviour or poor practice by a member of staff which needs consideration under the school’s disciplinary procedures.

Duty of Employees

 Every employee of the School is under a general legal duty to:

A member of staff suspecting or hearing a complaint of abuse must:

Reporting

All suspicion or complaints of abuse must be reported to the Headteacher, or if the complaint involves the Headteacher, to the of Headmaster King’s College Junior School.

Action by the Headteacher

The action to be taken will take into account:

If there is any doubt whether a referral should be made, the Headteacher may consult with Social Services Department or other appropriate professionals on a no name basis without identifying the family. However, as soon as sufficient concern exists that a child may be at risk of significant harm, a referral should be made without delay. If the initial referral is made by telephone, the is made by telephone, the Headteacher will confirm the referral in writing to the Social Services Department within 48 hours in accordance with the procedures of the Merton Safeguarding Children Board. If no response or acknowledgment is received within 3 working days, the Headteacher will contact Social Services again.

Referral Guidelines

A referral to the Social Services Department or Police will not normally be made where the complaint does not involve a serious criminal offence and a referral would be contrary to the wishes of a child complainant, if he or she is sufficiently maturity to understand what has been alleged and also contrary to the wishes of the complainants parents. The case must be  one which can be satisfactorily investigated and dealt with internally with the parents being kept fully informed as appropriate.

If during the course of the internal investigations it appears that the situation is more serious then, the Headteacher will again consider whether a referral should be made in accordance with the provisions above.

External Agencies

Whether or not the Headteacher decides to refer a particular complaint to the Social Services Department or the police, the parents will be informed in writing of their right to make their own complaint or referral to the Social Services Department or the Police Child Protection Unit and will be provided with contact names and details as appropriate.

Allegations Against Staff

The school’s procedure on dealing with allegations against staff (and volunteers who work with the children) is given in Section xx. It aims to strike a balance between the need to protect children from abuse and the need to protect staff and volunteers from false or unfounded allegations.

Suspension will not be an automatic response to an allegation. Consideration will be given to all the options, subject to the need to ensure the safety and welfare of the pupil(s) concerned and the need for a full and fair investigation.

Allegations Against Pupils

A child against whom an allegation of abuse has been made may be suspended from the school during the investigation and appropriate action will be taken.

Suspected Harm From Outside the School

A member of staff who suspects that a pupil is suffering harm from outside the School should inform the Headteacher and then seek information from the child with tact and sympathy using ‘open’ not leading questions. A sufficient record should be made of the conversation and if the member of staff continues to be concerned s/he should refer the matter to the Headteacher.

Monitoring

The Headteacher will monitor the operation of this policy and its procedures and make an annual report to the Governing Body if it has had to be implemented. The policy and procedures will be reviewed annually.

Indicators of Abuse

The following is a summary of some of the indicators that may suggest that a child is being, or is at risk of harm under each category. It is important to recognise that indicators alone cannot confirm whether a child is being abused. Every child needs to be seen in the context of their family and wider community and a proper assessment carried out by appropriate persons.

The important message is that if it makes you feel unsure, or worried, do something about it, don’t keep it to yourself.

Some indicator of Physical Abuse

A. Physical observations

Bruising - especially: