Safer Recruitment &
Managing Allegations
Training Pack for whole-school use
Last updated: June 2012
Child Protection - Background
• National concerns arising from high profile
cases
• Hampshire is not different from other
areas!!
• Around 1 in 6 schools in Hampshire have
dealt with a CP case in the past few years
• Over 30 significant cases dealt with by
EPS in 2011/2012 academic year
Hampshire Experience
• Easy to be complacent “It won’t happen in
this school”
• Everyone needs to remain vigilant about
their own and their colleagues’ working
practices “benefit of doubt”?
• Process and procedures in school need
regular review e.g. recruitment, induction
and refresher training to staff on child
protection matters
Types of Abuse
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Sexual Abuse
Physical Abuse
Emotional Abuse
Neglect
Abusers can be:
•Any age
•Male or Female
•From all social classes
•‘Nice’, ‘helpful’ ‘professional’ people
•Damaged individuals , but very
convincing liars, may appear to be
pillars of the community
2011 National Audit CP
Allegations - Education Staff
• 4,536 allegations recorded as notified to Local
Authority Designated Officers (LADO’s)
• 50% Physical abuse/ inappropriate handling
• 25% Sexual abuse
• 10% inappropriate conduct
Abuse at work
• Statistics show that the typical number of
offences committed by a child abuser in a
work situation before being detected is:
• 49
Typical Offending Cycle
Thoughts
Internal /external Inhibitors
Trigger – High
risk Situation
Excuses / Distorted
thinking
Pushing away guilt
Rehearsal
Guilt
Targeting
Reinforcement
Grooming
Offending
IRSC- Supporting Staff; safeguarding ChildrenBased in the work of David Finklehore
How Child Abusers May Target Our
School
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Applying for employment
Seeking to become a volunteer
Hiring school premises
Contracting for work on school premises
Offering coaching input
Music tuition
Parental involvement at school
School trips
What policies and procedures are
in place?
• Child Protection policy
• Safer Recruitment procedures and practices
• At least one member of staff who interviews has
been formally trained
• A Single Central Record is held of all staff and
volunteers and the checks that have been
undertaken, as required by OfSTED
• Do’s & Don’ts for staff and volunteers
• Whistleblowing policy and procedure
• Disciplinary & Grievance procedures
Purpose of our policies
• To prevent unsuitable people from
obtaining any paid or voluntary role in our
school
• To ensure we can identify and deal
appropriately with any conduct towards
children that raises concerns
• To ensure we can respond quickly and
appropriately to any allegation of child
abuse.
School Child Protection Policy
• All schools must have a policy – model CP
policy available from Safeguarding Unit website
• Needs to include how concerns about
staff/volunteers etc are to be managed
• Needs to define responsibilities within the school
for actions
• Should include child protection statement that all
staff/volunteers should be asked to commit to.
Allegations and Concerns - 1
• A concern arises when an individual’s
conduct might suggest that their conduct
towards children/pupils may be
inappropriate.
• Identifying a concern may prevent a
subsequent act of abuse
• Don’t ignore concerns! Address them!
• Tell the Headteacher / CPLO / line
manager!
Allegations and Concerns - 2
• An allegation occurs when an act may
have been committed – an individual is
accused of something directly
• If an allegation is true, we may have failed
to identify a prior concern
• Allegations are likely to trigger a full child
protection investigation
Key Players in Child Protection
Processes
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Headteacher
Chair of Governors
Child Protection Liaison Officer
LADO
Education Personnel Services
The Police
Social Care
YOU!!
Role of LADO
• The single contact point for Headteachers in
relation to concerns and allegations
• School staff should report any concerns to the
Headteacher (Chair of Governors if concern
about HT).
• LADO will determine how to treat
concern/allegation and may co-ordinate other
agencies if needed
• Contact details in Managing Allegations
guidance and school’s CP policy
Identifying Patterns of Abuse
• One inappropriate action towards children
does not represent ‘grooming’.
• A combination of inappropriate actions
may amount to grooming
• Proper investigation of concerns should
establish the nature of the concern
• Identifying patterns of behaviour is the key
to preventing serious abuse
• See ‘Patterns of Abuse’ handout
Unfounded or Malicious Allegations
• Investigations may lead to conclusion that
an allegation was unfounded or malicious
• The individual employee will need to be
properly supported through this process
and assisted to return to work
• A care plan for a pupil who makes
malicious allegations must be put in place
in conjunction with Social Care.
Avoiding Vulnerable Situations - 1
• Staff/volunteers may make errors of judgement
which are not issues of abuse
• Being accused of child abuse can damage your
career, even if unproven
• We must all take every step to avoid making
ourselves vulnerable to such allegations.
• Combine good practice with avoiding vulnerable
situations
• See guidance on avoiding unnecessary contact
and unfounded allegations
Avoiding Vulnerable Situations - 2
• Report to management if you think you
have made an error
• Seek advance managerial approval for
one to one situations with pupils
• Avoid closed door situations
• Keep records of any issues/concerns
• Comply with guidance on physical contact
with pupils, curriculum delivery etc.
Role of Chair of Governors
• Have responsibility to ensure that Child
Protection Policy exists and is
monitored/updated regularly.
• Chair of Governors acts where allegations
or concerns arise about the Headteacher
(see Managing Allegations guidance).
• Chair of Governors has access to LADO
for advice.
General Support for Staff
• Full induction processes to include child
protection and good practice issues
• Use of performance management
processes to monitor and embed good
practice.
• Regular staff meetings and INSET events
• Child Protection given a high profile at all
times