Safeguarding refers to policies, procedures, and practices implemented to prevent abuse, harm, and distress.
Teachers or anyone looking after children must be aware of the safeguarding policies since they have to protect the welfare of these kids.
Those working in an education setting have daily contact with students.
Therefore, they are well-placed to identify and recognize if potential abuse is going on. As a result, teachers must understand the role and responsibilities they have to play in safeguarding.
Here’s a guide to safeguarding for teachers looking after children.
Table of Contents
Know How to Look out for Signs
As an educator of vulnerable kids, you must know the most common signs of child abuse.
These are not always obvious, and a child may not feel comfortable discussing what’s going on with them. Sometimes, kids do not even recognize they are already going through abuse.
Abuse can come in various forms. Therefore, the signs will also vary, depending on the type. For instance, a child neglected can show different signs from someone sexually abused.
Some of the most common signs that something concerning is happening in a child include unexplained behavioral changes, feeling anxious, lack of social skills, fewer friends, being uncharacteristically aggressive, knowledge about issues inappropriate for their age, and always wearing clothes that cover the entire body.
Increased absences from school can also indicate something going on at home, such as violence.
While these signs do not necessarily indicate abuse, other things may be happening in their life that explain these behaviors.
Teachers should immediately contact the school’s safeguarding lead if they suspect abuse or if there are allegations of abuse or neglect.
The designated person will assess the situation to determine abuse and take the necessary actions to protect the child.
Know How to Report any Signs of Abuse
A teacher concerned about a child’s safety and well-being should report the safeguarding issue immediately.
Teachers must act as soon as possible. They should file the appropriate report if they believe a student is in immediate danger.
The designated safeguarding lead will handle the case if there is no immediate danger to the child’s life. In an emergency, the teacher or safeguarding officer must immediately contact the police.
Every school or institution that works with kids will have a designated safeguarding lead (DSL).
The Designated Safeguarding Lead is someone with special responsibility to address safeguarding concerns.
Also called the safeguarding officer, the DLS will contact the local authority Referral Team upon receiving the report.
The Referral Team will visit the school and discuss the concern to offer advice about the next steps.
Teachers should take a child seriously when they report abuse.
Kids rarely lie about abuse, so you must not downplay their concerns. Instead, give them the space and time to narrate the situation.
Be mindful of your words when talking to them, and assure them they will not get into trouble.
Even when you do not have any concrete evidence of abuse, you should still file a report. The report can serve as evidence for filing a case.
Know the Key Principles of Safeguarding
Teachers looking after children should be aware of the Key Principles of Safeguarding.
They should consider taking some great safeguarding courses online to help them remain updated with their role and responsibilities in safeguarding.
These courses will discuss everything about Safeguarding, including its Key Principles.
The statutory guidance of the Department for Education sets out four headline objectives on safeguarding and child protection policies, which include the following – protecting children from maltreatment, preventing the impairment of a child’s physical and mental health or development, ensuring the child grows up in an environment consistent with the provision of safe and effective care, and taking action to enable all kids to have the best care.
Preventing or stopping abuse is not the only consideration for effective safeguarding.
Educators must also work hard to create a positive culture allowing students to uncover their full potential.
But this must not veer away from the pressing need to understand and detect abuse in children.
Be Aware of the Different Safeguarding Issues
Every educator looking after children should know about the safeguarding issues and threats to child welfare.
These include child sexual exploitation, peer-on-peer abuse, criminal exploitation, modern slavery and trafficking, radicalization, online exploitation, and neglect.
Child sexual exploitation is when a child is offered something in exchange for performing sexual activities or having sexual acts performed on them.
It can also involve coercion, violence, intimidation, and threats of physical harm.
Peer-on-peer abuse refers to children abusing another child, including bullying due to someone’s looks, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, etc.
Criminal exploitation is when someone recruits a child into organized criminal gangs.
Radicalization is when someone forces a child to support or get involved in extremist ideologies, resulting in becoming drawn into terrorism.
Nowadays, it’s common for kids to get exploited online since everyone has easy access to the internet and social media sites.
Teachers should also be aware of the signs a child is suffering from any form of online abuse.
Learn More About Safeguarding in the Digital Era
Kids have easy access to the internet nowadays, putting them at high risk of online abuse.
Most young students are digital savvy. As a teacher, part of your responsibility is to protect them from online predators.
One of the biggest threats to kids online includes adult predators, cyberbullying, and phishing scams.
Effective digital safeguarding ensures that kids and adults are fully aware of the risks of online activity.
The NSPCC advises teachers to follow the TEAM framework to protect kids online.
It means Talking to kids about their online activities, Exploring the sites and apps they frequently use, making them Agree to some basic rules about internet use, and managing parental control settings.
If you suspect one of your students is a victim of online abuse, report it immediately.
Gather enough evidence, including screenshots and send it to relevant websites and authorities.
