TDA 2.2 Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people

TDA2.2 – 1.1 Task 1A (Legislation)

The legislation and guidelines for the following safeguarding practices are:

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)

The UNCRC is an international human rights treaty that grants all children and young people under the age of 18 years a set of comprehensive rights. The UK signed to this legally binding act in 1990 and rectified it in 1991, this means the UK is required to implement legislation to support each of the 54 articles. These included:

1. The right to life, survival and development.
2. The right to freedom of expression, thought and association.
3. The right to live with, and have contact with both parents.
4. The right to health care, social security, childcare services and an adequate standard of living.
5. The right to education.
6. The right to special protection measures.

Safeguarding practice within the work places would be to make sure the children are safe and looked after, and protect from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment by all of those looking after them.

The Children Act 1989

This act allocated duties to the parents, courts and other organisations within the UK to help support and promote the safeguarding and welfare of every child. Child abuse and neglect is a genetic term used to describe all ill treatment of children, including serious physical and sexual assault as well as cases where the standard level of care does not adequately support the child’s health or development.

There are four main areas that we can look out for that may indicate that a child is in harm and safeguarding is required. Children need to be protected even when it appears that they are not aware that the physical or sexual activity that they are involved in or have witnessed or the neglect they experience is harmful to them. The four areas of abuse are:

Physical Abuse
Emotional Abuse
Sexual Abuse
Neglect

The Children Act 2004

This Act was created to set certain goals, it’s primary purpose was to give help and set boundaries for the local authorities to better regulate official intervention in the interest of children. This was to promote the UK as a better and safer place for children of all ages.

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2013

This Act is to make sure that every organisation that comes in to contact with or has involvement with children and young people, has policies and procedures in place for safeguarding and child protection:

Protects children and young people from harm and abuse.
Enables staff and volunteers to know what to do if they are worried.
Shows that a group is responsible.

In England the law states that people who work with children have to keep them safe. Jobs that involve caring for, supervising or being in sole charge of children require an enhanced DBS check (Disclosure and Barring Service).

Every Child Matters (ECM)

The Policy encourages schools to offer a range of extended services to help pupils engage, achieve and build strong relationships with parents and the wider community. The policy also supports closer collaboration between schools and specialist services to ensure early identification and effective support for pupils with additional needs. Examples of this are breakfast and after school clubs, lunch time extra support classes and extra tuition.

Policy and Procedures St Patrick’s RC Primary School have linked to Safeguarding Children and Young People;

Working Together to Safeguard Children (2006); The process of protecting children from abuse or neglect, preventing impairment of their health and development and ensuring they grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.

Framework for The Assessment of Children in need and their Families (2000); A framework development to provide a systematic way of understanding and recording what is happening to children and young people, within their families and wider context of the community in which they live that maybe or is suffering significant harm.

Stockton on Tees Local Safeguarding Children Board (SLSCB); SLSCB is a statutory partnership that agrees how the relevant organisations in the borough will co-operate to Safeguard and promote the welfare of children in Stockton on Tees and for ensuring the effectiveness of what they do.

E Safety at St Patrick’s RC Primary School, guidelines to ensure safe exploration of the digital world:

1. Know what children are doing online.
2. Ask them to show you and teach you any applications you have not used.
3. Keep the computer in a family room.
4. Help your child know that their personal details should never be given online.
5. Remind them that anyone can view images that they have uploaded and potentially these images can be open to misuse. Images on-line stay on-line and could be viewed later in life by potential employers.
6. Help them understand that some people on-line ‘lie’ and therefore it is best to keep on-line mates on-line. They should never meet up with strangers or friends they have made on-line.
7. Keep communication open for a child so they will always come and tell you if something makes them feel uncomfortable on-line.
8. Teach children how to block people on-line and how to report them if tey feel uncomfortable.

TDA2.2 – 1.2 Task 1B (Agencies)

1. Uncief – slogan: ‘Working for children worldwide’

The worlds leading organisation working on behalf of children in over 190 countries to make a difference to children’s quality of life.

Uncief’s work centers on the UN convention on the rights of all children, which is a policy that defines the rights of children no matter who they are or where they live in the world to ensure they grow up safe ,happy and healthy.

Uncief’s work is funded through charitable donations and the money raised is used to provide support on the ground and implement the UN convention standard for children globally.

2.NSPCC – slogan: ‘Cruelty to children must stop, FULL STOP’ The National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) was founded in 1884 and there vision is to stop cruelty to children in the UK.

They campaign to change the law, services they provide include child line, the NSPCC help line services which provides advice for adults, including parents and professionals in front line child related services.

Their priorities and programs focus on all ages groups, ethnic groups and able and disability children across the following areas of concern: neglect, sexual abuse and physical abuse.

3. Save the Children – slogan: ‘Together, we’re strong’

Save the children operate globally across 120 different countries working to save lives and improve the living standards and rights for children who are often victims of famine and oppression. They operate a variety of world class programs and engage and challenge world leaders directly to enforce reform.

Disaster relief is a major part of their operation and they have the ability to respond with life saving shelter, water. food and vaccines.

TDA 2.2 – 3.5 Task 1C (Confidentiality)

Confidentiality is a set of rules or premise that restricts access to certain types of information. This is essential in schools and the rules of confidentiality apply to both payroll and volunteer staff. Sensitive information regarding a child may need to be shared with an employee in order for them to effectively carry out their responsibilities.

For example, information may need to be shared regarding health or related treatment or symptoms of a particular child in order to ensure their care and safety. This information should not be shared outside of the school, shared with non-essential staff or discussed openly where it could be passed on.

Parents will also share information with staff that is of personal or sensitive nature regarding their child. If sensitive information is deemed harmful or potentially a risk to the child’s welfare, then this information can be passed on without the parental consent. In these circumstances it must be reported to a senior team member for them to asses the risk. This information must be discussed on a ‘need to know’ basis and it is discussed as early as possible to ensure any preventative actions and measures can be taken, to avoid any additional risk to the child’s well being.

TDA 2.3 - 4.2 / 2.2 – 4.3

The importance of reassuring children, young people and adults of the confidentiality of shared information and the limits of this.

Schools respect everyone’s right to privacy and staff will need to reassure anyone in their care, or parents that the information they share is strictly confidential.

For example, If information needs to be shared regarding a child’s health condition, then the school would need to ensure parents have given consent for the details of the condition to be passed on to the relevant members of staff directly responsible for that child’s care whilst in school.

Another scenario, would be if a child confides in a staff member and that of staff member feels there is a risk to the child’s welfare. The child should be informed that you are duty bound to pass on the information and are not able to keep the information confidential. In these circumstances the child must be informed when the information is passed on and kept up to date with who the information will be shared with, to alleviate any fears they may have about the information not remaining confidential.

TDA 2.3 – 4.1

The relevant legal requirements and procedures covering Confidentiality, data protection and disclosure of information.

As a teaching assistant all information must be treated confidentially as stated in the data protection act (1998), any information must be stored as stated in the act and all members of staff must be familiar with this and follow the guidelines.

As a teaching assistant I would ensure no information is passed on to third parties and if unsure, I would always check with a senior teacher or team member first. If a parent shared information about a child I would ensure it was recorded correctly and follow school policies.

Schools ask parents for a range of information to ensure that the child is cared for effectively. However, only relevant information can be asked for, such as dietary or health requirements or records from previous schools. All information is confidential and must only be used for the purpose in which it was gathered. When the information needs to be passed on further parental consent needs to be given.

Respecting confidentiality is very important when working in a school setting. There is certain information, which should not be shared, such as:

Names and contact details
Medical information
Allergies/ Dietary information
SEN (Special Educational Needs)
Assessment records / Observations

To disclose this information would be a breach of confidentiality and should only be passed on, on an approved ‘need to know’ basis.

TDA 2.2 – 3.1 Task 2A

Signs and indicators of abuse

Type of abuse
Physical signs
Behavioral signs
PHYSICAL
Bite marks, unexplained burns or bruises, imprint marks, finger marks, facial abrasions and marks around the mouth.
Withdrawn behavior, flinching when approached, depression, aggressive behavior, reluctance to change in front of others and hygiene issues such as head lice.
SEXUAL
Difficulty to walk or sit down, sleep problems, bruising, stomach problems and vaginal or and anal bleeding.
Suggestive comments or inappropriate conversations, sexual touching, withdrawn or confused behavior, invasion of personal space, eating disorder and self harm.
EMOTIONAL
Speech disorders and delays in physical / emotional development.
Lack of interest, over reaction to problems or mistakes, difficulty in making friends, low self esteem and self harming.
NEGLECT
Hunger, under weight, inappropriate or inadequate clothing, frequent illness, development delay and poor personal hygiene.
Difficulty in making friends, poor school attendance, poor health and withdrawn.
FICTITIOUS ILLNESS
Vague or inconsistent symptoms, behaviors or symptoms only trigger when being observed, exaggerated symptoms and invented symptoms.
Feeling ill, withdrawn behavior and depression.
BULLYING
Bruising, flinching ,physical outbursts such as kicking and punching, racism and humiliation.
Withdrawn behavior, depression, missing school frequently, emotional issues such as low self esteem.

Task 4: Identify key areas of accidental and non-accidental injuries using a diagram.

Accidental

Non-Accidental

TDA 2.2 – 3.2 Task 2B

Describe the risks and possible consequences for children and young people using the internet, mobile phones and other technologies.

Although the internet can be a valuable tool both socially and educationally, there are some associated risks with using on-line and mobile connected devices.

The advent of the smart phone has meant that the internet can be accessed from anywhere out of the home and the possible gateways to the internet in home have also increased with gaming consoles and internet enabled smart televisions and devices.

The most obvious risk of using the internet for children is the issue of ‘censorship’ as the web is unregulated and the ability to access materials of an adult nature is un-restricted, this material could include sexual images or videos, violence or hate related topics such as extremism and racism.

Children themselves may accidentally come across inappropriate material when innocently searching the web. Almost all schools now operate sophisticated firewalls and controls to reduce this risk by blocking sites with certain trigger words. Supervision is still required to ensure any inappropriate material does not slip through the net.

At home parents must be aware and monitor computer activity to ensure ‘safe surfing’ and where possible activate parental controls on the web browser.

Furthermore, risks of associated physical danger when using the web, Pedophiles will often pose as young children with shared interests to the children they are targeting, in order to groom young children. This activity is highly dangerous for the children involved.

Bullying can also be an issue when using the internet through a computer, tablet or mobile device, there have been several high profile cases in the news where by bulling happens outside school hours in the form of cyber bulling often via text or social media. Children may receive texts or messages through social media that make them feel sad, upset, depressed or afraid. This can be damaging to the child’s confidence and self esteem and could lead to permanent issues surrounding their long term well being and psychological state.

It is essential that children are aware of the risks and how to protect themselves from the dangers of online, the social space and new technologies. All schools now have a policy for the internet designed to reduce the risk to children through educating them to the dangers and what action to take if any issues in the online space occur.

TDA 2.2 – 3.3, 3.4 – Task 2C

CASE STUDY 1: You have concerns regarding another member of staff and their behavior towards a child in the class. What would you do?

I would initially communicate the concern to the senior officer responsible for allegation management. Allegation management covers concerns regarding inappropriate behavior towards children from another team member. They will seek advice from the local authority to determine the seriousness of the allegation / offence and in turn action protective measures for the child and inform the police.

CASE STUDY 2: You have noticed bruising on a child whilst he is getting changed for PE, when you ask he is unable to explain them. Two weeks later you notice similar bruising. What would you do?

Firstly I would ask why the bruising has occurred and if the child cannot explain or is withdrawn, then I would share my concerns with my line manager, another senior team member responsible for child protection or the head teacher.
If one of the senior team is implicated in the incident then I would report the incident to the local authority response team – in this instance First Contact ( part of Stockton – on -Tees Safeguarding Children Board), who will determine next step / action i.e. Police / LEA intervention, (Local Educational Authorities).

CASE STUDY 3: A child comes to you during an activity and says she is left alone at home during the nighttime, whilst her parents go out to work. What would you do?

I would listen carefully to what the child is telling me, giving them freedom to converse without additional pressure or questioning, allowing for a spontaneous account of events.
I would record the account from the child word for word, also being mindful to detail, the time, setting and persons present as it may be required for evidence.
Re-assure the child that the information is confidential and will not be shared with anyone other than those on a ‘need to know’ basis.
Thank the child for being open, honest and tell them that they are not in trouble and have done nothing wrong. Inform the appropriate senior team member responsible for child safety, my line manager or the head teach if the latter are not available.

TDA 2.2 – 2.1 Task 3A

Childhood illnesses

Below is a brief summary of the common childhood illnesses:

Chicken Pox: A mild childhood illness that manifests with red itchy spots that turn into fluid filled blisters, that scab over and fall off. Most children will suffer from this at some point.
Measles: A highly infectious viral illness, passed on through airborne saliva or mucus particles. Manifest with a red or brown rash on skin surfaces and small white / grey spots in mouth and throat.
Meningitis: Meningitis is an infection of the menings that surround the brain and spinal cord. The infection causes the menings to become inflamed and can cause serious damage to the brain and nerves. There are tow types of meningitis, Bacterial and viral the first of which is spread through contact and the latter through airborne particles..
Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD): A viral disease that is very contagious and is spread in the same way as the common cold. Symptoms are spots on the hands and feet alongside mouth ulcers.
Mumps: A contagious viral infection, the most recognizable symptom of mumps is the swelling on the side of the face or under the ears (partid glands), infection can be avoided with the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Impetigo: This is a highly contagious disease causing sores and blisters on the skin. There are two types of impetigo; Bullous (manifest with large painless fluid filled blisters) and Non-Bullous (more contagious and causes sores that quickly rupture to leave a yellow brown crust).
Ear Infection: Mostly caused by a virus, ear infections often follow a cold. Repeated middle ear infections may lead to glue ear, which can impact on a child’s hearing. Symptoms include a high temperature and can be spotted often by children pulling or rubbing their ears.
Slapped Cheek Syndrome: This is a viral infection (airborne) that is most prevalent in the winter months. The conditions gets it’s name from the bright red rash that children get on their cheeks.
Whooping Cough: Medically known as Pertussis, this is a serious infection that causes long bouts of coughing or choking. The characteristic ‘Whoop’ is caused by gasping for air.
Scarlett Fever: A bacterial illness that causes a red rash that is rough to touch. Very uncommon in modern times. Any child suspected of having Scarlett Fever should be referred to a GP as quickly as possible to reduce the risk to them selves and others as the disease is contagious.
Ringworm: This is a common and highly infectious skin condition. The condition is not serious but is uncomfortable and can be passed on.
Gastroenteritis: This is a stomach & bowel infection that can be very uncomfortable and painful for the child. The most common symptoms are stomach camps and diarrhea. Highly infectious and can be spread through poor hygiene and transfer of bacteria.

TDA 2.2 – 2.2, 2.3

The chart below details illness, incubation periods and actions to take for the most common childhood illnesses.

Illness
Signs & Symptoms
Incubation Period
Action to take
Chicken Pox
Red rash, blisters, feeling sick, aches and pains, loss of appetite.
Between 1-3 weeks
Inform parents to keep the child at home for five to six days. Contact your GP if the child has a weak immune system.
Measles
Cold or Flu like symptoms, sensitivity to light, greyish white spots in the month or throat, red / brown rash on the skin.
7-10 Days
Advise parents to keep the child at home and check with GP that all vaccines are up to date.
Meningitis
High fever, with cold hands and feet, feeling agitated, blotchy red rash that does not fade when you roll over it with a glass.
Viral 5-14 Days
Bacteria 1 week in hospital or longer
Bacterial meningitis is very serious and should be treated as an emergency.
Viral is most common and less serious but advise parents to contact their GP ASAP and check all vaccinations are up to date.
Hand, Foot and Mouth
High temperature / fever, loss of appetite, cough, abdominal pain, sore throat and mouth ulcers.
3-5 Days
Send child home and advise rest, plenty of fluids.
Encourage good hygiene standards after using the toilet.
Slapped Cheek Syndrome
Bright red cheeks, headaches, and itchy skin.
15-20 Days
Take child’s temperature and if above 39 degrees contact your GP.
Whooping Cough
Coughing fits, cold like symptoms, choking or vomiting, violent convulsions.
6-21 Days
Best prevented through immunization. Consult your GP and keep your child off school until they are better.
Scarlett Fever
Distinctive pink red rash, feels like sandpaper, but looks like sunburn, commonly on ears, neck and chest, nausea and vomiting.
10 Days
Send child to see GP as soon as possible. Return to school 24 hours infection free.
Ringworm
Small patches of scaly skin on the scalp, patchy hair loss. Body ringworm will manifest red rash on the skin.
4 Weeks
Inform parents that the chils must see a doctor and stay off school until their treatment is complete.
Gastroenteritis
Vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, stomach cramps, high temperature and headaches.
24-48 Hours
Advice parents that child will need to see a doctor and must stay away from school for 48 hours after infection has cleared.

TDA 2.2 – 2.4

Evacuation Policy / Fire: Anyone discovering a fire or smoke should raise the alarm by breaking the glass panel on the nearest alarm.

On hearing the alarm, direct the children to the nearest exit and on to the assembly points on the playground.

Ensure the classroom is empty and close the door on exit.

Everyone on site must leave by the nearest exit.

Two designated staff members will be responsible for checking the toilets.

Admin staff will issue registers to teachers at assembly points and unlock the playground gates for the fire brigade.

The head teacher will check that all adults and children are accounted for.

Classes must stand still and quiet until permission is given re-enter the building.

With the exception of a search for a missing person(s), no one must re-entre the school until the fire brigade officer in charge has given permission to do so.

Security Incident:

All doors to be kept closed at all times – unless adult staff are in the vicinity, especially before and after school opening times.

Any unknown adults must be challenged, this can be done simply…”Can I help you?” ,“Are you looking for someone” or “You look abit lost, can I help you?”.

Accompany any visitors to their destination or escort off the premises.

Keep all personal belongings in the staff lockers provided.

Keep to the roster for all open/closed times and for entrance and exits.

Missing child or young person:

Make regular checks that all children are present.

If a child is unaccounted for, take immediate action;

Report to staff, check register to clarify present and absent children, check all areas of the school i.e. toilets, assembly hall, cupboards and the surrounding grounds. Inform the child’s parents and check the child has not left school and made their way home.
Inform the police if the child can not be located.