Why Is Tda 2.2 Safeguarding

Michelle Peat

TDA 2.2 Safeguarding In England the law states that all practitioners working with children have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in accordance with the Children Act 1989 and the Children Act 2004.
It is important that everyone working with children fully understand their responsibilities and duties as set out in this legislation which addresses all areas of child care.
The term safeguarding has replaced the term child protection and includes promoting children’s safety and welfare as well as protecting children when abuse happens.
Promoting welfare has a wider, more positive approach to create opportunities to enable children to have optimum life chances as well as ensuring
they are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.
The concept of safeguarding has only been developed in the last 50 years. Legislation has been improved in this time due to high profile cases such as the death of Maria Colwell in 1973 and Victoria Climbie in 2000 which highlighted the fact that there were serious weaknesses in procedures.

The Children’s Act 1989 which was implemented in October 1991introduced extensive changes to legislation in England and Wales affecting the welfare of children. This act aimed to ensure that the welfare of the child was paramount, working in partnership with parents and authorities to protect the child from harm.
The Act also intended to strengthen the child’s legal position, to give them equal rights, feelings and wishes. Children have the ability now to be parties, separate from their parents, in legal proceedings.
A central change introduced by the Children’s Act 1989 was the substitution of the concept of parental responsibility for that of parental rights The Act defines parental responsibility as ‘all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and his property’.
Local authorities are also charged with duties to identify children in need and to safeguard and promote their welfare.

The Children’s Act 1989 includes two important sections which focus particularly on child protection.

Section 47 of the Children’s Act 1989 places a duty on Local Authorities to make enquiries into circumstances of children when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm and , where these enquiries indicate the need, to undertake a full investigation into the child’s circumstances.
The investigation will include an objective of the needs of the child, including the risk of abuse and need for protection, as well as the family’s ability to meet those needs.

In the course of the investigation the Local Authority must take such steps as are reasonably practical to obtain access to the child, or to ensure that a person authorised by the Local Authority obtains access on its behalf. If access is denied a court order must be applied for unless the Local authority is satisfied that the child’s welfare can be safeguarded without an order.

Section 17 of the Children’s Act 1989 states that local authorities have a duty to ‘safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need. Local authorities can provide a range of services for children who are ‘in need’. Such services are intended to provide support and help to families, including families of children with disabilities and other special needs.
Also under section 17 financial assistance exists to promote the welfare of ‘children in need’ and can be used to deal with the needs of children living with or leaving domestic violence by promoting children’s upbringing in own families, provided that this is consistent with the child’s welfare.

Safeguarding legislation is also set down in The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). This came about after worldwide governments promised in 1989 for all children to have the same rights and freedoms and these are laid out in the 54 articles of the treaty covering different aspects of childhood.

These rights are based on what a child needs to survive, grow and fulfill their potential. They apply equally to every child regardless of race, gender, religion, language, wealth or ability.

All children and young people, defined as any person under the age of 18 have all the rights in the convention. Some groups of children and young people, for example those living away and young disabled people have additional rights.
The convention is the only international human rights treaty which includes civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. It sets out in detail what every child needs to have a safe, happy and fulfilled childhood.
Article 19 of the treaty states that parties must take all legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect children and young people from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect, mistreatment or exploitation including sexual abuse by those looking after them.
Help must be available for children and young people who are hurt by violence, abuse, neglect and mistreatment.

All UN member states except for the United States and Somalia have now formally approved the Convention. The UK signed it on the 19th April 1990 and ratified it on the 16th December 1991. It came into force in the UK on 15th January 1992.
As International law, the Convention is meant to be followed and should be referred to by courts, tribunals and other administrative processes when making decisions that affect children.

The Education Act 2002 also covers safeguarding children and sets out the responsibilities of local education authorities, governing bodies, head teachers and all those working in schools to ensure that children are safe and free from harm.

The Children Act 2004 came into force after the high profile and tragic case of Victoria Climbie and forms a key part of Every Child Matters which came out of Lord Laming’s report on what went wrong to cause Victoria’s death.
The children’s Act 2004 was designed with guiding principles in mind for the care and support of children. These are: * To allow children to be healthy * Allowing children to remain safe in their environments * Helping children to enjoy life and achieve * To help children make a positive contribution * Help achieve economic well being.
The Act includes the requirement for all parties working with children to work more closely in order to improve and integrate children’s services. The aim of this integration of services and information is to enable young people’s needs to be identified early to allow timely and appropriate intervention before needs become more acute. The Children’s Act produced the establishment of information sharing systems to ensure that practioners are able to provide children and their families with help and support they need at the earliest opportunity
The act also provides strong leadership and brings together different professionals in multi-disciplinary teams in order to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people and their families.
Schools play a large role in safeguarding children and must develop a range of policies which ensure the safety, security and well-being of their pupils.
These policies provide a secure framework for the workforce in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the pupils.
Their purpose is to ensure that all children are safe and protected from harm and that all staff, pupils, governors, volunteers and parents are aware of the expected behaviours and the schools legal responsibilities in relation to the safeguarding and promoting of the welfare of its pupils. The policies must also name the designated safeguarding officer and the deputy officer.
Policies may be separate or incorporated into one health and safety policy but must include sections which cover the following issues; 1. Safeguarding and protecting and procedures for reporting any signs of abuse. 2. Bullying, including cyber-bulling 3. E-Safety

The Safeguarding Policy for my setting has been developed in accordance with the principles established by the Children Act 1989 and the Education Act 2002 and in line with government publications such as: 1. Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006 - updated 2010
2. Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families 200
3. What to do if you are worried a Child is Being Abused 2003- most recent version 2006.
4. DfES guidance "Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruiting in Education" 2006

The aims of the policy are to support the child's development in ways that will foster security, confidence and independence. It also provides an environment in which children feel safe, secure, valued and respected and feel confident and know how to approach adults if they are in difficulties believing they will be effectively listened to.

The school also has a separate policy dealing with e-safety. This policy reflects the importance it places on the safe use of information systems and electronic communications.
E-Safety encompasses not only the Internet but also electronic communications via mobile phones, games consoles and wireless technology. It highlights the need to educate children and young people about the benefits, risks and responsibilities of using information technology.
E- safety is concerned with supporting children to develop safer online behaviours both in and out of school.
Schools should ensure that an Acceptable Use Policy is in place and pupils, staff and visitors should be made aware that the use of school equipment for inappropriate reasons is "unauthorised". A schools e-safety policy should operate in conjunction with other school policies including Behaviour, Child Protection and Anti-Bullying.

As stated in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006 Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children depends on effective joint working between agencies and professionals that have different roles and expertise.
Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB's) were established by the Children Act 2004 and are now the key system in all parts of the country for organisations to come together to agree on how they will cooperate with one another to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
The purpose of this partnership working is to hold each other to account and to ensure safeguarding children remains high on the agenda.
It is recognised that LSCB's are key to improving multi-agency working, to support and enable partner organisations to adapt their practice and become more effective in safeguarding children

As children grown and broaden their horizons beyond their homes, organisations such as schools and other education settings have a particular role in safeguarding children.
Everyone in the education service plays a big part in keeping children and young people safe. It is paramount that schools provide a safe learning environment and identify pupils who are suffering or who are at risk of harm. They should then take the appropriate action to ensure that children are safe both at home and at school.

Schools should have a number of measures in place to help safeguard children. Firstly there must be a designated named senior member of staff who has the overall responsibility for child protection matters.
There should be regular professional training for staff to enable them to be alert for signs of abuse or any changes in children's behaviour which could indicate that harm is occurring to the child.

All schools should have a Child Protection Policy in place which includes procedures to be followed if a teacher or other member of staff has concerns about a child. This policy should be reviewed annually.
The Governors of the school have a duty to ensure that the child protection policies are reviewed on a yearly basis and that they include procedures to be followed if a teacher or other member of staff is accused of harming a child.
The governing body also has a responsibility to ensure that safe recruitment procedures are followed.
The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 introduced a new vetting and barring scheme to strengthen the procedures for checking staff and volunteers who work with children frequently (for example once a month) or intensively ( on three days in a 30 day period).
This could include volunteers, for example those helping children with their reading once a month, cleaning, canteen and administrative staff and contractors working on the school premises.

Schools also have a duty to develop children's awareness and their knowledge of what is acceptable and not acceptable behaviour, including when using the internet.
Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) lessons can also help children to protect themselves and can include issues such as risky behaviour, appropriate and inappropriate physical contact and dealing with peer pressure.
Children's social care also has a key role to safeguard children and promote the welfare of children who are in need. However to do this effectively they must work in close partnership with parents and other agencies.
Local authorities, through Social Care have duties and responsibilities as defined by the Children Act 1989. The general duty of social care is to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in their area who are in need and provided this is consistent with the child's safety and welfare, to promote the upbringing of children within their families by providing services appropriate to the child's need. Social care must do this together with parents and in a way which is sensitive to the child's race, religion, culture and language.
When concern has been raised about a child and it is suspected that a child in their area is suffering, or is likely to suffer significant harm , children's social care has particular responsibilities to make enquiries to enable them to decide if any action is necessary to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child.
The Children's social care is responsible for co-coordinating an initial assessment of children who are thought to be at risk to find out about the child's needs, the parents capacity to keep the child safe and of the wider family circumstances.
Children's social services will liaise with and gather relevant information about a child and their circumstances from other agencies.
They will also convene and chair Child Protection Conferences which is a meeting of professional workers who know the child and who will be invited to share any relevant information they have regarding the child. These could include teachers, doctors, health visitors, school nurses, probation officers and social workers. The main purpose of a Child Protection Conference is to see whether a child is at risk of harm and if so, to agree what needs to be done to reduce the risk. The conference can decide to make the child the subject of a Child Protection Plan. This is set up by a core group of people from different agencies and clearly outlines each agencies roles in the plan. The Children's social care will provide a key worker for every child subject to a Child Protection Plan.
When it is judged that a child's welfare cannot be sufficiently safeguarded within the family they can apply to the court for a Care Order which commits the child to the care of the local authority. Where a child is thought to be in immediate danger the Social care can apply to the court for an Emergency Protection Order.
Social Care responsibilities, duties and powers in relation to vulnerable children under the Children Act 1989 means they act as the principle point of contact for children about whom there are child welfare concerns. They can be contacted by anyone in the community wishing to raise a concern.

The police also play a fundamental part in safeguarding children and work closely with children's social care to protect children from harm and are committed to sharing information and intelligence with other organisations.
Children, like all citizens, have the right to the full protection offered by the criminal law.
Under Section 11 of the Children Act 2004, the police authority and the chief officer must ensure that their functions are discharged having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
All forces have a Child abuse Investigation Unit which will normally take primary responsibility for investigation of child abuse allegations. All CAIU'S have access to the national IMPACT Nominal Index which enables them to quickly check which forces hold information on a particular individual.
However the task of safeguarding children is a fundamental part of the duties of all police officers. For example, officers attending domestic violence incidents need to be aware of the effect of such violence on any children in the household.
The police also maintain databases for management of individuals that pose a risk to the public. For example the Vetting and Barring Scheme relies on regularly updated police information.
The police also hold important information about children who may be suffering, or who are likely to suffer harm which they should share with other organisations where this is necessary to protect children for example, the family
court.
All police officers at a child protection conference should be fully informed about the case and need to be trained in risk assessment and decision-making.

As well as the investigation of criminal offences committed against children, the role of the Police in child protection includes exercising emergency powers to enter premises and ensure the immediate protection of children believed to be suffering.
The police also have a duty to protect the interests of child witnesses and will also attend court to give evidence when a crime has been committed.

Health organisations also have a key role in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and all health professionals working directly with children and young people should ensure that safeguarding forms an integral part of the care they offer.

Other health professionals who are not working directly with children also need to be fully informed about their responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people as although they may not be working directly with children, they may be seeing parents or carers and have knowledge which is relevant to the child's safety.

Health professionals, in particular GP's and doctors in emergency departments may examine children with injuries which they suspect to be non-accidental. It is therefore important that all health staff are trained to be alert to potential signs of abuse and should all be inducted with local policy and procedure in the event of suspecting child abuse. All health staff have a duty to alert children's social care when abuse is suspected.

All health care staff involved in working with children should attend training in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and have regular updates as part of their continuing professional development.
Again all health professionals should liaise closely with other agencies and share information as appropriate.

All health professionals should understand risk factors and recognise children and young people in need of support and safeguarding and should be aware of the needs of parents who may need extra help in bringing up their children, and know where to refer them for help.

Health professionals will also contribute to child protection conferences, family group conferences and strategy discussions and can also be called to court to give evidence if a crime has been committed.

District and community nurses may observe events or incidents occurring to a child within a family where the child is not the patient. They need to be able to report it to the appropriate professionals and receive the support they may require to compose statements, attend conferences and in continuing to visit the family where the patient resides.
Midwives are involved in families before a baby's birth and may be instrumental in identifying young babies at risk due to parenting attitudes or lifestyles during the development of the unborn baby. They may be required to participate in a pre-birth child protection conference.
School nurses also have important roles in all stages of the child protection process due to their skill and knowledge of child health and normal development processes.

Other health professionals who have a role and responsibility in child protection include Ambulance staff, clinical psychologists, dental practitioners and occupational therapists.

Also charities play a key role in safeguarding of children, the main charity being The NSPCC which was founded in 1889. The role of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Children, as its name suggests, is to work to protect children from harm.

The NSPCC is unique amongst charities in that it has statutory powers, alongside the police and children's social care to intervene when children are at risk of harm. This power is known as 'authorised person status' and has been in place for more than a century The NSPCC works constructively and in partnership with local agencies to provide support for families and children but if they consider that a child's welfare is not being protected adequately, they will use their 'authorised person status' to ask a judge to consider removing a child from harmful environment.
The NSPCC also have a 24 hour help line for people to call if they have any concerns about a child.
They also provide an online, specialised child protection resource for practitioners, researchers, trainers, policy makers and other professionals working with children. Professionals can also contact the NSPCC Helpline to discuss child protection concerns.

The NSPCC also has a helpline for children in distress or danger. ChildLine was set up in 1986 and has trained volunteers on hand 24 hours a day to provide advice and support.
The ChildLine site also offers advice, creative tools, videos and games to help children gain the confidence to speak out.

Other charities such as Barnardo's and Kidscape also help to safeguard children. Barnardo's works directly with over 190,000 children, young people and their families every year. They run over 800 projects accross trhe UK including counselling for children who have been abused.
Barnardo's also deliver safeguarding training to practitioners.
Kidscape is committed to keeping children safe from abuse and was the first charity in the UK to be established specifically to prevent bullying and child sexual abuse
Kidscape works across the country to provide individuals and organisations with practical skills and resources necessary to keep children from harm. It also equips children with practical non-threatening knowledge and skills in how to keep themselves safe and reduce the likelihood of future harm. Abuse is when something happens to a child which is in breach of their rights and which affects their health and development.
Child abuse is any form of physical, emotional or sexual mistreatment or lack of care that leads to injury or harm.
It commonly occurs within a relationship of trust or responsibility and is an abuse of power or a breach of trust. Abuse can happen to a child regardless of their age, gender, race or ability. Abusers can be adults (male or females) and other young people and are usually known to and trusted by the child and family. Within the child protection system there are four main categories of child abuse namely physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect.
PHYSICAL ABUSE
Physical abuse happens when a child is physically hurt or injured. Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. It may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.
Signs of physical abuse can include unexplained burns or scalds, bruises and factures, grasp marks, bruises to both eyes, bite marks or marks showing the outline of an implement such as a stick or belt buckle.
Children suffering this kind of abuse may show withdrawn or aggressive behaviour, reluctance to change for PE, flinching when approached and fear of parents being contacted for an explanation. Children may get depressed and start running away from home.
EMOTIONAL ABUSE

Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child which affects their emotional development. It may involve conveying to the child that they are worthless or unloved or inadequate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on the child.
Emotional abuse may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying, causing children to feel frightened or in danger. Emotional abuse may happen alone , but often takes place with other types of abuse.
A physical sign that emotional abuse is taking place is that there may be a delay in physical and/or emotional development and speech disorders.
A child who is suffering this kind of abuse may have poor concentration and may have difficulty in making friends. They may also show self harming behaviour and be attention seeking or aggressive. Also the child will have a low self esteem and may overreact to problems or mistakes.

SEXUAL ABUSE

Sexual abuse happens when a child is forced to or persuaded into sexual activities or situations by others. The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative or non-penetrative acts or non-contact activities such as involving children in looking at pornographic materials or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.
The physical signs of sexual abuse include bruises or scratches, stomach problems, frequent headaches, sleep problems, 'love bites' and vaginal bleeding or discharge.
Children suffering sexual abuse may display inappropriate sexual behaviour and or have knowledge or behaviour inappropriate for their age. They may start using sexually explicit language and may become withdrawn or confused.
Sexual abuse may cause children to self harm or experience eating disorders.
NEGLECT
Neglect happens when there is a persistent failure to provide for a child's health , development and psychological needs. Neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, clothing and shelter or medical care., or not providing for their educational or emotional needs. With regard to neglect, parents may also fail to protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger.
Neglect may Bullying is another form of child abuse and is always distressing for the child and can have serious consequences. Bullying can take place both inside and outside the school and happens when an individual or a group shows hostility towards another individual and can be emotional, physical, racist or sexual bullying.
Another form of bullying which has become common in recent years is cyber-bullying. This happens via emails, text messages or telephone calls.

also occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse.
Physical signs of neglect are poor personal hygiene, tiredness or lethargy ,inappropriate or inadequate clothing and frequent illnesses . A child may also be under or overweight and have developmental delays..

Although the internet can be a valuable tool both educationally and socially, there are some serious risks and consequences associated with using the internet and other technologies
Children can be subjected to many risks while communicating online. They can be lured into giving away personal information, they can download viruses and they can get into contact with people with bad intentions.
As in the real world, children and young people are vulnerable and may knowingly or unknowingly expose themselves to danger when using the internet, mobile phones and other technologies.
The technologies allow children to communicate anonymously; they can create their own website or take part in social network with their own profiles.
One of the most serious risks to children and young people communicating online is that persons who have a sexual interest in children use these technologies for becoming friends with and getting close to them. This is known as 'grooming. Paedophiles will often do this by posing as a young person with similar interests to establish an online 'friendship'
The person starts communication with the young person, asking about apparently common interests, asking about where they live and their family. All communication is aimed at gaining their trust over time.
Also, many potential abusers ask young people to physically meet when they believe that they have gained their trust. Such meetings can prove dangerous and lead to sexual abuse or even kidnapping with fatal consequences.
Another risk of using the internet, email or chatrooms is that young people may be exposed to inappropriate material. This may be material that is pornographic, hateful or violent in nature or encourages activities that are dangerous or illegal.
Some young people may also get involved in inappropriate, antisocial or illegal behaviour while using digital technologies. Activities that start out as harmless fun, such as voicing an opposing opinion to another member of a chatroom can quickly escalate to something much more serious.

Other young people may become involved in serious illegal activities such as identify theft, buying and selling stolen goods or participation in hate websites. There is also a risk that children can access suicide and online gambling sites.
More and more children in Europe now own mobile phones which they use for talking, sending text messages, taking and sending pictures and for playing games etc. As most mobiles phones have full internet access, they carry the same risks as previously mentioned . Therefore the same safety measures as for using the Internet become important for using mobile phones.

Bullying is another aspect of the use of new technologies which are perceived as providing an anonymous method by which bullies can torment their victims. Children may receive texts or emails that make them feel sad, embarrassed, upset, depressed or afraid. This could be damaging to the child's self esteem and psychological well being.
If I had concerns or evidence that a child was being abused or bullied I would first discuss my concerns with the designated Child Protection officer at my setting. If we still had concerns the child protection officer and myself could also, without necessarily identifying the child, discuss our concerns with senior colleagues in another agency to develop an understanding of the child's needs and circumstances.

Where concerns arise as a result of information given by a child I am aware of the serious consequences on any possible investigation if I was to ask the child any leading questions. It is also important that if a child gives any information regarding abuse that I reassure the child but do not promise confidentiality. I should listen carefully, without showing shock or disbelief.
If I had concerns or was given information by a child regarding child protection issues I would always record everything in writing which would be kept in a secure place.

All organisations which work with children have a responsibility to recruit staff who are suitable to work with children. When someone applies to work with children a CRB check will be carried out for that person. Even with these checks in place there have been situations where staff in schools have failed to follow safeguarding procedures and in some cases have actually inflicted harm or abuse on children. This is called institutional abuse.

Anyone who works in a school has the responsibility to take action if they feel that a colleague is not following safeguarding procedures. Failure to comply may put children at risk of harm or abuse, so concerns should always be reported to the safeguarding officer. Although it is difficult to complain about colleagues, the children should always be the first priority.
Any person working in schools who suspects that a colleague may be abusing a child must act on their suspicions. If there are concerns that a colleague is abusing a child, our actions should be exactly the same as if the abuser is a parent, family member or stranger. We must inform the head teacher or safeguarding officer immediately.

Confidentially is essential in schools and the same rules of confidentially apply whether you are employed or working as an volunteer.
It is important that schools have an established procedure for dealing with confidentiality which is understood by pupils, staff, parents and visitors. These procedures need to be consistent and protect the interests of both pupils and staff. Everyone needs to know the boundaries of confidentiality in order to feel safe and comfortable in discussing personal issues and concerns

As a member of staff, sensitive information about a child may be disclosed to you because it helps you carry out your role, for example, about their health or particular needs. This information should never be discussed with other members of staff in the staffroom or other parents.
If sensitive information is received from parents, they should be informed that it will need to be shared with a manager.
Information can be passed on without permission when a child is at risk of abuse or harm but this information should only be passed on to specific people who 'need to know'. They can then take action and provide support to protect the child.
When a child may be at risk of significant harm, information can be shared without consent with professionals who need to know. Failure to share information has resulted in serious child abuse cases in the past, some fatal such as the tragic case of Victoria Climbie.
Sharing information ensures that problems are identified early to ensure that preventative measures can be put into place to protect the child.

Task 2
As teaching assistants spend a lot of time working closely with children they are in a good position to spot if a child is unwell or incubating an illness. It is important that the signs and symptoms of common illnesses are recognised but staff should not diagnose or jump to conclusions.
Illness signs and symptoms When children are allowed to return to school Flu Headaches, weakness fever When recovered cough, sore throat, aching muscles
Tonsillitis Very sore throat, difficulty swallowing Children return when well fever, pain in ears and neck Diarrhea/vomiting Diarrhea/stomach pains/vomiting Two days after the last bout of sickness/diarrhea

Chickenpox Itchy rash with blister-like appearance Five days after the onset fever of rash

Mumps Painful and swollen jaw, pain when Five days after the onset swallowing, fever of swollen glands

German Measles Runny nose, temperature, red-pink rash Six days after onset of sore throat, headache rash

Measles Fever, runny nose, cough, Four days after the onset blotchy red-brown spots, greyish-white of rash spots in the mouth

Glandular fever Fatigue, sore throat, swollen glands Children return when well fever

Impetigo Red sores around mouth and nose When lesions are crusted developing into yellow-brown crusts

Ringworm Skin ringworm- ring-like red rash with May return when raised rim treatment has started. Scalp ringworm- scaly patches on scalp which may feel inflamed and tender

Pink eye Teary, red, itchy, painful eye(s) 24 hours after antibiotics
(conjunctivis) Eyelid(s) may be swollen Pus or thick discharge (yellow or yellowish-green colour) Fever

If meningitis is suspected medical help should be sought immediately as it can quickly become life threatening.
The early symptoms of bacterial meningitis include those that are similar to many other conditions such as a severe headache, fever, sickness and feeling generally unwell.
As the condition gets worse it may cause drowsiness, confusion, a stiff neck and a blotchy red rash that does not fade or change colour when you place a glass against it.

Being ill or injured at school can be a frightening experience for children so it is important that staff take appropriate action and always respond in a calm and reassuring manner. All schools should have at least one qualified first aider and a first aid policy and everyone at the school setting should know who the first aider is in case of an accident or emergency.
There will be times when children become ill in the school setting and it is very important that all staff know what to do. Staff need to be aware of the setting's policy about illness.
Sick children need to be comfortable and may need to rest in a quiet area. Parents should be contacted so they can come and take the child home and to the doctors if needed. A sick child should not be left alone.
It is inevitable that children will at some time suffer minor cuts and bruises. These can be treated at school and the child does not need to be sent home. The cut can be washed but no creams or lotions should be applied.
If a child has had an accident at school during the day, this must be recorded in the accident book and a note must be sent home for the parents. This note needs to explained what exactly happened , what measures were taken and needs to be signed by the first aider and the head teacher. This is particularly important if the child has suffered a bump to the head as sometimes there are no obvious symptoms with this kind of accident but parents need to be informed so they can be alert for symptoms that may arise later.
Any serious accidents at school need to be reported by law to the Health and Safety Executive who will investigate what happened.
It is important that staff are aware of circumstances when immediate medical attention is required.
These include severe bleeding, unconsciousness, choking, breathing difficulties and head injuries. Urgent medical attention should also be obtained for suspected fractures and when it is suspected that children have taken drugs or abused substances.
In the event of a serious accident you must already call for immediate help. You need to find out exactly what happened so you can relay this information to the emergency services.
You must also make sure that you keep calm as other children who witnessed the accident may be distressed and you should also make sure that other children in the area are not at risk of being hurt. The child should not be moved unless absolutely necessary and if the child is unconscious they need to be put into the recovery position straight away. They must not be given any food or drink and need to be kept warm .
One of the most common conditions in the school setting is asthma. Medical help is needed urgently if a child has an asthmatic attack which is not being helped by their inhaler.
Staff also need to be aware of what to do if a child suffers an epileptic fit. A first aider should always be called. Urgent medical attention is needed if a child does not recover immediately from the epileptic fit or has not been diagnosed as having epilepsy.
Children may also suffer allergic reactions which can be life threatening and will need immediate medical attention. Children in anaphylactic shock have difficulty in breathing and suffer swelling in the throat which is life threatening. Children who are aware of their allergies may carry an EpiPen at school. This needs to be administered immediately but medical help must still be sought.
Another situation when immediate medical help is needed is when a child who has sickle cell has what is known as 'aplastic crisis'. This is when the cells clump together and cause severe pain.
Some children suffer from diabetes and may need to inject with an insulin pen during the days. All staff need to be aware of signs that indicate that the child's blood glucose level has fallen to a serious level. These signs include hunger, pallor, feeling shaky and irritable, glazed eyes, tingling lips , drowsiness and nausea. This state is called hypoglycaemia. If this happens the child needs to eat something sweet, followed by carbohydrates such as a cereal bar or biscuit.
Immediate medical help is needed if the child does not respond and continues to show signs of a hypo or becomes unconscious.
All schools should have a designated named person responsible for Fire safety which in my setting is the Head Teacher. Fire safety managers need to manage fire safety by implementing the policies agreed and will be responsible for fire safety training.
They will also make hazard and risk assessment and keep good housekeeping and security to minimise the risk of fire.

In the event of a fire, gas leak or bomb scare it is important that the buildings are evacuated quickly and safely. In order for this to happen all staff and pupils need to be aware of the correct procedures to be followed and their own responsibilities.
During the first week of term or as soon as possible thereafter, all new entrants being pupils, staff, support staff, should be conducted around the escape routes of the school. They should also receive instruction on the school fire evacuation routine and all staff should receive instruction and training appropriate to their responsibilities.
All workplaces are required by the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations to have an emergency plan. It should include the actions to be taken by staff in the event of a fire, evacuation procedures and arrangements for calling the fire brigade.
In order to familiarise both staff and pupils with the evacuation procedure a fire action notice should be displayed in each area of the school.
This fire notice should inform occupants how to raise the alarm if they discover a fire and where the nearest fire alarm call point is.
It should clearly state the action to be taken if the fire alarm is heard and the escape routes to the assembly point and the location of this assembly point should also be on the notice.
For clarity the escape routes and the location of the assembly point may need to be shown on a plan of the school. The fire notice should take into consideration that there may be people present from outside the school who will be unfamiliar with the buildings and their layout.
The notice also should make it clear that staff and pupils should not stop to collect personal belongings or put on coats and that no-one is allowed to re-enter the building until told to do so by the Fire Service in attendance, or, in the case of a drill by the senior person in charge.

Attendance registers and visitor books should be brought to the assembly point when the alarm sounds . In the fire policy at my setting it states that it is the responsibility of the school secretary to bring the registers to the assembly point.
Each teacher must report to the nominated person in charge of the evacuation procedure to verify that everyone in their charge is accounted for or to inform them of the number of persons missing.
Fire drills should be carried out at least once a term and should simulate that one escape route is not available. This is important as teaching assistants who could be working in different areas of the school need to be aware of the different escape routes of the school.
A record of the training and fire drills held should always be entered in the log book.
Fire equipment is also checked on a regular basis.

Security incidents at school can arise in all kinds of circumstances, for example, outsiders coming into school, violent actions by children or parents burglary and arson.
Security should be in place which minimises the risks to children.
At my setting keypads are on the external doors and only staff members know the code to operate them. This code is changed yearly to secure the security of the building.
Having one main entrance in use during the daytime makes monitoring of visitors much easier. Any visitor must access the school through the front entrance and will only be admitted when a security check has been made. No member of staff should admit an unknown person, unless proof of identity has been obtained. Exit/entrance doors are connected to the main alarm and bleep whenever a door is opened.
The main alarm is operational at night and is checked weekly by the Head teacher and caretaker. At my setting, like most schools, registration of children is taken first thing in the morning and again in the afternoon to make sure all children are still present. We also have a book which records details of who is collecting a child from school on a particular day, for example if a child is going home to another pupils home after school, the adult who will be taking the child home must sign the book at the beginning of the day.

All visitors are required to complete the visitors book, giving details of their name, purpose of their visit, car registration and time of arrival and departure and will also be required to wear a visitors' badge.
Staff should verify the particulars of any unknown visitor and should be accompanied by another member of staff when doing this.
Although pupils should be made aware of the importance of being vigilant, they should not confront or challenge strangers on site at any time but should report the situation to a member of staff immediately.
The level of staff response to an incident will depend upon the seriousness of the situation and the risks involved.
Staff who have a serious doubts concerning a visitor/intruder or believe a violent act or damage may be committed should not challenge the person but must inform the Head Teacher or Secretary immediately. They should contact the police straight away.
If approached by a potentially violent person in the school grounds I would move away but would ensure that the pupils are moved immediately to a safe distance.
If someone is about to gain entry into the premises to commit a violent act access points should be secured to prevent unauthorised entry but fire escape routes should be maintained.
In my setting we also have a email communication system where parents can be informed of any incident and there is also a system that the Local Authority can be notified.
In the case of a missing child at school the class teacher should be notified immediately. A thorough search of the school should be carried out including cupboards, toilets etc.
If this search does not discover the missing child within the reasonable time the teacher must inform the Head teacher of the missing child and the facts surrounding the child's disappearance. When the Head teacher is satisfied that the child is not on the premises the parents should be contacted to inform them of the situation and to enquire if the child is at home.
The Head teacher should then contact the police but the search for the missing child should still continue as staff wait for the police to arrive.
If a child is seen leaving the premises, the member of staff witnessing this should inform the most senior member of staff immediately available without losing sight of the child if possible.
As a general rule staff should not pursue a child beyond the school boundary. Instead they should report to the Head teacher where they last saw the child and the direction the child was heading in so this information can be communicated to the parents and police.
If a child is followed beyond the boundaries staff must not run after the child as this may cause the child to run into a dangerous situation, e.g. the child may run into the road.
On school trips you should periodically check the group for whom you are responsible. If for some reason a pupil goes missing, the alarm should be raised straightaway and you should make sure you follow school policy.