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Heathfield International School, Vientiane
Child Protection and Safeguarding Children Policy
Heathfield International School, Vientiane
This policy was adopted by the Governing Body on the 10th of August, 2022. Preamble Within the school, we are able to follow most guidelines described in the Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022 document.
2Key Contacts
Key Contacts
All staff members at HISV are required to take part in annual, internationally recognized Safeguarding and Child Protection courses. Record off completion of these courses are maintain in the school’s central CPD record.
1. Introduction Heathfield International School, Vientiane (HISV) is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for children, staff and visitors and promoting a climate where children and adults will feel confident about sharing any concerns which they may have about their own safety or the well-being of others. We aim to safeguard and promote the welfare of children by protecting them from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
1.1. Safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play ensuring children and young people are safe from abuse, exploitation and harm. Our school is committed to safeguarding children and aims to create a culture of vigilance. 1.2. Our pupils’ welfare is our paramount concern. The governing body (School Owner, Headmaster, Deputy Headmaster and School Manager) will ensure that our school will safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils and work together with agencies to ensure that our school has adequate arrangements to identify, assess and support those children who are suffering or likely to suffer harm. HISV is a community, and all those directly connected – staff members, governors, parents, families and pupils – have an essential role to play in making it safe and secure for all. 2.1. We believe that HISV should provide a caring, positive, safe and stimulating environment that promotes the social, physical, mental and moral development of the individual child; enabling all children to thrive. 2.2. We recognise the importance of providing an environment within our school that will help children feel safe and respected. We are aware of the importance of enabling children to talk openly and to feel confident that they will be listened to. We appreciate that both mental and physical health are relevant to safeguarding and the welfare of children. 2.3. We recognise that all adults within the school, including permanent, supply staff, temporary staff, volunteers, parents and governors, have a full and active part to play in protecting our pupils from harm.
2.4. We will work with parents and guardians to build a solid understanding of Heathfield’s responsibilities to ensure the welfare of all children, including the need for referrals to other agencies in some situations. This means: 2.5. HISV will fulfil its commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children by: 2.6. HISV aims to:
3. Scope3.1. In line with the law, this policy defines a child as anyone under the age of 18 years, but in the case of SEN (Special Education Needs) it is up to 25 years of age.
3.2. This policy applies to all members of staff in our school, including all permanent, temporary and support staff, governors, volunteers, contractors and external service or activity providers. 3.3. This policy applies to all learners in this school. 4.1. Section 175 of the Education Act 2002 places a duty on governing bodies of maintained schools and further education institutions (including sixth-form colleges) to make arrangements for ensuring that their functions relating to the conduct of the school are exercised with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children who are pupils at the school. Section 157 of the same Act places a similar duty on non-maintained and independent schools, including free schools and academies. 4.2. Under section 10 of the Children Act 2004, all maintained schools, further education colleges and independent schools, including free schools and academies, are required to cooperate with the local authority to improve the well-being of children in the local authority area. 4.3. This policy has been developed in accordance with the following statutory guidance and local safeguarding procedures: ● Working Together to Safeguard Children: A Guide to Inter-Agency Working to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children, July 2018 4.4. This policy should be considered alongside other related school policies. These are:
5. Working Together5.1. Whilst local authorities play a lead role, safeguarding children and protecting them from harm is everyone’s responsibility. “Everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play” – Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018.
5.2. All staff, including support and lunchtime cover, are aware of the key staff to speak to in relation to safeguarding concerns. Children know to tell an adult, and information is then passed on to the DSL or supporting officers. 5.3. Where it is believed that a child is suffering from, or is at risk of, significant harm, we will follow the procedures set out by the local authority . The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or Safeguarding Officer will contact the relevant village head and/or the LADO, to discuss the concern and get advice about next steps. In an emergency the DSL or Safeguarding Officer will contact the police. 5.4. Where the level of concern does not identify a child protection issue, but where safeguarding concerns are identified, the DSL or Safeguarding Officer will contact the Safeguarding Children in Education team for advice. 5.5. Where the level of concern does not identify a safeguarding issue, but could lead to more serious concerns if left, staff must follow the guidance of the local Social Services Department (SSD). This may involve signposting to or involving more appropriate agencies for support and may involve the school in acting as lead agency in a TAF. This is a voluntary process where families agree to work with representatives with relevant agencies to work through their difficulties. These agencies could include: housing, health, probation, and young people’s services, as well as education. Good practice would be for the family to be involved in choosing the agency who leads the SSD process. 5.6. Early Help and Prevention – Identification of the need for early help and support for children and families is vital. All staff are aware they can signpost or refer parents to outside organisations or individuals we have on a local directory for early help and support with a variety of issues including: managing children’s behaviour. 5.7. Staff are trained to identify children and young people who show signs of needing support with their emotional well-being and mental health. These concerns would be discussed with parents and, where appropriate, the child would be referred by school to an appropriate agency.
Safeguarding Briefing for all new staff, volunteers and students. Staff are signposted to relevant, up-to-date Safeguarding & Child Protection documents which contain detailed information about these issues. 5.8. Staff are kept informed about safeguarding procedures by staff meetings, specific training etc. and are required to keep up to date with all changes in safeguarding legislation and procedures. All staff are aware of possible indicators for different forms of abuse and neglect and the signs and symptoms. This is also referred to as part of the Safeguarding Briefing for all new staff, volunteers and students. Staff are signposted to relevant, up-to-date Safeguarding & Child Protection documents which contain detailed information about these issues. 5.9. HISV will ensure that other adults in school know to consult with the Head/DSL where there are safeguarding or child protection concerns. This is ensured through knowledge dissemination sessions and follow up by the safeguarding officers. 5.10. Parents of children in the school will be informed of the school’s duties and responsibilities in relation to Safeguarding and Child Protection procedures by access to the Safeguarding Children Policy, which is available in the staff rooms, and on the school’s drive and website. 5.11. Pupil Information – We recognise the importance of keeping up-to-date and accurate information about pupils. We will regularly ask all parents/carers to provide us with thefollowing information and to notify us of any changes that occur: 5.12. Confidentiality – Information about pupils given to us by the children themselves, their parents or carers, or by other agencies will remain confidential. Staff will be given relevant information only on a “need to know” basis in order to support the child if that is necessary and appropriate. We are, however, under a duty to share any information which is of a child protection nature.
We understand that this is in the best interests of the child and overrides any other duties we have regarding confidentiality and information sharing. We have a duty to keep any records which relate to child protection work undertaken by us or our partner agencies and to ensure that these are kept apart from the main pupil record, stored securely and only accessible to key members of staff. We also have a duty to send copies of these records to any school to which the pupil transfers. 6.1. DBS or relevant national background checks are carried out for all employees who are offered a position at HISV. 6.2. References 6.3. Vetting checks
When assessing any disclosure information on a DBS certificate, we will take into consideration the explanation from the applicant, including for example: 6.4. Single Central Record 7. Specific Issues and Vulnerabilities 7.1. Abuse and neglect are forms of maltreatment of a child/young person. A child/young person is abused or neglected when harm is inflicted on them or when there is failure to prevent harm by their carer. 7.2. Physical Abuse – Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child/young person. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child/young person. Harm can also occur due to practices linked to faith and culture, e.g. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). 7.3. Emotional Abuse – Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child/young person such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child/young person’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child the opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or “making fun” of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children.
These may include interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capacity, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyber bullying), causing children/young people frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children/young people. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child/young person, though it may occur alone. 7.4. Sexual Abuse – Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetrative (e.g. rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, pornographic sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet). Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males; women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children. 7.5. Neglect – Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child/young person’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child/young person’s development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy (e.g. as a result of maternal substance abuse, maternal mental ill health or learning difficulties, or a cluster of such issues). Where there is domestic abuse and violence towards a caregiver, the needs of the child may be neglected. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to: ● Provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment),
7.6. Additional Information – Traditionally, the above four categories of child abuse have been recognised in literature; however, more recently, the categories of child abuse have been extended by some experts, for example the NSPCC describes 12 categories of child abuse as: ● Domestic abuse – witnessing domestic abuse is child abuse, and teenagers can suffer domestic abuse in their relationships. 7.7. Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 states that “safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children” means the process of:
● Protecting children from maltreatment (i.e. abuse or neglect).
● Preventing impairment of children’s health and development. ● Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care. ● Undertaking that role so as to enable children to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully.7.8. “Child Protection” is part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. The term “child protection” refers to the activity which is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or at risk of suffering, significant harm. 8. Roles and Responsibilities ● Identifying and providing any additional training and support needs required by staff to enable them to perform their duties as defined in this policy.
8.2. Designated Safeguarding Lead (& Deputy) responsibilities include:
● Ensuring all staff are aware of the DSL and deputy contact details and acting as a point of contact. ● Referring cases of suspected abuse to the local authority children’s social care as required. ● Supporting staff who make referrals to local authority children’s social care. ● Keeping detailed, accurate, secure written records of concerns and referrals. ● Being familiar with relevant data protection legislation and regulations, especially the General Data Protection Regulation of Lao PDR. ● Referring cases to the Channel programme where there is a radicalisation concern as required. ● Supporting staff who make referrals to the Channel programme. ● Referring cases where a person is dismissed or left due to risk/harm to a child to the Disclosure and Barring Service as required. ● Referring cases where a crime may have been committed to the police as required. ● Liaising with the headteacher or principal to inform of issues – especially ongoing enquiries under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 and police investigations. ● As required, liaising with the designated officer(s) at the local authority for child protection concerns in cases which concern a staff member. ● Liaising with staff (especially pastoral support staff, school nurses, IT technicians, and SENCOs, or the named person with oversight for SEN) on matters of safety and safeguarding (including online and digital safety) and, when deciding whether to make a referral, liaising with relevant agencies. ● Acting as a source of support, advice and expertise for all staff. ● Understanding the assessment process for providing early help and statutory intervention, including local criteria for action and SSD children’s social care referral arrangements. ● Having a working knowledge of how local authorities conduct a child protection case conference and a child protection review conference and being able to attend and contribute to these effectively when required to do so. ● Ensuring each member of staff has access to, and understands, the school’s or college’s child protection policy and procedures, especially new and part-time staff ● Are alert to the specific needs of children in need, those with special educational needs and young carers.8.3. Individual responsibilities include: ● All staff should actively safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
● All staff need to understand their role in identifying emerging problems and to share information with other professionals to support early identification and assessment.
● All staff should know the Designated and Deputy Safeguarding Lead’s name and contact details including telephone numbers and email. ● All staff should, in particular, be alert to the potential need for early help for a child who is disabled and has specific additional needs; has special educational needs; is a young carer; is showing signs of engaging in antisocial or criminal behaviour; is in a family circumstance presenting challenges for the child, such as substance abuse, adult mental health problems and domestic violence; has returned home to their family from care; and/or is showing early signs of abuse and/or neglect. ● All staff will attend all relevant training and development provided by HISV and be aware of all their responsibilities in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022. ● Concerns that children are at risk of, or suffering from, child abuse or neglect must be discussed with a senior member of staff. Reasons for the concern and actions taken should be documented in the child’s enrolment records. ● Any decisions taken not to share information with other agencies regarding a child potentially experiencing harm or neglect should be clearly documented in the child’s enrolment records. ● All staff should seek safeguarding supervision when they have concerns for vulnerabilities and risks to children. ● Professionals working in universal services have a responsibility to identify the symptoms and triggers of abuse and neglect, to share that information and work together to provide children and young people with the help they need (Working Together, 2018). ● What should you do if you are worried about a child? – Do not minimise your concerns or assume someone else will do something. Do discuss your concerns with your DSL or Headmaster. If necessary, consult a member of the relevant SSD’s Safeguarding Children Team.8.4. The Governing Body responsibilities include: ● Receiving any allegations made against the Headmaster. ● Holding the Headmaster to account for implementation of this policy. ● Assessing the impact of this policy in keeping children safe. ● Contributing any local, contextual information that may support children’s safety and welfare.
● Appointing a nominated governor to liaise with the Headmaster and DSL on safeguarding issues.
● Receiving and considering regular reports from the Headmaster about the effectiveness of Safeguarding and Child Protection at the school. ● Reviewing training to ensure that staff have the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to keep all children safe. ● Regularly reviewing this policy, ensuring it complies with all law, regulation and good practice. ● Ensuring all Governors are familiar with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022.9. Early Intervention 9.1. Attendance HISV staff are aware that a pupil’s unexplained absence from school could mean that they are at risk from harm. ● We will always report an unexplained absence of a child with a Child Protection Plan or a Child in Need plan to the LADO within two days. ● We will always seek to clarify the reason for a child’s absence from school with the child’s parent or carer as soon as is practicable on the first day. ● We will always report a continued absence that we have not been notified about by the parent or carer to the Village Chief if we have been unable to confirm the reasons for absence. ● We will always report to DSL the name of any child who has been newly registered to attend our school but does not arrive on the expected day. ● We will always report to the Village Chief the continued absence of a child known or thought to have been taken overseas if the child does not return to school on the expected return date. 9.2. Pupil Behaviour
● We will always notify parents or carers of any such incident.10. Responding to Concerns from a Child
10.1. All staff must: ● Listen to what the child is saying without interruption and without asking leading questions. 10.2. The DSL will: 11. Allegations Against Members of Staff (Whistleblowing) 11.1. Any allegation of abuse made against a member of staff (including supply teachers, support staff and volunteers) in relation to a pupil must immediately be brought to the attention of the Headmaster and, where appropriate, the supporting officers. The Headmaster will act in a coordinating role.
11.2. Should the Headmaster be the subject of the allegation, the DSL or other lead person will immediately report to the Chair of Governors to establish the nature, content and context of the allegation” and agree the appropriate course of action. In some cases, allegations may be so serious that they will require immediate intervention by the police and/or the LADO.11.3. If the allegation against a member of staff (including supply teachers, support staff and volunteers) meets any of the following criteria, the Headmaster (or other lead person) must report it to the LADO the same day:
● They have behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child. 11.4. For other allegations, the Headmaster and DSL will decide if further enquiries are required prior to referral to the LADO. 11.5. Where the Headmaster considers that a referral may be warranted under Child Protection Procedures and an allegation appears to meet the criteria, the Headmaster will inform the LADO who can consult the police and children’s social care professionals as appropriate. 11.6. The LADO should also be informed of any allegations that are made directly to the police or to children’s social care. 11.7. All alleged physical injuries must be investigated by the appropriate external agencies. 12. Procedures
 ● If an incident occurs or is suspected, all staff should take personal responsibility for reporting the allegation and not assume that somebody else will take action/share information that might be critical in keeping children safe.● The DSL or deputy DSL must be informed of the allegation, who will report this to the Headmaster or, if the allegation is against the Headmaster, to the remaining members of the Governing body. ● The DSL will ensure the allegation is acted on within the school day. ● It may not always be appropriate to go through all four stages sequentially. If a child is in immediate danger or is at risk of harm, staff should refer to children’s social care and/or the police and inform the DSL. Before doing so, staff should try to establish the basic facts. However, it will be the role of social workers and the police to investigate cases and make a judgement on whether there should be a statutory intervention and/or a criminal investigation. ● Staff should record, in writing, all concerns and discussions about a child’s welfare, the decisions made and the reasons for those decisions.
13. Monitoring and Reviewing
13.1. The DSL will continually monitor HISV’s child protection and safeguarding practices and bring to the notice of the Headmaster and Governors any weaknesses, deficiencies or required changes.13.2. The Governing Body has a duty to remedy any weaknesses that are identified. 13.3. The DSL will submit an annual report to the Governors outlining the child protection and safeguarding work undertaken by HISV during the year. 13.4. The Governors, Headmaster and Designated Staff will work together on any aspect of Safeguarding and Child Protection that is identified as an area for development over the coming year. 13.5. The Policy will be reviewed annually with the Governors’ approval.
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