Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play in safeguarding children. School and college staff are particularly important as they are in a position to identify concerns early and provide help for children, to prevent concerns from escalating.
Schools and colleges and their staff form part of the wider safeguarding system for children. Schools and colleges should work with social care, the police, health services and other services to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.
Definition of safeguarding
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:
Protecting children from maltreatment, preventing impairment of children's 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. Children includes everyone under the age of 18.
Keeping Children Safe in Education
Safeguarding and Child Protection Handbook
Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Handbook helps enable staff in schools and settings to discharge their statutory responsibilities in relation to safeguarding children. It provides an overview of the relevant legislative, statutory and advisory guidance framework that schools must make reference to in fulfilling their statutory duties. It also offers practical guidance in relation to safeguarding policies, record keeping and referrals to Children's Social Care.
The new Safeguarding Handbook will be available shortly.
Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
Our Model Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy offers a template for schools and colleges to adopt. Please be aware that Ofsted Inspectors expect to see a Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy that is setting, school or college specific so it will be important to adapt and amend the policy to reflect your particular cohort and context.
Dealing with allegations of abuse against staff and volunteers
For guidance on how to manage an allegation made against staff and volunteers within your setting, please refer to the following information:
- CHSCP - reporting allegations against staff and volunteers
- London Safeguarding Children Partnership - London procedures
For guidance on how staff and volunteers should handle allegations made against them, please refer to the following information:
Revised positive handling guidance for schools and settings
The revised guidance document sets out Hackney Education’s position in relation to the use of reasonable force and physical restraint in schools and settings across the borough. It details the legal position and best practice in this area and provides comprehensive guidance to schools and settings. The guidance also considers de-escalation strategies, non-verbal techniques, and issues to avoid when effectively managing challenging behaviour. This guidance should also prove essential in reducing potential allegations made against education staff if physical interventions can be proven to be supported by effective training and guidance.
Children missing education
This guidance aims to set out the local processes and procedures when dealing with Children Missing Education (CME)
You will receive an automated confirmation of receipt of the CME referral form for your records.
Related documents and links
Online training module: Safeguarding Children - Designated Safeguarding Lead
An online safeguarding module exploring key responsibilities, signs and symptoms and referral pathways
Children and Young People’s Resource Guide
The Children and Young People’s Resource Guide has been developed to assist professionals working within the London Borough of Hackney in navigating the diverse range of services for children and families with support needs
Hackney Child Wellbeing Framework
The Hackney Child Wellbeing Framework focuses upon child and family needs, not thresholds for services
Keeping children safe in education
This document contains information on what schools and colleges should do and sets out the legal duties with which schools and colleges must comply in order to keep children safe
Working together to safeguard children
This guidance aims to help professionals understand what they need to do, and what they can expect of one another, to safeguard children
What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused
This advice is for anyone whose work brings them into contact with children and families, including those who work in early years, social care, health, education (including schools), the police and adult services
Information sharing
This advice is for all frontline practitioners and senior managers working with children, young people, parents and carers who have to make decisions about sharing personal information on a case by case basis
Inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills
Guidance for Ofsted inspectors to use when inspecting safeguarding under the common inspection framework
Education inspection framework
The education inspection framework sets out how Ofsted will inspect state schools, further education and skills providers, non-association independent schools and registered early years settings in England
London Child Protection Procedures and Practice Guidance
The London Child Protection Procedures are updated on a six monthly basis with the relevant changes to legislation, statutory guidance and local guidance
City of London & Hackney Safeguarding Children Board
The CHSCB aims to make a real difference to safeguard & promote the welfare of children & young people in the City of London & Hackney
Towards safer organisations
This research presents the findings of research undertaken by an NSPCC Research Team from 2008-2010 with 27 adults convicted of sexual offences against children committed whilst in organisational positions of trust
Early years (under 5s) foundation stage framework (EYFS)
The standards that school and childcare providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children under five
Multi-agency statutory guidance on female genital mutilation
Multi-agency guidelines on FGM for those with statutory duties to safeguard children and vulnerable adults
A Guide to Child Performance Licensing
The aim of this guidance is to address the inconsistency of practice within child performance licensing by providing an interpretation of the child performance legislation and regulations and providing information and examples of best practice
Preventing Bullying Statement
This Statement sets out our commitment to supporting our services (including schools, youth hubs and commissioned services) to create an environment where bullying and discrimination is understood by everyone to be unacceptable and where there are clear strategies to address it if it does take place
Domestic Abuse Guidance
Hackney Education takes extremely seriously the safety of its employees, therefore heads, senior leaders and managers have a duty to respond appropriately to concerns about the safety and welfare of staff members