Child Safety & Wellbeing
PT ENGLAND SCHOOL POLICY 2005
CHILD SAFETY & WELLBEING
INTRODUCTION:
This policy is based on Pt England School’s philosophy that:
“All children are treated with dignity and respect and have the right to have their needs met in a safe environment”
OBJECTIVES:
1. To ensure the safety and wellbeing of the child is paramount.
2. To ensure that Pt England School meets the obligations of the Vulnerable Children's Act.
3. To provide teachers with guidelines so that they can identify signs of abuse and neglect.
4. To provide guidelines for everybody working with children from this school.
5. To provide procedures for dealing with cases of abuse or neglect.
6. To provide guidelines for which help agencies will be used, interview procedures and how parents or caregivers will be informed.
7. To provide children with knowledge and skills to recognise and to deal with situations that may threaten their emotional and/or physical wellbeing.
8. To promote an environment where bullying is never tolerated and any instance is dealt with swiftly and effectively
9. To have in place procedures enabling suspicions of abuse/neglect to be resolved.
10. To contribute to an overall awareness of the school's responsibility to help children to avoid abuse in all cases and places
GUIDELINES:
1. Adults will be receptive and sensitive to children so that the children feel listened to and believed.
2. “Keeping Ourselves Safe” and Life Caravan units will be taught as part of the Health Curriculum to increase children’s assertive skills in dealing with uncomfortable situations, and to help raise teachers’ consciousness of the issues. Other appropriate programmes may also be used.
3. Pt England School will comply with regulations regarding restraint and withdrawal. All staff will receive training (UBRS). No child will be isolated. Where restraint is used by one of the approved personnel, the necessary form will be filed promptly with MOE, the incident will be documented and whanau will be informed and involved.
4. The school will use the most appropriate agency for sexual abuse and the most appropriate agency for physical abuse and/or neglect.
5. The PES Child Safety Committee will be the in-school resource people in this area. Teachers who have concerns may discuss them with any one of these resource people. No outside agency will be involved without the prior knowledge of the Principal or Deputy Principal.
6. Parents will be informed and included, except where the child’s welfare is likely to be threatened. Whichever agency is involved in the cases will partner in informing parents as they have the skills to handle the situation in appropriate ways to support the child. Partner agencies and the PES Child Safety Committee should work together to ensure best on-going outcomes for children and families.
7. In the case of a report from a third party to the school, the first course of action will be; to the Principal who will notify the Child Safety Committee of the situation.
8. There will be a set of procedures which must be adhered to when dealing with cases of suspected abuse/neglect.
9. In all cases confidentiality must be the prime factor.
10. The school and its community will regularly discuss child safety and protection issues.
11. Absolutely no bullying, stand-overs, victimisation or intimidation will be tolerated from anyone for any reason. Our school needs to be a place where children can tell us quickly how they feel, have their feelings upheld and where we move swiftly to ensure their safety. Each classroom or learning space will have Pt England's poster about bullying on the wall.
12. Neglect is now part of the Vulnerable Children's Act and as such has heightened recognition for the formulation of ROC's (Records of Concern) to CYF/Oranga Tamariki. Prior to an ROC being sent the Child Safety Committee will meet and talk about:
how to ensure the child is cared for
how to support the family if at all possible
who will maintain the supportive relationship and how
13. The principal will report to the BOT monthly regarding child safety issues.
14. In cases where there are issues over custody of a child, the school will request and hold all necessary documentation and permissions before access or removal causing concern can occur. In cases of uncertainty the school will consult Oranga Tamariki, or the Mangere Family Law Centre and will notify the police swiftly if there is an issue of child safety.
54. Pt England School has an intentional Values Programme which is taught and reinforced on a weekly basis. This programme, 'The Pt England Way' meets the requirements of the New Zealand Curriculum at the same time as engendering a healthy and safe environment for our staff and students. It also meets the policy requirements of the New Zealand Ministry of Education's demand for anti-bullying programmes in a positive value building way rather than in a negative "anti" way.
PROCEDURES FOR RESPONSE TO NEGLECT OR ABUSE:
1. Identifying
a) Teach teachers signs of neglect or abuse - Behavioural indications
- Physical evidence
(b) Disclosures - child/or adult
2. Initial Reporting
All to report to a Support Team Member who will then bring them to the Group. The person who reported the matter may be invited to join the Support Team for that child. (consultation process).
3. Recording
(a) Teachers need to keep confidential records (notebooks/appropriately permissioned Google Docs) in their classroom on events/incidents relating to concerns about children.
(b) A ‘confidential’ file is to be kept in the Principal’s office which will record all instances of teacher’s concerns re: abuse of children
(c) Any and all recording by teachers/Ad Hoc Committee will be confidential to persons dealing directly with the matter.
Details should be recorded objectively e.g.
1.3.90 85/14 (admission no.) Late for school 9.00 a.m.
4.3.90 “ Late for school 9.10 a.m.
6.3.90 “ Late for school 8.50 a.m.
14.3.90 “ Bruise on l. forearm
16.3.90 “ Bruise on forehead
25.3.90 “ “
smiles, playing alone etc.
These records will be kept in an appropriately permissioned Google Doc. or in our SMS
Matters concerning abuse of children are highly confidential and should not be discussed outside the Committee.
4. Consultation
(a) Where further action is necessary but there is uncertainty about the best course fo action, the Principal or Principal's proxy, after consultation with Team Leader, will contact the appropriate agency without identifying the child and seek advice on the appropriate action.
(b) Further actions will need to take into account the special nature of the relationship between Pt England School and its community. At this stage the parents of the child concerned should be advised unless the child’s welfare is likely to be threatened. (One action my be to continue to monitor the situation).
(c) Whenever discussion is held with a child, identified as needing protection, an adult on the staff whom the child has confidence in must be present. The welfare of the child must be first priority and where that is compromised the interview must be terminated.
(d) Support for staff and the child/family concerned will be sought from an appropriate source.
(e) Where advice is sought from an outside agency the Team Leader will act on the advice given.
(f) No case being considered by the Team Leader will be allowed to drag on without resolution to the best result for the child.
5. Complaints Against Staff Involving Abuse
Once a helping agency is involved, i.e. Step, the following procedures will be followed and will be in line with those set out in the Teachers Collective Contract re: Complaints Against Teachers.
1. The Principal will inform the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees.
2. Both will then inform the staff member who will be advised to seek legal and/or union representation.
3. The school will inform the union and NZSTA
4. If warranted, the staff member will be suspended on full pay once an investigation has begun. In line with Section 2.21g of the Teachers Collective Contract.. At this stage the rest of the staff will be informed.
(* Counsellors can be made available to any staff).
6. Conclusion
(a) Parents and staff will be aware of the procedures the school will take to protect children from any kind of abuse.
(b) Staff should have firm guidelines to follow for any cases of suspected abuse.
(c) Everyone who works in the school will know the Code of Conduct and will know what behaviours are and are not acceptable when working with our children.
Formulated: 1995
Reviewed: 1999
2002
2005
2009
2013
2016
2018
2019
2023