TASK FORCE

CHILD SAFEGUARDING TASK FORCE

In addition to an understanding that every RIS employee has the responsibility to support child safeguarding and report any concerns, several formal roles exist at different levels throughout the school to ensure the effective implementation of the child safeguarding policy, procedures, and practices, and to respond to incidents of child safety. The Child Safeguarding Task Force is responsible for implementing, monitoring, reviewing, and developing child safeguarding at RIS. 

The 2024–2025 Child Safeguarding Task Force consists of the following people: 

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

DESIGNATED SAFEGUARDING LEAD (DSL) – The DSL reports to the Head of School and takes the administrative lead in coordinating the response to any child protection issues. The designated lead is known to everyone in the school and the person is well connected with local services. Among other responsibilities, the DSL will:

• Promote and champion child safeguarding in the school

• Convene Child Safeguarding Task Force Meetings

• Oversee RIS employee safeguarding training

• Initiate the response to any child safeguarding issues

• Monitor the progress of each case to its conclusion, if not directly involved

• Manage the child protection case files for individual incidents

• Ensure that a confidential, centralized procedure exists for recording and reporting child protection issues

• Provide summaries of any child safeguarding issues, including data, training, budget, and system recommendations to the administrative council and School Board

DESIGNATED DEPUTY CHILD SAFEGUARDING LEAD – This person serves as the DSL if the lead is absent.

COUNSELORS – The designated section counselors are responsible for the day-to-day child safeguarding issues in their section of the school, such as acting on disclosures, keeping the CSL informed, and creating and implementing welfare plans for students when required. 

E-SAFETY LEAD – Online safety is an integral part of education settings’ safeguarding responsibilities and requires strategic oversight and ownership to develop policies and procedures to protect all members of the community. The E-Safety Lead acts as a point of contact on online safety issues and will liaise with other members of staff as appropriate. They ensure policies and procedures that incorporate online safety concerns are in place and that the whole school community is aware of what is safe and appropriate online behaviour and the sanctions for misuse.

CURRICULUM LEAD – The Curriculum Lead identifies opportunities in the taught curriculum for students to learn about safeguarding, and collaborates with teachers, counselors, and the child safeguarding DSL to ensure that the safeguarding curriculum is addressed.

BOARD REPRESENTATIVE – Board representation is essential to provide top-level oversight of child safeguarding at RIS and to support the leadership team in funding and implementing its child safeguarding plan. The designated School Board representative is responsible for overseeing the RIS Child Safeguarding Code of Conduct & Policy and ensuring that the child safeguarding policies are reviewed annually at the RIS Board level.