Education Personnel Services

NQT Induction

Child Protection - Do's and Don'ts of working with children

It is essential that all staff working in schools are conscious of how they should conduct themselves to minimise the risk of finding themselves as the subject of any child protection processes. All staff should be aware of the following summary of things to do and not to do when working with children.

DO:

o Read and follow the school’s child protection procedures

o Report to the Headteacher/CPLO any concerns about child welfare/safety

o Report to the Headteacher any concerns about the conduct of other school staff/ volunteers/contractors

o Record in writing all relevant incidents

o Work in an open and transparent way

o Discuss and report any incidents of concern or that might lead to concerns being raised about your conduct towards a child

o Report to the Headteacher any incidents that suggest a pupil may be infatuated with you or taking an above normal interest in you

o Dress appropriately for your role

o Only use e-mail contact with pupils via the school’s system

o Avoid unnecessary physical contact with children

o Ensure you understand the rules concerning physical restraint

o Where physical contact is essential for educational or safety reasons, gain pupil’s permission for that contact wherever possible

o Allow children to change clothes with levels of respect and privacy appropriate to their age, gender, culture and circumstances

o Use humour to defuse difficult situations

o Avoid working in one-to-one situations with children where possible, except where this is explicitly part of your role.

o If working in a one to one situation with a child, ensure that you are within sight of another adult – e.g. by having a door open/being behind a glass partition/working in one corner of a room whilst another adult is operating elsewhere in the room.

o Ensure Senior staff are aware of when and where you are holding a 1:1.

o If you are unhappy about the venue arrangements, take this up with your Headteacher before entering into these.

o Avoid volunteering to house children overnight

o Ensure that areas of the curriculum that may involve sexually explicit information are taught in accordance with school policies

o Be careful about recording images of children and do this only when it is an approved educational activity

o Contact your professional association or trade Union if you are the subject of concerns or allegations of a child protection nature

o Fully co-operate with any investigation into child protection issues in the school. Listen to pupils when they express concern (rumours) about staff which might appear to be just, and check facts v fiction

DON’T:

o Take any action that would lead a reasonable person to question your motivation and/or intentions

o Misuse in any way your position of power and influence over children

o Use any confidential information about a child to intimidate, humiliate or embarrass a child

o Engage in activities out of school that might compromise your position within school

o Establish or seek to establish social contact with pupils outside of school

o Accept regular gifts from children

o Give personal gifts to children

o Communicate with pupils in inappropriate ways, including personal e-mails and mobile telephones.

o Pass your home address, phone number, e-mail address or other personal details to pupils/children.

o Make physical contact secretive

o Arrange to meet with pupils in closed rooms without senior staff being made aware of this in advance.

o Use physical punishment of any kind

o Confer special attention on one child unless this is part of an agreed school plan or policy

o Transport pupils in your own vehicle without prior management approval

o Take, publish or share images of pupils or other children without their parents’ permission.

o Access abuse images (sometimes referred to as child pornography) or other inappropriate material

o Abuse your position of trust with pupils

o Allow boundaries to be unsafe in more informal settings such as trips out, out of school activities etc