Learning Hive fully recognises its responsibilities for safeguarding. Our policy applies to all Staff, Management team, external agencies and volunteers working for Learning Hive.
At no point whist in the care of Learning Hive, should any student under the age of 16 be left unsupervised at any Learning Hive school. Please refer to the Failure to Collect policy for information relating to the safeguarding of children before and after a Learning Hive session.
There are six main elements to our policy:
We recognise that because of the day-to-day contact with children, Learning Hive staff have all received ‘Level 2 Safeguarding’ training and therefore, have the knowledge and skills to observe the outward signs of ‘need’. The Learning Hive will therefore:
We will follow the procedures set out by the Local Safeguarding Children Board and take account of guidance issued by the Department for Education ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ to:
We recognise that children who are abused or witness violence may find it difficult to develop a sense of self-worth. They may feel helplessness, humiliation and some sense of blame. Learning Hive may be the only stable, secure and predictable element in the lives of children at risk. When at Learning Hive their behaviour may be challenging and defiant or they may be withdrawn. Learning Hive will endeavour to support such student through:
Dealing with Child Abuse is a complex, multi-agency procedure which is defined within a legal framework. Learning Hive will follow the recommended procedures as set out by the school. Because of the length and close proximity of contact with children, tutors are often best placed to identify the symptoms of need/neglect/abuse.
The role of tutors is basically defined as:
(a) Assisting in the identification of need/neglect/abuse
(b) Providing support to such who have a need/neglect/abuse
Learning Hive is not an investigation or an intervention agency for child protection, but it has an important role to play in the recognition of need/neglect/abuse and has a responsibility to notify the school.
A child may be at risk from any combination of the following four categories:
This involves physical injury to the child, including deliberate poisoning and forcing a child to consume drugs such as tobacco and alcohol. It may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical abuse may also be caused when a parent or carer feigns the symptoms of, or deliberately causes, ill health to a child whom they are looking after (sometimes described as fabricated or induced illness by carers).
Symptoms may include:-
(a) Bruising - especially about the face and head.
(b) Slap marks.
(c) Cuts and abrasions.
This is illegal sexual activity involving a child or young person or, in the case of young people over the age of 16, sexual activity carried out without the person's consent, including coercion, threat and intimidation. Sexual abuse is forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. They may include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or producing pornographic material, watching sexual activities or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways. Pupils with special education needs and/or with behavioural and emotional problems are particularly vulnerable to such abuse.
Symptoms are more difficult to define but may include:
(a) Precocious and/or promiscuous behaviour
(b) Sexual references in interactions with others
(c) Sudden changes in behaviour - withdrawal, avoidance of social contact,
truancy, aggression
(d) Abnormal response to particular teaching situations e.g. lessons/discussions on sex and health education and inter-personal relationships
(e) Sudden deterioration of performance
(f) Anxiety and/or low self-esteem
(g) Knowledge of sexual matters beyond what would be expected
(h) Strong need for affection, sometimes expressed in physical terms
(i) Difficulty in trusting or defiance of teacher
(j) Fear of Learning hive medical examinations
(k) Vague pains or aches, possibly arising from psychosomatic illness. (l) Threat of, or actual self-harm
This is persistent emotional ill-treatment of a child which causes severe and long lasting adverse effects on the child'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 feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children or cause children to feel frightened or in danger. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill-treatment of a child.
Symptoms may include:
(a) Withdrawal, fear of people or situations, a reluctance to participate in lessons
(b) Inappropriate responses to situations e.g. excessive aggression to a mild
reprimand, no or little response to shocking news
(c) Expressions of low self-worth and low self-esteem
(d) Lack of self-confidence, nervousness in group situations
(e) Distorted views of other people (the English teacher hates me)
(f) Negative attitudes and views of significant others (my father is a pig, my family
is no good, etc)
(g) Failure to make lasting, secure relationships
Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child's health or development. It may involve a parent or carer failing to protect a child from physical harm or danger, or the failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child's basic emotional needs.
Some symptoms are:
(a) Small physical size, poor growth
(b) Dirty, unkempt appearance
(c) Poor awareness of personal hygiene
(d) Symptoms of physical illness in Learning Hive
(e) Evidence of poor care outside Learning Hive e.g. the child is seen wandering the streets late at night, or is in the company of older children/young people
(f) Poor eating habits, an unbalanced diet, constantly asking for food or money to buy food from others, stealing food or money to buy food time.
At Learning Hive, we work hard to protect children. This includes identity protection.
In this respect, we issue parents with a letter seeking their approval for taking and using images of children.
If the collection of a student is changed at short notice and there’s a cause for concern, Learning Hive will contact the parent to verify using the contact details provided on enrolment.Summary:
What is child abuse?
What to do?
What not to do?
Guidelines for all staff
Abuse could be:
If an allegation of abuse is made:
The following MUST be told:
Consequences
If such an allegation involves a member of staff, additionally Atif Hussain (Learning Hive Director) must be told and action taken in relation to the Learning Hive’s Staff Discipline Policy.
Procedure to follow when you have reason to suspect that a child or young person is suffering, or likely to suffer, some form of significant harm, or when an allegation of abuse has been made:
Please note carefully: Any allegation of child abuse against any member of staff including an allegation against you, must be treated with the utmost seriousness.
*This policy links with the following other policies: GDPR policy, Code of Conduct, Behaviour and Anti-Bullying policy, Safer-recruitment policy, Teaching and Learning policy, Whistleblowing policy, Health and Safety, Diversity and Inclusion and Failure to Collect policy.
Reviewed by: Atif Hussain (Director & Designated Safeguarding Lead)
Written by: Nayeer Afzal (Designated Safeguarding Lead)
Date: 20/10/2021
Date of next review: 20/10/2022