CHILD PROTECTION AND SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN POLICY

CHILDREN HAVE SAID THAT THEY NEED:

• Vigilance and professional curiosity: to have adults notice when things are troubling them

• Listening, understanding and action: to understand what is happening; to be heard and understood; and to have that understanding acted upon

• Stability: to be able to develop an on-going stable relationship of trust with those helping them

• Respect: to be treated with the expectation that they are competent rather than not

• Information and engagement: to be informed about and involved in procedures, decisions, concerns and plans

• Explanation: to be informed of the outcome of assessments and decisions and reasons when their views have not met with a positive response

• Support: to be provided with support in their own right, as well as a member of their family

• Advocacy: to be provided with advocacy to assist them in putting forward their views                                         (taken from Working together to safeguard children)

This policy with procedures is Holiday Academy’s Safeguarding and Child protection 1 (please also see policy, Safeguarding 2). Our core safeguarding principles are:

• It is everyone’s responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children
• Children who are and feel safe, learn more successfully
• Policies will be reviewed annually, unless an incident or new legislation or guidance suggests the need for an earlier date of review

Policy statement

We recognise our moral and statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children. We are alert to the signs of abuse and neglect and follow our procedures to ensure that children receive effective support, protection and justice. This policy sets out how the Holiday Academy day-camp will meet its statutory duty under section 175 of the Education Act 2002 to safeguard and promote the welfare of children to achieve good outcomes.

Holiday Academy day-camp will prove a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued. By ensuring Holiday Academy day-camp  staff have the skills and knowledge to take action where children need extra support from early help services or require a social work service, we will meet these needs. The procedures contained in this policy apply to all staff.

(KCSIE Update 2022) “Preventative education is most effective in the context of a whole-school or college approach that prepares pupils and students for life in modern Britain and creates a culture of zero tolerance for sexism, misogyny/misandry, homophobia, biphobic and sexual violence/harassment…These will be underpinned by the school/college’s behaviour policy and pastoral support system, as well as by a planned programme of evidence-based RSHE delivered in regularly timetabled lessons and reinforced throughout the whole curriculum.”

Principles

• Holiday Academy will ensure that the welfare of children is given paramount consideration when developing and delivering all activities and when making any decisions
• All children, regardless of age, gender, ability, culture, race, language, religion or sexual identity, have equal rights to protection
• All staff have an equal responsibility to act on any suspicion or disclosure that may suggest a child is at risk of harm in accordance with this guidance
• All pupils and staff involved in child protection issues will receive appropriate support from the management who will follow this policy guidance in doing so

Aims

• To provide all staff with training on the necessary information to enable them to meet their statutory responsibilities to promote and safeguard the wellbeing of children
• To ensure staff have received all policies, procedures and risk assessments ahead of each holiday
• To ensure consistent and updated good practice across Holiday Academy
• To demonstrate Holiday Academy’s commitment with regard to safeguarding children

Responsibilities of all staff at Holiday Academy towards children (see Addendum for extended version) is to:

• give highest priority to their safety and welfare
• recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns relating to children, young people (and colleagues)
• respond appropriately to disclosure by a child or young person, of abuse
• respond appropriately to allegations against staff, other adults and against themselves
• understand and implement safe practice
• be alert to the risks which abusers, or potential abusers may pose, and vigorously pursue concerns
• be aware of the importance of your role in promoting the safety and welfare of children and young people
• to keep children and parents’ details confidential on a need to know basis, respecting their privacy
• to keep their knowledge constantly updated in these rapidly changing times

3. Terminology

Safeguarding refers to the process of protecting children from abuse or neglect, promoting the welfare of children by ensuring that children grow up in circumstances that are safe, effective and nurturing and that care is taken to enable those children to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully. The welfare of the child is paramount.

Child protection refers to the processes undertaken to meet statutory obligations laid out in the first Children Act 1989, and then updated in 2004 (encouraging partnerships), Every Child Matters 2003, and associated guidance (see Working Together to Safeguard Children, An Interagency Guide to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children) in respect of those children who have been identified as suffering, or being at risk of suffering harm.

Purpose of policy/mission statement

Holiday Academy day-camp takes a holistic approach to safeguarding and child protection, and children’s safety and welfare will be the  key-focus when developing policies so that the Holiday Academy day-camp environment and culture is one where:

• Children know how to raise concerns, feel safe to raise concerns and are confident that their concerns will be taken seriously
• Staff are equipped to deal sensitively and effectively with concerns and disclosures, including ‘low-level’ concerns, child on child abuse, and ‘early help’ as detailed in this policy
• Inclusive and anti-discriminatory behaviour is an expectation for staff and children
• All forms of bullying, harassment, discrimination, violence, or inappropriate, sexualised or offensive language and behaviour are not tolerated

The wishes and feelings of children are taken into account at all times.

Key internal contact details

Key external contact details

1. Local authority child protection contact details

1. Additional contact details

1. Neighbouring borough local authority child protection contact details

1. Useful contacts

Other Holiday Academy day-camp policies that refer to safeguarding

Introduction

This policy is reviewed annually and upon changes and recommendations, by the Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO). The policy is available by email or upon request. All staff are emailed a copy ahead of every holiday, and the local authority contacts are emailed separately

For the purposes of this policy, the term ‘staff’ refers to all Holiday Academy staff working as key-persons for their groups and forest school groups, although the session leaders are also emailed the safeguarding and child protection policies. Throughout this policy parents, guardians and carers are referred to as ‘parents’. The term ‘day-camp’ also refers to the outdoor forest school provision.

Concerns about a child

The Staff and Management are committed to safeguarding all its children from holiday to holiday. Many children are returning and we keep a confidential observation book to piece together any information shared at the staff morning meetings or any other times, tracking children’s behaviour or any relevant details. The DSO monitors this book from holiday to holiday when handling children’s attendance data.

The Holiday Academy day-camp has a duty to consider at all times the best interests of the child and take action to enable all children to achieve the  best outcomes. Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility.

Holiday Academy day-camp ensures safeguarding and child protection are at the forefront and underpin all relevant aspects of process and policy development.

Parents are encouraged to raise any concerns directly with the Holiday Academy day-camp, if necessary using this safeguarding policy for concerns about the safety and/or welfare of children. Parents may contact Ofsted, NSPCC, or the local authority directly.

Definitions of Safeguarding and Types and Signs of Abuse

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as protecting children from maltreatment or harm: preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical 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.

“Harm can include ill treatment that is not physical as well as the impact of witnessing ill treatment of others. This can be particularly relevant, for example, in relation to the impact on children of all forms of domestic abuse. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or, more rarely, by others.”

These changes reflect the general increased awareness of the wider impact of domestic abuse, and come at a time following the pandemic when, according to the Office for National Statistics, domestic abuse victim services saw “an increase in demand”, particularly as lockdown measures eased.

Abuse is a form of maltreatment of a child. Abuse may be caused by inflicting harm or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting. When harm is carried out by a person, it may be by those known to them or, more rarely, by others. It may be carried out by adults as well as children. Abuse can take place wholly online, or technology may be used to facilitate offline abuse. Abuse can be:

• Physical abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Neglect

It also includes:

• Child criminal exploitation (CCE); more details below
• Child sexual exploitation (CSE); more details below

All Holiday Academy day-camp staff should be aware that abuse, neglect and safeguarding issues are rarely stand alone  events that can be covered by one definition or label. In most cases, multiple issues will overlap with one another.

Child protection is part of the safeguarding agenda that focuses on preventing maltreatment and protecting children at risk of neglect or abuse. Under the Children Act 1989, local authority social work services have a legal duty to investigate and take any action to protect children where there are concerns that they are at risk of suffering significant harm, which is defined as:

Physical abuse: a form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child.

Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

Most children collect cuts and bruises quite routinely as part of the rough and tumble of daily life. Clearly, it is not necessary to be concerned about most of these minor injuries. However, accidental injuries normally occur on the bony prominences – e.g., shins. Injuries on the soft areas of the body are more likely to be inflicted intentionally and should therefore make us more alert to other concerning factors that may be present.

A body map (as seen on the accident/incident form) can assist in the clear recording and reporting of physical abuse. The body map should only be used to record observed injuries and no child should be asked to remove clothing by any member of staff. Should they choose to remove clothing themselves, however, observed injuries should be mapped on an accident/incident form (if one is not available, please draw a body outline to record the injuries).

Indicators of Physical abuse/ factors that should increase concern

In the social context of the Holiday Academy day-camp, it is normal to ask about a noticeable injury, and a child arriving at Holiday Academy with an injury must have an accident/incident form completed and signed by parents before entering the day-camp.

The response to such an enquiry is generally light-hearted and detailed. So, most of all, concern should be increased when:

• The explanation given does not match the injury
• The explanation uses words or phrases that do not match the vocabulary of the child (adult’s words) no explanation is forthcoming
• The child (or the parent/carer) is secretive or evasive

• The injury is accompanied by allegations of abuse or assault

You should be concerned if the child or young person:

• Is reluctant to have parents/carers contacted
• Runs away or shows fear of going home
• Is aggressive towards themselves or others
• Flinches when approached or touched
• Is reluctant to undress to change clothing for sport
• Wears long sleeves during hot weather
• Is unnaturally compliant in the presence of parents/carers
• Has a fear of medical help or attention
• Admits to a punishment that appears excessive

Emotional abuse: the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another

person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include

interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child from participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyberbullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, although it may occur alone.

The nature of emotional abuse

• Most harm is produced in low warmth, high criticism homes, not from single incidents
• Emotional abuse is difficult to define, identify/recognise and/or prove
• Emotional abuse is chronic and cumulative and has a long-term impact
• All kinds of abuse and neglect have emotional effects although emotional abuse can occur by itself
• Children can be harmed by witnessing someone harming another person – as in domestic violence

It is sometimes possible to spot emotionally abusive behaviour from parents and carers to their children, by the way that the adults are speaking to, or behaving towards children. An appropriate challenge or intervention could affect positive change and prevent more intensive work being carried out later on.

Indicators of emotional abuse

Sexual abuse: involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not

necessarily involving a high level of violence, or any violence whatsoever, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse. Sexual abuse can take place online, and technology can be used to facilitate offline abuse. Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can peers and other children. The sexual abuse of children by other children is a specific safeguarding issue which will be addressed later. It is one of a number of the many forms of peer-on-peer abuse.

The nature of sexual abuse

Sexual abuse is often perpetrated by people who are known and trusted by the child – e.g., relatives, family friends, neighbours, babysitters, and people working with the child in Holiday Academy day-camp, faith settings, clubs or activities. Children can also be subject to child sexual exploitation.

Characteristics of child sexual abuse:

• It is often planned and systematic – people do not sexually abuse children by accident, though sexual abuse can be opportunistic
• Grooming the child – people who abuse children take care to choose a vulnerable child and often spend time making them dependent
• Grooming the child’s environment – abusers try to ensure that potential adult protectors (parents and other carers especially) are not suspicious of their motives

Indicators of sexual abuse

Neglect: 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. Neglect may occur during pregnancy, for example, as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to: provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment); protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger; ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or ensure access to appropriate  medical/dental care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

Indicators of neglect

Staff are referred to Appendix 1 of this policy for further detail of the types of abuse and possible signs of abuse.

Procedures for dealing with concerns about a child

If staff suspect or hear any allegation or complaint of abuse, exploitation, or neglect from a child or any third party, they must act immediately and follow the relevant procedure below. Staff should not assume that somebody else will take action and share information that might be critical in keeping children safe. A flow-chart for appropriate reporting can be found in appendix 3.

The guidance, ‘Information Sharing: Advice for Practitioners Providing Safeguarding Services to Children, Young People, Parents and Carers’ supports staff who have to make decisions about sharing  information. Fears regarding sharing information under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR is over-ridden by the need to safeguard and promote the welfare, and protect the safety of children, and neither the DPA 2018 or the UK GDPR present the sharing of information for the purposes of keeping children safe. If in doubt about what information can and should be shared, staff should speak to the Designated Safeguarding Officer(‘DSO’). This means information must be shared, but confidentially, on a need-to-know basis.

All staff should:

• Allow them to speak freely and listen carefully
• Remain calm and do not over react – the child may stop talking if they feel they are upsetting you.
• Give reassuring nods or words of comfort – ‘I’m so sorry this has happened’, ‘I want to help’, ‘This isn’t your fault’, ‘You are doing the right thing in talking to me’.
• Do not be afraid of silences – remember how hard this must be for the child.
• Under no circumstances ask investigative questions – e.g. how many times this has happened, whether it happens to siblings too, or what does the child’s mother thinks about all this.
• Avoid asking leading questions and understand the reason for this
• At an appropriate time tell the child that in order to help them that ‘you must pass the information on’.
• Do not say that everything is going to be fine, or make promises.
• Do not automatically offer any physical touch as comfort. It may not be comforting to a child who has been abused or is stressed.
• Avoid telling-off the child for not saying anything to anyone before. Saying ‘I do wish you had told me about this when it started’ or ‘I can’t believe what I’m hearing’ as the child may interpret it that they have done something wrong. Ensure that the child is not made to feel ashamed for making the report or given the impression that they are creating a problem by making the report
• Tell the child what will happen next. The child may agree to go with you to see the DSO/DDO. Otherwise let them know that you will talk to them again before the end of the day, and have a member of staff support them 1:1 in between times. You do not have to give full details to this member of staff, and this is a ‘need to know’ situation of confidentiality.
• Report verbally to the designated person and write up your conversation as soon as possible on any piece of paper if you don’t have the record of concern form, and hand it to the designated person.
• Seek support for your own distress away from all children’s hearing, and let the DSO and/or DDO know how you are, but keep confidentiality by not mentioning names or saying anything identifying the child if you are talking to others.

All concerns, discussions and decisions (together with reasons) made under these procedures should be recorded in writing to and/or by the DSO. The record should include a clear and comprehensive summary of the concern, details of how the concern was followed up and resolved and a note of any action taken, the decision reached and the outcome. The record should include the date, time and place of the conversation and detail of what was said and done by whom and in whose presence and signed by the person making it. Where the allegation relates to harmful sexual behaviours, if possible the disclosure should be managed with two members of staff present (preferably one of them being the Designated Safeguarding Officer or their deputy). The information should be kept confidential and stored securely, ensuring that the file is only accessible to those who  need to see it, and is shared in accordance with the guidance set out in parts one and two of KCSIE.

Where there is a safeguarding concern, Holiday Academy day-camp will ensure the child’s wishes and feelings are taken into account when determining what action to take and what services to provide (provided they are deemed old enough to make an informed decision). This is particularly important in the context of harmful behaviours such as sexual harassment and sexual violence. Holiday Academy day-camp manages all concerns by speaking to the child and by ensuring that there are systems in place, that are well promoted, easily understood and easily accessible for children to confidently report abuse, knowing  their concerns will be treated seriously, and knowing they can safely express their views and give feedback. The Holiday Academy day-camp operates its processes with the best interests of the child at their heart.

Contextual Safeguarding

Safeguarding incidents and/or behaviours can be associated with factors outside the Holiday Academy day-camp and can    occur between children outside Holiday Academy day-camp. All staff, but especially the DSO and DDO, should consider the context within which such incidents and/or behaviours occur. The Holiday Academy day-camp will, as part of  the wider assessment of children, consider whether environmental factors are present in a child’s life that are a threat to their safety and/or welfare. The Holiday Academy day-camp will fully share information with Children’s Social Care as possible as part of the referral process to enable consideration of all the available evidence and the full context of any abuse.

Early Help

Any child may benefit from early help but all staff should be particularly alert to the potential need for early help for a child who:

• Is an asylum seeker
• Is living away from home
• Is vulnerable to being bullied, or engaging in bullying
• Is living in temporary accommodation
• Is living a transient lifestyle
• Is living in chaotic, neglectful and unsupportive home situations
• Is vulnerable to discrimination and maltreatment on the grounds of race, ethnicity, religion or sexuality
• does not have English as a first language.
• Is disabled or has certain health conditions and has specific additional needs
• Has special educational needs (whether or not they have a statutory education, health and care plan)
• Has a mental health need
• Is a young carer
• Is showing signs of being drawn in to anti-social or criminal behaviour, including gang involvement and association with organised crime groups, prostitution, trafficking or county lines
• Is frequently missing/goes missing from care, school, or from home
• Is misusing drugs or alcohol themselves
• Is at risk of modern slavery, trafficking or sexual or criminal exploitation https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/modern-slavery-how-to-identify-and-support-victims

• Is in a family circumstance presenting challenges for the child, such as substance abuse, adult mental health issues or domestic abuse
• Has returned home to their family from care

• Is showing early signs of abuse and/or neglect
• Is at risk of being radicalised or exploited
• Has a family member in prison, or is affected by parental offending
• Is experiencing, or is at risk of experiencing family ostracism
• Is or has been experiencing being identified as ‘possessed’, ‘evil’ or requiring exorcism from witchcraft or sorcery – see appendix
• Is experiencing, or is at risk of experiencing community or faith community, cult, worship or ‘honour’-based ostracism
• Is at risk of ‘honour’-based abuse such as Female Genital Mutilation, Forced Marriage, virginity testing, enforced abortion, economic abuse and coercive control etc.
• Is a privately and/or internationally fostered child
• Is persistently absent from education, including persistent absences for part of the Holiday Academy day-camp day for a child who arrives and leaves without adult supervision

Early help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges at any point in a child’s life, from the foundation years through to the teenage years.

In the first instance, staff who consider that a child may benefit from early help should discuss this with the DSO, who will consider the appropriate action to take in accordance with the Camden Safeguarding Children Board referral threshold document. The DSO will support staff in liaising with external agencies and professionals in an inter-agency assessment, as appropriate. If early help is appropriate, the matter will be kept under review and consideration given to a referral   to children’s social care if the child’s situation does not appear to be improving.

What staff should do if they have concerns about a child

If staff have any concerns about a child (as opposed to a child being in immediate danger), they should, where possible act immediately and speak with Holiday Academy day-camp’s DSO to agree a course of action although staff can make a direct referral to children’s social care. As set out above, staff should not assume that somebody else will take action and share information that might be critical in keeping children safe; they should maintain an attitude of “it could happen here”. If anyone other than the DSO makes a referral, they should inform the DSO as soon as possible that a referral has been made, unless the DSO is subject to an allegation themselves. If a child’s situation does not appear to be improving, the DSO should follow up with children’s social care for reconsideration. Staff should challenge any inaction and follow this up with the DSO and children’s social care as appropriate. All concerns, discussions and decisions made and the reasons for those decisions should be recorded in writing with a time-line.

What staff should do if a child is in danger or at risk of harm

If anyone of the staff believe that a child is in immediate danger or at risk of harm, they have a duty and must contact the DSO, who will make an immediate referral to children’s social care and/or the Police. In the absence of the    DSO, anyone can make a referral. Any such referral must be made immediately and in any event within 24 hours (one working day) of staff being aware of the risk. Parental consent is not needed for  referrals to statutory agencies such as the police and children’s social care. If anyone other than the DSO makes a referral, they should inform the DSO as soon as possible that a referral has been made. The local authority social worker should acknowledge receipt to the referrer within 24 hours and make a decision about the next steps and type of response required. Staff should challenge any

inaction and follow this up with the DSO and children’s social care as appropriate. All concerns, discussions and decisions made and the reasons for those decisions should be recorded in writing.

The Holiday Academy day-camp’s Local Safeguarding Children Board is Camden. A full copy of their local procedures can be found at https://cscp.org.uk/

Staff have a duty of care to ensure that their behaviour and actions do not place children or themselves at risk of harm or of allegations of harm to a child (for example, in one-to-one tuition,    sports coaching, engaging in inappropriate communication with a child, eg, use of staff mobile phones, email, text, gifts, cards and notes etc.).

What staff should do if a child is seen as at risk of radicalisation

https://educateagainsthate.com/radicalisation-and-extremism/

• Staff should follow the Holiday Academy day-camp’s normal referral processes when there are concerns about children who may be at risk of being drawn into terrorism, or from any extremist views, as set out above. This may include a Prevent referral or referral to children’s social care depending on the level of risk. However, if staff have concerns that there is an immediate/significant risk of a child being drawn into terrorism they must   call 999 or submit a referral form to or call them directly. Advice and support can also be sought from children’s social care. Educate Against Hate, a link where signs of radicalisation are shared, which are intended to help teachers inform themselves how to spot a pupil who may be becoming radicalised.

What staff should do if they discover an act of Female Genital Mutilation (‘FGM’) – which is a criminal offence since the Prohibition of Female Circumcision Act 1985, Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 and Serious Crime Act 2015.

Staff must report to the Police cases where they suspect a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering FGM. Unless the member of staff has a good reason not to, they should also consider and discuss any such case with DSO and involve children’s social care as appropriate. Staff are referred to  Appendix 1 of this policy for the procedure to be followed where they suspect that a child may even be at  risk of FGM. If a report has been made to the police then the member of staff must inform the DSO

What staff should do if they have concerns that children are at risk from or involved with serious violent crime

All staff should be aware of signs that a child is at risk from, or are involved  with serious violent crime. These may include increased absence from school, a change in behaviour, friendships or relationships with older individuals or groups, a significant decline in performance, signs of self-harm or a significant change in self-respect, wellbeing, signs of assault or unexplained injuries.

If staff have any concerns about a child (as opposed to a child being in immediate danger), they should, where possible, speak with the Holiday Academy day-camp’s DSO to agree a course of action, although staff can       make a direct referral to children’s social care.

How should staff respond to an incident of nudes and semi-nudes being shared by children

All members of staff have a duty to recognise and refer any incidents involving nudes and semi-nudes and will be equipped with the necessary safeguarding training and support to enable them to recognise concerns.

For this purpose, ‘sharing nudes/semi-nudes’ means the sending or posting of nude or semi-nude images, videos, or live streams by children under the age of 18 online. This could be via social media (including Snapchat), gaming platforms, chat apps (including WhatsApp and iMessage) or forums. It could also involve sharing between devices via services like Apple’s AirDrop which works offline. The sharing of nudes and semi-nudes may happen publicly online, in 1:1 messaging or via group chats and/or via closed social media accounts. The images, videos or live streams may include more than one child.

Any direct disclosure by a child will be taken seriously and staff will only ask appropriate and sensitive questions, in order to minimise further distress or trauma to them.

If staff are notified or become aware of an incident of nudes or semi-nudes being shared by a child or of a child, they should refer the incident to the DSO as soon as possible.

The DSO will follow the DDMSC/UKIS guidance “Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people” (December 2020) when responding to a report of            sharing nudes and/or semi-nudes. This will include:

• Holding an initial review meeting with appropriate staff who heard the disclosure
• Carrying out interviews with the children involved (if appropriate)
• Informing parents and carers at an early stage and keep them involved in the process in order to best support the child unless there is good reason to believe that involving them would put the child at risk of Any decision not to inform them should be made in

conjunction with other services such as children’s social care and/or the police, who would take the lead in deciding when they should be informed

• Carrying out a risk assessment to determine whether there is a concern that a child has been harmed or is at risk of immediate harm at any point in the process
• If not, the incident can be handled in Holiday Academy day-camp in accordance with the “sharing nudes” guidance and the Holiday Academy day-camp’s Child Protection and Behaviour management policies
• If it is determined that there is a risk of harm, the DSO must make a referral to children’s social care and/or the police immediately

All incidents relating to nudes and semi-nudes being shared need to be recorded, whether they have been referred externally or not. Holiday Academy day-camps must also record the reason for not reporting incidents externally. Records will be kept in line with statutory requirements set out in KCSIE and local safeguarding procedures. No copies of imagery will be taken  or retained.

This guidance does not apply to the sharing of images of children under 18 by an adult over 18 as this constitutes child sexual abuse. In the event that staff become aware of such an incident, they should notify the DSO immediately, who should always inform the Police as a matter of urgency.

What staff should do if they are given to believe a child goes missing from education

Children who go missing from education, particularly persistently, can be a vital warning sign to a range of safeguarding issues, including abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and child sexual and/or criminal exploitation. It is therefore important that Holiday Academy day-camp’s response to such absence supports identifying such abuse and helps prevent the risk of them going missing in the future. This may not apply directly to Holiday Academy day-camp but staff must be aware of this, and report any hearsay. Children may mention this at the day-camp, for example, and this would need reporting to the DSO, who would report on to the MASH team.

Where reasonably possible, Holiday Academy day-camp will hold more than one emergency contact number for each child to provide the Holiday Academy day-camp with additional options to contact a responsible adult particularly when a child missing from education is also identified as a welfare and/or safeguarding concern.

Holiday Academy day-camp will report to Camden Local Authority a child who fails to attend Holiday Academy day-camp regularly or frequently absent from Holiday Academy day-camp when there are other circumstances which have caused concern (obviously not if a booking has been cancelled or ignored).

What staff should do if a child needs a social worker (Children in Need and Child Protection Plans)

Children may need a social worker due to safeguarding or welfare needs. Children may need this

help due to abuse, neglect and complex family circumstances. A child’s experiences of adversity and  trauma can leave them vulnerable to further harm, as well as educationally disadvantaged in facing barriers to attendance, learning, behaviour and mental health.

Local authorities should share the fact a child has a social worker, and the DSO should hold and use

this information so that decisions can be made in the best interests of the child’s safety, welfare and educational outcomes. This should be considered as a matter of routine.

Where children need a social worker, this should inform decisions about safeguarding (for example, responding to unauthorised absence or missing education where there are known safeguarding risks) and about promoting welfare (for example, considering the provision of pastoral and/or academic support, alongside action by statutory services).

What staff should do if a child requires mental health support

The Holiday Academy day-camp has an important role to play in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of its children.  Mental health issues can, in some cases, be an indicator that a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering abuse, neglect or exploitation. The Holiday Academy day-camp aims to prevent health issues by promoting resilience and independence as part of a whole Holiday Academy day-camp approach to social and emotional wellbeing of children.

Any issues would be discussed at the morning staff meetings or at any point/by any means during the day with the DSO, with regard to a considered and consistent approach to positive behaviour management of the child concerned from all staff across the day-camp, and to confidentiality and respecting privacy.

The DSO and DDO are the mental health officers for Holiday Academy and would make a decision regarding the required level of further action (eg supporting and monitoring, meeting with parents), gaining advice, or referring to CAMHS (CAMHS is the name for the NHS services that assess and treat young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties. CAMHS support covers depression, problems with food and eating, self-harm, abuse, violence or anger, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety, among other difficulties) where there are concerns about a child’s mental and emotional   wellbeing.) (see key-contacts at the start of the policy). The DSO would make a written report with time-line.

Responding to self-harm, suicide, mental health framework

Holiday Academy day-camp also recognises that the early identification of mental health issues is critical in seeking to prevent the dangerous outcomes they can lead to such as suicide, self-harm or suicidal ideation. The DSO and DDO are the mental health officers for Holiday Academy and would make a decision regarding further action (eg monitoring, meeting with parents), gaining advice, or immediate referral to CAMHS (see key-contacts at the start of the policy).

There is much more to understand regarding young people’s mental health issues, and the

approach that can promote good mental health and high self-esteem. Holiday Academy day-camp is party to the    multi-agency protocol on children and young people’s mental health and will carry out its responsibilities under advice from CAMHS – see key-contacts at the start of this policy.

Holiday Academy day-camp acknowledges that all staff should be aware that any negativity associated with mental health issues, eg, condemnation of young people presenting with self-harming behaviour, will undermine all attempts to positively address mental health issues.

Staff will also challenge ANY negative or dismissive views expressed by children, colleagues or parents that mental health  issues and self-harming behaviour are, eg, unimportant, insignificant or dishonourable, and report to the DSO.

Holiday Academy day-camp will ensure that staff are promoting wellbeing (as part of statutory Health Education) during morning circle-time and whenever possible during the day, and ensure    children have an awareness of ‘self-care’ and know how to seek support. Holiday Academy day-camp will also ensure early identification of children who present with poor mental-health and, where appropriate, the DSO will feedback to parents, continue to monitor, or/and seek advice from the local authority.

Holiday Academy day-camp staff recognise that children experiencing a range of behaviour or emotional states that are outside of the usual range of their age or gender could be displaying signs or symptoms of mental health issues. Such issues could include emotional disorders (phobias or      anxiety), conduct disorders (defiance or anti-social behaviour (ASB)), hyperkinetic disorders (attention and disturbance), developmental delays, attachment difficulties or eating disorders.

Holiday Academy day-camp staff must make sure concerns are raised in meetings, with regard to confidentiality, or via contacting the DSO. Where concerns are raised that a child may be experiencing mental health issues, the concerns will be shared with the DSO, and then with the child and family before deciding together the best approach, as appropriate. Examples or observations of behaviour associated with mental health disorders will be reported appropriately by staff to the DSO, and escalated or sign-posted on, as required. Staff must be aware that they are not qualified to provide counselling to children who may require it, but can support by listening sensitively and carefully without necessarily giving their opinion.

Where mental health issues present a persistent barrier to enjoying Holiday Academy (eg the child remains upset or withdrawn after drop-off) the parents will be contacted immediately to decide a plan together.

Staff at Holiday Academy day-camp must acknowledge that significant life events can lead to mental health issues for some children regardless of the number of risk and protective factors in their lives. These may include loss or separation; life changes or traumatic events and staff are alert to the need to offer immediate intervention where necessary in response to such events and know to seek advice about such matters from the designated safeguarding lead.

Despite the best efforts of all staff, the more dangerous outcomes of mental health issues (self-harm and suicidal ideation) cannot always be prevented. In such instances, Holiday Academy day-camp will make every effort to address them sensitively and effectively in partnership with families, healthcare professionals etc and other extended services.

Where self-harm, threats of self-harm or suicidal ideation are known to have taken place, staff at Holiday Academy day-camp must inform the DSO immediately. It may be necessary in such circumstances for the child to be taken to the local accident and emergency centre, to receive first aid at Holiday Academy day-camp or to have an emergency GP appointment arranged by the family. All such decisions would be taken by the DSO in collaboration with the child and the family, as  appropriate.

What to do if you are concerned about a young person’s mental health

• Member of staff is concerned about a child’s mental health
• Initial concerns to be raised with DSO
• DSO then shares concern with parents, as appropriate
• Agree a course of action together with child, as appropriate

Further information can be found here:

https://cscp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Interim-multi-agency-protocol-on-children-and- young-people%E2%80%99s-mental-health-2021.pdf

What staff should do if they have safeguarding concerns about another staff member

If staff have safeguarding concerns about another staff member, or any adult at the venue of, or connected with Holiday Academy, this should be referred to    the DSO. Where there are concerns about the DSO, then this is referred to ‘whistle-blowing’ (see whistle-blowing policy) and reporting needs to be directly to Ofsted, NSPCC, local authority or police (see key contact details at the start of this policy).

The DFE has issued statutory guidance which all Holiday Academy day-camps and local authorities must follow when a potential child protection allegation is made against a member of staff or any adult at the venue of, or connected with Holiday Academy. The guidance is contained within the document: Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1101454/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2022.pdf

It is expected that all staff involved in the management of allegations of abuse will comply at all times with statutory guidance.

What staff should do it they have concerns about safeguarding practices in the Holiday Academy day-camp

Holiday Academy day-camp aims to ensure there is a culture of safety and raising concerns and an attitude of ‘it could happen here’. Where staff have concerns about poor or unsafe practices and potential failures in Holiday Academy day-camp’s safeguarding systems, these should be raised in accordance with Holiday Academy day-camp’s whistle-blowing procedures. This can be found in the Whistleblowing Policy, emailed to all staff ahead of each holiday, and a hard-copy kept in the lobby area at Cavendish school venue. There will be no action taken against a     member of staff for making such a report unless the report is intentionally malicious. If staff feel unable to raise an issue with Holiday Academy day-camp or feel that their genuine concerns are not being addressed, they may use other whistleblowing channels, such as the NSPCC whistleblowing advice line. Contact details for the NSPCC helpline can be found on the key contacts      page at the start of this policy.

How to report child on child (incl. peer on peer) allegations of sexual violence  and harassment)

Child on child abuse is any form of abuse by one or more children against another child (up to 18 yrs old). It can be stand alone or as  part of wider abuse, and can happen both inside and outside of Holiday Academy day-camp, and digitally or online. Child on child abuse can manifest itself in many ways, including bullying, cyber bullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying, physical abuse (such as shoving, hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical harm), initiation/hazing type/ritual type abuse, upskirting, sexting, consensual and non-consensual sharing of nudes and/or semi-nudes or other inappropriate clips or images (violence etc), sexual assault, gender-based abuse, sexual behaviours including child on child sexual violence and sexual harassment, causing someone to engage in sexual activity without consent (eg forcing someone to strip, touch themselves sexually, or to engage in sexual activity with a third party), or abuse within intimate partner relationships.

Child on child abuse needs to be reported to the DSO, as if it was any other safeguarding issue, whether they have  happened in Holiday Academy day-camp or outside of it, and/or online. If staff are aware of abuse that occurs online or outside of Holiday Academy day-camp  they still have a duty of care to report.

Staff will address any inappropriate behaviour (even if it appears to be relatively innocuous) to help prevent problematic, abusive and/or violent behaviour in the future. Abusive comments and interactions should never be passed off or dismissed as “banter” or “part of growing up”. Nor will harmful sexual behaviours, including sexual comments, remarks or jokes and online sexual harassment, be dismissed as the same or “just having a laugh” or girls being girls/boys will be boys…. Staff will also challenge physical behaviour (that would be potentially criminal in nature), such as grabbing bottoms, breasts and genitalia, or disturbing clothing incl. giving ‘wedgies’, pulling down trousers, flicking bras and lifting up skirts. Dismissing or tolerating such behaviours risks normalising them. All concerns and incidents of child on child abuse    must be reported to the DSO.

Holiday Academy day-camp acknowledges that even if there have been no reported cases of child on child abuse in relation to children within the Holiday Academy day-camp, such abuse or any other abuse may still have happened and is not being reported. Holiday Academy day-camp will ensure that children are supported and aware of how they can report abuse, either through the key-people for their group, the DSO/DDO, or via Childline, NSPCC etc (see key-contacts at the start of this policy).

Holiday Academy day-camp recognises that a child is likely to disclose an allegation to someone they trust, and that staff at a holiday day-camp are in a unique position of not being their school teachers but still held in a position of trust. Holiday Academy day-camp also recognises that children may find it easier to disclose verbally but with an indirect statement which the staff need to interpret, or non-verbally by certain behaviour or actions. It is also recognised that an incident or allegation may come to a member of staff’s attention through a report from a friend, or by overhearing conversations. It is therefore important that all staff are clear on Holiday Academy day-camp’s policy and procedures for child on child abuse, can recognise the indicators and signs, and know how to identify it, and how to respond.

Holiday Academy day-camp recognises that a first disclosure to a trusted adult may only be the first incident reported. It is not necessarily representative of a singular incident. Staff will take all reports of abuse     seriously regardless of how long it has taken for the child to come forward. Staff will act immediately  and will support the victim when they raise a concern.

The Holiday Academy day-camp recognises that children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or certain  health conditions can face additional safeguarding challenges and may be more prone to peer-on- peer group isolation or bullying (including prejudice-based bullying). The DSO would allocate a specific key-person for this child, who would then be frequently liaising with the DSO. Holiday Academy day-camp also recognises that certain children may face additional barriers to reporting an incident of abuse because of their vulnerability, disability, sex, ethnicity and/or sexual orientation.

Child on child abuse will be managed through the Holiday Academy day-camp Anti-Bullying Policy. Victims of peer to peer abuse and the ‘abuser’ will be supported through external agencies if required.

Where an issue of child behaviour or bullying gives ‘reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, harm’, staff should follow the procedures below rather than the  Anti-Bullying procedure:

A child against whom an allegation of abuse has been made may be suspended from the Holiday Academy day-camp during the investigation. The Holiday Academy day-camp will take advice from the Camden Safeguarding partnership on the investigation of such allegations and will take all appropriate action to ensure the safety and welfare of all children involved including the alleged victim and ‘abuser(s)’. In the unlikely event that it is necessary for a child to be interviewed by the Police in relation to allegations of abuse, Holiday Academy day-camp will ensure that, subject to the advice of the Camden Safeguarding Partnership, parents are informed as soon as possible and that the children involved are supported during the interview by an appropriate adult and until the investigation is completed. Appropriate confidentiality will be an important consideration for the Holiday Academy day-camp and advice will be sought as necessary from the Camden Safeguarding Partners and/ or the Police as appropriate. Holiday Academy day-camp will have regard to the procedures set out in  KCSIE and the SVSH (Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges) at all times.

Police may be informed of any harmful sexual behaviours which are potentially criminal in nature, such as grabbing bottoms, breasts and genitalia, incl. pulling at clothes to reveal underwear or to make nude. Rape, assault by penetration and sexual assaults will be passed straight to the police. If the DSO decides to make a referral to children’s social care and/or a report to the police against a victim’s wishes, the reasons should be explained to the child and appropriate specialist support offered. The DSO may also decide that the children involved may benefit from early help, and may make the necessary referral in accordance with the Camden Safeguarding Children Executive referral process.

Holiday Academy day-camp’s approach to sexting is that it is forbidden by any staff or children at any time. This includes taking videos / images as a participant or bystander of any incident that may be considered abuse, and also the sharing of these clips and images.

Holiday Academy day-camp will follow the DDMSC/UKIS guidance “Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people” (December 2020) when responding to    an allegation that nudes and/or semi-nudes have been shared.

In the event of disclosures about peer-on-peer abuse, all children involved (both victim and ‘abuser (s)’) will be treated as being at risk, and safeguarding procedures in accordance with this policy will be followed. Victims will be supported by the DSO and support from   external agencies will be sought, as appropriate.

When there has been a report of sexual violence, the DSO will make an immediate risk and needs assessment. Where there has been a report of sexual harassment, the need for a risk assessment   should be considered on a case-by-case basis. The risk and needs assessment should consider:

• The victim
• Whether there may have been other victims
• The alleged ‘abuser’(s)
• All the other children (and, if appropriate, staff) at the Holiday Academy day-camp especially any actions that are appropriate to protect them from the alleged ‘abuser’(s), or from future harms

Risk assessments will be recorded (written or electronic) and kept under review. In relation to a report of sexual violence or sexual harassment, the DSO (and indeed all staff) will reassure any victim

that they are being taken seriously and that they will be supported and kept safe. The victim will never be made to feel ashamed for making a report nor will they be given the impression that they are creating a problem by reporting sexual violence or sexual harassment; nor would a victim ever have their experience minimised or viewed negatively. The DSO will consider the risks posed to children and put adequate measures in place to protect them and keep them safe as they go forwards from their time at Holiday Academy. This may include reporting to the Safeguarding lead at the child’s school the next term. Holiday Academy day-camp will also consider the risks posed to the victim from other needs, including physical, mental and sexual health issues, including  unwanted pregnancy, which may arise as a result of the incident, and will recommend additional support as appropriate.

The DSO will keep a written record of all concerns, discussions and decisions made.

The DSO will reflect on reported concerns, including the decisions made and actions taken, in order to identify any patterns of concerning, problematic of inappropriate behaviour which may indicate an unacceptable culture, or any weaknesses in Holiday Academy day-camp’s safeguarding system requiring additional training or amendments to relevant policies. Where a pattern is identified Holiday Academy day-camp will decide on an appropriate course of action.

In the event that a report is proven to be false, unsubstantiated, unfounded or malicious, the DSO will need to consider what action to take and whether the child and/or the person who has made the allegation is in need of help or may have been abused by someone else and this is a cry for help. If a report is shown to be deliberately invented or malicious, the DSO will take appropriate action based on Holiday Academy day-camps policies and procedures, and with advice from appropriate professionals.

Abuse of trust

All staff are aware that inappropriate behaviour towards children is unacceptable and that their conduct towards all children must be beyond reproach.

In addition, staff should understand that, under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, it is an offence for a person over the age of 18 to have a sexual relationship with a person under the age of 18, where that person is in a position of trust, even if the relationship is consensual. This means that any sexual activity between a member of staff and a child under 18 may be a criminal offence, even if that child is over the age of consent. A child under 16 can never ‘consent’.

Holiday Academy’s Code of Ethical Practice sets out our expectations of staff.

Arrangements for reporting safeguarding concerns or allegations of abuse regarding staff

Holiday Academy day-camp’s procedures for managing allegations against staff or any adult on site or connected with Holiday Academy who are currently working in the Holiday Academy day-camp whether in a paid or unpaid capacity follows DFE statutory guidance and Camden Child Safeguarding Board arrangements and applies when staff (including volunteers) have (or are alleged to have):

• Behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child; and or
• Possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child; and or
• Behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicated that they may pose a risk of harm if they were to work regularly or closely with children; and/or
• Behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with children, including behaviour that may have happened outside of Holiday Academy day-camp

Allegations that do not meet ‘the above harms’ test should be dealt with using the Holiday Academy day-camp’s procedure  for handling low level concerns set out below.

Allegations against a teacher who is no longer teaching should be referred to the Police. Historical (non-recent) allegations of abuse should be referred to the Police and the LADO. Non-recent

allegations made by a child will be reported to the LADO in line with the local authority’s procedures for dealing with non-recent allegations. The LADO will coordinate with children social care and the Police.

If an allegation is made against anyone working with children in Holiday Academy day-camp, before contacting the LADO, Holiday Academy day-camp will conduct a basic enquiry in line with local procedures to establish the facts in order to determine whether there appears to be any foundation to the allegation. Holiday Academy day-camp should   not undertake their own investigation of the allegation/s without prior consultation with the Local Authority ‘designated officer’ or, in the most serious cases, the Police, so as not to jeopardise statutory investigations. In borderline cases, Holiday Academy day-camp may as advice from the ‘designated  officer’ on a no-names basis.

When dealing with allegations about a staff member, Holiday Academy day-camp will apply common sense and judgment, deal with allegations quickly, fairly, and consistently and will support the person subject   to the allegation. This may be signposting to support and counselling.

Concerns including allegations about a staff member should be investigated as a priority to avoid any delay.

1.         Concerns including allegations which appear to meet the above reporting criteria are to be reported straight away to the DSO, or the DDO in the DSO’s absence, who will keep the DSO informed.

2. The DSO should immediately refer the allegations to the LADO and then discuss the allegation with the LSCP designated officer (LADO) and consider the nature, content and context of the allegation and agree a course of action including any involvement of the Police. (Where the DSO deems there to be an immediate risk to children or there is evidence of a possible criminal offence, or in an emergency situation, the DSO should contact Children’s social care and, as appropriate, may involve the Police immediately.)

All discussions should be recorded in writing, and any communication with both the individual and the parents of the child(ren) agreed. The LA’s designated officer should be informed within one working day of all    allegations that come to the Holiday Academy day-camp’s attention and appear to meet the criteria or that are made directly to the Police and/or children’s social care. The DSO is responsible for ensuring the child is    not at risk.

3. Where the DSO is concerned about the welfare of other children in the community, or the member of staff’s family, they will discuss these concerns with the LSCP designated officer (LADO) and make a risk assessment of the situation. It may be necessary for the LSCP designated officer (LADO) to make a referral to children’s social care. When to inform the individual, who is the subject of the allegation will be considered on a case by case basis and with guidance from the LSCP designated officer (LADO), and if appropriate, the police and/or children’s social care. Subject to any objection, the DSO will ensure that the individual who is subject of the allegation is informed as soon as possible and given an explanation of the likely course or action, unless there is an objection by children’s social care or the Police and will consider what other support is appropriate for the

4. The DSO should give careful consideration as to whether the circumstances of the case warrant suspension from contact with children at Holiday Academy day-camp or whether alternative arrangements should be put in place until the allegation is resolved. Suspension should not be an automatic response when an allegation is reported. It should be considered only in cases where there is cause to suspect a child or other children at Holiday Academy day-camp is/are at risk of harm, or the case is so serious that it might be grounds for dismissal. The DSO will take advice from the LSCP designated officer (LADO) and with reference to KCSIE when making a decision about suspension. Where the individual is suspended, the DSO will confirm the decision within one working day, and will ensure they know who their point of contact is in Holiday Academy day-camp and their contact details. The DSO will also make a record of the rationale and justification for the suspension, including what alternatives were considered and why they were

5. Where further enquiries are required to enable a decision about how to proceed, the LSCP designated officer (LADO) and DSO should discuss how and by whom the investigation will be In straightforward cases, the investigation should usually be undertaken by a senior member of staff at Holiday Academy day-camp. Where there is lack of resource, or the nature or complexity of the allegation requires it, an independent investigator may be appointed to undertake the investigation.

6. The DSO will ensure that parents are informed as soon as possible and kept informed about progress of the case, subject to any advice from children’s social care or the    Parents and others will be made aware that there are restrictions on publishing information which may lead to the identification of the member of staff subject to the allegation.

7. The DSO will monitor the progress of cases to ensure they are dealt with as quickly as possible in a thorough and fair process. Reviews are conducted at fortnightly or monthly intervals, depending on the complexity of the case. The first review will take place no later than four weeks after the initial assessment and subsequent review dates will be set at the review

8. The DSO will discuss with the LSCP designated officer (LADO) whether a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service, Ofsted, or Teacher Regulation Agency should be made where an allegation   is substantiated and the person is dismissed or Holiday Academy day-camp ceases to use their services, or the person resigns or otherwise ceases to provide their The Holiday Academy day-camp has a legal obligation to

report promptly to the Disclosure and Barring Service any person (whether employed, contracted, a volunteer or a student) who has harmed, or poses a risk of harm, to a child, or if there is reason to believe the member of staff has committed one of a number of listed offences, and who has been removed from working (paid or unpaid) in regulated activity, or would have been removed had they not left. Further, or in the alternative, if an investigation leads to the dismissal or resignation prior to dismissal of a member of teaching staff specifically, Holiday Academy day-camp must consider making a referral to the Teaching Regulation Agency and a prohibition order may be appropriate (because that teacher has displayed unacceptable professional conduct, conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute or a conviction at any time for a relevant offence).

9. On conclusion of the case, the DSO should review the circumstances of the case with the LSCP designated officer (LADO) to determine whether there are any improvements to be made to Holiday Academy day-camp’s safeguarding procedures or practices to help prevent similar events in the future.

Holiday Academy day-camp has a duty of care to its staff, and whilst the welfare of a child is paramount, the Holiday Academy day-camp must offer appropriate welfare support to the adult subject to the investigation and potentially their  family. Holiday Academy day-camp will make every reasonable effort to maintain confidentiality and guard against unwanted publicity whilst an allegation is being investigated or considered. Information will also not  ordinarily be shared with other staff or with children or parents who are not directly involved in the investigation.

Where initial discussions lead to no further action, the DSO and the LSCP designated officer (LADO) should record the decision and justification for it and agree on what information should be put in writing to the individual concerned, and by whom.

Allegations found to be malicious or false will be removed from the individual’s personnel records unless the individual gives consent for retention of the information. In all other circumstances a written record will be made of the decision and retained on the individual’s personnel file in accordance with KCSIE and a copy will only be provided to the individual concerned. Holiday Academy day-camp has an  obligation to preserve records which contain information about allegations of sexual abuse for the duration of the inquiry in accordance with the guidelines of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (“IICSA”)). All other records should be retained until the accused has reached pension age, or for a period of 10 years from the date of the allegation, whichever is longer.

Allegations proven to be false, unsubstantiated, unfounded or malicious will not be included in employer references. If an allegation is shown to be deliberately invented or malicious, the DSO should consider whether the child and/or the person who has made the allegation is in need of help/may have been abused by someone else and this is a cry for help. In such circumstances, a referral  to children’s social care may be appropriate. If a report is shown to be deliberately invented or malicious, the DSO will consider terminating the child’s booking at Holiday Academy day-camp, in accordance with Holiday Academy day-camp’s behaviour policy; or whether the Police should be asked to consider if action might be appropriate against an adult making the fabricated accusation.

Arrangements for dealing with safeguarding concerns or allegations of abuse about contracted staff

Holiday Academy day-camp’s procedures for managing allegations against staff above also apply to staff not directly       employed by the Holiday Academy day-camp, for example, staff (including qualified teachers) provided by an employment agency or business (‘the agency’). Holiday Academy day-camp will usually take the lead but agencies should be fully involved (because they have their own policies and procedures) and co-operate with any enquiries from the   LADO, police and/or children’s social care services.

In no circumstances will Holiday Academy day-camp decide to cease to use a supply teacher due to safeguarding concerns, without finding out the facts and liaising with the LADO to determine a suitable outcome.  Holiday Academy day-camp will discuss with the agency whether it is appropriate to suspend the member of staff, or redeploy them to another part of the Holiday Academy day-camp, whilst they carry out their investigation.

Holiday Academy day-camp will advise staff being investigated to contact their trade union representative,    or a colleague for support. The allegations management meeting which is often arranged by the LADO should address issues such as information sharing, to ensure that any previous concerns or allegations known to the agency are taken into account by Holiday Academy day-camp during the investigation.

When using an agency, Holiday Academy day-camp should inform the agency of its process for managing allegations  but also take account of the agency’s policies and their duty to refer to the DBS as personnel suppliers. This should include inviting the agency’s human resource manager, or equivalent, to meetings and keeping them up to date.

Where the agency dismisses or ceases to use the services of a member of staff because of serious misconduct, or might have dismissed them or ceased to use their services had they not left first, Holiday Academy day-camp must consider whether to refer the case to the Secretary of State (via the Teaching Regulation Agency).

Arrangements for dealing with low level concerns or allegations (i.e. that do not meet the harms  test) about staff

A low-level concern is any concern that an adult working in or on behalf of the Holiday Academy day-camp or college may have acted in a way that:

• Is inconsistent with the staff code of conduct, including inappropriate conduct outside of work; and
• Does not meet the allegations threshold or is otherwise not considered serious enough to consider a referral to the LADO

A ‘low-level’ concern does not mean that it is insignificant. A concern may be a low-level concern, no matter how small, even if it does no more than give a sense of unease or a ‘nagging doubt’. Such behaviour can exist on a wide spectrum, from the inadvertent or thoughtless, or behaviour that may

look to be inappropriate, but might not be in specific circumstances, through to that which is ultimately intended to enable abuse (for example, grooming-type behaviours).

Examples of such behaviour could include, but are not limited to:

• being over friendly with children • having favourites • taking photographs of children on their mobile phone, contrary to school policy • engaging with a child on a one-to-one basis in a secluded area or behind a closed door, or • humiliating pupils.

Such behaviour can exist on a wide spectrum, from the inadvertent or thoughtless, or behaviour that may look to be inappropriate, but might not be in specific circumstances, through to that which is ultimately intended to enable abuse.

Low-level concerns may arise in several ways and from a number of sources. For example: suspicion; complaint; or disclosure made by a child, parent or other adult within or outside of the organisation; or as a result of vetting checks undertaken.

It is crucial that all low-level concerns are shared responsibly with the right person, and recorded and dealt with appropriately. Ensuring they are dealt with effectively should also protect those working in or on behalf of schools and day-camps from becoming the subject of potential false low-level concerns or misunderstandings. 

Holiday Academy day-camp takes all concerns about safeguarding seriously and recognises that addressing even low- level concerns is important to create and embed a culture of openness, trust, and transparency in which Holiday Academy day-camp’s values and expected behaviour of its staff are constantly lived, monitored, and    reinforced by all staff.

The aim of Holiday Academy day-camp’s code of ethical conduct is to provide clear guidance about the standards of appropriate behaviour and actions of its staff so as to not place children or staff at risk of harm or of allegation of harm to a child. All staff are expected to comply with the standards contained within this code of conduct at all times.

Staff must share all concerns with the DSO without delay so that it can be recorded and dealt with appropriately, sensitively, and proportionately and in a timely manner. If the low-level concern relates to the DSO, it should always be reported independently, as a low-level concern.

Staff are also encouraged to self-refer in the event that they have found themselves in a situation which may be misinterpreted, might appear compromising to others, and/or on reflection they believe they have behaved in a way that may be considered to fall below the expected professional standard. All concerns will be handled sensitively and will be dealt with appropriately and proportionately.

If a concern is raised by a third party, the DSO will collect as much evidence as possible  by speaking to the person who has raised the concern (if known), to the individual involved, and any witnesses. The concern will be recorded in accordance with this policy, in the usual way.

Holiday Academy day-camp will address unprofessional behaviour at an early stage and will support the individual to correct it.

All low-level concerns will be recorded in writing by the DSO. The record will include details of the concern, the context within which the concern arose, and details of the action taken. The name of the reporting individual should also be included, unless they have asked to remain anonymous, which will be respected as far as reasonably possible. The records will be kept confidential, will be held securely and in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR¹ at all times. The information will be retained for 10 years or until the individual has left employment, whichever is longer.

1 “Data Protection Legislation” means any data protection legislation from time to time in force in the UK including the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (or any successor legislation).

Low-level concerns will not be included in references unless they relate to issues which would normally be disclosed, for example, misconduct or poor performance.

Holiday Academy day-camp will also reflect on reported concerns in order to identify any patterns of concerning, problematic of inappropriate behaviour which may indicate an unacceptable culture, or any weaknesses in Holiday Academy day-camp’s safeguarding system which may require additional training or modified policies. Where a pattern is identified, Holiday Academy day-camp will decide on a course of action, either through its disciplinary procedures, or, where the pattern moved from a concern to meeting the harms threshold, it will the follow the above procedure and refer the matter to the LSCP designated officer (LADO).

Where a low-level concern relates to a person employed by an agency or a contractor, staff should share that concern with the DSO. The concern will be recorded in accordance    with Holiday Academy day-camp’s low-level concern, and the individual’s employer will be notified about the concern, so that any potential patterns of inappropriate behaviour can be identified.

Safer recruitment

Holiday Academy day-camp is committed to safer recruitment processes to create a culture that safeguards and    promotes the welfare of children in the Holiday Academy day-camp whilst deterring and preventing people who are  unsuitable to work with children from applying or securing employment, or volunteering opportunities, within Holiday Academy day-camp.

Members of staff at Holiday Academy day-camp including agency staff, and visiting staff, such as musicians and sports coaches are subject to the necessary  statutory child protection checks before starting work, for example, right to work checks, additional overseas checks (if necessary), verifying identity, taking up references, checking work history and confirming medical fitness for the role. For most appointments, an enhanced DBS check with ‘barred  list’ information will be appropriate. A DBS certificate will be obtained from the candidate before or as soon as practicable after appointment. Alternatively, if the applicant has subscribed to it and gives  permission, Holiday Academy day-camp may undertake an online update check through the DBS Update Service.

Full details of the Holiday Academy day-camp’s safer recruitment procedures for checking the suitability of staff and volunteers to work with children and young people is set out in the  Safer Recruitment Policy.

Holiday Academy day-camp ensures that any visitors, whether invited by staff or children themselves, are suitable and appropriately supervised. Cavendish school staff and contractors are supervised when in Holiday Academy day-camp’s hire area.

Management of safeguarding

Holiday Academy day-camp’s DSO is the Manager, and the DDO is the Deputy manager.

The DSO and DDO’s contact details can be found on the Key Contacts page at the start of this policy.

The DSO’s role is to take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection matters in Holiday Academy day-camp. The DSO’s responsibility is to maintain an overview of safeguarding within the Holiday Academy day-camp, to oversee the management of records, standards of recording concerns and referral processes, to open channels of communication with local statutory agencies, refer incidents to third parties (including the local authority children’s services, the DBS, Channel and the police) where appropriate, to support staff in carrying out their safeguarding duties and to monitor the effectiveness of the Holiday Academy day-camp’s policies and procedures in practice. The DSO reviews and update the Holiday Academy day-camp’s safeguarding policy.

The DSO regularly reviews the Holiday Academy day-camp’s and their own practices and concerns about welfare and safeguarding matters. This includes the personal and professional duty of all staff to report welfare and safeguarding concerns to the DSO, or in the absence of action, directly to local children’s services.

The DSO or DDO will always be available to discuss safeguarding concerns.

The DSO or DDO should liaise with the three safeguarding partners and work with other agencies in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children. “NPCC – When to call the police” can  assist the DSO or DDO understand when they should consider calling the police and what to expect when they do. The DSO or DDO will also be responsible for liaising regarding mental health and, where available, external agencies+, where safeguarding concerns are linked to mental health.

In their capacity as the Holiday Academy day-camp’s Mental Health Leads they will also:

• Use their best judgement and make referrals to the child’s local CAMHS team as appropriate, where their safeguarding concerns are linked to mental health issues
• Build staff confidence on recognising mental health and child’s knowledge and understanding of who/where to go to seek help and advice

• Ensure staff receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training every two years, including online safety training, to identify the early signs of child on child abuse, including sexual abuse

Full details of the DSO’s role can be found in Annex C of KCSIE.

Training

Induction and training are in line with advice from Camden Safeguarding Children Board, or UK national standards.

All staff

All new staff will be provided with training and an induction that includes:

• In house safeguarding and child protection training
• Details of the role and identity of the DSO and DDO
• Being provided with the following Holiday Academy day-camp policies:
  • Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy (this policy), which includes the procedures to deal with child on child abuse
  • Positive Behaviour Policy incl. Anti-bullying Policy (including measures to prevent bullying, including cyberbullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying)
  • Staff information handbook, Staff Code of Conduct, Use of devices, phones and cameras policy and Whistleblowing Policy and Procedure, including information regarding staff/child relationships and communications, including the use of social media
  • Missing Child Policy
• Being provided with other relevant documentation:
  • Part one and annex B of KCSIE
  • The Holiday Academy day-camp Management will also be required to read relevant section/s of KCSIE and cascade down during staff meetings if required

Session leaders are provided with:

• Holiday Academy day-camp’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy (this policy)
• Positive Behaviour Policy and Anti-bullying Policy for Children
• Code of Ethical Conduct, including the Whistleblowing Procedure
• The role, identity and contact details of the DSO and DDO

All staff are also required to:

• Read and understand Part One and annex B of KCSIE and confirm that they have done so. Each time Part One of KCSIE is updated by the Department for Education, staff will be updated on the changes via email
• Receive training in safeguarding and child protection in line with advice from the Camden Safeguarding Children Board or UK national standards. Training will include online safety and harmful sexual behaviours including child on child sexual violence and harassment. It will also include Prevent awareness training every 3 years, to equip staff to raise concerns appropriately by ensuring   all staff have the knowledge and confidence to identify children or colleagues at risk of being drawn into terrorism or extremist views; are able to challenge extremist ideas; and know how to refer children, young people and colleagues for further help. It will also include training on how to manage a report of child on child sexual violence and sexual harassment
• Undertake regular informal updates at least annually, to provide them with relevant skills and knowledge to safeguard children effectively, including online. Holiday Academy day-camp provides these via emails and staff meetings, for example.

DSO(s)

The DSO receives updated child protection training at least every two years to provide them with the   knowledge and skills required to carry out the role. This includes local inter-agency working protocols, participation in child protection case conferences, supporting children in need, identifying children and staff at risk of radicalisation, record keeping and promoting a culture of listening to children and training in the Camden Safeguarding Children Board approach to Prevent duties and harmful sexual behaviours. Further details of the required training content for the DSO are set out in Annex C of KCSIE.

In addition to their formal training, the DSO’s knowledge and skills are updated at least annually to keep up with any developments relevant to their role. In particular, Holiday Academy day-camp will support the DSO in developing their knowledge and skills to understand the views of children including to encourage a culture of listening to children and taking account of their wishes, as well as having an awareness of the difficulties children may face in approaching staff with a disclosure.

The DDO is trained to the same level as the DSO.

Oversight of safeguarding, including arrangements for reviewing policies and procedures

Holiday Academy day-camp considers its obligation to review safeguarding practices a matter of its everyday concerns. A review of Holiday Academy day-camp’s child protection policies takes place at least annually, including an update and review of the effectiveness of procedures and their implementation, including possible lessons learnt by Holiday Academy day-camp. Holiday Academy day-camp draws on the expertise of staff, including the DSO, in shaping the Holiday Academy day-camp’s safeguarding arrangements and policies.

If there has been a substantiated allegation against a member of staff, the Holiday Academy day-camp will work with the Local Authority designated officer to determine whether there are any improvements to be made to the Holiday Academy day-camp’s procedures or practice to help prevent similar events in the future.

Early years provision safeguarding arrangements Disqualification from working in childcare

Where staff work in, or are involved in the management of Holiday Academy day-camp’s early years or provision of care of children under the age of eight, the Holiday Academy day-camp will take steps to check whether those staff are disqualified under the Childcare Act 2006. These checks will be undertaken pre-appointment, and from time to time during employment. This forms part of Holiday Academy day-camp’s safer recruitment practices, further details of which can be found in Holiday Academy day-camp’s Safer Recruitment Policy.

Holiday Academy day-camp records all checks of staff employed to work in or manage relevant childcare on the  Single Central Register. This includes the date disqualification checks were completed.

Where a member of staff is found to be disqualified or if there is doubt over that issue then, pending resolution, the Holiday Academy day-camp will remove them from the work from which they are or may be disqualified. Suspension or dismissal will not be an automatic response; the Holiday Academy day-camp will consider if there is scope in principle to redeploy them with other age groups or in other work from which they are not disqualified, subject to assessing the risks and taking advice from the designated officer when appropriate.

Use of mobile phones and cameras

To meet the requirement of the EYFS Framework, Holiday Academy day-camp is required to have a policy with regard    to the use of mobile phones and cameras. Please see Use of mobile phones, devices and cameras policy.

  Duty to notify Ofsted

Academy day-camp will inform Ofsted of any significant event which is likely to affect the suitability of any person who is in regular contact with children on the premises where childcare is provided. For example, where Holiday Academy day-camp is satisfied that a person working in a relevant setting falls within one of     the disqualification criteria. Any significant event must be notified to Ofsted as soon as reasonably practicable, but at the latest within 14 days of the date Holiday Academy day-camp became aware (or ought reasonably to have become aware) of it.

Holiday Academy day-camp will notify Ofsted within 14 days of any allegations of serious harm or abuse by any person living, working or looking after children at the premises (whether the allegations relate to harm or abuse committed on the premises or elsewhere).

APPENDIX 1 – SIGNS AND TYPES OF ABUSE

All Holiday Academy day-camp staff should be aware that abuse, neglect and safeguarding issues are rarely standalone events that can be covered by one definition by one label. In most cases, multiple issues will overlap with one another therefore staff should always be vigilant and always raise any concerns with the DSO (or deputy).

All staff should be aware that safeguarding incidents and/or behaviours can be associated with factors outside Holiday Academy day-camp or college and/or can occur between children outside of these environments. All staff, but especially the DSO and deputies, should consider whether children are at risk of abuse or exploitation in situations outside their families. Extra-familial harms take a variety of different forms and children can be vulnerable to multiple harms including (but not limited to) sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, sexual abuse, serious youth violence and county lines.

Children who have been abused do not have behaviour problems that need to be addressed, they have extreme survival skills that need to be understood.

All staff should be aware that technology is a significant component in many safeguarding and wellbeing issues and should recognise that children are at risk of abuse online from adults, children or their peers, or on their devices, as well as face to face.     In many cases abuse will take place concurrently online and in daily life. This can take the form of abusive, racist, harassing, and misogynistic messages, the non-consensual sharing of indecent or violent images, especially around chat groups, and the sharing of abusive images, pornography and violence. In all cases, if staff are unsure, they should always speak to the DSO (or DDO).

Physical abuse: a form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child (including through corporal punishment). Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

Signs of Physical abuse:

• Unexplained bruises or burns especially if they are recurrent
• Human bite marks, welts or bald spots
• Unexplained lacerations, fractures or abrasions
• Untreated injuries
• Self-destructive tendencies
• Improbable excuses given to explain injuries
• Aggressive or withdrawn
• Chronic runaway
• Fear of returning home
• Reluctant to have physical contact
• Clothing inappropriate to weather

Emotional abuse: the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing

them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyberbullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, although it may occur alone.

Signs of emotional abuse

• Sudden speech disorder
• Signs of mutilation
• Signs of solvent abuse
• Wetting and/or soiling
• ‘Attention seeking’, clingy or dramatic behaviour
• Poor peer relationships
• Neurotic behaviour (rocking, twisting hair, thumb sucking)
• Reluctance for parent liaison
• Fear of new situations
• Chronic runaway
• Inappropriate emotional responses to painful situations

Sexual abuse: involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet). Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

Sexual abuse also includes sexual violence and sexual harassment which can occur between two children of any sex (also known as child on child abuse). They can also occur through a group of children sexually assaulting or sexually harassing a single child or group of children. Sexual violence are sexual offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, such as rape, sexual assault and assault by penetration. Holiday Academy day-camps should be aware that sexual assault covers a very wide range of behaviour so a single act of kissing someone without consent or touching someone’s bottom/breasts/genitalia without consent, can still constitute sexual assault.

Sexual harassment is ‘unwanted conduct of a sexual nature’ that can occur online and offline and both inside and outside of Holiday Academy day-camp. Sexual harassment is likely to violate a child’s dignity, and/or make them feel intimidated, degraded or humiliated and/or create a hostile, offensive or sexualised environment. Sexual harassment can include sexual comments, such as telling sexual stories, making

lewd comments, talking about sexual violence, making sexual remarks about clothes and appearance, calling someone sexualised names; sexual “jokes” or taunting; physical behaviour, such as deliberating brushing against someone, interfering with someone’s clothes, or upskirting, and sharing of unwanted explicit   content (for example displaying pictures, photos or drawings of a sexual nature; and online sexual harassment, which might include consensual or non-consensual sharing of sexual images and videos (and sharing sexual images and videos (both often referred to as the sharing of nudes/semi nudes or sexting); inappropriate sexual comments on social media; exploitation; coercion and threats. Online sexual harassment may be standalone, or part of a wider pattern of sexual harassment and/or sexual violence. Further information can be found in the Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment between children in schools and colleges advice.

Child-on-child sexual violence and/or harassment: Sexual violence and sexual harassment (as defined above) can occur between two children of any age and sex, from primary through to secondary stage and into colleges. It can occur through a group of children sexually assaulting or sexually harassing a single child or group of children. It can however occur between children of any gender. Sexual violence and sexual harassment exist on a continuum and may overlap; they can occur online and face to face (both physically and verbally) and are never acceptable. Children who are victims of sexual violence and/or sexual harassment wherever it happens, will be at risk from the experience adversely affecting their educational attainment and will be exacerbated if the alleged ‘abuser’(s) attends the same day-camp or school. Further information can be found in the SVSH (Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment between children in schools and colleges) advice.

Sharing of nudes and/or semi-nudes: the sending or posting of nude or semi-nude images, videos, or live streams online by young people under the age of 18. This could be via social media, gaming platforms, chat apps or forums. It could also involve sharing between devices via services like

Apple’s AirDrop which works offline. The sharing of nudes and semi-nudes can happen publicly online, in 1:1 messaging or via group chats and closed social media accounts and may include images or footage of more than one child or young person.

Alternative terms used by children and young people may include ‘dick pics’ or ‘pics’ or may be referred to by adults or professionals as ‘youth produced/involved sexual imagery’, ‘indecent imagery’, ‘image based sexual abuse’ or ‘sexting’.

The motivations for taking and sharing nude and semi-nude images, videos and live streams are not always sexually or criminally motivated. Such images may be created and shared consensually by young people who are in relationships, as well as between those who are not in a relationship. It is also possible for a young person in a consensual relationship to be coerced into sharing an image with their partner. Incidents may also occur where:

• Children and young people find nudes and semi-nudes online and share them claiming to be from a peer
• Children and young people digitally manipulate an image of a person into an existing nude online
• Images created or shared are used to abuse peers e.g. by selling images online or obtaining images to share more widely without consent to publicly shame

For this reason, incidents can either be classified as ‘aggravated’ or ‘experimental’. The DDCMS / UKIS guidance “Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people” sets out the classification of incidents, and how each should be handled.

Signs of Sexual Abuse

• Odour, infections, soreness or bleeding in the genital or anal areas or in the throat
• Torn, stained or bloody underclothes
• Chronic ailments such as stomach pains
• Difficulty in walking or sitting
• Frequent urinary or yeast infections
• STDs
• Unexplained pregnancy
• Chronically depressed or tired
• Inappropriately seductive or precocious
• Sexually explicit language
• Low self-esteem, self-devaluation
• Recurring nightmares/fear of the dark
• Outbursts of anger
• Overly protective to siblings

Upskirting: is a criminal offence and typically involves taking a picture under a person’s clothing (not necessarily a skirt) without their permission and/or knowledge, with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks (with or without underwear) to obtain sexual gratification, or cause the victim humiliation, distress or alarm. Anyone of any gender can be a victim.

Neglect: 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. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to: provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment); protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger; ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance/alcohol abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment); protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger; ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

Signs of Neglect

• Tiredness

• Lack of social relationships
• Compulsive stealing, begging or scavenging
• Frequently late or absent
• Low self-esteem
• Sudden speech disorder
• Signs of mutilation
• Signs of solvent abuse
• Wetting and/or soiling
• ‘Attention seeking’, clingy or dramatic behaviour
• Poor peer relationships

Specific safeguarding issues: behaviours linked to drug taking, alcohol abuse, truanting and sexting put children in danger. Safeguarding issues can also manifest themselves via peer-on-peer abuse, such as abuse within intimate partner relationships, bullying (including cyberbullying), gender-based violence/sexual assaults and sexting. Safeguarding issues can also be linked to, for example, children missing education; child sexual exploitation; domestic violence; fabricated or induced illness; faith abuse (including ostracism of families); female genital mutilation; forced marriage; gangs and youth violence; gender-based violence / violence against women and girls; hate; mental health; preventing radicalisation; relationship abuse; sexting; and trafficking.

Serious violence: indicators which may signal that children are at risk from, or are involved with serious violent crime include increased absence from their school setting or Holiday Academy day-camp, a change in friendships or relationships     with older individuals or groups, a significant decline in performance, signs of self-harm or a significant change in wellbeing, or signs of assault or unexplained injuries. Unexplained gifts or new possessions could also indicate that children have been approached by, or are involved with, individuals associated with criminal networks or gangs and may be at risk of criminal exploitation. All  staff should be aware of the characteristics which increase the likelihood of involvement in serious violence (eg, being male, frequent absence from school or permanently excluded from school, experienced child maltreatment or having been involved in offending) and understand the measures in place to manage these.

Specific safeguarding issues: behaviours linked to drug taking, alcohol abuse, truanting and sexting put children in danger. Safeguarding issues can also manifest themselves via child on child abuse, such as abuse within intimate partner relationships, bullying (including cyberbullying), gender-based violence/sexual assaults, sexting and upskirting. Safeguarding issues can also be linked to, for example, children missing education; child sexual exploitation; domestic violence; fabricated or induced illness; faith abuse (including ostracism by families and faith communities); female genital mutilation; forced marriage; gangs and youth violence; gender-based violence / violence against women and girls; hate; mental health; preventing radicalisation; relationship abuse; sexting; consensual and non- consensual sharing of nudes and semi-nudes; and trafficking.

Child sexual exploitation (CSE): CSE is a form of child sexual abuse (see above) which occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants (for example,

money, gifts or affection), and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the ‘abuser’ or facilitator. Whilst age may be the most obvious, this power imbalance can also be due    to a range of other factors including gender, sexual identity, cognitive ability, physical strength, status, and access to economic or other resources.

The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. CSE does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology. CSE can affect any child or young person (male or female) under the age of 18 years (including 16 and 17 year olds who can legally consent to have sex) who has been coerced into engaging in sexual activities. It can include both contact (penetrative and non-penetrative acts) and non-contact sexual activity and may occur without the child or young person’s immediate knowledge (e.g. through others copying videos or images they have created and posted on social media). Some children may not realise they are being exploited e.g. they believe they are in a genuinely romantic relationship.

CSE can be a one-off occurrence or a series of incidents over time and range from opportunistic to complex organised abuse. It can involve force and/or enticement-based methods of compliance and may, or may not, be accompanied by violence or threats of violence.

The below CCE indicators can also be indicators of CSE, as can:

• Children who have older boyfriends or girlfriends, and
• Children who suffer from sexually transmitted infections, display sexual behaviours beyond expected sexual development or become

The DfE has published guidance on this entitled “Child sexual exploitation: guide for practitioners”. CSE may occur alone, or may overlap with CCE, and/or county lines, as well as other forms of abuse.

Child criminal exploitation (CCE): CCE is where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, control, manipulate or deceive a child into any criminal activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants (for example, money, gifts or affection), and/or

• for the financial or other advantage (such as increased status) of the ‘abuser’ or facilitator and/or (c) through violence or the threat of violence. Whilst age may be the most obvious, this power imbalance can also be due to a range of other factors including gender, sexual identity, cognitive ability, physical strength, status, and access to economic or other resources. The victim may have been criminally exploited even if the activity appears consensual. CCE does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of

CCE can include children being forced to work, eg, in cannabis factories, being coerced into moving drugs     or money across the country (‘county lines’, see below), forced to shoplift or pickpocket. They can also be forced or manipulated into committing vehicle crime or threatening/committing serious violence to others.

Children can become trapped by this type of exploitation as ‘abuser’s can threaten victims (and their families) with violence or entrap and coerce them into debt. They may be coerced into carrying weapons such as knives or begin to carry a knife for a sense of protection from harm from others.

Children can be exploited by adult males or females, as individuals or in groups. They may also be

exploited by other children, who themselves may be experiencing exploitation – where this is the case, their vulnerability as victims is not always recognised by adults and professionals (especially when they are older children). It is important in all circumstances that the child ‘abuser’ is also recognised as a victim.

Some of the following can be indicators of CCE:

• Children who appear with unexplained gifts, money, or new possessions
• Children who associate with other young people involved in exploitation
• Children who suffer from changes in emotional well-being
• Children who misuse drugs and alcohol
• Children who go missing for periods of time or regularly come home late
• Children who regularly miss education or do not take part in education

The experience of girls who are criminally exploited can be very different to that of boys. The indicators may not be the same, however staff should be aware that both girls and boys are at risk of criminal exploitation. It is also important to note that both boys and girls being criminally exploited may be at higher risk of sexual exploitation.

CCE may occur alone, or may overlap with CSE, and/or county lines, as well as other forms of abuse.

Children who have been exploited will need additional support to help maintain them in education. This activity can happen locally as well as across the UK – no specified distance of travel is required. Children and vulnerable adults exploited to sell drugs and move and store drugs and money.

Offenders will often use coercion, intimidation, violence (including sexual violence) and weapons to ensure compliance of victims. Children can be targeted and recruited into county lines in a number of locations including Holiday Academy day-camps (mainstream and special), further and higher educational institutions, child referral units, children’s homes, and care homes. Children are increasingly being targeted and recruited online using social media. Children can easily become trapped by this type of exploitation as county lines gangs can manufacture drug debts which need to be worked off or threaten serious violence and kidnap towards victims (and their families) if they attempt to leave the county lines network.

A number of the ways of identifying indicators for CSE and CCE as detailed above may be applicable to where children are involved in county lines. Some additional specific indicators that may be present where a child is criminally exploited through involvement in county lines are children who:

• Go missing and are subsequently found in areas away from their home
• Have been the victim or ‘abuser’ of serious violence (e.g. knife crime)
• Are involved in receiving requests for drugs via a phone line, moving drugs, handing over and collecting money for drugs
• Are exposed to techniques such as ‘plugging’, where drugs are concealed internally to avoid detection
• Are found in accommodation that they have no connection with, often called a ‘trap house or cuckooing’ or hotel room where there is drug activity
• Owe a ‘debt bond’ to their exploiters

• Have their bank accounts used to facilitate drug dealing

Further information on the signs of a child’s involvement in county lines is available in guidance published by the Home Office.

Modern Slavery: Modern slavery encompasses human trafficking and slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour. Exploitation can take many forms, including sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery, servitude, forced criminality and the removal of organs. Further information on the signs that someone may be a victim of modern slavery, the support available to victims and how to refer them to the National Referral Mechanism is available in the statutory guidance “Modern slavery: how to identify and support victims (June 2021)”

Cybercrime: is criminal activity committed using computers and/or the internet. It is broadly

categorised as either ‘cyber-enabled’ (crimes that can happen off-line but are enabled at scale and at speed on-line) or ‘cyber dependent’ (crimes that can be committed only by using a computer). Cyber dependent crimes include:

• Unauthorised access to computers (illegal ‘hacking’), for example accessing a Holiday Academy day-camp’s  computer, or booking system
• Denial of Service (Dos or DDoS) attacks or ‘booting’. These are attempts to make a computer, network, or website unavailable by overwhelming it with internet traffic from multiple sources
• Making, supplying, or obtaining malware (malicious software) such as viruses, spyware, ransomware, botnets, and Remote Access Trojans with the intent to commit further offence, including those above

Children with particular skill and interest in computing and technology may inadvertently or deliberately stray into cyber-dependent crime.

If there are concerns about a child in this area, the DSO (or a deputy), should consider referring into the Cyber Choices programme. This is a nationwide police programme supported by the Home Office and led by the National Crime Agency, working with regional and local policing. It aims to intervene where young people are at risk of committing, or being drawn into, low level cyber- dependent offences and divert them to a more positive use of their skills and interests. Cyber Choices does not currently cover ‘cyber-enabled’ crime such as fraud, purchasing of illegal drugs on- line and child sexual abuse and exploitation, nor other areas of concern such as on-line bullying or general on-line safety.

Additional advice can be found at: Cyber Choices, ‘NPCC- When to call the Police’ and National Cyber Security Centre – NCSC.gov.uk

Mental health: all staff should be aware that mental health issues can, in some cases, be an indicator that a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering abuse, neglect or exploitation.

Only appropriately trained professionals should attempt to make a diagnosis of a mental health problem. Staff, however, are well placed to observe children day-to-day and identify those whose

behaviour suggests that they may be experiencing a mental health problem or be at risk of developing one.

Where children have suffered abuse and neglect, or potentially traumatic adverse childhood experiences, this can have a lasting impact throughout childhood, adolescence and into adulthood. It is key that staff are aware of how these children’s experiences can impact on their mental health, behaviour, and education.

If staff have a mental health concern about a child that is also a safeguarding concern, immediate action should be taken, following this policy, and speaking to the DSO or DDO.

The DfE has published advice and guidance on Preventing and Tackling Bullying, and Mental Health and Behaviour in schools. In addition, Public Health England has produced a range of resources to support secondary and senior school teachers to promote positive health, wellbeing and resilience among young people including its guidance Promoting Children and Young People’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing. Its resources include social media, forming positive relationships, smoking and alcohol.

So called ‘honour based’ abuse: encompasses crimes which have been committed to protect or defend the honour of the family and/or the community, including Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), forced marriage, and practices such as breast ironing/flattening to try to make them stop developing through puberty.

Abuse committed in the context of preserving “honour” often involves a wider network of family or community pressure and can include multiple ‘abuser’s. It is important to be aware of this dynamic and additional risk factors when deciding what form of safeguarding action to take.

FGM is a criminal offence and comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs. Guidance on the warning signs that FGM may be about to take place, or may have already taken place, can also be found on pages 38-41 of the Multi-agency statutory guidance on FGM. To give an example of indications that a girl has already been subjected to FGM:

• There may be prolonged or repeated absences, possibly internationally, from school and/or noticeable behaviour changes (e.g. withdrawal or depression) on the child’s return.
• A child may have difficulty walking, sitting, or standing and may even look uncomfortable
• A child may have frequent urinary, menstrual or stomach issues or spend longer than normal in the bathroom due to difficulties urinating
• A child or parent of the child is reluctant for first aid / medical examination or referral.

If staff have a concern that a child may be at risk of FGM, they should speak to the DSO (or DDO) who will (where appropriate) activate local safeguarding procedures, using existing national and local protocols for multi-agency liaison with Police and Children’s Social Care.

There is a statutory duty for staff to personally report to the Police where they discover (either through disclosure by the victim or visual evidence) that FGM appears to have been carried out on a girl under 18. Unless the member of staff has a good reason not to, they should still consider and discuss any such case with the DSO and also involve children’s social care as appropriate. If the member of staff is unsure whether this reporting duty applies, they should discuss their concerns with the DSO in accordance

with this policy. Where a member of staff suspects that a child is at risk of FGM either through disclosure by the victim or visual evidence, or it involves a person over 18, staff should follow the Holiday Academy day-camp’s local safeguarding procedures. FGM is illegal at any age.

Further information can be found in the Multi-agency statutory guidance on female genital mutilation and the FGM resource pack.

Forced marriage: Forcing a person into a marriage is a crime in England and Wales. A forced marriage is one entered into without the full and free consent of one or both parties and where violence, threats or any other form of coercion is used to cause a person to enter into a marriage. Threats can be physical or emotional and psychological. A lack of full and free consent can be where a person does not consent or where they cannot consent (if they have learning disabilities, for example). Nevertheless, some communities use religion and culture as a way to coerce a person into marriage. Schools, day-camps and colleges can play an important role in safeguarding children and staff from forced marriage. There are a range of potential indicators that a child or member of staff may be at risk of forced marriage, details of which can be found on pages 13-14 of the Multi-agency guidelines: Handling cases of forced marriage. Holiday Academy day-camp staff can also contact the Forced Marriage Unit if they need advice or information: Contact: 020 7008 0151 or email fmu@fco.gov.uk.

Radicalisation: Radicalisation refers to the process by which a person or child comes to support terrorism and all forms of extremism. Extremism is vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs (including extreme far-right or far-left views, extreme misogyny, extreme views on animal rights). It can also call for the death of members of the armed forces, whether in this country or overseas. Terrorism is an action that endangers or causes serious violence to a person/people; causes serious damage to property; or seriously interferes or disrupts an electronic system. The use or threat must be designed to influence the government or to intimidate the public and is made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, or ideological cause.

There is no single way of identifying whether a child or person is likely to be susceptible to an extremist ideology. Background factors combined with specific influences such as family and friends may contribute to a child’s vulnerability. Similarly, radicalisation can occur through many different methods (such as social media or the internet) and settings (such as within the home).

As with other safeguarding risks, staff should be alert to changes in colleagues and children’s behaviour (such as using extremist language or language inappropriate for their age) which could indicate that they may be in need of help or protection. Staff should use their judgement in identifying children and colleagues who might be at risk of radicalisation and act proportionately, which may include making a Prevent referral. All staff should familiar themselves with the Prevent duty guidance: for further education institutions in England and Wales. Staff should contact the DSO or the DDO, who should be aware of the local procedures in place, before making a Prevent referral.

Special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), or children with certain health conditions. Children with SEND or certain health conditions can face additional safeguarding challenges. These children may not outwardly show signs of abuse and/or may have difficulties in communication about abuse or neglect, or bullying.

These can include:

• Assumptions that indicators of possible abuse such as behaviour, mood and injury relate to the child’s condition without further exploration
• The potential for children with SEND or certain health conditions being disproportionally impacted by behaviours such as peer group isolation or bullying (including prejudice-based bullying), without outwardly showing any signs
• Communication barriers and difficulties in managing or reporting these challenges

Staff will support such children in expressing any concerns they may have and will be particularly vigilant to any signs or indicators of abuse, discussing this with the DSO as appropriate.

Lesbian, gay, bi or trans (“LGBT+”): Children who are LGBT+ can be targeted by their peers. In some cases, a child who is perceived by their peers to be LGBT+ (whether they are or not) can be just as vulnerable as children who identify as LGBT+.

Domestic abuse: The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2021. The Act introduces the first ever statutory definition of domestic abuse and recognises the impact of domestic abuse on children, as victims in their own right, if they see, hear, or experience the effects of abuse. The statutory definition of domestic abuse, based on the previous cross-government definition, ensures that different types of relationships are captured, including ex-partners and family members. The definition captures a range of different abusive behaviours, including physical, emotional, and economic abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour. Both the person who is carrying out the behaviour and the person to whom the behaviour is directed towards must be aged 16 or over and they must be “personally connected” (as defined in section 2 of the 2021 Act).

Types of domestic abuse include intimate partner violence, abuse by family members, teenage relationship abuse and child/adolescent to parent violence and abuse.

(Update Oct 2022) Anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, socio- economic status, sexuality or background and domestic abuse can take place inside or outside of the home. The government will issue statutory guidance to provide further information for those working with domestic abuse victims and ‘abuser’s, including the impact on children. “Domestic abuse…can [be] psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional.

Children can be victims of domestic abuse. They may see, hear or experience the effects of abuse at home and/or suffer domestic abuse in their own intimate relationships (teenage relationship abuse). All of which can have a detrimental and long-term impact on their health, well-being, development, and ability to learn.”

“Harm can include ill treatment that is not physical as well as the impact of witnessing ill treatment of others. This can be particularly relevant, for example, in relation to the impact on children of all forms of domestic abuse. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or, more rarely, by others.”

These changes reflect the general increased awareness of the wider impact of domestic abuse, and come at a time following the pandemic when, according to the Office for National Statistics, domestic abuse victim services saw “an increase in demand”, particularly as lockdown measures eased.

All children can witness and be adversely affected by domestic abuse in the context of their home life where domestic abuse occurs between family members. Experiencing domestic abuse and/or violence can have a serious, long lasting emotional and psychological impact on children. In some cases, a child may blame themselves for the abuse or may have had to leave the family home as a result.

Young people can also experience domestic abuse within their own intimate relationships. This for child on child abuse is sometimes referred to as ‘teenage relationship abuse’. Depending on the age of the young people, this may not be recognised in law under the statutory definition of

‘domestic abuse’ (if one or both parties are under 16). However, as with any child under 18, where there are concerns about safety or welfare, child safeguarding procedures should be followed and both young victims and young ‘abuser’s should be offered support.

Domestic Abuse may lead to other safeguarding concerns and should therefore be managed under this policy.

Homelessness: Being homeless, or at risk of homelessness obviously presents a real risk to a child’s welfare. Holiday Academy day-camp should be aware of potential indicators of homelessness including household debt, rent arrears, domestic abuse, and anti-social behaviour, as well as a family being asked to leave a property. If staff are made aware or suspect that a child may be at risk of homelessness, they should      talk to the DSO in the first instance. Whilst referrals to the Local Housing Authority should be progressed as appropriate, and in accordance with local procedures, this does not and should not replace a referral to the LADO where a child has been harmed or is at risk of harm, in accordance with this policy.

Children who go missing from Holiday Academy day-camp: A child going missing from Holiday Academy day-camp is a potential indicator of a range of safeguarding issues including abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, CSE and CCE. It can also be a sign of child criminal exploitation including involvement in county lines. It may indicate mental health issues, risk of substance abuse, risk of travelling to conflict zones, risk of FGM, so-called ‘honour’ based abuse or risk of forced marriage. Staff must follow the procedures in the Missing Child Policy for dealing with children who go missing. ALL unexplained absences will be followed up in accordance with this Missing Child Policy. A missing child is one who has not signed in or out of the attendance register, without notifying anyone, and/or without explaining why.

Action should be taken in accordance with this policy if any absence of a child from the Holiday Academy day-camp gives  rise to a concern about their welfare. Holiday Academy day-camp’s policy supports identification of abuse and

provides preventative measures against the risk of the child going missing in the future. This applies when issues are first emerging as well as where children are already known to the local authority children’s social care and need a social worker.

Further guidance is available in Camden’s ‘Children missing from education’ policy and the Camden Safeguarding Children Partnership missing children protocol for further details available at: https://cscp.org.uk/resources/missing–children–from–home–and–care/

Child abduction and community safety incidents: Child abduction is the unauthorised removal or retention of a minor from a parent or anyone with legal responsibility for the child. Child abduction can be committed by parents or other family members; by people known but not related to the victim (such as neighbours, friends, and acquaintances); and by strangers.

Other community safety incidents in the vicinity of Holiday Academy day-camp can raise concerns amongst children and      parents, eg, people loitering nearby or unknown adults/children engaging children in conversation.

As children get older and are granted more independence (for example, as they start walking to Holiday Academy day-camp on their own) it is important they are given practical advice on how to keep themselves safe.   Many schools provide outdoor-safety lessons run by teachers, the local LA, or by local police staff.

It is important that lessons focus on building children’s confidence and abilities rather than simply warning them about strangers. Further information which is updated from the old fashioned ‘stranger danger’ is available at: www.actionagainstabduction.org and www.clevernevergoes.org Staff are encouraged to mention these websites and start a discussion during morning circle times or suitable moments in the day.

Children and the court system: Children are sometimes required to give evidence in criminal courts, either for crimes committed against them or for crimes they have witnessed. There are two age appropriate guides to support children 5-11year olds and 12-17 year olds available on the gov.uk website.

The guides explain each step of the process and support and special measures that are available. There are diagrams illustrating the courtroom structure and the use of video links is explained.

Making child arrangements via the family courts following separation can be stressful and entrench conflict in families. This can be stressful for children. The Ministry of Justice has launched an online child arrangements information tool with clear and concise information on the dispute resolution service. Holiday Academy day-camp may refer some parents and carers to this service where appropriate.

Children with family members in prison: Approximately 200,000 children in England and Wales have a parent sent to prison each year. These children are at risk of poor outcomes including poverty, stigma, isolation, and poor mental health. The National Information Centre on Children of Offenders, NICCO provides information designed to support professionals working with offenders and their children, to help mitigate negative consequences for those children.

APPENDIX 2 –ONLINE SAFETY

The educational and social benefits for children in using the internet should be promoted, but this should be balanced against the need to safeguard children against the inherent risks from internet technology. Further, schools need to be able to teach children how to keep themselves safe whilst online, and Holiday Academy day-camp can support this by starting discussions within the groups and checking the children’s knowledge of the risks and safeguards. Staff need to be aware of the following, to make sure they can answer any questions.

Benefits and risks

Computing covers a wide range of activities, including access to information, electronic communications and social networking. As use of technology is now universal, children need to learn computing skills in order to prepare themselves for the working environment and it is important that the inherent risks are not used to reduce children’s use of technology. Further, the educational advantages of computing need to be harnessed to enhance children’s learning.

The risk associated with use of technology by children can be grouped into 4 categories.

Content

The internet contains a vast store of information from all over the world which is mainly aimed at an adult audience and may be unsuitable for children. There is a danger that children may be exposed to inappropriate images such as pornography, or information advocating violence, racism, self-harm, suicide or   illegal and anti-social behaviour that they are unable to evaluate in a critical manner.

Contact

Chat rooms, gaming sites and other social networking sites can pose a real risk to children as users can take on an alias rather than their real names and can hide their true identity. The sites may be used by adults who pose as children in order to befriend and gain children’s trust (known as

“grooming”) with a view to sexually abusing them.

Children may not be aware of the danger of publishing or disclosing personal information about themselves or others (such as contact details) that allow them to be identified or located. They may also inadvertently put other children at risk by posting personal information and photographs without  consent.

The internet may also be used as a way of bullying a child, known as ‘online bullying’.

Commerce

Children are vulnerable to unregulated commercial activity on the internet that could have serious financial consequences, such as fraud or identity theft, for themselves and their parents. They may give out financial information, for example, their parent’s credit card details, in response to offers for goods or services without seeing the fraudulent intent. Contact via social networking sites can also be used to persuade children to reveal computer passwords or other information about the family for the purposes of fraud.

Culture

Children need to be taught to use the internet in a responsible way, as they may put themselves at risk by:

• Becoming involved in inappropriate, anti-social or illegal activities as a result of viewing unsuitable materials or contact with inappropriate or dangerous people
• Using information from the internet in a way that breaches copyright laws
• Uploading personal information about themselves, including photographs that may have their names or other identifying information, contact details, or card payment details on social networking sites without realising they are publishing to a potentially global or dangerous audience
• Online bullying
• Use of mobile devices to take and distribute inappropriate images of someone (sexting) that cannot be removed from the internet and can be forwarded on to a much wider audience than the child intended

Children may also be adversely affected by obsessive use of the internet that may be very isolating, and have a negative impact on their health, social and emotional development and their educational attainment. They may visit sites that advocate extreme and dangerous behaviour such as self-harm or suicide or violent extremism, and more vulnerable children may be at a high degree of risk from such sites. Children may become desensitised to pornography, violence, sex and drug use or self-harm by regularly viewing these on-line.

Whole Holiday Academy day-camp approach

Unlike school, computing is not a key part of the Holiday Academy day-camp but all staff need to be aware of children’s use of technology and social media on and offline. This is part of the Holiday Academy day-camp’s responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, as well as the duty of care to children and their parents to provide informed safeguarding.

• Staff are aware that online safety is an element of many safeguarding issues as technology can be used to aid many forms of abuse and exploitation, for example sexual harassment and cyberbullying, and should be aware of the use of technology in child on child abuse
• Holiday Academy day-camp ensures that consistent messages are given to staff and children and that everyone understands what it is to be safe online
• Staff are reminded to be aware of the importance of ensuring their own use of technology complies with Holiday Academy day-camp policies, particularly in terms of contact with children, and Holiday Academy day-camps must    ensure there are clear policies available to staff on expectations for online behaviour. These are emailed to staff ahead of every holiday.
• Holiday Academy does not normally let children be online during the day-camp hours, and the day-camp is considered a break from screens for the children. The staff are very much in charge of the one iPad per group, and children can choose the playlists, eg, but the staff are the ones making the changes to the device. The sign in and out for children is on an iPad held by the staff. Children are expected to hand in their watches, devices and phones if bringing to the day-camp. Parents are advised of this in the ‘welcome’ letter.
• A culture of safe online practice can be opened up for discussion during the morning circle times, and during the morning staff meetings, staff are encouraged and reminded to do this. The DSO will monitor this to make sure this is part of the provision.

APPENDIX 3: ACTIONS WHERE THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT A CHILD FLOWCHART (for ‘school’ please read ‘day-camp’)

1. In cases which also involve a concern or an allegation of abuse against a staff member, please see what staff should do if they have safeguarding concerns about another staff member in the attached Policy;
2. Early help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges at any point in a child’s Where a child would benefit from co-ordinated early help, an early help inter-agency assessment should be arranged. Chapter one of Working Together to Safeguard

Children provides detailed guidance on the early help process;

3. Referrals should follow the process set out in the local threshold document and local protocol for Chapter one of Working Together to Safeguard Children;
4. Under the Children Act 1989, local authorities are required to provide services for children in need for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting their welfare. Children in need may be assessed under section 17 of the Children Act 1989. Under section 47 of the Children Act 1989, where a local authority has reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm, it has a duty to make enquiries to decide whether to take

action to safeguard or promote the child’s welfare. Full details are in Chapter one of Working Together to Safeguard Children

5. This could include applying for an Emergency Protection Order (EPO)

Human Rights and Equality Act reminders

Another notable change to the KCSIE is found in sections 82-93, in which the states: “Governing bodies and proprietors should be aware of their obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 21, the Equality Act 201022, (including the Public Sector Equality Duty23), and their local multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.”

KCSIE contains a number of links to resources for schools to use when training staff, along with teaching resources for use with children.

• A video on supporting children who are victims of sexual abuse.
• A link to South West Grid for Learning, a charity that provides support regarding abuse and technology, and The Marie Collins Foundation, a harmful-sexual-behaviour support service.
• A county lines toolkit for professionals.
• Government guidance on forced marriage.
• LGFL ”Undressed” – a website that features a video and song that schools can use to teach young children about the risk of being tricked into getting undressed online.
• Educate Against Hate, where signs of radicalisation are shared, which are intended to help teachers inform themselves how to spot a pupil who may be becoming radicalised.

APPENDIX 4: HOLIDAY ACADEMY DAY-CAMPS SAFEGUARDING CHECKLIST

To be used by the DSO to carry out an assessment of the Holiday Academy day-camp’s safeguarding framework.

 Holiday Academy day-camp

Address:

Head teacher:

Contact details:

Date of safeguarding assessment:

This Policy and its implementation procedures set out the arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children at the Holiday Academy day-camp. They have been prepared in compliance with the hire venue’s request with regard to Cavendish school’s policy, and the following:

• The Education Acts
• Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (as amended from time to time)
• The Independent school Standards Guidance for independent Schools April 2019
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
• The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
• The Children Act 2004
• What to do if you’re worried a Child is being Abused March 2015
• Working Together to Safeguard Children July 2018 (A guide to inter-agency working (police/local authority/health) to safeguard and promote the welfare of children) updated Dec 2020
• Keeping Children Safe in Education (current version) (KCSIE)
• Disqualification under the Childcare Act 2006 (September 2018)
• Information Sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services July 2018
• DBS Referrals Guidance (as may be amended from time to time)
• ISI Commentary on the Regulatory Requirements
• Teacher misconduct: regulating the teaching profession March 2014 (and related guidance)
• Use of Reasonable Force in schools July 2013
• Preventing and Tackling Bullying July 2017
• Mental Health and Behaviour in schools November 2018
• Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) September 2021
• Prevent Duty Guidance 2021, Channel Guidance 2020, and Prevent Departmental Advice 2015
• The use of social media for online radicalisation July 2015
• Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people UKCIS December 2020
• Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges September 2021
• Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education (June 2020)
• When to call the police: guidance for schools & colleges NPCC
• Roles and responsibilities procedure, churches, other places of worship and faith communities (LSCB update March 2022)
• Mandatory reporting of female genital mutilation (FGM) 2016 Home office

https://www.npcc.police.uk/documents/Children%20and%20Young%20people/When%20to%20call

%20the%20police%20guidance%20for%20Holiday Academy day-camps%20and%20colleges.pdf

• The London Safeguarding Children Board child protection procedures (Updated March 2022 – registered for 6 monthly updates)

London Safeguarding Children Board: Child Protection Procedures – The Holiday Academy day-camp recognises and acts upon the legal duties set out in the above statutes, regulations and guidance, to protect its children (and staff) from harm, and to co-operate with other agencies in carrying out those duties and responding to safeguarding concerns. This policy also takes into account the procedures and practice of Camden local authority as part of the inter-agency safeguarding procedures set up by Camden Local Safeguarding Partner