1:  BACKGROUND

BCS fully recognises its responsibilities for child protection and is committed to: the principles and practice of child protection as covered by the Children Act 1989. This policy should be read in conjunction with Safeguarding Children – Sept 2009 and Child Protection Procedure document. Our policy applies to all staff, governors and volunteers working the school. The five main elements to our Child Protection Policy are:

• To ensure that we practice safe recruitment in checking the suitability of staff and volunteers to work with children
• To raise awareness of child protection issues and equipping children with the skills needed to keep them safe
• To develop and implement procedures for identifying and reporting cases, or suspected cases, of abuse
• To support pupils who have been abused in accordance with his/her agreed child protection plan
• To establish a safe environment in which children can learn and develop

2:  SAFE RECRUITMENT

Bournemouth Collegiate School ensures safe recruitment through:

• All staff being CRB checked and any employment "gaps" being explained and verified.
• Those senior staff involvement in recruitment are required to attend a safer recruitment course
• The school undertakes to report to the Independent Safeguarding Authority, within one month of leaving the school, any person (whether employed, contracted, a volunteer or student) whose services are no longer used because he or she is considered unsuitable to work with children. Such reports would contact as much evidence as possible. The school recognises that failure to make a report constitutes an offence.

3:  DESIGNATED PERSON AND GOVERNOR

Bournemouth Collegiate School ensures that there is a designated senior person for child protection who has received the appropriate training and support for this role. Currently this is Alison Davies at the Senior School and Sheila Mercer at the Preparatory School. These persons will:

• Develop effective links with relevant agencies and co-operate as required with their enquiries regarding child protection matters including attendance at case conferences
• Keep written records of concerns about children even where there is no need to refer the matter immediately
• Ensure that all records are kept securely; separate from the main pupil file, and in locked locations.
• Develop and then follow procedures where an allegation is made against a member of staff in conjunction with the Principal
• Ensure that parents have an understanding of the responsibility placed on the school and staff for child protection by alerting them to this policy and making it available to parents on the website and on request
• Notify social services if there is an unexplained absence of more than two days of a pupil who is on the child protection register
• Ensure that BCS has a designed governor responsible for child protection. Currently this is Nina Dunne (LGB Deputy Chair)

4:  STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES

BCS also ensures that all staff understand their responsibilities in being alert to the signs of abuse and responsibilities being alert to the signs of abuse and responsibility for referring any concerns to the designated senior person responsible for child protection through:

• Ensuring that all staff (including temporary, supply staff and volunteers) knows the name of the designated child protection officer(s)
• All staff (teaching, boarding, administration, peripatetic, ancillary) sign the following documents: Children Act 1989, Code of Conduct, Whistle-blowing Policy (see Safeguarding Children – Sept 2009). In addition staff are provided with the DfES booklet “Keeping Children Safe” and guidelines procedure (please see Child Protection Procedure document)
• All staff have training every two years. Attendance is logged and any absences are followed up.
• Support anyone who in good faith reports their concerns that a child is at risk
• Developing and then implementing procedure for identifying and reporting cases or suspected cases, of abuse
• Staff are aware that if an allegation is made against the DCPO then they should immediately report to the Principal or in his absence the Chair of Governors.
• Confidentiality cannot be promised to a pupil giving evidence; staff must not ask leading questions or promise that things will get better. Staff are also reminded to ensure that their behaviour and actions do not place pupils or themselves at risk of hard or of allegations of harm to a pupil.

5:  SUPPORT FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN

We recognise that children who are abused or witness violence many find it difficult to develop a sense of self worth. They may feel helplessness, humiliation and some sense of blame. The school may be the only stable, secure and predictable element in the lives of children at risk. When at school their behaviour may be challenging and defiant or they may be withdrawn. The school will endeavour to support the pupil through:

• Supporting pupils who have been abused in accordance with his/her agreed children protection plan
• Using the content of the school curriculum
• Honouring the school ethos which promotes a positive, supportive and secure environment and gives pupils a sense of being valued
• Applying the school behaviour policy which is aimed at supporting vulnerable pupils in the school. The school will ensure that the pupil knows that some behaviour is unacceptable but they are valued and not to be blamed for any abuse which has occurred.
• Liaising with the other agencies that support the pupil such as social services and the educational psychology service
• Ensuring that, where there is a pupil at risk, their information is transferred to the new school immediately and the children’s social worker is informed.

We recognise that because of the day to day contact with children, school staff are well placed to observe the outward signs of abuse. The school will therefore:

• Raise awareness of child protection issues and equipping children with the skills needed to keep them safe. This includes opportunities in the PSHE curriculum for children to develop the skills they need to recognise and stay safe from abuse (e.g. visits from local community police officer)
• Establish a safe environment in which children can learn and develop
• Establish and maintain an environment where children feel secure, are encouraged to talk and are listened to
• Ensure children know that there are adults in the school whom they can approach if they are worried

For the purpose of CRB checks, inspectors are regarded as visitors to the school according to the school's policies, for example they may be asked to register on arrival and to wear a visitor’s badge.  As a Registered Body ISI ensures that checks have been carried out on all its reporting inspectors, assistant reporting inspectors and early years lead inspectors.  They are then issued with an ISI photocard, which is conferred only after evidence of an enhanced CRB check has been provided. Similarly, all non-serving team inspectors have had an enhanced CRB check. All serving team inspectors are checked at the time of their re-training for the new inspections to ensure that the requisite checks were undertaken when they joined their current school. However, it should be remembered that team inspectors do not have any unsupervised individual meetings with pupils.

6:  BOARDING

With reference to boarding provision, BCS will ensure that:

• Senior pupils given positions of responsibility (e.g. Head of Boarders) over other pupils will be advised on appropriate action to take should their receive any allegations of abuse
• Any boarder found to be missing, after exhausting all possibilities, will be reported missing to the police and parents
• When and where applicable, concerns or allegations will be reported to Ofsted
• Any boarding member of staff suspended on account of an allegation will be offered alternative accommodation off-site.