2. Who are the child protection officers at the school, other than the Headteacher?

According to “Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education” (HMSO 2006) Governing bodies (and proprietors of independent schools) should ensure that:

“A senior member of the school’s leadership team is designated to take lead responsibility for dealing with child protection issues, providing advice and support to others. The designated person need not be a teacher but must have the status and authority within the school management structure to carry out the duties of the post, including committing resources to child protection matters, and where appropriate directing other staff”.

“In many schools a single designated person will be sufficient, but a deputy should be available to act in the designated person’s absence. In large establishments, or those with a large number of child protection concerns, it may be necessary to have a number of deputies to deal with the workload”.

“In independent schools which are organised into separate junior and senior parts on different site’s or with a separate management line, there should be a designated person for each part or site”.

Governing bodies and proprietors should also ensure that:

“In addition to basic child protection training the designated person undertakes training in inter-agency working that is provided by, or to standards agreed by, the Local Safeguarding Children Board, and refresher training at two yearly intervals to keep his or her knowledge or skills up to date”. (s2.19 and 2.22).

The responsibilities proposed for the Designated Senior Person for Child Protection, according to this guidance, are as below:

Referrals

Refer cases of suspected abuse or allegations to the relevant investigating agencies.
Act as a source of support, advice and expertise within the educational establishment when deciding whether to make a referral by liaising with relevant agencies.
Liaise with head teacher or principal (where role not carried out by the head teacher) to inform him or her of any issues and ongoing investigations and ensure there is always cover for this role.

Training

To recognise how to identify signs of abuse and when it is appropriate to make a referral.
Have a working knowledge of how LSCBs operate, the conduct of a child protection case conference and be able to attend and contribute to these effectively when required to do so.
Ensure each member of staff has access to and understands the school’s child protection policy especially new or part time staff who may work with different educational establishments.
Ensure all staff has induction training covering child protection and are able to recognise and report any concerns immediately they arise.
Be able to keep detailed accurate secure written records of referrals and or concerns.
Obtain access to resources and attend any relevant or refresher training courses at least every two years.

Raising Awareness

Ensure the establishment’s child protection policy is updated and reviewed annually and work with the governing body or proprietor regarding this.
Ensure parents see copies of the child protection policy which alerts them to the fact that referrals may be made and the role of the establishment in this to avoid conflict later.
Where children leave the establishment ensure their child protection file is copied for the new establishment as soon as possible but transferred separately from the main pupil file”.