Every child has the right to be kept safe, protected from harm and for their voice to be listened to and taken seriously (Unicef, 1989). It is critical as child care professionals to place the needs, safety and wellbeing of all children at the centre of safeguarding and every day practice.

To safeguard and promote the wellbeing of all children underpins the complexities of every day practice (DfE, 2018)- being confident, knowledgeable and proactive in identifying concerns, recording and sharing information with the appropriate professionals and taking prompt action, ensuring the right to a consistent, quality education which promotes children’s’ safety, welfare and fulfilment of learning potentials is intact (Unicef, 1989).

NSPCC (2018) have identified a dramatic increase in child cruelty and neglect offences across the United Kingdom (UK). Neglect is ‘…the ongoing failure to meet a child’s basic needs and is the most common form of child abuse’ (NSPCC, 2018).

Neglect is the overarching term, where specific types of neglect include:

• Emotional-Failing to nurture and promote the mental wellbeing and emotional development
• Educational-A failure to support children’s right to an education (Unicef, 1989)
• Medical-Failing to provide or follow medical advice or treatments                                                     
• Physical-A failure to support the basic physiological and safety needs- safety, security, food, warmth, shelter. These are crucial components which require to be satisfied in order to reach maximum learning potentials (Maslow, 1943; Kaur, 2013)

Maslow’s (1943) Hierarchy of Needs, available here

It’s argued the extent in which teachers can prevent abuse or neglect can be difficult as mistreatment of children is more likely to occur outside of the classroom (Parton, 2010). Questioning this viewpoint, neglect can still occur within the classroom if professionals are not aware, alert and vigilant in identifying concerns, asking for help and sharing information, putting the safety and wellbeing of children at risk. All teachers upon the recruitment process partake in routine safeguarding training, with whole staff, in house training sessions every 6 months-1 year, supporting and extending their knowledge to enhance confidence in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children.

‘Abuse of children is not a disease entity but a pattern on behaviour and like all such patterns it has a multiplicity of paths by which it is reached’ (Scott, 1973; ACDS, 2015).

There has been increasing emphasis placed on multi-agency working in child protection in the UK…’ (Richards, 2018:44) as a result of missed opportunities being identified with child protection cases, including a lack of information sharing and communication.

Efficient and effective communication is fundamental to build positive and supportive relationships between professionals, the school and home to promote children’s welfare and keep them safe. It is imperative professionals act upon their concerns or suspicions of children being in danger immediately (NSPCC, 2018) by contacting the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and sharing information or observations expressing concern in regard to the welfare, safety and wellbeing of children- be it little or big. If any situation appears ambiguous or practitioners are uncertain, the DSL is the priority person to approach.

Coordination of information between professionals can identify potential links, patterns and concerns regarding a child’s safety and physical, mental and social wellbeing (DfE, 2018). This awareness can drive the next steps and protocols to be taken to ensure a child’s situation is not brushed under the carpet, rather their right to be protected and kept safe (Unicef, 1989) is intact, enhancing and improving outcomes for all children and young people (Cheminais, 2009).

As a former Keyworker, Playworker and Teaching Assistant within settings caring for children across the ages of 0-12, I’ve often noticed ambiguous or questionable bruises, cuts, swellings, verbalisations made by children and observations on behaviour which question the physical, emotional and sexual wellbeing of children. Although some occurrences were concluded as innocent situations, my role as the professional places the safety and wellbeing of children at the heart, considering all possible causes, perspectives and outcomes. This means questions may need to be asked to understand the nature of the situation or observations being carried out following to track children’s’ behaviour, responses and overall wellbeing.

When considering my own future classroom, I will ensure to be fully aware of each child’s background, history and situation, which can help to identify any potential triggers. I believe it is crucial for all children to have an awareness of what neglect/abuse is, which could be highlighted in PSED sessions- subtly exploring emotions, social issues and promoting children’s right to a voice. The nature of discussions may cause children to feel distressed or discouraged, needing support from a TA within sessions. However, without an awareness of neglect, children may find it difficult to feel empowered to keep themselves safe (Turvey, 2016). The children would know the classroom is a safe space for questioning and discussing any issues or experiences within their lives, with an open door, open mind approach at the heart of the classroom.

 

Reference List:

ACDS. (2015) The role of serious case reviews in improving the child protection system. United Kingdom: The Virtual Staff College.

Cheminais, R. (2009) Effective Multi-agency Partnerships.London: Sage Publications.

Department for Education (2018) Keeping Children Safe in Education. Statutory Guidance for Schools and Colleges. Department for Education: Crown Copyright.

Kaur, A. (2013) Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory: Applications and Criticisms. Global Journal of Management and Business Studies, Vol. 3(10), p. 1061-1064.

NSPCC (2018) Signs, symptoms and effects of child abuse and neglect [online] London: NSPCC. Available from: <https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/signs-symptoms-effects/Date accessed: 13/01/19.

Parton, N. (2010) Child Protection and Safeguarding in England: Changing and Compeing Conceptions of Risk and their Implications for Social Work. British Journal of Social Work, Vol 41(5), p. 854-875

Richards, C. (2018) ‘It’s a big ask when your job is to teach children to read, write and to count’: the experiences of school staff in early help and child protection. Pastoral Care in Education, Vol 36(1), p.44.56.

Turvey, K., Potter, J., Burton, J., Allen, J. and Sharp, J. (2016) Primary computing & digital technologies: knowledge, understanding & practice, London: Learning Matters.

Unicef (1989) United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. United Kingdom: Unicef.  Available at: https://353ld710iigr2n4po7k4kgvv-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/UNCRC_summary.pdf   Date accessed: 13/01/19