Safeguarding

 

Safeguarding is an important part of our roles as educators, when we come in to school for that day we are not only teachers, we are pastoral care, we are listeners, we are entertainers, we are friends, we are some who listens and cares as well as may more. As an educator we have the responsibility to look after the well-being and safety of the children who enter our care and the beginning of the day and when they leave at the end. However, it doesn’t just end when the child leaves the school ground, we must ensure that we are aware of issues and the wellbeing of the child outside of the school day to have their best interest. (Burrows, 2018) discusses the intended aims of safeguarding is to protect people’s health, wellbeing and human rights. It also includes protecting someone from something that may be harmful to their health or development. Safeguarding is an extremely important part of a school, in which they must meet the required safeguarding responsibilities in order to ensure they are providing a framework that meets the needs of all the pupils including those who are in vulnerable groups such as children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (Raymond, 2010).

 

Within this blog I am going to discussing issues featured within safeguarding and wellbeing. I have chosen to focus on two safeguarding challenges, the first being online safety and the second safeguarding challenge children who are suffering with abuse. Within this issue I will be exploring the challenges teachers face as well as the strategies that can be used to as a teacher to address these.

 

Children in our society as young as four or five have access to a technological device, in which allows them to gain access to the internet. The internet over the years has become a wonderful tool in allowing us to engage in curricular content we could never have dreamed of before. With the positives the wide range of technology can bring, it can also have detrimental consequences. Our internet allows us to access many different sites of different natures where we can change our identity. A problem that young children face on the internet is cyber bully, this can be defined as “involves repeated use of technology to harass, humiliate or threaten” (Holladay, 2011 cited in Betts, 2016). Cyber bulling is just one of the threats young children face on the internet, there may be online predators messaging them, viruses and spyware as well as sexting (Sechler, 2012). As educators we must ensure that on computers with in schools there are sufficient filters whilst the pupils have access to them. We must also ensure that we are cooperating in a scheme called E-safety, in which we are teaching the children how deal with threats and what is the right thing to do. The children should be educated on the risks that come with using the internet and how they should deal with it.

 

Through research, the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) written in 2018 by the Department for Education, identifies clear guidelines on the responsibilities of schools and how they should be dealing with issues. The KCSiE have also provided courses and information packs for teachers and schools to use when educating children about the internet. It is important that as educators we are up to date and confident with the content, we are teaching in order to ensure the safety and wellbeing of pupils.

 

Whilst in class, there can many factors that can highlight and identify if there is a child that is being abused. The educator must ensure that they are always being vigilant within class, while watching in change of behaviour as well as emotional and social wellbeing and interactions. The teacher must ensure that they are looking out for differences in the child that can be factored by both home life and in school (Kyriacou, 2003) It is highly important that as the teacher they report anything that may be alarming or a concern to the safeguarding officer immediately regarding accidents that happen within school as well as outside of school.  Schools must ensure that their staff members all receive the appropriate training and knowledge to deal with a concern. A book written by HM Government in 2006 on behalf of the Department for Education discussed the appropriate interventions and best care as well as the protocols that should be followed to ensure the wellbeing and safety of the child is not in harm.

References:

 

Betts, L. R. (2016). Cyberbullying: approaches, consequences and interventions. London:

Palgrave Macmillan.

Burrows, L. (2018). Safeguarding mindfulness in schools and higher education: a holistic and

inclusive approach. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

Education, D. for (2019). Keeping children safe in education(on-line).

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education–2. Accessed

9 August 2019.

Education, D. for (2019). Working together to safeguard children(on-line).

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children–2.

Accessed 9 August 2019.

Kyriacou, C. 2003. Helping troubled pupils. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes

Raymond, A. (2010). Safeguarding and protecting children. London, UK: Optimus.