Children and young people can be influenced by a whole range of environments and people outside of their family. For example, in school or college, in the local community, in their peer groups or online. Children and young people may encounter risk in any of these environments. Sometimes the
different contexts are inter-related and can mean that children and young people may encounter multiple risks. Some of these risks, along with other further specific forms of abuse are discussed in more detail in Annex B of KCSiE 2023. These include:
Child abduction
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)
County Lines
Children and the Court system
Children missing from education
Children with family members in prison
Cybercrime
Domestic abuse
Homelessness
Mental health
Modern Slavery and the National Referral Mechanism
Preventing radicalization
The Prevent Duty
Channel
Sexual violence and Sexual harassment between children in schools
Serious Violence
FGM and the mandatory reporting duty for teachers
Forced marriage
Responding to Abuse and Neglect
All staff, volunteers, and governors must follow the procedures set out below in the event of a safeguarding concern that meets threshold for referral to Children’s Social Care. For early help intervention (non-CP) see the continuum of need and the Families First Portal
If a child is suffering or likely to suffer harm, or in immediate danger
DSLs will make referrals in the following way:
1) If the child is at immediate risk of significant harm or likelihood of significant harm they will call Children’s Services 0300 123 4043 and / or police 999 and then complete the request for support form specifying their child protection concerns
2) Alternatively, if not an immediate risk but the child is considered to be suffering or at risk of suffering significant harm they will complete the request for support form, specifying their child protection concerns.. Anyone can make a referral to Police and/or Children’s Services therefore, we expect all staff and volunteers in our school community to act immediately and not delay if they consider a child to be in immediate danger using the pathways below.
For non-DSLs to make a referral to Children’s Social Care:
Call 0300 123 4043 followed by a request for support form. The staff member must inform the DSL as soon as possible.
To contact the Police:
Call Police on 999 if urgent, if not urgent call 101.
If a child resides in a neighbouring Local Authority (out of Hertfordshire County) the GOV.UK webpage for reporting child abuse to your local council: Report child abuse to a local council - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) is accessible to assist staff.
Concerns about a child (not considered to be suffering harm, at risk of suffering harm or in immediate danger)
As per KCSiE (2023), staff “should be mindful that early information sharing is vital for the effective identification, assessment and allocation of appropriate service provision” (support). Where staff have a concern for a child which does not indicate that they are suffering or likely to suffer immediate harm or in immediate danger they should follow the setting’s internal processes for submitting a Record of Concern. The step-by-step process of doing so is as follows:
Log the record of concern on CPOMS
Alert DSL of site and Headteachers
This will include all concerns for Safeguarding, child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment, Prevent, Mental Health, Online filtering and monitoring as well as any other relevant specific safeguarding issues.
Upon receipt of the Record of Concern, the DSL (or deputy DSL) should consult Hertfordshire’s Continuum of Need or, if needed, seek further consultation to consider an appropriate level of response to take. The DSL (or deputy) should acknowledge the concern and feedback wherever appropriate. Staff
must not assume that action has been taken unless they have received feedback from the DSL (or deputy DSL) who responded.
If a child makes a disclosure to a member of staff or volunteer
All staff are aware they should be prepared, when possible, as children can disclose spontaneously.
We consider the term ‘the child’s voice’ to represent not only what children say directly, but rather the many ways that children communicate with us, including both verbal and non-verbal communication. The child’s lived experience means seeing and understanding their experiences from their point of view, our staff understand that it is very important to always record exactly what a child has said rather than interpret this from an adult/ their own perspective. Roots Federation is situated within Hertfordshire County which has a rich and diverse population, we cannot and do not assume that all children and their families will have English as their first language nor may a child with SEND have speech or language ability to convey verbally any difficulties they may experience without aids and methods to facilitate their voice. Therefore, our staff give careful consideration to knowing that a child may:
Not feel ready or know how to tell someone that they are being abused, exploited or neglected
Not recognise their experiences as harmful
Feel embarrassed, humiliated, or threatened. This could be due to their vulnerability, disability, sexual orientation and/or language barriers.
All staff at Roots Federation must ensure that no child is ever made to feel that they are ‘any trouble’ if they need time and space to share their worries with staff.
Roots Federation culture of safeguarding endorses the following principles of meaningful engagement with children to include:
Listen
Be patient – a child may be finding it hard to find the words to express themselves. Let them tell their story in their own words Do not interrogate – you may ‘taint’ evidence by asking leading questions or suggesting what may have happened. Maintain your professional curiosity, ask open-ended prompts.

Reassure
Reassure the child they are not in trouble and that they have done the right thing in telling you
Do not tell the child they should have told you sooner
Reassure the child that it is not their fault – victims can often be blamed by their abusers.
Do not promise confidentiality – if the child asks you to keep it a secret, explain who you need to tell to keep them safe, if appropriate
Explain to the child that you will have to share the information and explain what may happen next.
Stay Calm
Try not to panic, be aware of your own reactions and feelings, avoid showing shock, anger, or disgust
Do not insult the alleged abuser, however frustrated you may privately feel, children can be very protective of people they care about, even if that person is abusing them.
Report
Write up your conversation as soon as possible in the child’s own words. Stick to the facts, and do not put your own judgement on it
Sign and date the write-up and pass it on to the DSL. Specify any specific recording arrangements for your school such as CPOMS or My Concern Alternatively, if appropriate, make a referral to Children’s Social Care and/or the Police directly (see section 8). Prioritise this above all other work. Inform the DSL of your actions as soon as possible.
Do not disclose any information to anyone aside from those within your DSL team, unless you are told to do so by a relevant agency involved in the safeguarding process.
Reporting systems for children
Roots Federation is committed to ensuring that all children feel safe and comfortable to share and report any concerns and/or allegations about their life at home, in the community, online or regarding a member of staff or other children in the school. As outlined above, all our staff are clear on the importance of listening and supporting children when making disclosures, and the need to reassure them.
Where there is a safeguarding concern, we will take the child’s wishes and feelings into account when assessing information, considering necessary actions and any subsequent implementation of advice or support.
To achieve this, we have:
Clear systems in place for children to report abuse, knowing they will be listened to and supported. Strong relationships are made with the keyworkers and children are encouraged to talk to adults within their room. The older children are taught about their ‘network hand’. This allows them to identify five key adults to help talk to.
Accessible reporting systems which are well promoted and understood by the children so they can easily report concerns via this pathway should they wish
A clear culture and ethos in our school that promotes taking concerns seriously, and offers children opportunities to safely express their views and any worries they may have.
Concerns that Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has taken place or a child is at risk of FGM
Keeping Children Safe in Education (2023) explains that FGM includes ‘all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs.’
FGM is illegal in the UK and is considered as a form of child abuse that has significantly harmful and long-lasting consequences. It can also be referred to as ‘female genital cutting’, ‘circumcision’ or ‘initiation’.

Any teacher who either:
is informed by a girl under 18 that an act of FGM has been carried out on her;
or observes physical signs which appear to show that an act of FGM has been carried out on a girl under 18 (and they have no reason to believe that the act was necessary for the girl’s physical or mental health or for purposes connected with labour or birth)
must immediately report this to the Police, personally on 999. This is a mandatory, statutory duty and teachers will face disciplinary sanctions for failing to meet it. In addition, staff should also discuss the concerns with the DSL to report to Children’s Services, as appropriate.
The duty for teachers above does not apply in cases where a pupil is at risk of FGM or FGM is suspected but is not known to have been carried out. In these circumstances, the teacher must report to the DSL and follow local safeguarding procedures to be taken.
Any other member of staff who discovers that FGM has been carried out on a child under 18 must report this to the DSL immediately to ensure local safeguarding procedures are followed.
If a member of staff who is not a teacher, suspects a child is at risk or suspects that FGM has been carried out, they should report to the DSL and follow local safeguarding procedures.
Please see 5.1.17 of the HSCP Procedures Manual for further information about
Concerns about extremism
The Prevent duty is concerned with all forms of terrorism and extremism. It also includes some forms of nonviolent extremism (far right and extreme far right groups, religious extremist groups, environmental and animal rights extremism, unclear ideology).
Unless your concerns indicate that the child is at immediate risk of harm or danger, report your concerns to the DSL. In rare circumstances where the DSL may not be available, staff should speak with a member of the senior leadership team and/or seek advice from Children’s Services, if appropriate. Staff must inform the DSL of their actions as soon as possible.
Where there is a concern, the DSL will consider the level of risk and decide which agency to make a referral to. This can include seeking advice from Hertfordshire County Council’s Prevent Programme Manager, a referral to Children’s Services 0300 123 4043 or Channel, the government’s programme for identifying and supporting individuals at risk of being drawn into terrorism.
The DfE also has a dedicated telephone helpline, 020 7340 7264, which all staff and governors can call to raise concerns about extremism for a pupil. In non-emergency situations DSLs can also email counter.extremism@education.gov.uk. In an emergency, call 999 or the confidential anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321.
Concerns about mental health
Mental health problems can, in some cases, be an indicator that a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering abuse, neglect or exploitation. Poor or deteriorating mental health can also be a safeguarding concern in its own right. Our staff know to be alert to behavioural signs that suggest a child may be experiencing a mental health problem or be at risk of developing one.
If a staff member has a concern about a child’s mental health which they consider to also be a safeguarding concern, they must consider if the child is at risk of immediate harm; and if so, should follow steps in in section 8.
If you have a mental health concern about a child that is not also a safeguarding concern, speak to the DSL and Mental Health Lead to agree a course of action.
The Single Point of Access (SPA) Mental Health phoneline is available 24/7 on 0800 6444 101 and can be used when there is an urgent or ‘crisis’ concern as well as for moderate and non-urgent concerns. Further information and resources can be found on The Grid.
Concerns about child-on-child abuse
At Roots Federation , we know that children can abuse other children. No abuse at Roots Federation will ever be tolerated or passed off as “banter”, “just having a laugh” or “part of growing up”. We are committed to upholding a culture that prevents unacceptable behaviours and an unsafe environment for pupils. All child-on-child abuse is unacceptable and will be taken seriously.
In most circumstances, incidences of pupils hurting other pupils will be dealt with under our School’s Behaviour Policy, but this Child Protection Policy will apply to any allegations that raise safeguarding concerns where the alleged behaviour:
Is serious, and potentially a criminal offence
Could put pupils in the school at risk
Is violent
Involves pupils being forced to use drugs or alcohol
Involves sexual exploitation, sexual abuse or sexual harassment, such as indecent exposure, sexual assault, upskirting or sexually inappropriate pictures or videos (including the sharing of nudes and semi-nudes).
If a pupil makes an allegation of abuse against another pupil:
Staff must record the allegation and report to the DSL. Staff should not investigate the matter
The DSL will assess and if consider the relevant next steps which may include, making a referral to Children’s Services as well as the Police if the allegation involves a potential criminal offence or the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), if appropriate
The DSL will consider whether a risk assessment or a safety and support plan would be beneficial for all children involved (including the victim(s), the child(ren) against whom the allegation has been made and any others affected, with a named person they can talk to if needed. This should include consideration of all aspects and areas of the school environment and beyond for example off-site activities and school transport
The DSL will be committed to engaging the child and their parents/ carers to gain their views and contributions and liaise with other agencies to assess any identified risks, unmet needs and relevant measures or support required.
If the incident is a criminal offence and there are delays in the criminal process, the DSL will work closely with the Police (and other agencies as required) while protecting children and/or taking any disciplinary measures against the alleged perpetrator.
Please see Appendix 3 of this policy and Part Five of Keeping Children Safe in Education, 2023.
Creating a supportive environment in school and minimising the risk of child-on-child abuse
We recognise the importance of taking proactive action to minimise the risk of child-on-child abuse, and of creating a supportive environment where victims feel confident in reporting incidents.
To achieve this, we expect all staff to:
Challenge any form of derogatory or sexualised language or inappropriate behaviour between peers, including requesting or sending sexual images
Be vigilant to issues that particularly affect different genders, for example, sexualised or aggressive touching or grabbing towards female pupils, and initiation or hazing type violence with respect to boys
Ensure our curriculum helps to educate pupils about appropriate behaviour and consent
Ensure pupils are able to easily and confidently report abuse using our reporting systems
Ensure staff reassure victims that they are being taken seriously
Be alert to reports of sexual violence and/or harassment that may point to environmental or systemic problems that could be addressed by updating policies, processes and the curriculum, or could reflect wider issues in the local area that should be shared with safeguarding partners
Support children who have witnessed sexual violence, especially rape or assault by penetration. We will do all we can to make sure the victim, alleged perpetrator(s) and any witnesses are not bullied or harassed
Consider intra-familial harms and any necessary support for siblings following a report of sexual violence and/or harassment.
Ensure staff are trained to understand:
How to recognise the indicators and signs of child-on-child abuse, and know how to identify it and respond to reports
That even if there are no reports of child-on-child abuse in school, it does not mean it is not happening – staff should maintain an attitude of “it could happen here”
That if they have any concerns about a child’s welfare, they should act on them immediately rather than wait to be told, and that victims may not always make a direct report. For example:
Children can show signs or act in ways they hope adults will notice and react to
A child’s friend may report this directly to a staff member or make comments (if they do, staff should be professionally curious)
A member of staff may overhear a conversation
A child’s behaviour might indicate that something is wrong
That certain children may face additional barriers to telling someone because of their vulnerability, disability, gender, ethnicity and/or sexual orientation. That a pupil harming a peer could be a sign that the child is being abused themselves, and that this would fall under the scope of this policy. The important role they have to play in preventing child-on-child abuse and responding where they believe a child may be at risk from it. That they should speak to the DSL
if they have any concerns. That social media is likely to play a role in the fall-out from any incident or alleged incident, including the potential contact between the victim, alleged perpetrator(s) and friends from either side.
The DSL will take the lead role in managing any proposed risk by the alleged perpetrator(s) and will provide support at the same time, it is not our intention to villainise children, but it is everyone’s responsibility to uphold the Behaviour Policy and standards within the school to maintain a safe environment. Such assessments or plans will be robust but sensitive to the individual needs of the children to ensure any identified risk is managed as effectively as possible whilst also supporting them to continue accessing a satisfactory level of education.
Risk management strategies can be put in place while other investigations are going on, e.g. by the Police. Although another agency such as the Police or Children’s Services is or has investigated an incident, it is our duty here at Roots Federation to ensure we identify and implement our own assessment and management of the concerns, informed by the needs of our school and the children we care for and the advice and outcomes of those agency’s actions. This is to ensure that all children and staff are supported and always protected. We will consider these matters on a case-by-case basis, considering whether:
Taking action would prejudice an investigation and/or subsequent prosecution – we will liaise with the Police and/or Children’s Services to determine this
There are circumstances that make it unreasonable or inappropriate for us to reach our own view about what happened while an independent investigation is ongoing.
Online Safety and Filtering
We recognise the importance of safeguarding children from potentially harmful and inappropriate online material, and we understand that technology is a significant component in many safeguarding and wellbeing issues.
To address this, our school aims to:
Have robust processes (including filtering and monitoring systems) in place to ensure the online safety of pupils, staff, volunteers and governors
Protect and educate the whole school community in its safe and responsible use of technology, including mobile and smart technology (which we refer to as ‘mobile phones’)
Set clear guidelines for the use of mobile phones for the whole school community
Establish clear mechanisms to identify, intervene in and escalate any incidents or concerns, where appropriate.
Our approach to online safety is based on addressing the following 4 categories of risk as identified in Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023:
Content – being exposed to illegal, inappropriate or harmful content, such as pornography, fake news, racism, misogyny, self-harm, suicide, antisemitism, radicalisation and extremism
Contact – being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users, such as pressure from another child(ren), commercial advertising and adults posing as children or young adults with the intention to groom or exploit them for sexual, criminal, financial or other purposes
Conduct – personal online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes harm, such as making, sending and receiving explicit images (e.g. consensual and non-consensual sharing of nudes and semi-nudes and/or pornography), sharing other explicit images and online bullying; and
Commerce – risks such as online gambling, inappropriate advertising, phishing and/or financial scams.
To meet our aims and address the risks above, we will educate pupils about online safety as part of our curriculum. For example:
The safe use of social media, the internet and technology
Keeping personal information private
How to recognise unacceptable behaviour online
How to report any incidents of cyber-bullying, ensuring pupils are encouraged to do so, including where they’re a witness rather than a victim
We will also:
Train staff, as part of their induction, on safe internet use and online safeguarding issues including cyber-bullying, the risks of online radicalisation, and the expectations, roles and responsibilities around filtering and monitoring. All staff members will receive refresher training as required at least once each academic year
Educate parents/ carers about online safety via our website, communications sent directly to them and during parents’ evenings. We will also share clear procedures with them so they know how to raise concerns about online safety
Make sure staff are aware of any restrictions placed on them with regards to the use of their mobile phone and cameras, for example that:
Staff are allowed to bring their personal phones to school for their own use, but will limit such use to non-contact time when pupils are not present
Staff will not take pictures or recordings of pupils on their personal phones or cameras.
Make all pupils, parents/ carers, staff, volunteers and governors aware that they are expected to sign an agreement regarding the acceptable use of the internet in school, use of the school’s ICT systems and use of their mobile and smart technology
Make sure all staff, pupils and parents/ carers are aware that staff have the power to search pupils’ phones, as set out in the DfE’s guidance on searching, screening and confiscation
Put in place robust filtering and monitoring systems to limit children’s exposure to the 4 key categories of risk (described above) from the school’s IT systems. (If you don’t have a separate online safety policy document that covers your filtering and monitoring procedures in detail, include them here. See our model online safety policy for a guide of what to cover).
Carry out an annual review of our approach to online safety, supported by an annual risk assessment that considers and reflects the risks faced by our school community
Provide regular safeguarding and children protection updates including online safety to all staff, at least annually, in order to continue to provide them with the relevant skills and knowledge to safeguard effectively
Review the child protection and safeguarding policy, including online safety, annually and ensure the procedures and implementation are updated and reviewed regularly.
This section summarises our approach to online safety and mobile phone use. For full details about our school’s policies in these areas, please refer to our online safety policy and mobile phone policies which can be found on our website (insert own hyperlink) As mentioned above, if you do not have these separate policy documents, include your policies here and remove this paragraph.
Working with Parents and Carers
At Roots Federation where appropriate, we will discuss concerns about a child with their parents or carers. We know parents and carers know their child best and we will always value that often, when concerns emerge, these can easily be resolved with the support of school and parents/ carers working together. To retain confidentiality within the school community other staff will only talk to parents or carers about any such concerns following consultation with the DSL.
Although we will always want to be open and transparent with our parents and carers, there may be circumstances where the safety of a child overrides their liberty and rights for this to happen immediately as consent may not be appropriate/ required. For a small number of children, seeking parental consent would not be appropriate if:

The child would be placed at increased risk of significant harm through the action of gaining this consent
There would be an impact on a criminal investigation
A delay in making the referral would impact on the immediate safety of the child.
If we believe that notifying the parents or carers would increase the risk to the child, we will discuss this with the Local Authority Children’s Social Care team to seek advice when it would be the right time to share information, so that we do not interrupt planned inquiries by Children’s Services or the Police.
In the case of allegations of abuse made against other children, we will normally notify the parents or carers of all the children involved. We will think carefully about what information we provide about other children involved, and when. We will work with the Police and/or Local Authority Children’s Social Care to make sure our approach to information sharing is consistent.
The DSL will, along with other agencies if there is third party involvement (this will be decided on a case-by-case basis):
Meet with the victim’s parents or carers, with the victim, to discuss what is being put in place to safeguard them, and understand their wishes in terms of what support they may need and how the report will be progressed
Meet with the alleged perpetrator’s parents or carers to discuss support for them, and what is being put in place that will impact them, e.g. moving them out of classes with the victim, and the reason(s) for any decision(s).
Managing Allegations About Staff, School’s Safeguarding Policies & Practice
Concerns that DO meet the harm threshold and require a referral to the Local Authority Designated
Officer (LADO)
Roots Federation are required to comply with the procedures set out in Hertfordshire Safeguarding Partnership procedures manual section 5.1.5. 5.1.5 Managing Allegations Against Adults Who Work With Children and Young People (proceduresonline.com) when there are concerns or allegations about staff.
The procedures apply whenever there are suspicions or allegations that a person who works with children in a paid or unpaid capacity (including but not limited to permanent, temporary or agency staff member, contract worker, consultant, volunteer) has in any activity connected with their role:
• Behaved in a way that has, or may have harmed a child; (Harm Threshold)
• Possibly committed a criminal offence against / related to a child; (Criminal Threshold)
• Behaved toward a child in a way that indicates he or she would pose a risk of harm; (Suitability Threshold) *
• Behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with children. (Transferable Risk Threshold)*
Or
• It is discovered that an individual known to have been involved previously in child abuse, is or has been working with children.
* These categories can include behaviour that may have happened outside of an organisation that might make an individual unsuitable to work with children.
All staff and volunteers at Roots Federation know that if they have concerns about a colleague/ member of staff, (including a supply teacher, volunteer or contractor), or an allegation is made about a member of staff (including a supply teacher, volunteer or contractor) posing a risk of harm to children, they should report it urgently as below. This includes individuals or organisations who have used school premises for running an activity for children, whether or not those children attend our setting.

​

Allegation against: Member of staff (including volunteers, supply staff and contractors)

Report to: Headteacher/Principal NB if supply teacher, HT would also report this to their main employer.

Allegation against: Headteacher/Principal

Report to: Chair of governors, chair of the management committee or proprietor of an independent school

Allegation against: Manager who is the sole proprietor. Or if you think your concerns have not been taken seriously

Report to: Directly to LADO service vis lado.referral@hertfordshire.gov.uk

​

Upon receipt of the information, the Headteacher/Chair of Governors will review whether the allegation/concern meets the LADO threshold giving consideration to our staff code of conduct, managing allegations policy and 5.1.5 HSCP procedures. If necessary, they will compete a LADO referral within one working day.
If after reviewing the guidance and procedures, the Headteacher/Chair of Governors considers that the matter does not meet the LADO threshold they may consider that it can be dealt with in line with the school’s complaints or Low Level Concerns policy.
Concerns that DO NOT meet the harm threshold - Low-Level Concerns (LLC)
As outlined in Part Four of Keeping Children Safe in Education the term ‘low-level’ concern is any concern, no matter how small, that an adult working in or on behalf of the school 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 LADO threshold or is otherwise not considered serious enough to consider a LADO referral.
Examples of such behaviour could include, but are not limited to:
Being overly friendly with children
Having favourites
Taking photographs of children on their mobile phone
Engaging with a child on a one-to-one basis in a secluded area or behind a closed door
Humiliating pupils.
At Roots Federation we have clear codes of conduct and processes in place to deal with any concerns or allegations which do not meet the LADO threshold. Such concerns may arise from suspicion, complaint, safeguarding concerns or allegation from another member of staff, disclosure made by a child, parent or another outside of the school or pre-employment vetting checks.
Keeping children safe during community activities, after-school clubs and tuition
As a provider Roots Federation have a legal duty of care to try to ensure our environment is safe for children who visit in addition to those who already attend our setting..
We may receive an allegation or concern relating to an incident that happened when an individual or organisation were using our school premises for the purposes of running activities for children (for example community groups, sports associations, or service providers that run extra-curricular activities). As with any safeguarding allegation, Roots Federation will follow our safeguarding policies and procedures, including informing the LADO where appropriate.
The governing body will ensure any organisation that hires the school premises is compliant with guidance set out in Keeping children safe during community activities, after-school clubs and tuition: non-statutory guidance for providers running out-of-school settings

GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). They will therefore seek assurance that the provider concerned has the appropriate safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures in place (including inspecting these as needed) and will ensure that there are arrangements in place for the provider to liaise with the school on these matters where appropriate. This applies regardless of whether or not the children who attend any of these activities are children on the school roll or not.
Other complaints
If any of our stakeholders are not satisfied with any aspects of how we manage and operate within our policy and procedures and also how we exercise our duty of care for children, please follow our school Complaints Procedures that you can find on our school website at: (insert link to complaints procedures)
If your school handles safeguarding-related complaints of other types here – for example, those related to pupils or premises insert in this section or remove this paragraph.
Whistleblowing
At Roots Federation we strive to create a culture of openness, trust and transparency to encourage all staff to confidentially share any concerns they have about poor or unsafe practice, concerns or allegations against staff or the school’s safeguarding practice and arrangements so they can be addressed appropriately.
If you have a separate whistleblowing policy that covers concerns regarding the way the school safeguards pupils, including poor or unsafe practice, or potential failures, refer to it here.
Alternatively, explain your procedures for raising concerns about the school’s safeguarding practice here. You should consider:
What areas of malpractice or wrongdoing are covered by the procedures
The options available for reporting a concern, including who to approach within the school and externally
How the school will respond to such concerns
What protection is available to staff who report another member of staff.
Whistleblowing directly to Children’s Social Care on 0300 123 4043 and/or the Police 999 or to the NSPCC Whistleblowing Helpline 0800 028 0285 help@nspcc.org.uk
Record Keeping
Roots Federation will hold records confidentially, safely, securely and in line with our records retention schedule.
All safeguarding concerns, discussions, decisions made and the reasons for those decisions, must be recorded in writing. If you are in any doubt about whether to record something, discuss it with the DSL.
Records will include:
A clear and comprehensive summary of the concern
Details of how the concern was followed up and resolved
A note of any action taken, decisions reached, and the outcome.
Concerns and referrals will be kept in a separate child protection file for each child (either paper recorded or electronically).
Any non-confidential records will be readily accessible and available. Confidential information and records will be held securely and only available to those who have a right or professional need to know/ access them.
Safeguarding records relating to an individual child will be retained for the student until they reach their 25th birthday or 31st birthday if there is an EHCP in place (Information Records Management Society 2022). IRMS Schools Toolkit - Information and Records Management Society
Safeguarding records which contain information about allegations of sexual abuse were being retained for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). This has now concluded and the Home Office sent a letter to schools advising that files no longer needed to be kept indefinitely. However, the recommendations from the inquiry have stated:
Recommendation 17: Access to records The UK government should direct the Information Commissioner’s Office to introduce a code of practice on keeping and accessing records which relate to child sexual abuse. The code should require records about child sexual abuse and allegations of child sexual abuse to be kept for 75 years, with appropriate review periods.
The school will follow the recommendation 17.
Receiving in and transferring pupil records to other education provision
If a child for whom the school has, or has had, safeguarding concerns moves to another school, the DSL will ensure that their safeguarding information file is forwarded as soon as possible, securely, and separately from the main pupil file.
To allow the new school/ college to have support in place when the child arrives, this should be within:
5 days for an in-year transfer, or
the first 5 days of the start of a new term.
In addition, if the concerns are significant or complex, and/or social services are involved, the DSL will speak to the DSL of the receiving school and provide information to enable them to have time to make any necessary preparations to ensure the wellbeing and safety of the child.
Retention, archiving and destruction of records
For records that are not transferred to another school, for example the child leaves the country or is going to be home educated, we have:
A clear retention policy
Secure and appropriate system to archive with restricted access
We have a written assurance from our providers of our electronic recording systems that all records are maintained securely which includes any archived records.
Storage, retention, and destruction of our child protection files is also made clear in our data management policy.
Safeguarding Training and Development
To fulfil our aim of continuous improvement in order to safeguard our pupils, we ensure that learning and development starts at induction. All staff, supply contractors, leadership and management, and governing body/ trustee board, undertake the minimum safeguarding training. We want reassurance for our children and families that all staff are aware of systems within our school, and have the skills and knowledge to follow our schools procedures.
Induction
Child Protection Policy - which should amongst other things include the policy and procedures to deal with child-on-child abuse
Behaviour Policy - which should include measures to prevent bullying, including cyberbullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying
Staff Behaviour Policy (sometimes called a code of conduct) - which should amongst other things include low-level concerns, allegations against staff and whistleblowing
Safeguarding response to children who are absent from education, particularly on repeat occasions and/or prolonged periods and
Role of the designated safeguarding lead (including the identity of the designated safeguarding lead and any deputies)
Copies of/ given links to Part One KCSiE (What school and college staff should know and do) or Annex A, (condensed version for volunteers and non-teaching staff if appropriate).
Safeguarding children training for all staff and senior leadership
This training will be regularly updated and will:
Be integrated, aligned and considered as part of the whole-school safeguarding approach and wider staff training, and curriculum planning
Be in line with the quality and standards expected from our 3 safeguarding partners (Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership)
Include online safety, including an understanding of the expectations, roles and responsibilities for staff around filtering and monitoring
Have regard to the Teachers’ Standards (and TA regulations) and code of conduct to support the expectation that all teachers and those that work with children in regulated activity can confidently:
o Manage our pupils’ behaviour effectively to ensure a positive and safe environment
o Have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, especially pupils with protected characters and those that are on any type of plan to support their needs.
In addition, all staff will have training that raises awareness of children susceptible to extra familial harm such as radicalisation which our school adopts the government’s anti-radicalisation strategy, and Prevent duty to enable us to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism and to challenge extremist ideas.
Our school’s current safeguarding training schedule is as follows:
All staff, including DSL/ deputy(s) and whole school staff must attend safeguarding children training every 3 years
Our school’s DSL will also provide an annual update to all staff, which includes online safety
Throughout a given academic year, our school’s DSL provides for all staff relevant updates as changes occur to keep abreast of our whole school approach and thus supporting staff to fulfil their role as set out in Part One of KCSiE (for example, through emails, e-bulletins and staff meetings).
Contractors who are provided through a private finance initiative (PFI) or similar contract will also receive safeguarding training, and if not undertaken at our school we will ensure through their employer that they have the skills and knowledge to blend in with our school’s policies and procedures.
We value our school’s volunteer’s cohort; they play a very important part in our school to work alongside staff to support and protect our pupils. We anticipate that all volunteers share our whole school approach and are willing to receive appropriate training and support from our staff.
DSL and Deputy(s)
The DSL and (deputy/deputies) will undertake child protection and safeguarding training at least every 2 years
In addition, they will update their knowledge and skills at regular intervals and at least annually (for example, through e-bulletins, meeting other DSLs, or taking time to read and digest safeguarding developments)
They will also undertake Prevent awareness
It is desired that our DSL and (deputy/deputies) when capacity permits, undertakes multi-agency training, this provides opportunities to develop further their knowledge and skills to work with a wide range of safeguarding themes that our children and families can be affected by locally. The three safeguarding partners, HSCP provides a local offer of such training on their website. HSAB and HSCP training and resources | Hertfordshire County Council
Governors
All governors receive training about safeguarding and child protection (including online safety) at induction, which is regularly updated. This is to make sure that they:
Have the knowledge and information needed to perform their functions and understand their responsibilities, such as providing strategic challenge
Can be assured that safeguarding policies and procedures are effective and support the school to deliver a robust whole-school approach to safeguarding
As the Chair of Governors may be required to act as the ‘case manager’ in the event that an allegation of abuse is made against the Headteacher, they receive training in Managing Concerns and Allegations for this purpose.
Headteachers, Principals and Proprietors
As Headteachers, Principals and Proprietors are ultimately responsible for safeguarding children from adults who work or volunteer with children and are either unsuitable or pose a risk to children, therefore it is highly recommended that Managing Concerns and Allegations training is undertaken in order to maintain an ongoing vigilance of safe practice and culture within the school.
Safe Recruitment – interview panels
At least 1 person conducting any interview for any post at the school will have undertaken safer recruitment training. This will cover, as a minimum, the contents of Keeping Children Safe in Education, and will be in line with local safeguarding procedures.
More information can be found in our Safer Recruitment Policy.
Quality Assurance, Improvement and Practice
Roots Federation endeavours at all times to provide an education and learning where children feel safe and are kept safe by all staff. One way we review and monitor our practice is through auditing: it is important that we are aware of the level of our school’s compliance to key guidance such as KSCiE. We want to be open, transparent and reassure all our stakeholders, including regulators, what we are proud of and what we need to strengthen to meet our own ambitions for standards. It is therefore standard practice that we factor in on-going auditing schedule objectivity and scrutiny by our Governing Body/ Board and all Senior Leadership, children, students and their parents and carers.
We also commission other scrutineers to help us seek reassurance of our practice e.g. Herts for Learning Education, School Effective Advisors and the Local Authority Child Protection School Liaison Service who act as the interface between education and Hertfordshire Social Care and provide support and advice when required.
This policy will be reviewed annually by (name/job title of individual). At every review, it will be approved by our full Governing Board/ Board of Trustees.
Additional Associated Safeguarding Policies and Procedures
See below additional associated safeguarding polices for Roots Federation
Staff code of conduct
Children’s behaviour policy
Complaints
Health and safety
Attendance
Privacy notices
Staff disciplinary procedures, which will be used if staff breach this code of conduct. It also sets out examples of what we will deem as misconduct and gross misconduct.
Staff grievance procedures
Gifts and hospitality
Online safety
Whistleblowing
Email and home/ school communications
Teachers’ standards
Appendix 1: Declaration for all staff
Declaration for whole school staff to verify they have read and understood the school’s Child Protection Policy and other key guidance
School/ College name: Roots Federation
Academic Year: September 2023 / 2024

Return declaration to: School Office Manager by: Date 08/09/2023
Please agree a time and date with your school’s DSL/ DDSL, to read the following Child Protection Policy and associated parts of statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education DfE 2023. Please thereafter verify that you have understand your role and responsibilities in relation to these.

​

Children occupy all types of places and spaces when socialising, either directly with other or online. Some of these contextual environments away from their home can present additional risks of harm and exploitation that could impact on their welfare and wellbeing. Preventative safeguarding is about having arrangements in place so that whole school staff are made aware of these and know the signs that a child is suspectable or already being impacted on. The aim of your school safeguarding arrangements is to identify those children so that early help support for the child and, where applicable, their family can be offered early help support.
All staff play an important part in your whole school approach to report any concern to your school’s DSL or deputies without delay.

​

​

Safeguarding Issues, Child-on-child abuse

Bullying

Abuse in intimate personal relationships between children

Physical abuse

Sexual violence

Consensual and non-consensual sharing of nude and semi-nude images and/or videos

Upskirting

​

Safeguarding descriptor, links for further learning

Including cyberbullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying.
Cyber Aware - NCSC.GOV.UK
Helping Children Deal with Bullying & Cyberbullying | NSPCC
cyberbullying_teachers.pdf (proceduresonline.com)
5.1.13 Bullying (proceduresonline.com)
Cyberbullying Guidance | Childnet

Such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical harm (this may include an online element which facilitates, threatens and/or encourages physical abuse).
No_place_for_bullying.doc (live.com)
Appendix 3: Safeguarding Issues and Specific Forms of Abuse
How to talk to your children about bullying | UNICEF
5.1.7 Children Who Abuse Others (proceduresonline.com)
safe_extended_bully.pdf (proceduresonline.com) 

Initiation/ hazing type violence and rituals

​

Such as rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault; (this may include an online element which facilitates, threatens and/or encourages sexual violence) sexual harassment, such as sexual comments, remarks, jokes and online sexual harassment, which may be standalone or part of a broader pattern of abuse causing someone to engage in sexual activity without consent, such as forcing someone to strip, touch themselves sexually, or to engage in sexual activity with a third party.

Harmful sexual behaviour (HSB) or peer-on-peer sexual abuse | NSPCC Learning
5.3.10 Online Safety (proceduresonline.com)
harmful-sexual-behaviour-pathway-2021.docx (live.com)
brooks traffic light tool - Search (bing.com)
harmful-sexual-behaviour-strategy-2021-23.docx (live.com)
Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Overview | Harmful sexual behaviour among children and young people

Specific Forms of Abuse in Annex B of KCSiE, 2023

Child Abduction and community safety incidents

Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)

Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)

Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)

County Lines

Children and the Court System

Children who are absent from education

​

Also known as sexting or youth produced sexual imagery.
Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: how to respond to an incident (overview)

​

This typically involves taking a picture under a person’s clothing without their permission, with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks to obtain sexual gratification, or cause the victim humiliation, distress, or alarm.
Upskirting: know your rights - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

​

This could include activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group and may also include an online element.
Who, what, why: Why is hazing so common? - BBC News

Please note: CSE, CCE, domestic violence, mental FGM, forced marriage, serious violence are set out below.

Safeguarding descriptor and links for further learning

​

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 a school can raise concerns also, for example, people loitering nearby or unknown adults engaging children in conversation.
Home - Action Against Abduction
5.3.6 Safeguarding Children from Abroad (including Children who are Victims of Trafficking and Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children)

Both CSE and CCE are forms of abuse that occur where:
• An individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance in power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child into taking part in sexual or criminal activity, in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator and/or
• Through violence or the threat of violence.
CSE and CCE can affect children, both male and female and can include children who have been moved (commonly referred to as trafficking) for the purpose of exploitation.

​

CCE can include children being forced or manipulated into:
• transporting drugs or money through county lines
• working in cannabis factories, shoplifting, or pickpocketing
• committing vehicle crime
• threatening/ committing serious violence to others
• become trapped by exploitation, as perpetrators can threaten victims (and their families) with violence or entrap and coerce them into debt
• coerced into carrying weapons such as knives/ carry a knife for self-protection
• children involved in CCE often commit crimes themselves, their vulnerability as victims is not always recognised by adults and professionals, (particularly older children), and not treated as victims despite the harm they have experienced
• the experience of girls can be very different to that of boys and the indicators may not be the same, especially as they are at higher risk of CSE- girls are at risk of CCE too.
Criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults: county lines - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Child exploitation disruption toolkit - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Child sexual and criminal exploitation - Hertfordshire Grid for Learning (thegrid.org.uk)
Criminal exploitation and gangs | NSPCC

​

CSE is a form of child sexual abuse and may involve:
• physical contact, assault by penetration (rape or oral sex) or nonpenetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing, and touching outside clothing
• non-contact activities like involving children in the production of sexual images, forcing children to look at sexual images or watch sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways or grooming a child in preparation for abuse including via the internet
• can occur over time or be a one-off and may happen without the child’s immediate knowledge for example through others sharing videos or images of them on social media
• includes 16- and 17-year-olds who can legally consent to have sex. Some children may not realise they are being exploited as they believe they are in a genuine romantic relationship.

​

County lines is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of “deal line”
• This activity can happen locally as well as across the UK - no specified distance of travel is required
• Children are exploited to move, store and sell 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 any type of schools (including special schools), further and higher educational institutions, pupil referral units, children’s homes and care homes
• Children are also increasingly being targeted and recruited online using social media.
See CCE resources above
Criminal Exploitation of children and vulnerable adults: County Lines

​

• Children are sometimes required to give evidence in criminal courts, either for crimes committed against them or for crimes they have witnessed
• 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 may be unusual for parents and carers.

​

All staff should be aware that children being absent from school or college, particularly repeatedly and/or for prolonged periods, and children missing
education can act as a vital warning sign of a range of safeguarding possibilities. This may include:
• abuse and neglect such as sexual abuse or exploitation and can also be a sign of child criminal exploitation including involvement in county lines
• it may indicate mental health problems, risk of substance abuse,
• risk of travelling to conflict zones
• risk of female genital mutilation, so-called ‘honour’ based abuse or risk of forced marriage.
Early intervention is essential to identify the existence of any underlying safeguarding risk and to help prevent the risks of a child going missing in future. It is important that staff are aware of their school’s or college’s unauthorised absence procedures and children missing education procedures.

Children missing from home (NB this is not in Annex B but to illustrate the separate processes):

Use school’s CP procedures to escalate to Children’s Services/ Police
Operation Encompass for MISSING CYP is Hertfordshire’s system for sharing information quickly with schools to safeguard children following the success of supporting children who have witnessed Domestic Abuse

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.

Cybercrime: 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 school’s computer network to look for test paper answers or change grades awarded
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, and,
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.
Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges - Guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Cyber Choices - National Crime Agency
When to Call the Police: Guidance for Schools and Colleges - National Police Chiefs’ Council (February 2020) - Youth Justice Resource Hub

Domestic Abuse (DA): DA encompass a wide range of behaviours and may be a single incident or a pattern of incidents
• Abuse can be psychological, physical, sexual, financial, or emotional
• Children can be victims of DA abuse e.g. see, hear, or experience the effects of abuse at home and/or suffer domestic abuse in their own intimate relationships (teenage relationship abuse)
• DA can have a detrimental and long-term impact on their health, well-being, development, and ability to learn.
Domestic abuse: recognise the signs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Helplines briefing: The impact of domestic abuse on children and young people from the voices of parents and carers (nspcc.org.uk)
5.1.9 Domestic Abuse (proceduresonline.com)
 

Homelessness: Being homeless or being at risk of becoming homeless presents a real risk to a child’s welfare. The DSL (and deputies) should be aware of contact details and referral routes into the Local Housing Authority so they can raise/ progress concerns at the earliest opportunity.
Indicators that a family may be at risk of homelessness include:
• household debt
• rent arrears
• domestic abuse and anti-social behaviour
• the family being asked to leave a property.
This is also a safeguarding issue and DSL should seek advice from Children’s Social Care where a child has been harmed or is at risk of harm.
Homelessness - Citizens Advice
Stats and facts | Centrepoint
Professional Resources - Shelter England