The
board of management recognises that child protection and welfare considerations
permeate all aspects of school life and must be reflected in all of the
school’s policies, practices and activities.
Accordingly, in accordance with the requirements of the Department of
Education and Skills Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary
Schools, the Board of Management of St. Patrick’s Junior National School has
agreed the following child protection policy:
The Board of
Management has adopted and will implement fully and without modification the
Department’s Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools
as part of this overall child protection policy.
This
policy has been developed and agreed in line with the current recommendations
and guidelines relating to child abuse prevention and child protection guidelines. This policy addresses the responsibilities of
the school in the following areas:
·
Prevention-curriculum
provision
·
Procedures-procedures
for dealing with concerns/disclosures
·
Practice-best
practice in child protection.
An
individual copy of this policy will be made available to all staff. It is incumbent on all staff to familiarise
themselves with “Children First” and the DES guidelines and procedures.
Aims
This
policy aims to:
·
Create a safe, trusting,
responsive and caring environment.
·
Provide a
personal safety skills education which specifically addresses abuse prevention
for all children in the school.
·
Develop awareness
and responsibility in the area of child protection amongst the whole school
community.
·
Put in place
procedures for good practice to protect all children and staff
·
Ensure that all
staff members are aware of and familiar with the “Children First” and the DES
guidelines and procedures in relation to reporting concerns and/or disclosures
of child abuse.
·
Provide for
ongoing training in this and related areas for all school staff.
1.
The Designated
Liaison Person (DLP) is Áine Kirwan.
2.
The Deputy
Designated Liaison Person is Ciara Lavelle.
3.
In its policies,
practices and activities, St. Patrick’s Junior National School will adhere to
the following principles of best practice in child protection and welfare:
The school will:
·
Recognise that
the protection and welfare of children is of paramount importance, regardless
of all other considerations.
·
Fully co-operate
with the relevant statutory authorities
in relation to child protection and welfare matters;
·
Adopt safe
practices to minimise the possibility of harm or accidents happening to
children and protect workers from the necessity to take unnecessary risks that
may leave themselves open to accusations of abuse or neglect;
·
Develop a
practice of openness with parents and encourage parental involvement in the
education of their children; and
·
Fully respect
confidentiality requirements in dealing with child protection matters.
The
school will also adhere to the above principles with regard to any adult pupil
with a special vulnerability.
4.
School policies,
practices and activities that are particularly relevant to child protection
4.1.Procedures
All staff and volunteers will follow the
recommendations for reporting concerns or disclosures as outlined in the DES
Child Protection Procedures 2011.
Maintaining
Records
When child abuse is suspected, it is essential to have
a record of all available information.
Personnel should note carefully what they have observed and when they
observed it. Signs of physical injury
should be described in detail and, if appropriate, sketched. Any comment by the child concerned, or by any
other person, about how an injury occurred, should be recorded, preferably
quoting exact words used, as soon as possible after the comment has been made.
All records so created will be regarded as highly
confidential and retained in a secure location by the Designate Liaison Person.
The staff and management of this school have agreed:
·
All concerns
involving child protection/child welfare will be reported in the first instance
to the DLP (deputy DLP where appropriate)
·
Each report to
the DLP will be dated and signed by the person making that report.
·
A strict
adherence to maintaining confidentiality – information regarding concerns or
disclosures should only be given on a “need to know” basis.
5.2
Prevention
The “Stay Safe” programme is the primary resource in
this school to provide education for children on child abuse prevention. The programme is taught as part of the school
SPHE curriculum under the strand unit Safety and Protection.
The formal lessons will be taught in Senior Infants
and Second Class in their entirety every year in accordance with our SPHE plan.
A meeting of parents of the relevant classes will be held every year and a copy
of the Stay Safe “A Parent’s Guide” provided.
Staff will make every effort to ensure that the
messages of the programme are reinforced whenever possible.
5.3
Practice:
The following are areas of specific concern in
relation to child protection in this school.
a)
Physical Contact.
Physical contact between school personnel and children will always be in
response to the needs of the child.
While physical contact may be used to comfort, reassure or assist a
child the factors will determine its appropriateness:
·
It is acceptable
to the child
·
It is open and
not secretive
·
The age and
development stage of the child.
School
will not do anything of a personal nature for children that they can do for
themselves.
b)
Visitors/Guest
Speakers
Visitors/guest speakers will never be left alone with pupils. The school has a responsibility to check out
the credentials of the visitor/guest speaker and to ensure that the material
used by guests is appropriate.
c)
Toileting
Accidents
If the child is capable
of changing him/herself the necessary clothing will be provided . In cases
where the child is not capable of changing him/herself the parents/guardians
will be contacted by the school. If, for
whatever reason parents/guardians cannot be contacted, clean clothing will be
provided to the child. If a pupil cannot
clean or change themselves, the child will be assisted by members of staff
familiar to the child. Two members of
staff will be present. A record of all
such events will be kept and parents will be informed.
d)
Children with
specific toileting/intimate care needs:
In all situations where a pupil needs assistance with
toileting/intimate care, a meeting will be convened, after enrolment and before
the child starts school, between parents/guardians, class teacher, special
needs assistant, principal and if appropriate the pupil. The purpose of the meeting will be to
ascertain the specific needs of the child and to determine how the school can
best meet those needs. The staff to be
involved in this care will be identified and provision will be made for occasions
when the particular staff involved are absent.
A written copy of what has been agreed will be made and kept in the
child’s file. Two members of staff will
be present when dealing with intimate care/toileting needs. Any deviation from the agreed procedure will
be recorded and notified to the DLP and the parents/guardians.
5.4
Protocol authorising immediate action
The following protocol authorises immediate action
under section 5.2 of the ‘Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary
Schools’.
Primary
In the context of these procedures, where
circumstances warrant it, as a precautionary measure in order to protect the
children in the school and in accordance with the principles of natural justice
and the presumption of innocence, the chairperson of the Board of Management is
authorised by the school authority to direct an employee to immediately absent
himself/herself from the school without loss of pay until the matter has been
considered by the employer.
The employee will be invited to a meeting with the
chairperson, the purpose of which is to inform the employee of the allegation
and the action being taken. The employee
may be accompanied by an appropriate person of his or her choice and will be so
advised.
In any event, the employee will also be advised of the
matter, in writing.
Other
Relevant Policies, Protocols and Practices
·
Attendance
·
School Tours and
Outings
·
Use of mobile
phones
·
Parents and
Teachers Working Together – Home School Policy
·
Substance Use
·
Administering of Medicine
·
Countering
Bullying Behaviour
·
Code of Behaviour
·
RSE
·
Internet
Acceptable Use
·
Early Collection
of Pupils
The
Board has ensured that the necessary policies, protocols or practices as
appropriate are in place in respect of each of the above listed items. These will be reviewed as appropriate..
5.
This policy has
been made available to school personnel and to the Parent’s Association and is
readily accessible to parents on request.
A copy of this policy will be made available to the Department and the Patron
if requested.
6.
This policy will
be reviewed by the Board of Management once in every school year.
This
policy was adopted by the Board of Management on ____________________
Signed:______________________ Signed:
___________________________
Chairperson
Board of Management Principal
Date:
_______________________ Date:
________________________
Date
of next review:______________________