What is safeguarding/child protection?

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:

• protecting children from maltreatment
• preventing impairment of children’s health or development
• ensuring children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

Child protection is a part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. It refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm.

'Working Together to Safeguard Children 2013' sets out how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and how practitioners should conduct the assessment of children.

Personal Support

If you are affected by any of the issues raised by safeguarding children and young people you could contact:

• your personal tutor
• your GP
• Student Advice and Welfare http://www.warwicksu.com/
• Warwick Wellbeing Services https://warwick.ac.uk/services/supportservices/
• Nightline Tel: 024 7641 7668
• Samaritans 08457 90 90 90 or http://www.samaritans.org/
• NSPCC - Confidential helpline for young people concerned about all issues of safety. Tel: 0800 800 500
• Domestic Violence helpline http://www.womensaid.org.uk/ Tel: 0808 2000 247
• National Association of Children Abused in Childhood http://www.napac.org.uk/ Tel: 0800 085 3330
• Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre http://www.crasac.org.uk/

Top

Definition of Terms

NSPCC legal definition of a child

Child
A 'child' is defined as anyone under the age of 18, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Child protection
A broad term to describe philosophies, policies, standards, guidelines and procedures to protect children from both intentional and unintentional harm. In the current context, it applies particularly to the duty of Child-to-Child – and individuals associated with Child-to-Child – towards children in their care.

Categories of abuse

Child abuse
According to the World Health Organisation, 'Child abuse' or 'maltreatment' constitutes "all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power."

NSPCC similarly specify 'cruelty to children' or 'child abuse' as "behaviour that causes significant harm to a child. It also includes when someone knowingly fails to prevent serious harm to a child. All forms of cruelty are damaging – it can be harder to recover from the emotional impact than from the physical effects."

These definitions therefore point to four types of cruelty:

• Physical abuse: including hurting or injuring a child, inflicting pain, poisoning, drowning, or smothering.
• Sexual abuse: including direct or indirect sexual exploitation or corruption of children by involving them (or threatening to involve them) in inappropriate sexual activities.
• Emotional abuse: repeatedly rejecting children, humiliating them or denying their worth and rights as human beings.
• Neglect: the persistent lack of appropriate care of children, including love, stimulation, safety, nourishment, warmth, education, and medical attention.

A child who is being abused may experience more than one type of cruelty.

Discrimination, harassment, and bullying are also abusive and can harm a child, both physically and emotionally.

Significant harm

Section 31(10) of the Children Act 1989 states that "where the question of whether harm suffered by a child is significant turns on the child's health or development, his health or development shall be compared with that which could be reasonably be expected of a similar child."

Top

Other Resources

• Updated definition of Child Sexual Exploitation - updated Feb 2017
• Leicestershire Police Kayleigh's Love Story - resource for students about online grooming
• Women and Equalities Committee report 'Sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools' 13 Sept 2016
• Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence between Children in Schools and Colleges
• NICE guideline Harmful sexual behaviour among children and young people
• Brook Sexual behaviours traffic light tool
• NSPCC What is harmful sexual behaviour
• NSPCC How safe are our children? 2018
• UKCCIS - Sexting in schools and colleges August 2016
• Northamptonshire Local Safeguarding Children Board Neglect Toolkit - May 2016
• Coventry LSCB Children's Social Care Thresholds and Practice Standards
• Childrens' Society Missing Children resources - April 2016
• DfE Mental Health and Behaviour March 2016
• University of Oxford - Coping with Self Harm a Guide for Parents
• Children's Commissioner Report: Protecting children from harm: A critical assessment of child sexual abuse in the family network in England and priorities for action (published 24/11/15)

•  Policy paper: Preventing extremism in schools and children's services
•  Prevent Duty guidance
•  The Prevent Duty - Departmental advice for schools and childcare providers
• The use of social media for online radicalisation - briefing note for schools
• Example Code of Conduct/Staff Behaviour Policy from Warwickshire County Council
• Working Together to Safeguard Children July 2018
•  Example of "Neglect Strategy" from Cheshire
• Key data on adolescence 2019
• Every two years, the Association for Young People’s Health (AYPH) publishes a collection of statistics about young people’s health, which provides a fascinating picture of their lives. Published Sept 2019
• Parenting a moving target: Understanding how young people’s lives are changing
• Sexting in Schools and Colleges
• Sexual Violence and Harassment between Children in Schools and Colleges May 18
• Ofsted - 'In the child's Time: professional responses to neglect'
• Ofsted - 'Growing up Neglected' July 18
•  NSPCC Core Info Neglect or Emotional Abuse in Teenagers 13 - 18 
•  NSPCC Core Info Neglect or Emotional Abuse 5 - 14 
• What to do if you're worried a child is being abused 

Top

CTE Safeguarding and Disclosures Processes Document

CTE Online Teaching Guidance

Keeping Children Safe in Education - revised and re-published 2020

Guidance for safer working practice for those working with children and young people in education settings - updated May 2019

Prevent Strategy

Statutory Guidance - Children Missing Education updated 5 Sept 2016

Multi agency statutory guidance on FGM updated 30 July 2020

The Staying Safe Action Plan is in response to the Staying Safe consultation on the first ever cross-Government strategy for improving children and young people's safety.

Lord Laming (2009) The Protection of Children in England: A Progress Report The Laming Review (Full Report) 

Teacher Guidance

NSPCC Child protection training resources for teaching and non-teaching staff

"All staff should clearly understand the need to maintain appropriate boundaries in their dealings with young people." 

Parent Info is a collaboration between CEOP and Parent Zone. Parent Info provides high quality information to parents and carers about their children's wellbeing and resilience.

Safeguarding Children E-Academy www.safeguardingchildrenea.co.uk

Coventry Local Safeguarding Children Board website:
www.coventry.gov.uk/lscb

Warwickshire Local Safeguarding Children Board website: www.safeguardingwarwickshire.co.uk

Barnardo's www.barnardos.org.uk 

NSPCC: www.nspcc.org.uk/ 

Ofsted Safeguarding in schools best practice

The Government's website providing teachers, parents and school leaders with practical advice about safeguarding children and young people from extremism and radicalisation - www.educateagainsthate.com