Using NSPCC resources: child protection and your school : NSPCC inform

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Using NSPCC resources

Child protection and your school

All schools will have a child protection policy and procedures, including a designated person/child protection coordinator, and staff, pupils, parents and governors should be aware exactly who is responsible for dealing with child protection issues in your school.

All staff, including support staff, temporary staff and non-teaching staff, should be trained to recognise the signs of abuse and to know what to say and do if a pupil talks to them about abuse. The designated person/child protection coordinator should run induction and regular refresher training using resources such as those produced by the NSPCC.

The points below provide a very brief refresher which you and your colleagues might find useful. Teachers may wish to refer to this page before using NSPCC classroom resources.

Teaching sensitive and controversial issues

The resources featured on these pages are designed to support teachers in delivering some sensitive issues contained within the PSHE / PSD / PSE /PDMU and Citizenship curricula.

When dealing with such issues, it is important that the teacher develops clear ground rules to establish a climate of trust and mutual respect and has strategies to manage discussions and questions that may arise.

You can find some tips on how to teach sensitive and controversial issues in the Citizenship scheme of work teacher’s guides for teachers of 5-11s and 11-14s in England at: www.standards.dfes.gov.uk.

Some of the information in the guides will also be useful for teachers of 14–16s and teachers of children of all ages from other home nations.

How to respond when children talk about abuse

There is a possibility that addressing sensitive issues with your pupils will encourage a child or young person to reveal something confidential about their lives.

Make sure you know your school’s policy on what to say and do if a pupil talks to you about abuse. If you don’t feel confident about this, speak to the designated person/child protection coordinator about refresher training, such as that provided by the NSPCC.

Ensure that the time and place is suitable for you to listen to all the pupil has to say in confidence. Before the pupil goes into detail, explain that you will not be able to keep some things secret - and what you will have to do if you're concerned about their safety. In addition:

never attempt to make contact yourself with those that may be the cause of the child's worries
make detailed notes of all that you are told as soon as you can
ensure that you communicate what you have heard as soon as possible only with the designated person/child protection coordinator or headteacher, according to availability, who will decide whether or not to refer the concern and liaise with the relevant investigating agencies if necessary.

Additional information about confidentiality in the case of pupils talking about abuse is available in the Safety in learning and EduCare Child Protection Awareness in Education resources and in the Citizenship scheme of work teacher’s guides referred to above.

Protecting disabled children

Disabled children are more vulnerable to abuse and may need greater protection for a number of reasons.

They are often dependent on others for eating, dressing, toileting and getting around. Although the great majority of carers have the child's best interests at heart, some will use their vulnerability as an opportunity to abuse. Find out more about protecting disabled children.