Child Protection

Child Protection Policy

This policy should be read in conjunction with the school’s Safeguarding Policy and Staff Behaviour Policy/Code of Conduct

Definitions within this document:

Child protection is the aspect of safeguarding that is focused on how we support children who have been significantly harmed or are at risk of significant harm.

The term staff applies to all those working for or on behalf of the school, full time or part time, in either a paid or voluntary capacity. This also includes parents and governors.

Child refers to all young people who have not yet reached their 18th birthday. On the whole, this will apply to pupils of our school; however, the policy will extend to visiting children and students from other establishments.

Parent refers to birth parents and other adults in a parenting role for example adoptive parents, step-parents, guardians and foster carers.

Abuse could mean neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse or any combination of these. Parents, carers and other people can harm children either by direct acts and / or failure to provide proper care. Explanations of these are given within the procedure document.

Principles and Values

Children have a right to feel secure and cannot learn effectively unless they do so. All children have a right to be protected from harm. All staff have a key role in prevention of harm and an equal responsibility to act on any suspicion or disclosure that may indicate a child is at risk of harm, either in the school or in the community, whilst considering any contextual safeguarding. We acknowledge that it is essential that we work in partnership with other agencies that protect children and reduce risk and so we will engage in partnership working throughout the child protection process to safeguard children. Whilst the school will work openly with parents as far as possible, it reserves the right to contact Children’s Social Care or the police, without notifying parents if this is believed to be in the child’s best interests. All adults working within the school should maintain professional curiosity if they are concerned about a child.

Leadership and Management
We have established clear lines of accountability, training and advice to support the process of child protection and individual staff within that process. In this school, any individual can contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or their Deputy (DDSL) if they have concerns about a child or young person.

The DSL is Becky Jolly and the DDSL is Adam Drury. There is a nominated safeguarding governor, Carol Eskriett. The Chair of Governors will receive reports of allegations against the Headteacher and act on the behalf of the governing body.

As an employer we follow safer recruitment guidance as set out in KCSiE 2025.

Training
All staff in our school are expected to be aware of the signs and symptoms of abuse and must be able to respond appropriately. Training is provided as required at the beginning of each academic year and through the year as the need arises. Separate training is provided to all new staff on appointment. The DSL will attend training at least every other year to enable them to fulfil their role.

Any update in national or local guidance will be shared with all staff in briefings and then captured in the next whole school training. This policy will be updated during the year to reflect any changes brought about by new guidance. Governor training is provided as required by KCSiE 2025.

Referral
Following any concerns raised, the DSL will assess the information and consider if significant harm has happened or there is a risk that it may happen. If the evidence suggests the threshold of significant harm, or risk of significant harm has been reached, or if it is not clear if the threshold is met, the DSL will contact Children’s Social Care and, if appropriate, the police. If the DSL or DDSL is not available or there are immediate concerns, the staff member will refer directly to Children’s Social Care and the police if appropriate. We will use the guidance from NSPCC to determine when to contact the police.

Generally, the DSL will inform the parents prior to making a referral. However, there are situations where this may not be possible or appropriate, particularly when informing parents, may place the child at further risk. N.B. The exception to this process will be in those cases of known FGM where there is a mandatory requirement for the teacher to report directly to the police. The DSL should also be made aware.

Confidentiality

• We maintain that all matters relating to child protection are to be treated as confidential and only shared as per the ‘Information Sharing Advice for Practitioners’ (DfE 2015) guidance


• There is a lawful basis for child protection concerns to be shared with agencies who have a statutory duty for child protection


• Information will be shared with individuals within the school who ‘need to know’


• All staff are aware that they cannot promise a child to keep a disclosure confidential

As a school we will educate pupils to recognise when they are at risk and how to get help when they need it through:

• The content of the curriculum will be tailored to the specific needs and vulnerabilities of individual children, including child who are victims of abuse, and children with SEND


• A school ethos which helps children to feel safe and able to talk freely about their concerns, believing that they will be listened to and valued


• Every child having access to a ‘trusted adult’ in the school


• Children will be taught about how to keep themselves and others safe when on-line

Dealing with concerns and allegations against staff
If a concern is raised about the practice or behaviour of a member of staff, this information will be recorded and passed to the headteacher Clare Williams. The headteacher will make an assessment to determine if the matter is a ‘low level concern’ or an ‘allegation’. The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) will be contacted for all allegations, and the relevant guidance will be followed. If the headteacher needs advice or guidance they will contact the LADO. If the allegation is against the headteacher, the person receiving the allegation will contact the LADO or Chair of Governors directly.

Dealing with children abusing children
If a concern is raised that a child under 18 abusing another child under 18, the ‘Child on Child Abuse’ guidance will be followed.

Policy review
As a school, we review this policy at least annually in line with Department of Education, Hampshire Safeguarding Children Partnership and Hampshire County Council requirements and other relevant statutory guidance.

Roles and responsibilities within Applemore:

Staff responsibilities
All staff have a key role to play in identifying concerns early and in providing help for children. To achieve this, they will:

• Establish and maintain an environment where children feel secure, are encouraged to talk and are listened to


• Ensure children know that there are adults in the school who they can approach if they are worried or have concerns


• Plan opportunities within the curriculum for children to develop skills they need to recognise, assess and manage risk appropriately and keep themselves safe


• Attend training in order to be aware of and be alert to the signs of abuse


• Maintain an attitude of “it could happen here” with regards to safeguarding


• Be aware that 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


• Recognise that abuse, neglect, or other adverse childhood experiences, can have an impact on the mental health, behaviour and education of children


• Record their concerns if they are worried that a child is being abused and report these to the DSL as soon as practical that day. If the DSL is not contactable immediately a DDSL should be informed


• Be prepared to refer directly to social care, and the police if appropriate, if there is a risk of significant harm and the DSL or DDSL is not available


• Follow the allegations procedures if the disclosure is an allegation against a member of staff


• Follow the procedures set out by the HSCP and take account of guidance issued by the DfE


• Support pupils in line with their child protection plan


• Treat information with confidentiality but never promising to “keep a secret”. Notify the DSL or DDSL of any child on a child protection plan or child in need plan who has unexplained absence


• Have an understanding of ‘Early Help’ and be prepared to identify and support children who may benefit from this intervention


• Liaise with other agencies that support pupils and provide early help


• Ensure they know who the DSL and DDSL are and know how to contact them


• Have an awareness of the Child Protection Policy, the Behaviour Policy, the Staff Behaviour Policy (or Code of Conduct), child on child abuse procedures, the safeguarding response for children who go missing from education and the role of the DSL

Senior Leadership Team responsibilities:

• Contribute to inter-agency working in line with ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 guidance’


• Provide a co-ordinated offer of early help when additional needs of children are identified


• Ensure staff are alert to the various factors that can increase the need for early help


• Work with Children’s Social Care and support their assessment and planning processes including the school’s attendance at conference and core group meetings


• Carry out tasks delegated by the governing body such as training of staff, safer recruitment and maintaining a single central register


• Provide support and advice on all matters pertaining to safeguarding and child protection to all staff regardless of their position within the school


• Treat any information shared by staff or pupils with respect and follow agreed policies and procedures


• Ensure that allegations or concerns against staff are dealt with in accordance with guidance from Department for Education (DfE) and the Hampshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (HSCP) procedures


• Determine if a concern about a member of staff is a ‘low level concern’ or an allegation[1]

Governing body responsibilities

To ensure:

• The school has effective safeguarding policies and procedures including a Child Protection Policy, a Staff Behaviour Policy or Code of Conduct, a Behaviour Policy and a response to children who go missing from education


• HSCP is informed in line with local requirements about the discharge of duties via the annual safeguarding audit


• Recruitment, selection and induction follows safer recruitment practice, including all appropriate checks.


• Allegations against staff are dealt with by the headteacher


• Allegations against the headteacher are dealt with by the Chair of Governors


• A member of the Senior Leadership Team is appointed as Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and has this recorded in their job description


• Staff have been trained appropriately, and this is updated in line with guidance


• Any safeguarding deficiencies or weaknesses are remedied without delay


• A nominated governor for safeguarding is identified

In addition to the role of all staff and the senior management team, the DSL will:

• Refer cases to social care, and the police where appropriate, in a timely manner avoiding any delay that could place the child at more risk


• Assist the Governing Body in fulfilling their safeguarding responsibilities set out in legislation and statutory guidance


• Attend appropriate training and demonstrate evidence of continuing professional development to carry out the role


• Ensure every member of staff knows who the DSL and the Deputy are, have an awareness of the DSL role and know how to contact them


• Ensure all staff and volunteers understand their responsibilities in being alert to the signs of abuse and their responsibility for referring any concerns about a child to the DSL and concerns about an adult to the headteacher


• Ensure that those staff that need to know, are aware of those children who have experienced, or are experiencing abuse in order to promote their educational outcomes and provide the appropriate support


• Ensure whole school training occurs regularly with at least annual updates so that staff and volunteers can fulfil their responsibilities knowledgeably


• Ensure any members of staff joining the school outside of the agreed training schedule receive induction training prior to the commencement of their duties


• Keep records of child protection concerns securely and separate from the main pupil file and use these records to support the assessment and likelihood of risk


• Ensure that safeguarding records are transferred accordingly (separate from pupil files) and in a timely fashion when a child transfers school, including in-year transfers


• Ensure that where a pupil transfers school and is on a child protection plan or is a child looked after, their information is passed to the new school immediately and that the child’s social worker is informed. Consideration is given to a transition meeting prior to moving if the case is complex or on-going


• Be aware of the training opportunities and briefings provided by HSCP to ensure staff are aware of the latest local guidance on safeguarding


• Develop, implement and review procedures in the school that enable the identification and reporting of all cases, or suspected cases, of abuse


• Meet any other expectations set out for DSLs in KCSiE 2025.

Applemore College Child Protection Procedures

Overview
The following procedures apply to all staff working in the school and will be covered by training to enable staff to understand their role and responsibility. The aim of our procedures is to provide a robust framework which enables staff to take appropriate action when they are concerned that a child is being harmed or is at risk of harm.

The prime concern at all stages must be for the interests and safety of the child. Where there is a conflict of interest between the child and an adult, the interests of the child must be paramount.

All staff are aware that very young children, those with disabilities, special needs, certain medical conditions or with language deficit/English as a second language may have more difficulty in communicating concerns or feelings. They may be more likely to communicate concerns with behaviours rather than words. Additionally, staff will question the cause of knocks and bumps in children who have limited mobility, which will include children (for example younger siblings) visiting the site in addition to pupils.

If a member of staff suspects abuse, spots signs or indicators of abuse, or they have a disclosure of abuse made to them they must:

1. Report their concerns verbally to the child’s HOY, the DSL or the DDSL


2. Make a written record of the information they have verbally passed on within 24 hours onto CPOMs to include:

1. Dates and times of observations


2. Dates and times of any discussions in which they were involved


3. Any injuries


4. Explanations given by the child / adult


5. What action was taken


6. Any actual words or phrases used by the child

1. The DSL will consider if there is a requirement for immediate medical intervention. Urgent medical attention should not be delayed if the DSL is not immediately available


2. In the absence of the DSL or their Deputy, be prepared to refer directly to Children’s Social Care (and the police if appropriate) if there is the potential for immediate, significant harm.

Following a report of concerns the DSL must:

1. Decide whether or not there are sufficient grounds for suspecting significant harm, in which case a referral must be made to Children’s Social Care and the police if it is in keeping with the National Police Chiefs Council “When to call the Police” guidance. The rationale for this decision should be recorded by the DSL.


2. Normally the school should try to discuss any concerns about a child’s welfare with the family and where possible seek their agreement before making a referral to Children’s Social Care. However, in accordance with DfE guidance, this should only be done when it will not place the child at increased risk or could have an impact on a police investigation. Where there are doubts or reservations about involving the child’s family, the DSL should clarify with Children’s Social Care or the police whether the parents should be told about the referral and, if so, when and by
   whom. This is important in cases where the police may need to conduct a criminal investigation. The child’s views should also be taken into account when appropriate.


3. If there are grounds to suspect a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm the DSL (or Deputy) must contact Children’s Social Care via the Inter-Agency Referral Form (IARF), making a clear statement of:
   
   
   
   1. The known facts
   
   
   2. Any suspicions or allegations
   
   
   3. Whether or not there has been any contact with the child’s family. If there is indication that the child is suffering significant harm, a call will also be made to Children’s Reception Team (CRT) on 01329 225379.
   
   
   
   


4. If a child is in immediate danger and urgent protective action is required, the police must be called. The DSL must then notify Children’s Social Care of the occurrence and what action has been taken.


5. When a pupil needs urgent medical attention and there is suspicion of parental abuse causing the medical need, the DSL or their Deputy should take the child to the accident and emergency unit at the nearest hospital and inform Children’s Social Care. Advice should be sought from Children’s Social Care about informing the parents, remembering that parents should normally be informed that a child requires urgent hospital attention.


6. If there is not a risk of significant harm, the DSL will either actively monitor the situation or consider the Early Help process.


7. In cases of allegations against staff or low-level concerns, the HSCP procedure or the school Low Level Concerns (LLC) procedure will be followed.

Annex 1 - Dealing with disclosures

All staff should:
A member of staff who is approached by a child should maintain a positive attitude and try to reassure them. They should not promise complete confidentiality and should explain that they may need to pass information to other professionals to help keep the child or other children safe. The degree of confidentiality should always be governed by the need to protect the child. Additional consideration needs to be given to children with communication difficulties and for those whose preferred language is not English. It is important to communicate with them in a way that is appropriate to their age, understanding and preferred communication method. All staff should know who the DSL is and who to approach if the DSL is unavailable. Ultimately, all staff have the right to make a referral to the police or social care directly and should do this if, for whatever reason, there are difficulties following the agreed protocol, e.g. they are the only adult on the school premises at the time and have concerns about sending a child home.

Guiding principles, the seven R’s

Receive

• Listen to what is being said, without displaying shock or disbelief


• Accept what is said and take it seriously


• Make a note of what has been said as soon as practicable

Reassure

• Reassure the pupil, but only so far as is honest and reliable


• Don’t make promises you may not be able to keep e.g. ‘I’ll stay with you’ or ‘everything will be alright now’ or ‘I’ll keep this confidential’


• Do reassure e.g. you could say: ‘I believe you’, ‘I am glad you came to me’, ‘I am sorry this has happened’, ‘We are going to do something together to get help’

Respond

• Respond to the pupil only as far as is necessary for you to establish whether or not you need to refer this matter, but do not interrogate for full details


• Do not ask ‘leading’ questions i.e. ‘did he touch your private parts?’ or ‘did she hurt you?’ Such questions may invalidate your evidence (and the child’s) in any later prosecution in court


• Do not ask the child why something has happened


• Do not criticise the alleged perpetrator; the pupil may care about him/her, and reconciliation may be possible


• Do not ask the pupil to repeat it all for another member of staff. Explain what you have to do next and to whom you need to talk. Reassure the pupil that it will be a senior member of staff in confidence

Report

• Share concerns with the DSL as soon as possible


• If you are not able to contact your DSL or the Deputy, and the child is at risk of immediate harm, contact the children’s services social care department directly.

Record

• If possible, make some very brief notes at the time, and write them up as soon as possible


• Keep your original notes on file


• Record the date, time, place, persons present and noticeable nonverbal behaviour, and the words used by the child. If the child uses sexual ‘pet’ words, record the actual words used, rather than translating them into ‘proper’ words


• Record facts and observable things, rather than your ‘interpretations’ or ‘assumptions’.

Remember

• Support the child: listen, reassure, and be available


• Complete confidentiality is essential. Share your knowledge only with appropriate professional colleagues


• Try to get some support for yourself if you need it


• All staff should be aware that children may not feel ready or know how to tell somebody that they are being abuse, exploited or neglected and/or they may not recognise their experiences as harmful

Review (led by DSL)

• Has the action taken provided good outcomes for the child?


• Did the procedure work?


• Were any deficiencies or weaknesses identified in the procedure? Have these been remedied?


• Is further training required?

What happens next?
It is important that concerns are followed up and it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that they are. The member of staff should be informed by the DSL what has happened after the report being made. If they do not receive this information, they should be proactive in seeking it out. If a staff member believes that their concerns have not been dealt with reconsider ensuring that the risks are understood. If this does not result in a satisfactory outcome, or the DSL rationale appears to miss the risk to the child, then the Whistleblowing procedures of the school should be followed. If the DSL is unhappy with the response from Children Social Care, they should consider following the HSCP escalation protocol.

Receiving a disclosure can be upsetting for the member of staff and schools should have a procedure for supporting them after the disclosure. This might include reassurance that they have followed the procedure correctly and that their swift actions will enable the allegations to be handled appropriately. For some staff, use of an employee-based counselling service may be appropriate.

Annex 2 - Allegations against adults who work with children
Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) states that organisations should have clear policies for dealing with allegations against people who work with children. Those policies should make a clear distinction between an allegation, a complaint or a concern about the quality of care or practice. Allegations as defined by KCSiE should be reported to the LADO. Complaints or concerns can be managed independently by the school under internal procedures.

Complaints could include:

• Breaches of the code of Conduct


• Any breach of data protection or confidentiality


• Poor behaviour management


• Inappropriate use of social media


• Misadministration of medication

Concerns could include:

• Inappropriate use of language, shouting or swearing


• Discussing personal or sexual relationships with, or in the presence, of pupils


• Making (or encouraging others to make) unprofessional comments which scapegoat, demean or humiliate children, or might be interpreted as such

Lower Level Concerns LLC’s, which do not reach the allegations harm threshold (or complaints criteria) should be dealt with under a school LLC procedure.

Procedure for Allegations that meet the harm threshold.
This procedure should be used in all cases when it is alleged a member of staff, supply staff, volunteer, Governor, or another adult who works with children has either:

• Behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child; or


• Possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child; or


• Behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates he or she would pose a risk of harm to children; or


• Behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with children.

When considering allegations of suitability, (the fourth criteria above) the LADOs would consider the following situations:

• Parents of children who are placed on a CIN plan or are receiving Early Help


• Arrests for offences against adults


• Presentation to other professionals around mental health, domestic abuse and/or substance misuse


• Extreme political or religious viewpoints which could be considered Hate Crime


• Concerns about behaviour in their private lives which may impact on children

In any of these situations the LADO criteria for intervention will be assessed against the likelihood and impact of transferable risk to children.

In line with our referral process:

• Staff will report any concerns about the conduct of any member of staff, supply staff or volunteer to the headteacher as soon as possible.


• If an allegation is made against the headteacher, the concerns need to be raised with the Chair of Governors as soon as possible. If the Chair of Governors is not available, then the LADO should be contacted directly.


• There may be situations when the headteacher or Chair of Governors will want to involve the police immediately, if the person is deemed to be an immediate risk to children or there is evidence of a possible criminal offence.


• Once an allegation has been received by the headteacher or Chair of Governors, they will contact the LADO via the online initial enquiry form as soon as possible and before carrying out any investigation into the allegation.


• Inform the parents of the allegation unless there is a good reason not to.

In liaison with the LADO, the school will determine how to proceed and if necessary, the LADO will refer the matter to Children’s Social Care and/or the police.

When receiving information from outside agencies about school staff, the LADO will assess the potential for transferable risk, and make a disclosure to the school where there is the likelihood of transferable risk to children and there is a pressing need.

If the matter is investigated internally, the LADO will advise the school to seek guidance from their personnel/HR provider in following procedures set out in chapter 4 of ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (2024) and the HSCP procedures.

Supply Staff
While supply staff are not employees of the school, it is still required that the school report the allegation to the LADO.

If the matter requires an internal investigation, this will be carried out by the school in liaison with an HR rep (acting as the employer) from the supply agency.

Examples of LLCs include, but is not limited to:

• being over 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; or,


• using inappropriate sexualised, intimidating or offensive language.

If there is any doubt about the level at which behaviour needs to be addressed,
LADO advice will be taken.

Annex 3 - Online Safety
As a school it is essential that we safeguard children from potentially harmful and inappropriate online material.

A comprehensive approach to online safety empowers staff to protect and educate pupils, students, and colleagues in their use of technology and establishes the following mechanisms to identify, intervene in, and escalate any concerns where appropriate.

The breadth of issues classified within online safety is considerable, but can be categorised into four areas of risk:

• content: being exposed to illegal, inappropriate or harmful content, for example: pornography, fake news, racism, misogyny, self-harm, suicide, anti-Semitism, radicalisation and extremism.


• contact: being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users; for example: peer to peer pressure, 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; for example, 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. If we feel pupils, students or staff are at risk, we will report it to the Anti-Phishing Working Group (https://apwg.org/).

We ensure that online safety is a running and interrelated theme when devising and implementing policies and procedures.

We will consider how online safety is reflected as required in all relevant policies and embedded across all areas of the curriculum, included in teacher training and within the role and responsibilities of the designated safeguarding lead as well as discussions with parents.

Annex 4 - Whistleblowing
Whistleblowing in a safeguarding context
While the school has a separate whistleblowing policy, this is a summary sheet that outlines the process when there is a concern that safeguarding issues have not been reported or followed correctly.

This does not replace the whistleblowing policy and should be read in conjunction with the school policy.

Whistleblowing is a term that is used when staff want to report a concern within their organisation that involves their manager or a person senior to them in the organisation which may prevent them from following the normal reporting systems.

There are a limited number of areas that can be called Whistleblowing, and the policy protects staff from being punished for raising concerns.

At Applemore, the headteacher Clare Williams is the senior manager and responsible for all staff. If you are concerned that any member of staff within the school is not following safeguarding processes or behaving in a way that is placing children at risk, you should in the first place make the headteacher aware.

If your concern is about the headteacher, you should raise this with the Chair of Governors. If you would prefer to raise your concerns outside the school environment, you are able to contact the NSPCC whistleblowing line on 0800 028 0285 or email help@nspcc.org.uk for national organisations or make contact with Hampshire County Council. If you believe that a member of the school staff is harming a child (an allegation) and this has been reported to the headteacher and no action has been taken, or the member of staff you have concerns about is the headteacher, then you are able to contact the Local Authority Designated Officers (LADOs) at: child.protection@hants.gov.uk
If you believe that a child is being abused by individuals outside the school, you should make a referral to Children’s Social Care by calling 0300 555 1384 (office hours) or 0300 555 1373 (outside of office hours).

Annex 5 - Briefing sheet for temporary and supply staff
While working at Applemore, you have a duty of care towards the children and young people here. This means that at all times you should act in a way that is consistent with their safety and welfare. In addition, if at any time you have a concern about a child or young person, particularly if you think
they may be at risk of abuse or neglect, it is your responsibility to share that concern with the school designated safeguarding lead (DSL), who is Becky Jolly and can be found by asking for Becci Ashley, the Headteacher’s PA on the SLT corridor to contact her.

This is not an exhaustive list but you may have become concerned as a result of:
• Observing a physical injury, which you think may have been non-accidental
• Observing something in the appearance of a child or young person which suggests they are not being sufficiently well cared for
• Observing child behaviour that leads you to be concerned about a child or young person
• A child or young person telling you that they have been subjected to some form of abuse
• Observing adult behaviour that leads you to be concerned about their suitability to work with children or young people

In any of the circumstances listed here, you must tell a member of the safeguarding team. You must write down what you saw or heard, date and sign your account, and give it to the DSL as soon as possible and within 24 hours.

This may be the beginning of a legal process – it is important to understand that legal action against a perpetrator can be seriously damaged by any suggestion that the child has been led in any way. If a child talks to you about abuse, you should follow these guidelines:
• Rather than directly questioning the child, just listen and be supportive
• Never stop a child who is freely recalling significant events, but don’t push the child to tell you more than they wish.
• Make it clear that you may need to pass on information to staff in other agencies who may be able to help – do not promise confidentiality. You are obliged to share any information relating to abuse or neglect.
• Write an account of the conversation immediately, as close to verbatim as possible. Put the date and timings on it, and mention anyone else who was present. Then sign it and give your record to the DSL who should follow due process, including contacting Children’s Social Care if appropriate.

The school has a policy on safeguarding children and young people which you can find, together with the local procedures to be followed by all staff, on the Staff Hub. If your concern involves the DSL or a member of the senior staff, contact the LADO at: child.protection@hants.gov.uk or the NPSCC whistleblowing line on 0800 028 0285.

Remember, if you have a concern, report it.