STL3 Help to keep children safe

3.3 Support the safeguarding of children from abuse

Performance criteria:

P1 At all times follow the policies and procedures of your setting with
regard to safeguarding and protecting children/young people
I am fully aware of the policies and procedures of my school regarding
safeguarding and protecting people. I have read through the policy and
received updated information on the policies and procedures during a
teacher training day. At all times, I comply to the school's policy.

P2 Report any signs and indicators of possible abuse, being sensitive to

the child/young person and circumstances
Should I see a child with unexplainable bruises or injuries, I would report
them to their teacher at an appropriate and confidential moment. I
would be sensitive to the child by not making a big fuss about what I had
seen, or show that I am shocked at their injuries. I would not ask leading
questions of the child, but would wait until the child volunteered
information if they wanted to. I would report what I had seen in a
sensitive way that did not cause embarrassment to the child. My
observations would also be documented on a concerns form and given to
the child's teacher and the Headteacher. I would also keep the
information confidential apart from those members of staff who needed
to know about it.

P3 Identify, report and record changes in behaviour and physical signs

I have build up positive relationships with the children I work with and
know them all well, so I would be able to identify if a child is behaving out
of character. I would keep a close eye on the child to be sure of my
observations and then report these at an appropriate and confidential
moment to their teacher, outlining my concerns and the reasons why I
felt that their behaviour was unusual. Similarly if I saw any potential
physical signs of abuse, I would again wait for an appropriate moment to
disclose my observations, and would fill in a concern form about the
child which would then be passed on to their teacher and the
Headteacher.
P4 Respond calmly and promptly to a child/young persons disclosure of
abuse in a reassuring and supportive manner and according to the
policies and procedures of the setting
Should a child ever make a disclosure of abuse to me, I would question
them gently to clarify the facts, but would not alarm the child by allowing
my shock to register on my face. I would not ask the child a lot of
leading questions. I would reassure the child that they can talk to me
and trust me, but I would also inform them that I am not allowed to
promise to keep the information a secret, but that I would only pass on
the information to those people who needed to know. I would sooth the
child by making sure that they knew that they were not in trouble, but
that they were very brave to come and tell an adult about the situation.
As soon as possible, and in an appropriate moment, I would report the
disclosure to the child's teacher and the Headteacher, and I would also
fill out a concerns form. I would comply to the school policies at all
times whilst dealing with a sensitive issue of this nature.

P5 Make clear to the child/young person that other people appropriate

to the situation will have to be made aware of their disclosure
I would inform the child that I would not be able to promise to keep the
information they had just told me a secret, but that only people
appropriate to the situation would be told about it eg their teacher and
the Headteacher so that the situation could be looked into and hopefully
improved for the child.

P6 Encourage children/young people to be aware of their bodies and to

protect themselves
Children are encouraged to tell an adult if someone does something to
them that they do not like eg pulling their hair or pinching them. In this
way they are protecting themselves and being aware of their own bodies
as they find themselves in situations they are uncomfortable with. Any
incidents of physical bullying are taken very seriously and sanctions are
put in place to prevent this happening. Children are also encouraged to
think how their actions affect how other people are feeling, and how they
would feel if someone did the same thing to them.