Child Protection Policy

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Rationale

All adults working at Dubai International Private School-Al Garhoud (DIPS-G) are aware of their responsibility to safeguard and promote the physical and emotional welfare of all pupils inside and outside school. This involves fostering a climate of honesty, openness, caring, and support, ensuring that pupils are protected from significant physical or emotional harm, and making a positive commitment to ensure the satisfactory development and growth of our students

Introduction

Because every child matters, DIPS-G wants the pupils in its care to:

We provide a safe environment for all children in our care on the school premises and whilst engaged     in school activities. We support students’ development and personal growth through a sound    curriculum policy that actively promotes the welfare and safeguarding of children, and we take reasonable measures to safeguard the emotional welfare of its pupils from bullying or abuse.

Our commitment to safeguarding and protecting our students applies to all members of staff, all Directors, and all visitors to the school.

الاجراءات الوقائية لتجنب مخاطر الامطار الغزيرة والصواعق والعواصف الرعدية | مدونة | المشاركة الإلكترونية | المجلس الأعلى للأمن الوطني | الهـيئة الوطنية لإدارة الطوارئ والأزمات والكوارث (ncema.gov.ae)
DIPS-G aims
  • To create a positive school atmosphere in which students feel safe and are encouraged to talk,  knowing that they will be listened to
  • To ensure that all students know who to talk to and what to do if they are worried or scared about anything
  • To include in the curriculum activities and opportunities for learning which equip students with the  skills they need to stay safe and deal with problems
  • To ensure that all staff understand when and how to act if they are concerned about or become aware of child protection issues
  • To ensure that child protection concerns, and referrals are handled sensitively, professionally and in ways that support the needs of the child
  • To ensure that staff, parents, and other stakeholders are aware of our policies and procedures with regard to child protection
  • To make clear our commitment to the development of good practice and sound procedures
  • To work closely with outside agencies to support our students

Who is responsible for overseeing Child Protection matters at DIPS-G?

Child Protection Coordinator (CPC) The designated member of staff for child protection matters is the Social Advisor. The CPC has responsibility for dealing with child protection issues and contacting    the local authorities when necessary. The CPC can be contacted by telephone on extension.

The Deputy Child Protection Officer is the Social Advisor and can be contacted on extension.

Administrators and Annual Review of Policy

The nominated administrator responsible for coordinating with the CPC over matters regarding child protection issues is the School Principal.

It is her role to:

  • ensure the school has an effective child protection policy and that the policy is implemented
  • ensure that the school’s Child Protection Policy and Procedures are reviewed annually and to report  to Directors on changes to the Child Protection policy/procedures, training undertaken by the CPC or other staff members, the number of incidents/cases (without details or names) and the place of child protection issues in the school curriculum
  • be familiar with the local protection procedures
  • work with the Child Protection team to remedy any deficiencies or weaknesses in child protection arrangements at DIPS- G
  • liaise with members of the Child Protection team to ensure that all members of staff receive child protection training

What are the roles and responsibilities of DIPS-G staff?

All adults working at DIPS-G are given training in child protection matters and on the child protection policy and procedures. All members of staff who join the school during the school year are given training as part of their induction.

All staff has the responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of students. This includes understanding the signs and symptoms of possible abuse, being familiar with the school Child Protection Policy and following procedures according to the policy.

Any member of staff, or any stakeholder, who has a concern about the safety and/or wellbeing of a student, or who becomes aware that a student is a victim of abuse, must record their concern and report it to the appropriate person. Where concerns relate to a situation involving other students or to    a situation outside school, concerns should be reported to the Child Protection Coordinator.

The Child Protection Coordinator provides advice, support, and information to staff as necessary, liaises with families and outside agencies, maintains records for individual students, and ensures that the Principal is aware of all child protection incidents and the actions taken. Where concerns relate to  the behavior of any member of DIPS-G staff, concerns should be reported to the School Principal.

What do we mean by abuse?

Abuse can be defined as having occurred when a child has suffered significant harm or impairment of emotional or health development as a result of physical violence, sexual interference, emotional pressure, or neglect. Abuse also includes specific harassment which goes beyond bullying, such as racial or religious harassment.

Physical Abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, or scalding, drowning or  suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when apparent care fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

Sexual Abuse involves forcing or tempting a child or young person to take part in sexual activities. The activities may involve physical contact. Non-physical contact activities may include text messaging, emailing, or contact through social networks where the content of the message or messages is of a sexual nature, sending or requesting inappropriate photographs etc. Attempting to engage a child or young person in any form of sexual activity, even if the victim does not respond, is  sexual abuse.

Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, which may result in the impairment of the child’s health and development. Neglect may involve a parent failing to provide food, clothing, and shelter; failing to protect a child from physical or emotional harm; failing to provide adequate supervision; and/or failing to ensure access to appropriate medical  care or treatment.

Emotional Abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or inadequate; not giving the child opportunities to express themselves; making fun of   what they say or causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger.

What happens in the event of a report or suspicion of abuse?

  • Any staff member at DIPS-G, who is told of any incident, or has suspicion of physical or sexual abuse occurring to a pupil of the school inside or beyond the school, must report the information immediately to the Child Protection In her absence, or if she is unavailable, staff should  speak to the Deputy CPC, or the School Principal.
  • The CPC may interview the pupil to clarify the nature of an allegation or suspicion. The CPC may  also, if necessary, contact the alleged perpetrators to clarify some issues before deciding on further course of
  • The CPC will record the concern and ensure that information is passed to the
  • If a student discloses to any member of staff that s/he or a fellow student is the victim of abuse, the  member of staff must
  • listen to everything the student has to say, without commenting or making a judgment,
  • reassure the student that s/he has done nothing wrong
  • explain to the student that this cannot be kept secret and that the information must be shared with the CPC so that the school can help.
  • Encourage the student to talk, without asking leading
  • Explain to the student that it will help to write things down so that nothing important is forgotten  or missed out. The member of staff should take notes, ensuring that they are accurate and objective
  • Reassure the student that s/he has done the right thing by telling someone and confirming that s/he can come back at any time.
  • Immediately report the disclosure to the Child Protection Coordinator or, if the disclosure involves a member of DIPS-G staff, to the Principal.
  • Not attempt to investigate the allegation. The CPC and/or Principal will take all further action
  • Not discuss the disclosure with anyone other than the CPC; Deputy CPC or Principal. Child Protection matters are confidential. The Principal, and Deputy CPC will be fully informed and the CPC will determine what information needs to be shared, when it needs to be shared, and with whom  it needs to be

What are the warning signs of possible abuse?

All staff should be aware of the following warning signs that might indicate abuse Physical warning signs

  • unexplained or frequent injuries or bruises
  • cuts or bruises in odd places
  • marks of slapping, biting, or gripping
  • aggression
  • poor personal hygiene
  • inadequate clothing
  • excessive tiredness
  • excessive hunger
  • fluctuations in weight

Behavioral Warning Signs

  • noticeable change in behavior or attitude
  • excessive dependence and/or need for constant reassurance
  • inappropriate or disproportionate emotional responses such as tears or temper
  • over reaction to own mistakes
  • emotional isolation from peers
  • resuming childlike behavior such as thumb-sucking
  • refusing to go to lessons or come to school
  • theft or damage to property
  • negative behavior guaranteed to draw attention

It should be remembered that these signs are possible warning signs. They do not necessarily mean that abuse has taken place, or is taking place, or that the student is at risk. However, they are warning     signs and must be taken seriously. If possible, especially in the case of behavioral changes, and where  a strong degree of trust and respect already exists between the student and the member of staff, the student may be given the opportunity to talk about the situation. In this case, it is important that the member of staff listens without prejudice. It is also appropriate to discuss initial concerns about behavior with the Supervisor, whose knowledge of the student and her/his background can help determine whether to refer concerns to the CPC.

What further action may be taken?

The CPC/Deputy CPC, in consultation with the Principal, will determine and carry out further action.  This will include any or all of the following as appropriate

  • an investigation of the allegation through interviews with the student concerned
  • recording times, dates, and places to develop a chronology if the allegation covers more than one incident
  • interviewing other involved parties
  • contacting parents
  • referring the allegations to an appropriate outside organization. In these cases, we will normally consult parents. However, in extreme cases, where children are at risk, the law allows schools to by- pass parental consent
  • pursuing disciplinary action in cases where the behavior or practice of a member of DIPS-G staff is found to be inappropriate
  • passing information to Supervisors, teachers, and other members of staff as necessary and appropriate

What should members of staff do next?

After a child protection issue has been referred to the CPC, members of staff must

  • listen to the student if s/he wants to talk again
  • not raise the issue with the student concerned
  • not discuss the matter with anyone else
  • follow the advice of the CPC with regard to dealing with the student
  • report any further concerns to the CPC and/or Principal