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Drumcondra N.S.
Child Protection Policy
The Board of Management recognises that child protection and welfare considerations permeate all aspects of school life and must be reflected in all of the school’s policies, practices and activities. Accordingly, in accordance with the requirements of the Department of Education and Skills’ Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools, the Board of Management of Drumcondra N.S has agreed the following child protection policy.
The Board of Management has adopted and will implement fully and without modification the Department’s Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools as part of this overall Child Protection Policy.
The Designated Liaison Person (DLP) is Ms Beryl Healy (Principal).
The Deputy Designated Liaison Person (Deputy DLP) is Ms Kim Cartwright (Deputy Principal)
In its policies, practices and activities, Drumcondra N.S. will adhere to the following principles of best practice in child protection and welfare. The school will
recognise that the protection and welfare of children is of paramount importance, regardless of all other considerations
fully co-
adopt safe practices to minimise the possibility of harm or accidents happening to children and protect staff and volunteers from the necessity to take unnecessary risks that may leave themselves open to accusations of abuse or neglect
develop a practice of openness with parents and encourage parental involvement in the education of their children
fully respect confidentiality requirements in dealing with child protection matters.
The school policies relevant to this Child Protection Policy include:
Code of Behaviour
Anti-
Pupil Supervision Policy
School Attendance Policy
Work Experience Policy
Tour Policy
Garda Vetting Policy
The Board has ensured that the necessary policies, protocols or practices as appropriate are in place in respect of each of the above listed items.
This policy has been made available to school personnel and the Parents’ Association (if any) and is readily accessible to parents through the school website. A copy of this policy will be made available to the Department and the
patron if requested.
The Child Protection Guidelines can be found at http://www.education.ie/en/Schools-
This policy was adopted by the Board of Management on ____________[date]. This policy will be reviewed at the first Board of Management meeting of each academic year.
First created: November 2003
Updated: November 2005, February 2010, December 2011, January 2013
Most recent update: October 2013
Signed: _______________________________________ (Chairperson )
Date: __________________________
Signed: _______________________________________ (Principal)
Date: __________________________
Date of next review: September 2014
Appendix 1: Procedures to be followed.
The most important consideration to bear in mind is the protection and well being of the child. If school personnel suspect a child may be abused, they must report the matter to the relevant health authority.
All information should be shared on a need to know basis, and information may only be passed to people directly involved with the investigation.
The school has appointed a Designated Liaison Person, who shall liaise with health boards, An Garda Síochána and other parties. This person shall also inform the Chairperson of the Board of Management when a report has been submitted to the health board.
Where a report has been submitted to the health board or to An Garda Síochána, the Designated Liaison Person should inform parents/guardians, unless doing so is likely to endanger the child and this decision and the reason for doing so should be recorded.
Signs of Abuse.
The Children First Guidelines state that a health board should be notified, where a person has a reasonable suspicion or reasonable grounds for concern, that a child may have been, is being or is at risk of being abused.
The following constitute reasonable grounds for concern:
1) Specific information from the child, that he/she is being abused.
2) An account from a person who witnessed the abuse,
3) Injuries or behaviour which is consistent with abuse and unlikely to have been caused any other way.
4) An injury or behaviour which is consistent with abuse and with an innocent explanation, but where there are other indicators of abuse, i.e. a pattern of injuries, an implausible explanation, dysfunctional behaviour and other indicators of abuse.
5) Consistent evidence over a period of time that a child is suffering emotional or physical neglect.
Handling disclosures from children:
Great care must be taken not to damage the trust the child has shown by coming to a teacher with his/ her information.
The staff member must reassure the child and retain his/her trust, while explaining the need for action and possible consequences, which will mean involving other adults. It is important to reassure the child everything will be done to protect and support him/her, but not to make promised which cannot be kept, i.e not telling anyone else.
The following advice may help with disclosures:
Listen to the child.
Do not ask leading questions or make suggestions to the child.
Offer reassurance, but do not make promises.
Do not stop a child recalling a significant event.
Do not over react.
Explain that further help may have to be sought.
Record the discussion accurately and retain the record.
The information should be reported to the designated liaison person, along with a copy of the written record.
It is essential to keep and accurate record of all information. Staff should note carefully what they observed and when. Signs of physical injury should be recorded in detail and sketched if possible. Any comment made about how the injury occurred should be recorded as soon as possible after the comment, using actual words if possible.
Reporting of concerns:
1. Any school employee with suspicions or who has received an allegation, should report the matter to the Designated Liaison Person (DLP).
2. If the employee and the DLP are satisfied there are grounds, the DLP should report the matter to the relevant health board immediately
Make the report in person, by phone or in writing.
It is helpful if the person reporting makes personal contact with the duty social worker, to facilitate the gathering of as much information as possible.
In the event of an emergency, the report should be made to An Garda Síochána, if the duty social worker is unavailable.
3. Where school personnel have concerns, but are not sure about reporting, they should seek advice from the appropriate health board staff through the DLP. The DLP needs to clarify she/he is seeking advice and not making a report. The DLP should act on the advice given.
4. If the DLP decides not to refer the case following discussion with health board staff, the school employee should be given a clear written statement as to the action being taken and why. The employee should also be told of his/her right to consult with the health board or to make a referral if still concerned.
Allegations or suspicions of Child abuse by School employees:
In these cases, there are two important considerations
The reporting of the case.
The procedure for dealing with the employee.
In general, the same person should not have responsibility for the two procedures.
The DLP will report to the health board and the Chairperson shall deal with the employee. If the allegation is made against the DLP, the Chairperson shall be responsible for reporting the case to the health board.
The specific guidelines for dealing with these cases may be found in the book Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children. A hard copy is located in the school.