We are committed to protecting all the children in our care from harm. The Child Protection Officer has suitable experience, expertise and will be responsible for liaising with the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and Ofsted in any child protection matter. We aim to comply with all relevant legislation, other guidance and advice from the LSCB.

What Is Abuse and Neglect?
Abuse and neglect are forms of maltreatment - a person may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting; by those known to them or by a stranger.

Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child.
Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child's emotional development.
Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, including prostitution, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening.
Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child's health or development.

Safe Caring
We will ensure that:

• Staff and volunteers have full and up to date Criminal Record Bureau checks.
• Staff receive regular and appropriate training.
• Staff know what to look-out for as possible indicators of child abuse, for example: Changes in behaviour, deterioration of general wellbeing, unexplained bruising, etc.
• Staff are aware of their statutory requirement to disclose any discovery or allegations of child abuse to the Child Protection Officer.
• We take appropriate action in relation to allegations of abuse.
• Every effort is made to avoid or minimise the time when a member of staff is left alone with a child.
• If a child makes inappropriate physical contact with a member of staff, the incident will be fully recorded.
• Unless a child has a particular need, staff will not accompany children into the toilet. The Intimate care and toileting procedure will be put into place for any child that has specific needs.

Dealing with Allegations
We will treat any allegation seriously and sensitively. If a child makes an allegation of abuse:

• We will reassure the child that they can talk to us. However, they will be made aware that we cannot offer confidentiality.
• We will record, using the child's own words, what was disclosed.
• All allegations of abuse will be reported to the Child Protection Officer.
• The Child Protection Officer will report all allegations of child abuse to the local authority.

We know that an allegation of child abuse or neglect may lead to a criminal investigation. We will not do anything that may jeopardise any investigation, such as asking a child leading questions or attempting to investigate allegations of abuse ourselves.

Policy reviewed September 2010
Next review due July 2011