Safeguarding | gogeronimo

Safeguarding Children/Child Protection Policy

Go Geronimo CIC Community Services

Who are we?

Go Geronimo is a Community interest company who uses the power of activity, health and education to raise aspirations, motivate, educate and inspire our local communities. Our services and projects work on a broad range of initiatives focusing on physical and mental health, social isolation, employment, education, social deprivation

What we offer and where:

We aim to provide new life experiences through education, vocational skill, and hands on opportunities for both adults and young people while addressing local inequalities rebuilding lives and families and empowering communities.

We offer both children’s and adult services including, health, sports and activity projects and programmes alternative education opportunities and schools based delivery both curriculum and extra curricular across the Great Yarmouth area.

We want to make a difference to peoples lives by:

More opportunities for people to become more physically active and make social connections
To raise awareness of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and provide safe and effective opportunities for people living with physical or mental illness to engage in positive activities

Go Geronimo is part of our local partnership networks and has several key partnerships that enable us to offer creative and bespoke services. Our Partners include the health and leisure sector, community sports and education, parish councils and neighbourhood management teams, local colleges and FE, local council and county sports partnerships.

Purpose/Objective

Go Geronimo (CIC) (GG) is committed to promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people who access services provided by GG.

GG will take all reasonable measures to ensure that the risk of harm to children is minimised. Where there are concerns about children and young people’s welfare, staff within GG will take all appropriate actions to address these concerns.

This policy details the roles and responsibilities of all staff in responding to a disclosure or concern about a child. We will adhere to the overarching policies of the Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership to safeguard children, to promote their welfare and to reach decisions about the appropriate course of action for children where we have concerns.

‘Children’ includes unborn children and young persons up to the age of eighteen years.

Scope

All staff employed volunteering or subcontracted to Go Geronimo CIC (GG).

Policy Statement

GG is committed to promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people who use their services in accordance with Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023).

GG will take all reasonable measures to ensure that the risk of harm to children is minimised. Where there are concerns about a child or young person’s welfare, ALL staff within GG will take all appropriate actions to address these concerns.

This Policy is mandatory and supports the GG “Child Protection/ Safeguarding Children Policy for ALL community services staff”.

Philosophy

The welfare of the child is paramount even when the child is not the prime focus of the work being undertaken within a family. All GG Service staff, whether they work with adults or children, have a duty to refer to Children’s Services any child they believe to be at risk of significant harm (Children Act 2004).

GG aims to support, advise and supervise all staff in their work with families, recognising the complex issues that may arise when families are experiencing stress that could lead to a child suffering or being at risk of significant harm.

This will be achieved by adhering to these safer working practices:

All contractors and volunteers actively work in current Norfolk primary school environments. Our contracts includes mandatory schools inductions allowing access to full safeguarding training in line with NCC / school process either termly or annually depending on the provision provided.
The coaches are school staff and are inducted on school site (of which we use same forms and processes during holiday time) at start of school term and with DSP Mark Higgins as part of induction process and onboarding.
Ensuring that all staff are aware of where and how to seek support and advice if they are worried a child is being abused.
Providing all staff that come into contact with children in the course of their work, either through direct work with children or their parents/carers, with training and supervision in the recognition and detection of child abuse and neglect.
Ensuring that staff are kept informed of changes in policies and procedures; guidance or legislation both at local and national level. We ask contracts and volunteers to sign as acknowledgement that they have read and understood any amended or new policy versions.
Encouraging staff whenever possible to work in partnership with parents and carers and other agencies to safeguard the welfare of children.
Ensuring that every effort is made to identify unsuitable people through the safer recruitment and selection of staff. All staff, prior to appointment, should have a current DBS check and be deemed as appropriate to work with children and young people through vetting and barring scheme.
All current GG DBS staff are checked and tracked termly where we provided current evidence of compliance as required by NCC including information from the DBS update service and in line with our Provider agreements.
Developing service standards which are then monitored and audited to ensure safe service delivery.
Safeguarding training conducted annually in line with NCC education and per provided agreements and in some instances termly.
Facilitating staff to work together with other agencies in assessing, implementing and reviewing child protection plans.
Safer Programme Member, which can offer support/guidance to GG Safeguard Lead.
All staff and volunteers are issued with a copy of our Code of Conduct and will be asked to read this and sign to confirm they will adhere to this, which forms part of our safer working practices.

Introduction

All staff have a duty to co-operate with Children’s Services, under the Children Act 2004. All professionals have a responsibility to refer to Children’s Services and or the Police; children who they believe are suffering or may be at risk of suffering significant harm.

Name and contact details of Designated Safeguarding Person (DSP)

Mark Sam Higgins- GG Designated Safeguarding Person

Mark.higgins@gogeronimo.education

07552305340

If the DSP is unavailable anyone with a safeguarding concern can contact The Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS).

-A staff member or volunteer can call (0344 800 8021)

-A parent or member of the public can call (0344 800 8020).

If you feel a child is at risk of immediate harm, call the Police on 999.

Roles and Responsibilities of DSP

The named person that safeguarding concerns are reported to
Liaise with Children’s Services and other agencies and make referrals to The Children’s Advice and Duty Service or Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) when required
Responsible for making sure the policy is reviewed yearly and updated when changes happen at local/national level
Ensure all staff/volunteers/visitors/parents are aware of this policy and the procedures to follow.
Ensure all staff and volunteers have received appropriate safeguarding information during induction and have received safeguarding training
Ensure that safer recruitment practices are followed
Update staff on changes to safeguarding
Follow the Norfolk Continuum of Needs Guidance produced by the Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership (NSCP)

Safeguarding Training

GG has a commitment to training all staff in safeguarding children. The training will be in line with GG Safeguarding Children Training Strategy, which is informed by Working Together (2023). Safeguarding training is annually through school partners, also staff are safeguarding trained through specific NGBs relevant to their field. Ie: Football (EFA).

Record Keeping

High quality record keeping in accordance with GG record keeping standards and information governance is essential in safeguarding. All staff must ensure that their actions, communications and information they give and receive are recorded contemporaneously in the correct documentation. Staff need to identify the correct place and method of documentation with their line manager to ensure an audit trail of decision-making in safeguarding cases. (Please see GG information governance policy). Records are kept for that specific episode of care. Paper copies are destroyed securely after the event. Digital sign-up records are saved for 12 months on the online platform. Electronic records are password protected. Safeguarding concerns are recorded on a concerns form. It is the role of the DSP to review all these forms and decide what action needs to be taken. Actions taken will be clearly documented with what the next steps are in terms of supporting the child. Safeguarding records are only accessible to the DSP and the School Partner. We adhere to the NSCP’s retention guidance, which is safeguarding records are retained until a child’s 25th birthday (6 years after the subject’s last contact with the Local Authority).

Types of Abuse

Definitions of Abuse and Neglect from Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined for the purposes of this guidance as:

providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge
protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online
preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development
ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
promoting the upbringing of children with their birth parents, or otherwise their family network
taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes in line with the outcomes set out in the Children’s Social Care National Framework.

Child protection is part of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and is defined for the purpose of this guidance as activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suspected to be suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm. This includes harm that occurs inside or outside the home, including online.

What is abuse and neglect?

Abuse - A form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Harm can include ill treatment that is not physical as well as the impact of witnessing ill treatment of others. This can be particularly relevant, for example, in relation to the impact on children of all forms of domestic abuse, including where they see, hear, or experience its effects. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or extra-familial contexts by those known to them or, more rarely, by others. Abuse can take place wholly online, or technology may be used to facilitate offline abuse. Children may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.

Physical abuse-A form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

Emotional abuse -The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child so as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them, or making fun of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyber bullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone.

Sexual abuse- Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse Sexual abuse can take place online, and technology can be used to facilitate offline abuse. Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

Neglect-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. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse.

Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to:

provide adequate food, clothing, and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment)
protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger
ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate caregivers)
ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment
provide suitable education It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs

For information on indicators of abuse consult Appendix 3.

Additional safeguarding concerns to be aware of are:

Child Sexual Exploitation
Child Criminal Exploitation
GM – Female Genital Mutilation
Forced Marriage
Honour Based Abuse
County Lines
Domestic Abuse
Online Abuse
Radicalisation

For more information on these consult Appendix 4.

Procedure for handling a disclosure from a child or young person

Key points to consider when dealing with a disclosure:

Listen and be supportive.
Do not ask any leading questions, interrogate the child, or put ideas in the child’s head, or jump to conclusions.
Do not stop or interrupt a child who is recalling significant events.
Never promise the child confidentiality– it must be explained that information will need be to be passed on to help keep them safe.
Record what was said immediately as close to what was said as possible. Also record what was happening immediately before the child disclosed.
Name, sign and date the record in ink.
Contact the designated safeguarding person immediately.
The designated safeguarding person will decide what action needs to be taken.

If we feel a child is at risk of immediate harm, we will call the Police immediately on 999.

Contacting Children’s Services

Any worker who believes that a child may be suffering or may be at risk of suffering significant harm, should always refer their concerns to the Local Authority Children’s Services Department (HM Government 2006a). Advice should be taken from the Designated Safeguarding Person (DSP) on what to action to take.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT REFERRALS ARE NOT DELAYED IF IT IS FELT THE CHILD IS AT IMMEDIATE RISK OF SIGNIFICANT HARM

Contacting The Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS) in Norfolk

We will have the following information ready before contacting CADS:

all of the details known to you/your agency about the child;
their family composition including siblings, and where possible extended family members and anyone important in the child’s life;
the nature of the concern and how immediate it is;
Any and what kind of work/support you have provided to the child or family to date.
where the child is now and whether you have informed parents/carers of your concer
If we are concerned that a child or children is experiencing or likely to suffer significant harm we will telephone (CADS) immediately on 0344 800 8021
When considering whether to contact CADS we will consult the CADS Flowchart in Appendix 1 and the Norfolk Continuum of Needs Guidance 2023 produced by the Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership (NSCP)
We will gain consent from the parent to contact CADS, unless the concerns being raised suggest that the child or someone else (including the referrer) would be placed at risk of significant harm, or it might undermine a criminal investigation if the parent is informed. Reasons for not seeking consent should be clearly stated when speaking with CADS and recorded on internal systems for your records.
CADS will advise us of the action required to resolve the concerns either directly or with the support of partner agencies, not necessarily Children’s Services. Or a formal referral, recording the level of need, into the Family Help Team.
A consultation feedback letter will be provided as a record of all conversations and provide a clear audit trail of the outcome agreed.
We will not investigate and will be led by the Local Authority and/or the Police.
We will keep written dated records of all conversations with CADS.
We understand if we are unhappy about a decision made by CADS we can use the Resolving Professional Disagreements policy on https://norfolklscp.org.uk/
Parents or members of the public can contact CADS on 0344 800 8020

Children with a Social Worker

If we have concerns about a child, who we know already has a social worker or practitioner, we will call that worker. If we do not know the worker or their contact details, we will contact Customer Services on 03444 800 8020 and they will help to make sure our call gets put through to the right person.

Concerns about Radicalisation and Extremism

If we have concerns that a child or young person could be vulnerable to radicalisation, we will follow the procedure in Appendix 2.

Working with Parents and Carers

“Parents permission should be sought before discussing a referral about them with other agencies unless permission seeking may itself place a child at risk of significant harm.” (HM Government 2006b). Our safeguarding policy is contained on our website, which we direct parents/carers to so they can access it, when their child registers with us.

We will gain consent from the parent to contact Children’s Services and or the Police, unless the concerns being raised suggest that the child or someone else (including the referrer) would be placed at risk of significant harm, or it might undermine a criminal investigation if the parent is informed. Reasons for not seeking consent should be clearly stated when speaking with Children’s Services and or the Police and recorded on internal systems for our records. If it is felt that informing the parents may put a staff at risk, further advice must be taken from the professional’s line manager or Designated Safeguarding Person.

These statements will be contained on our registration forms:

Parents will be informed of our legal duty to assist other agencies with Safeguarding enquiries and that we will we contact The Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS) and or Police if we have concerns about the welfare of their child.
Parents will be made aware that we will need to share information with the relevant authorities if we have concerns about the welfare of their child, and that we do not have to seek consent from them if there are serious concerns about harm or likely harm to their child.

Sharing Information and confidentiality

Professionals can only work together to safeguard children if there is an exchange of relevant information between them. However, any disclosure of personal information to others must always have regard to both common and statutory law.

Our organisation cannot guarantee confidentiality if there is a child safeguarding concern, as we will need to share these concerns with the Children’s Advice and Duty Service and or Police. It is an expectation that our organisation will seek consent to share information first unless to do so would place somebody at risk of harm or undermine a criminal investigation.

When considering whether to share information with any organisation, we will first consider the principles outlined by Government Guidance. We will consult the 7 golden rules for information sharing from ‘Information Sharing Advice for Safeguarding Practitioners’ (2024). See Appendix 5.

Managing Allegations against people working or volunteering with children

Our aim is to provide a safe and supportive environment which secures the wellbeing and very best outcomes for the children who attend our setting. We do recognise that sometimes the behaviour of adults may lead to an allegation of abuse being made.

Allegations sometimes arise from a differing understanding of the same event, but when they occur, they are distressing and difficult for all concerned. We also recognise that many allegations are genuine and there are some adults who deliberately seek to harm or abuse children. We work to the thresholds for harm as set out in ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (2023).

An allegation may relate to a person who works / volunteers with children who has:

behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child and/or;
possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child and/or;
behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates he or she may pose a risk of harm to children; and/or
behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with children.

The 4th bullet point above recognises circumstances where a member of staff (including locum or supply staff) or volunteer is involved in an incident outside of setting/agency/workplace which did not involve children but could have an impact on their suitability to work with children; this is known as transferrable risk.

At Go Geronimo CIC we recognise our responsibility to report / refer allegations or behaviours of concern and / or harm to children by adults in positions of trust known to us, but who are not employed by our organisation to the LADO service directly at lado@norfolk.gov.uk

We will take all possible steps to safeguard our children and to ensure that the adults at Go Geronimo CIC are safe to work with children. When concerns arise, we will always ensure that the safeguarding actions outlined in the local protocol and procedures NSCP Protocol 8.3 Allegations Against Persons who work/volunteer with children and The Management of Allegations Against People Working with Children Procedure are adhered to and will seek appropriate advice.

If an allegation is made or information is received about any adult who works/ volunteer in our setting which indicates that they may be unsuitable to work / volunteer with children, the member of staff receiving the information will inform the Go Geronimo CIC Designated Safeguarding Person immediately. This includes concerns relating to agency, supply and specialist staff, students and volunteers.

Should an allegation be made against the Sporting manager / designated safeguarding person, this will be reported to Marten Payne Go Geronimo director. In the event that Marten is not contactable on that day, the information must be passed to and dealt with by Daniele Satgent principal of Cobholm primary school.

The Designated Safeguarding Person, should within 1 working day, report the allegation to the LADO in accordance with this procedure, by completing a LADO referral form.

The LADO referral form can be downloaded here under the LADO tab, along with more information:

https://norfolklscp.org.uk/people-working-with-children/how-to-raise-a-concern

For further information on the role/remit of Norfolk LADO Service, please see NSCP Protocol 8.3 Allegations Against Persons who work/volunteer with children and The Management of Allegations Against People Working with Children Procedure

Go Geronimo CIC has its own disciplinary process for managing allegations (Please see GG Staff Code of conduct).

Low level concerns about adults working or volunteering with children that do not meet the harm threshold for a LADO referral

A lower-level concern is any concern, doubt, or sense of unease, no matter how small, that someone may have acted in a way that is inconsistent with your organisations code of conduct.

Behaviour that might be considered as inappropriate often depends on the circumstances. A lower-level concern may not be seen as immediately dangerous or intentionally harmful to a child, but it can soon escalate and become a serious safeguarding concern. Examples of such behaviour could include:

being over friendly with children
having favourites
adults taking photographs of children on their mobile phone
engaging with a child on a one-to-one basis in a secluded area
using inappropriate sexualised, intimidating or offensive language.

Low-level concerns may arise in several ways and from a number of sources. For example: suspicion; complaint; or disclosure by a child, parent or other adult within or outside of the organisation.

At our organisation we promote an open and transparent culture in which all concerns about all adults working in or volunteering on behalf of our organisation are dealt with promptly and appropriately.

Through induction, we ensure all staff/volunteers understand the importance of self-referring, where, for example, they have found themselves in a situation which could be misinterpreted, might appear compromising to others, and/or on reflection they believe they have behaved in such a way that they consider falls below the expected professional standards.

Managing a Low-Level Concern

At our organisation staff/volunteers are expected to report all low-level concerns immediately to the DSP.

If reported to the DSP they will inform Go Geronimo directors and will decide on what action to take. The DSP and Go Geronimo directors will be the ultimate decision maker in respect of all low-level concerns.

At our organisation we understand the importance of recording low-level concerns and the actions taken in light of these being reported. We will review the records we hold to identify potential patterns and take appropriate action. This could be through a disciplinary process, or where a pattern of behaviour moves from a low-level concern to meeting the harm threshold, where it should be referred to the LADO.

If our organisation is in any doubt as to whether the information which has been shared about a member of staff/volunteer as a low-level concern in fact meets the harm threshold, they should consult with the LADO on lado@norfolk.gov.uk

Making a Barring Referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service

If an allegation has been made about a staff member or volunteer, then our organisation has a legal duty to make a barring referral if the following conditions are met:

Condition 1

you withdraw permission for a person to engage in regulated activity with children and/or vulnerable adults. Examples: dismissed, re-deployed, retired, been made redundant or retired.

Condition 2

You think the person has carried out 1 of the following:

engaged in relevant conduct in relation to children and/or adults. An action or inaction has harmed a child or vulnerable adult or put them at risk or harm or;
satisfied the harm test
received a caution for, or a conviction for, or been convicted for a relevant offence

More information on Barring Referrals can be found online. If we need guidance on making a Barring Referral, we will contact the East of England DBS Outreach Advisor for support. A Barring Referral can be completed online via the DBS website.

Go Geronimo designated safeguarding person Mark Higgins will have the responsibility for making a barring referral. If the implicated person is the DSP, Marten Payne GG Director will be responsible for the referral.

There could be times when we might consider that we should still make a referral in the interests of safeguarding children even if the legal duty to refer has not been met. This could include acting on advice of the police or a safeguarding professional, or in situations where there may not be enough evidence to dismiss or remove a person from working with vulnerable groups. DBS are required by law to consider any and all information sent to them from any source. This includes information sent to them where the legal referral conditions are not met. If we do make a referral to DBS where the referral conditions are not met, we will do so in consideration of relevant employment and data protection laws.

Online Safety

Online Safety includes the use of photography and video, the internet and social media sites, mobile phones and smart watches. (Please see GG Mobile phone policy for further information). Our staff code of conduct sets out what rules are in place usage of personal devices in the workplace. We will not be using technology to take photos and videos of children; therefore, we do not need to seek parental consent for photos/videos. Parent/carers are not permitted to photograph their child while at the origination. Children will not be allowed online at our organisation.

Cultural Diversity

Staff should be aware that it is only appropriate to use official interpreters during consultations with non-English speaking service users.

Appendices

Appendix 1 The Children’s Advice and Duty Service Flowchart Norfolk
Appendix 2-The Prevent Duty in Norfolk Procedure
Appendix 3-Indacotos of abuse
Appendix 4-Additional safeguarding concerns
Appendix Five-7 golden rules for information sharing from ‘Information Sharing Advice for Safeguarding Practitioners’
Appendix 6-Information Sharing flow chart – What to do if you are worried a child is being abused
Appendix 7- Safeguarding Procedures and Processes

Appendix 2

The Prevent Duty in Norfolk Procedure

PREVENT - Prevent is part of the UK's Counter-terrorism strategy CONTEST. The aim of Prevent is to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. The key terms to be aware of are as follows:

Extremism - the vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, including the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

Radicalisation - refers to the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and extremist ideologies associated with terrorist groups.

Terrorism - action that endangers / causes serious violence to a person/people; causes serious damage to property; or seriously interferes with / disrupts an electronic system.

Responding to a Concern -Notice – Check – Share

Notice-A staff member or volunteer working with a child or young person could be the person to notice that there has been a change in the individual’s behaviour that may suggest they are vulnerable to radicalisation. Every case is different, and there is no checklist that can tell us if someone is being radicalised or becoming involved in terrorism. There are some common signs that may mean someone is being radicalised.

Expressing an obsessive or angry sense of injustice about a situation and blaming this on others.
Expressing anger or extreme views towards a particular group such as a different race or religion.
Suggesting that violent action is the only way to solve an issue, sharing extreme views or hatred on social media.

Check-The next step is for the staff member or volunteer to speak to the manager or safeguarding lead to better understand the concerns raised by the behaviours observed to decide whether intervention and support is needed. In many cases there will be an explanation for the behaviours that either requires no further action or a referral not related to radicalisation or extremism.

Share-Where the staff member or volunteer still has concerns that the individual may be vulnerable to radicalisation, then the organisation’s safeguarding procedures will be followed, and this safeguarding concern will be reported to the Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS).

Following this the Prevent referral form should be completed, which can be downloaded from here referral form and sent to: preventreferrals-NC@Norfolk.police.uk

An initial assessment of the referral will be carried out prior to any further information gathering on the individual.

For urgent radicalisation concerns contact Norfolk police on 101 or, in an emergency, 999.

Additional information and guidance on Prevent is available on the Norfolk County Council website.

Need advice or support?

If it's not an emergency, please get in touch by emailing prevent@norfolk.police.uk.

You can also contact the Norfolk Police Prevent team on 01953 423905 or 01953 423896.

Appendix 3

Indicators of Abuse

Caution should be used when referring to lists of signs and symptoms of abuse. Although the signs and symptoms listed below may be indicative of abuse there may be alternative explanations. In assessing the circumstances of any child any of these indicators should be viewed within the overall context of the child's individual situation.

Emotional Abuse

Physical, mental and emotional development lags
Sudden speech disorders
Continual self-depreciation ('I'm stupid, ugly, worthless, etc')
Overreaction to mistakes Extreme fear of any new situation
Inappropriate response to pain ('I deserve this')
Unusual physical behaviour (rocking, hair twisting, self-mutilation) - consider within the context of any form of disability such as autism
Extremes of passivity or aggression
Children suffering from emotional abuse may be withdrawn and emotionally flat. One reaction is for the child to seek attention constantly or to be over-familiar. Lack of self-esteem and developmental delay are again likely to be present
Babies – feeding difficulties, crying, poor sleep patterns, delayed development, irritable, non-cuddly, apathetic, non-demanding
Toddler/Pre-School – head banging, rocking, bad temper, ‘violent’, clingy. Spectrum from overactive to apathetic, noisy to quiet. Developmental delay – especially language and social skills
School age – Wetting and soiling, relationship difficulties, poor performance at school, non-attendance, antisocial behaviour. Feels worthless, unloved, inadequate, frightened, isolated, corrupted and terrorised
Adolescent – depression, self harm, substance abuse, eating disorder, poor self-esteem, oppositional, aggressive and delinquent behaviour
Child may be underweight and/or stunted
Child may fail to achieve milestones, fail to thrive, experience academic failure or under achievement
Also consider a child's difficulties in expressing their emotions and what they are experiencing and whether this has been impacted on by factors such as age, language barriers or disability

Neglect

There are occasions when nearly all parents find it difficult to cope with the many demands of caring for children. But this does not mean that their children are being neglected. Neglect involves ongoing, severe failure to meet a child's needs. The majority of these signs and symptoms can occur across any age group. Here are some signs of possible neglect:

Physical signs:

Constant hunger
Poor personal hygiene
Constant tiredness
Emaciation
Untreated medical problems
The child seems underweight and is very small for their age
The child is poorly clothed, with inadequate protection from the weather
Neglect can lead to failure to thrive, manifest by a fall away from initial centile lines in weight, height and head circumference. Repeated growth measurements are crucially important
Signs of malnutrition include wasted muscles and poor condition of skin and hair. It is important not to miss an organic cause of failure to thrive; if this is suspected, further investigations will be required
Infants and children with neglect often show rapid growth catch-up and improved emotional response in a hospital environment
Failure to thrive through lack of understanding of dietary needs of a child or inability to provide an appropriate diet; or they may present with obesity through inadequate attention to the child’s diet
Being too hot or too cold – red, swollen and cold hands and feet or they may be dressed in inappropriate clothing
Consequences arising from situations of danger – accidents, assaults, poisoning
Unusually severe but preventable physical conditions owing to lack of awareness of preventative health care or failure to treat minor conditions
Health problems associated with lack of basic facilities such as heating
Neglect can also include failure to care for the individual needs of the child including any additional support the child may need as a result of any disability

Behavioural signs:

No social relationships
Compulsive scavenging
Destructive tendencies
If they are often absent from school for no apparent reason
If they are regularly left alone, or in charge of younger brothers or sisters
Lack of stimulation can result in developmental delay, for example, speech delay, and this may be picked up opportunistically or at formal development checks
Craving attention or ambivalent towards adults, or may be very withdrawn
Delayed development and failing at school (poor stimulation and opportunity to learn)
Difficult or challenging behaviour

Physical Abuse

Always obtain a medical diagnosis regarding any suspected abusive injury
No injury is 100% symptomatic of abuse
Look for unexplained recurrent injuries or burns; improbable excuses or refusal to explain injuries

Physical signs:

Bald patches
Bruises, black eyes and broken
Untreated or inadequately treated injuries
Injuries to parts of the body where accidents are unlikely, such as thighs, back, abdomen
Scalds and burns
General appearance and behaviour of the child may include:
Concurrent failure to thrive: measure height, weight and, in the younger child, head circumference
Frozen watchfulness: impassive facial appearance of the abused child who carefully tracks the examiner with his eyes
Consider the age of child:
Any bruising to a young baby
It is unusual for a child under the age of 1 year to sustain a fracture accidentally
Injuries that are not consistent with the story: too many, too severe, wrong place or pattern, child too young for the activity described

Bruising:

Bruising patterns can suggest gripping (finger marks), slapping or beating with an object
Bruising on the cheeks, head or around the ear and black eyes can be the result of non-accidental injury
Bruises on black children will be more difficult to identify
Mongolian blue spots may be mistaken for bruises. The Mongolian spot is a congenital developmental condition exclusively involving the skin. Usually, as multiple spots or one large patch, it covers one or more of the lower back, the buttocks, flanks, and shoulders. Mongolian spot is most prevalent among Asian groups. Nearly all East Asian infants are born with one or more Mongolian spots. Mongolian blue spot usually fades over the years and is most frequently gone by the time the child reaches adolescence
Recent research indicates that bruises can not be aged accurately. Estimates of the age of the bruise are currently based on an assessment of the colour of the bruise with the naked eye

Other injuries:

Bite marks may be evident from an impression of teeth
Small circular burns on the skin suggest cigarette burns
Scalding inflicted by immersion in hot water often affects buttocks or feet and legs symmetrically
Red lines occur with ligature injuries
Tearing of the frenulum of the upper lip can occur with force-feeding. However, any injury of this type must be assessed in the context of the explanation given, the child’s developmental stage, a full examination and other relevant investigations as appropriate
Retinal haemorrhages can occur with head injury and vigorous shaking of the baby
Fractured ribs: rib fractures in a young child are suggestive of non-accidental injury
Other fractures: spiral fractures of the long bones are suggestive of non-accidental injury

Behavioural signs:

Wearing clothes to cover injuries, even in hot weather
Refusal to undress for gym
Chronic running away
Fear of medical help or examination
Self-destructive tendencies
Fear of physical contact - shrinking back if touched
Admitting that they are punished, but the punishment is excessive (such as a child being beaten every night to 'make him study')
Fear of suspected abuser being contacted
Injuries that the child cannot explain or explains unconvincingly
Become sad, withdrawn or depressed
Having trouble sleeping
Behaving aggressively or be disruptive
Showing fear of certain adults
Having a lack of confidence and low self-esteem
Using drugs or alcohol
Repetitive pattern of attendance: recurrent visits, repeated injuries
Excessive compliance
Hyper-vigilance

Sexual Abuse

In young children behavioural changes may include:

Regressing to younger behaviour patterns such as thumb sucking or bringing out discarded cuddly toys
Being overly affectionate - desiring high levels of physical contact and signs of affection such as hugs and kisses
Lack of trust or fear of someone they know well, such as not wanting to be alone with a trusted adult
They may start using sexually explicit behaviour or language, particularly if the behaviour or language is not appropriate for their age
Starting to wet again, day or night/nightmares

Behavioural changes in older children might involve:

Extreme reactions, such as depression, self-mutilation, suicide attempts, running away, overdoses, anorexia
Personality changes such as becoming insecure or clinging
Sudden loss of appetite or compulsive eating
Being isolated or withdrawn
Inability to concentrate
Become worried about clothing being removed
Suddenly drawing sexually explicit pictures
Trying to be 'ultra-good' or perfect; overreacting to criticism
Genital discharge or urinary tract infections
Marked changes in the child's general behaviour. For example, they may become unusually quiet and withdrawn, or unusually aggressive. Or they may start suffering from what may seem to be physical ailments, but which can't be explained medically
The child may refuse to attend school or start to have difficulty concentrating so that their schoolwork is affected
They may show unexpected fear or distrust of a particular adult or refuse to continue with their usual social activities
The child may describe receiving special attention from a particular adult, or refer to a new, "secret" friendship with an adult or young person
Children who have been sexually abused may demonstrate inappropriate sexualised knowledge and behaviour
Low self-esteem, depression and self-harm are all associated with sexual abuse

Physical signs and symptoms for any age child could be:

Medical problems such as chronic itching, pain in the genitals, venereal diseases
Stomach pains or discomfort walking or sitting
Sexually transmitted infections
Any features that suggest interference with the genitalia. These may include bruising, swelling, abrasions or tears
Soreness, itching or unexplained bleeding from penis, vagina or anus
Sexual abuse may lead to secondary enuresis or faecal soiling and retention
Symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease such as vaginal discharge or genital warts, or pregnancy in adolescent girls

Appendix 4

Additional Safeguarding Issues

Child Sexual Exploitation-CSE is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs when an individual or group take advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a children or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. CSE does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through use of technology.

Child Criminal Exploitation-A term to describe where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, control, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into any criminal activity:

(a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants; and/or

(b) for the financial or other advantage or the perpetrator or facilitator; and/or

The victim may have been criminally exploited even if the activity appears consensual. Child criminal exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.

FGM – Female Genital Mutilation- (FGM) is a procedure where the female genitals are deliberately cut, injured or changed, but where there's no medical reason for this to be done. It's also known as "female circumcision" or "cutting". FGM is often performed by someone with no medical training who uses instruments such as a knife, scalpel, scissors, glass or razor blade. Children are rarely given anaesthetic or antiseptic treatment and are often forcibly restrained.

FGM is often motivated by beliefs about what is considered acceptable sexual behaviour. It aims to ensure premarital virginity and marital fidelity. FGM is in many communities believed to reduce a woman's libido and therefore believed to help her resist extramarital sexual acts. It is illegal to carry out FGM in the UK. It is also a criminal offence for UK nationals or permanent UK residents to perform FGM overseas or take their child abroad to have FGM carried out. The maximum penalty for FGM is 14 years’ imprisonment.

Forced Marriage-People have the right to choose who they marry, when they marry or if they marry at all. Forced marriage is when some face physical pressure to marry (for example, threats, physical violence or sexual violence) or emotional and psychological pressure (eg if they’re made to feel like they’re bringing shame on their family).

Forced marriage is illegal in England and Wales. This includes:

taking someone overseas to force them to marry (whether or not the forced marriage takes place)
marrying someone who lacks the mental capacity to consent to the marriage (whether they’re pressured to or not)

Honour Abuse- Honour based violence is a violent crime or incident which may have been committed to protect or defend the honour of the family or community.

It is often linked to family members or acquaintances who mistakenly believe someone has brought shame to their family or community by doing something that is not in keeping with the traditional beliefs of their culture. For example, honour based violence might be committed against people who:

become involved with a boyfriend or girlfriend from a different culture or religion
want to get out of an arranged marriage
want to get out of a forced marriage
wear clothes or take part in activities that might not be considered traditional within a particular culture
Women and girls are the most common victims of honour based violence however it can also affect men and boys. Crimes of ‘honour’ do not always include violence. Crimes committed in the name of ‘honour’ might include:
domestic abuse
threats of violence
Sexual or psychological abuse
forced marriage
being held against your will or taken somewhere the victim doesn’t want to go
assault/killing

County Lines- A term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into one or more importing areas within the UK, using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of ‘deal line’. They are likely to exploit children and vulnerable adults to move and store the drugs and money, and they will often use coercion, intimidation, violence (including sexual violence) and weapons.

Domestic abuse - The statutory definition is clear that domestic abuse may be a single incident or a course of conduct which can encompass a wide range of abusive behaviours, including a) physical or sexual abuse; b) violent or threatening behaviour; c) controlling or coercive behaviour; d) economic abuse; and e) psychological, emotional, or other abuse. Under the statutory definition, both the person who is carrying out the behaviour and the person to whom the behaviour is directed towards must be aged 16 or over and they must be “personally connected” (as defined in section 2 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021). The definition ensures that different types of relationships are captured, including ex-partners and family members. All children can experience and be adversely affected by domestic abuse in the context of their home life where domestic abuse occurs between family members, including where those being abusive do not live with the child.

Experiencing domestic abuse can have a significant impact on children. Section 3 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 recognises the impact of domestic abuse on children (0 to 18), as victims in their own right, if they see, hear or experience the effects of abuse. Young people can also experience domestic abuse within their own intimate relationships.

Radicalisation - When we talk about radicalisation it means someone is being encouraged to develop extreme views or beliefs in support of terrorist groups and activities. radicalisation and the potential path towards terrorism and extremism can occur through face to face or online interactions. It is sadly the case that it is becoming easier than ever to be groomed by terrorist recruiters on the internet and to find extremist materials. Encouraging susceptible individuals to commit acts of terrorism on their own initiative is a deliberate tactic seen in emerging ideologies and seen in their propaganda. This is exacerbated by online environments which bring together and facilitate individuals sharing and validating thoughts and ideas.

Every case is different, and there is no checklist that can tell us if someone is being radicalised or becoming involved in terrorism. The importance of noticing the hallmarks of concern within these online communities, in friends or wider social spaces as well as work and educational settings has probably never been as important as it is now. There are some common signs that may mean someone is being radicalised.

Expressing an obsessive or angry sense of injustice about a situation and blaming this on others.
Expressing anger or extreme views towards a particular group such as a different race or religion.
Suggesting that violent action is the only way to solve an issue, sharing extreme views or hatred on social media.

It’s often the case that professional curiosity and belief in your own ability to determine if something just doesn’t sit right is sometimes a good check point to flag up where something may be going wrong, especially in the early stages of radicalisation.

Online Abuse- any type of abuse that happens on the internet. It can happen across any device that's connected to the web, like computers, tablets, and mobile phones. It can happen anywhere online, including: social media, text messages and messaging apps, emails, online chats, online gaming and live-streaming sites. Children can be at risk of online abuse from people they know or from strangers. It might be part of other abuse which is taking place offline, like bullying or grooming. Or the abuse might only happen online. Children may experience several types of abuse online: Cyberbullying, Emotional abuse-which can include emotional blackmail, Sexting-pressure or coercion to create sexual images, Sexual abuse, Sexual exploitation and Grooming-perpetrators may use online platforms to build a trusting relationship with the child to abuse them. A child experiencing abuse online might:

spend a lot more or a lot less time than usual online, texting, gaming or social media
seem distant, upset or angry after using the internet or texting
be secretive about who they're talking to and what they're doing online or on their mobile phone
have lots of new phone numbers, texts or email addresses on their mobile phone, laptop or tablet
Be mindful that some of the signs of online abuse are similar to other types of abuse.

Appendix 5

Flowchart of key principles for information sharing

Appendix Six-

7 golden rules for information sharing from ‘Information Sharing Advice for Safeguarding Practitioners’

Appendix7

Safeguarding Procedures and Processes

Strategy discussions-Children’s Services must hold a Strategy Discussion whenever there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child has suffered or is likely to suffer Significant Harm. This may be following a Referral and Assessment or at any time during an Assessment or where a child is receiving support services, if concerns about Significant Harm to the child emerge. Staff who are involved with the family or who have made the referral should be invited to be involved in the Strategy discussion. When a professional receives an invitation to attend a Strategy Meeting they should consult with their line manager or identified supervisor for safeguarding children to consider who would be appropriate to attend and the relevant information to be shared. The professional who attends a Strategy discussion should, if possible, take with them information from any staff who have involvement with the child or family. These are formal discussions used to plan an investigation and evaluate the findings. Professionals who refer concerns should be included in these discussions. They may be meetings or a series of telephone conversations, or both. The full procedure can be found here: Strategy Discussions Policy | NSCP

Child Protection

Conferences-Children’s Services will convene a Child Protection conference once a child protection enquiry under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 has been undertaken and the child is judged to be at continuing risk of significant harm. A review conference will take place once a child has been made the subject of a Child Protection Plan in order to monitor the safety of the child and the required reduction in risk. All reports for child protection conferences will be prepared in advance using the guidance and template report provided by the Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership. When completing a chronology, we will refer to the Multi Agency Chronologies-Practice Guidance Document 2024 and the completed chronology examples, all of which can be accessed at Norfolk Guidance to Understanding Continuum of Needs | NSCP | PWWC (norfolklscp.org.uk) under the ‘Genogram & Chronologies Resources and Guidance’ tab. The information contained in the report will be shared with parents before the conference as appropriate and will include information relating to the child’s physical, emotional, and intellectual development and the child’s presentation at school. In order to complete such reports, all relevant information will be sought from staff working with the child in the setting.

The Child Protection Conference has to be convened within 15 working days of the strategy discussion being held. The first meeting is called an Initial Child Protection Conference and any subsequent meetings are called Review Child Protection Conferences.
Relevant parties share information, identify concerns and strengths and identify what needs to be done to protect the children / young people.
If a Child Protection Plan is agreed family and workers will produce an outline plan which the Core Group will develop and implement.
Child Protection conferences in Norfolk use the Signs of Safety model.
Conferences are chaired by an independent chair.

Initial child protection conference- Written reports will always be shared with all attendees – including parents and, as appropriate, the child. If there are concerns about sharing information with parents, we will contact the chair of the conference in advance and discuss this with them. They will give advice and help to say what they want to say safely and effectively. Reports need to be available to attendees at least 24 hours before the conference.

At least two days prior to the conference we should contact the conference administrator and arrange for sufficient copies of the report to be available at the conference.

The GG Professional may attend an Initial Case Conference if requested.