Child Protection and Safeguarding

The atmosphere that I usually experience from and with my colleagues on this PGCE course is usually one that could be described as energetic, fun, enthusiastic and light-hearted.

This was not the case at 10.15 this morning.

We had a lecture today about child protection and safeguarding. It was the first in a series of two lectures, delivered by very qualified and interesting experts in the field.
It doesn't really matter that I have now forgotten the name of the woman who gave today's lecture, it is infinitely more important that I remember what she told us.

I have completed training on child protection before. When I worked as an LSA in a primary school, there was an inset dedicated to this. I am also a mentor for the national charity, Chance UK. Part of their intensive training is on safeguarding.

I am very glad to say that it hasn't become any easier to hear the statistics and facts that were mentioned again today. I truly hope that it never is.

There are 11.4 million children in the UK

Children deemed 'In Need'  - over 400,000

'Looked after' - 83,381

with a child protection plan - 42,330

Deaths

from abuse or neglect, in the UK - 

50 - 100 per year

2 children every week

The average sexual abuser is a 13 year old boy, who is known to the victim.

My colleagues and I felt very subdued by what we heard. Personally, I have seen only a small amount of what might be considered neglect or abuse. Putting my experiences into the context of the statistics above is extremely sobering.

I have heard cases where a child was punished for using 'bad' language at home. This I'm sure happens to many children. In this case, however, the mother would heat up a spoon over the flame of a gas burner on the stove until it was glowing hot, and then put it on the child's lips.

I was told about a case where a parent used a horse whip on his daughter and niece to keep them compliant.

A young girl, in year six, told a teacher that her brothers had been abusing her for the last 7 years. Her parents knew nothing about it.

I have seen a 5 year old displaying sexual behaviour that is utterly inappropriate,because that is what he has seen at home.

One boy in secondary school never did his homework. He never handed it in, and would sometimes miss school to avoid going through the punishment. After weeks of reprimands, detentions and sanctions, the school found out why. Every night, the boy would get home from school and begin, very diligently, to set about the homework tasks for that day. Sometime after that his father would return from the pub, and rip up every piece of work the boy had done, telling his son that there was 'no point' in doing any of that stuff; that he was 'stupid' for thinking that he would ever amount to anything, regardless of the homework he did.

I am reminded by these stories (and everyone has them, in various degrees of severity) of a couple of things:

1. I am very lucky for having the upbringing I had, and will always be thankful for it.
2. In most cases, we don't know the full story. We need to be vigilant, we need to think, and we need to report things as they happen.

What we can't do, is assume the worst in children. We CANNOT assume that kids are 'just bad' for no reason at all. There is very often an explanation, a reason.

I hope that I will always remember these things, these stories and these statistics.

There is a huge responsibility on all teachers, to keep children in our care safe. If we remember these few things, we may save a life in the future.