Child Protection and Safeguarding policy

Contents

1.	Safeguarding Statement	1
2.	Important Contact Information	2
3.	Policy Aim	3
4.	Definitions: Safeguarding and Child Protection	3
5.	Policy Scope	5
6.	Legislation and Guidance	6
7.	Equality Statement	7
8.	Roles and Responsibilities	9
9.	Confidentiality	11
10.	Recognising and Responding to Abuse	14
11.	Safeguarding Issues and Specific Forms of Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation	16
12.	Prevent and Concerns about Extremism	18
13.	Allegations of Abuse made Against Other Children	19
14.	Online Safety	21
15.	Mental Health	22
16.	Safeguarding Procedures	23
17.	Managing Safeguarding Concerns/Allegations	26
18.	Training	33
19.	Monitoring Arrangements	34

1. Springfield Project Safeguarding Policy Statement

The Springfield Project is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people. We adopt a child-centred, family-focused approach, ensuring the welfare of every child is paramount. We work in partnership with families and agencies to provide early help and targeted support, prevent harm, and promote positive outcomes. In line with statutory guidance, we act promptly and proportionately when concerns arise. Your safeguarding work is based on the values of:

Compassion – treating every child and family with dignity.
Community – building strong, supportive networks.
Integrity – acting transparently and responsibly.
Empowerment – enabling safe and positive choices.
Collaboration – working with others for the best outcomes.

We uphold Equality and Diversity, ensuring all children receive equal protection regardless of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or background.

2.IMPORTANT CONTACTS –

ROLE	NAME	CONTACT DETAILS
Main Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for the Project	Sarah Robbins- CEO Sarah Mullis – Nursery Manager for Park Road Sayma Bibi – Children Centre and Family Hub Manager Sonya Herring – Child Friendly Neighbourhood Manager (inc. Seedlings)	0121 777 2722 01217254990 07958 206064 07519328573
DSL’s	Tahmin Akhtar- Deputy Nursery Manager for Park Rd Kouser Iqbal- Nursery Practitioner for Park Road Claire Freeman- Nursery Manager for Mini Springers Shazia Malik- Deputy Manager for Mini Springers Fuazia Azad – Children Centre – Early Years Manager Harein Qousar – Children Centre – Family Support Manager Fatima Khanom – Children Centre- Senior Family Support Worker Iqra Tabraiz – Senior Children’s and Young People’s Worker	0121 725 4990 0121 725 4990 07845374537 0121 777 2722 0121 777 2722 07958206326 07701303927 0750870667
Adult Safeguarding Lead	Rosalyn Clare – Project Development Manager	07935 006891
Chair of Project	Tim Boyes	0121 777 7222
Designated safeguarding trustee	Yasser Khan	0121 777 7222

3. Policy Aim

The Project policy ensures that all staff, students and volunteers have a responsibility to safeguard children and young people and to protect them from harm. It aims to raise awareness of how to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and provides procedures should a child protection issue arise.
This policy applies to all children up to the age of 18 years whether living with their families, in state care,or living independently (Working together to safeguard children). We understand the importance of giving older children the same level of consideration and assessment when considering their vulnerability and risk of suffering harm. This includes ensuring they are never “adultified” and assumed to be capable of caring for themselves or responsible when they do not appear to be coping or presenting in the expected ways and that ALL children under the age of 18, although developing independence remain the responsibility of their parents/carers.
Safeguarding and child protection is everyone’s responsibility. We have a duty to act quickly and
responsibly in any instance that may come to our attention. If in any doubt about what constitutes a safeguarding concern, refer to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). If there is a concern, never do nothing (Laming, 2009), always do something, including sharing information with any relevant agencies.Safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility.

The Project aims to ensure that:

• Appropriate action is taken in a timely manner to safeguard and promote children’s welfare
• All staff are aware of their statutory responsibilities with respect to safeguarding
• Staff are properly trained in recognising and reporting safeguarding issues

4. Definitions: Safeguarding and Child Protection

All Springfield Project staff are expected to be familiar with the wide range of policies and procedures we have to keep our children safe and promote their wellbeing at all times.

Safeguarding as defined in Keeping Children Safe in Education (2025), means:

• 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

Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) further extends this definition to include:

• promoting the upbringing of children with their birth parents, or otherwise their family network
through a kinship care arrangement, whenever possible and where this is in the best interests of the children
• 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.

Early Help means taking action to support a child, young person or their family early in the life of a problem,as soon as it emerges. It can be required at any stage in a child’s life and applies to any problem or need that the family cannot deal with or meet on their own. Early Help Assessment and Our Family Plan – Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership.

Right Help, Right Time guidance document advises what support is available whatever the needs are of children young people and their families. It is the framework and practice guide on how all individuals,agencies, partners and practitioners work together in Birmingham.

Child in Need: Under the Children Act 1989, local authorities are under a general duty to provide services for children in need for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting their welfare. A child in need is defined under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 as a child who is unlikely to achieve or maintain a reasonable level of health or development, or whose health and development is likely to be significantly or further impaired without the provision of services, or a child who is disabled. To fulfil this duty, practitioners undertake assessments of the needs of individual children, giving due regard to a child’s age and understanding when determining what, if any, services to provide.

Child Protection: Under section 47 of the Children Act 1989, where a local authority has reasonable cause to suspect that a child who lives or is found in their area is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm, it has a duty to make such enquiries as it considers necessary to decide whether to take any action to safeguard or promote the child’s welfare. Such enquiries, supported by other organisations and agencies, as appropriate, should be initiated where there are concerns about all forms of abuse, neglect, and exploitation whether this is taking place in person or online, inside or outside of the child’s home. There may be a need for immediate protection whilst an assessment or enquiries are carried out. Schools and other organisations are required to cooperate with children’s social care when carrying their inquiries and therefore we have a
duty to share information when requested to do so.

Significant Harm is the threshold for a child protection response to support and or protect children. Harm is defined in the Children Act 1989 as the ill-treatment of a child or the impairment of their health or development. This can include harm caused by seeing someone else being mistreated, for example by witnessing domestic abuse. The phrase ‘significant harm’ was introduced by the Children Act 1989. The Act does not define ‘significant.’ The question of whether or not harm is ‘significant’ relates to its impact on a
child’s health or development.

Children’s Advice and Support Service (CASS) provides a single point of contact for professionals and members of the public who want to seek support or raise concerns about a child.

Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is a fully integrated multi-agency team which involves key safeguarding agencies in including professionals from social care, police, health and education. These agencies work together to identify the needs of children and their families and signpost to the appropriate agency or resources where threshold is met. The main aim of a MASH is to improve the quality of information sharing when making decisions between agencies at the earliest opportunity.

Children in Care: A child is ‘looked after’ (in care) if they are in the care of the Local Authority for more than 24 hours. Children can be in care by agreement with parents or by order of a court. The placement providing the care can be a connected person to the child or a Local Authority approved foster carer.

Kinship Care refers to a type of care where a child who cannot be looked after by their birth parents is cared
for by relatives or friends. The government in England has launched a Kinship Care Strategy to improve
kinship carers’ financial stability, education, training, and partnership with local authorities and other
agencies.

The following arrangements fall under Kinship Care:

• Family and Friends Carers: If you are a grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother, sister, or family friend
looking after a child who cannot be cared for by their birth parents, you are known as a family and
friends’ carer. Sometimes these carers will be given Parental Responsibility for the children through a Child Arrangements or Special Guardianship Order.

• Private Fostering: You are a private foster carer if you are not a close relative and you are looking after a child who is under 16 (or under 18 if they are disabled) for more than 28 days in a row.
Victim is a widely understood and recognised term, but we understand that not everyone who has been subjected to abuse considers themselves a victim or would want to be described that way. When managing an incident, we will be prepared to use any term that the child involved feels most comfortable with.
Alleged perpetrator(s) and perpetrator(s) are widely used and recognised terms. However, the Project will think carefully about what terminology we use (especially in front of children and their parents and carers) as, in some cases, abusive behaviour can be harmful to the perpetrator too. The DSL will decide what is appropriate and which terms to use on a case-by-case basis.

5. Scope of this Policy

To safeguard children and promote children’s welfare we will:
• Develop a safe culture where staff are confident to raise concerns about professional conduct
• Ensure all staff are able to identify the signs and indicators of abuse, including the softer signs of
abuse, and know what action to take
• Understand and be sensitive to factors, including economic and social circumstances and ethnicity,which can impact children and families’ lives
• Share information with other agencies as appropriate.
We promote:
• Always listening to children and keep them at the centre of any decisions made
• Children developing independence and autonomy as appropriate for their age and stage of
development, safe and secure environments for children, tolerance and acceptance of different
beliefs, cultures and communities, British values and providing intervention and help for children
and families in need.
We will work together to safeguard children:
The following 3 safeguarding partners are identified in Keeping Children Safe in Education (and defined in the Children Act 2004, as amended by chapter 2 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017). They will make arrangements to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of local children, including
identifying and responding to their needs:
• Birmingham City Council & Birmingham Children’s Trust
• NHS Birmingham & Solihull Integrated Care Boards
• West Midlands Police

6. Legislation & Statutory Guidance

This policy is based on the Department for Education’s (DfE’s) statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education (2024) and Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023). We comply with this guidance and the arrangements agreed and published by our 3 local safeguarding partners.
This policy is also based on the following legislation:
The Children Act 1989 (and 2004 amendment), which provides a framework for the care and protection of children Section 5B(11) of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003, as inserted by section 74 of the Serious crime Act 2015, which places a statutory duty on teachers to report to the police where they discover that female genital mutilation (FGM) appears to have been carried out on a girl under 18.

Statutory guidance on FGM, which sets out responsibilities with regards to safeguarding and supporting girls affected by FGM

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, which outlines when people with criminal convictions can work with children

Schedule 4 of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which defines what ‘regulated activity’ is in relation to children

Statutory guidance on the Prevent duty, which explains schools’ duties under the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 with respect to protecting people from the risk of radicalisation and extremism

The Human Rights Act 1998, which explains that being subjected to harassment, violence and/or abuse,including that of a sexual nature, may breach any or all of the rights which apply to individuals under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)

The Equality Act 2010, which makes it unlawful to discriminate against people regarding particular
protected characteristics (including disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment and race). This means our Trustees and CEO should carefully consider how they are supporting their children within all the Project departments with regard to these characteristics. The Act allows our project to take positive action to deal with particular disadvantages affecting children (where we can show it’s proportionate). This includes making reasonable adjustments for disabled children. For example, it could include taking positive action to support girls where there’s evidence that they’re being disproportionately subjected to sexual violence or harassment.

The Childcare (Disqualification) and Childcare (Early Years Provision Free of Charge) (Extended
Entitlement) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (referred to in this policy as the “2018 Childcare
Disqualification Regulations”) and Childcare Act 2006, which set out who is disqualified from working with children
This policy also meets requirements relating to safeguarding and welfare in the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage

7. Equality Statement, Children with Protected Characteristics

Some children are at greater risk of harm, both online and offline, and additional barriers can exist for some children with respect to recognising or disclosing it. At The Springfield Project we are committed to antidiscriminatory practice and ensuring that all children are provided with the same protection regardless of any additional needs, barriers or protected characteristics they may have. As stated in the Equality Act 2010,we recognise the protected characteristics that may be applicable to our children:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation.

All staff and volunteers understand the importance of recognising that a child may benefit from Early Help intervention, and it is integral to our whole Project approach to look and listen out particularly for children:

• who have a special educational need and/or disability (SEND) or health conditions
• who are a young carer
• who could experience discrimination due to their race, ethnicity, religion, gender identification or
sexuality
• have English as an additional language
• are known to be living in difficult situations – for example, temporary accommodation or where there
are issues such as substance abuse or domestic violence
• are at risk of FGM, sexual exploitation, forced marriage, or radicalisation
• are asylum seekers
• are at risk due to either their own or a family member’s mental health needs
• are in care or were previously in care (see Section 11)
• who have ongoing unexplainable and/or persistent absences from education
• whose parent/carer has expressed an intention to remove them from school to be provided with
elective home education (EHE).
Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
We know who our children are with special educational needs, disabilities, or additional health needs and recognise that they may face additional barriers, which can include:
• assumptions that indicators of possible abuse, such as behaviour, mood and injury, relate to the
child’s impairment without further exploration
• these children being more prone to peer group isolation or bullying (including prejudice-based bullying) than other children
• children with SEND can be disproportionally impacted by things like bullying – without outwardly showing any signs
• communication barriers and difficulties in managing or reporting these challenges.
• cognitive understanding – being unable to understand the difference between fact and fiction in
online content and then repeating the content/behaviours in schools, colleges or other settings
without understanding the consequences of doing so
• reluctance to challenge carers (professionals may over-empathise with carers because of the
perceived stress of caring for a disabled child)
• disabled children often rely on a wide network of carers to meet their basic needs and therefore the potential risk of exposure to abusive behaviour can be increased
• a disabled child’s understanding of abuse
• lack of choice/participation.
Pupils who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Gender Questioning
• Children who identify or may identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual need to receive a positive and
supportive response from staff and volunteers.
• Staff and volunteers should listen to children and young people without judgement and signpost to further support if required.
• Staff and volunteers should not share any confidential information with parents and carers,
however, may provide support to children and young people who are considering whether and how
to tell parents.
• We recognise that children who are (or who are perceived to be) lesbian, gay, bisexual or gender
questioning (LGBTQ+) can be targeted by other children.
• We also recognise that LGBTQ+ children are more likely to experience poor mental health. Any
concerns should be reported to the DSL.
• When families/carers are making decisions about support for gender questioning children, they
should be encouraged to seek clinical help and advice. This should be done as early as possible when supporting pre-pubertal children.
KCSIE 2025 advises a cautious, safeguarding-first approach when supporting gender-questioning children.
Decisions about social transition (such as changes to names, pronouns, or uniforms) should never be made hastily and must involve parents unless doing so would place the child at significant risk of harm. There is not a general duty to facilitate social transition and families should seek clinical advice where appropriate.
The guidance emphasises protecting the child’s welfare, addressing vulnerabilities such as bullying, and complying with the Equality Act 2010, which prohibits discrimination on the grounds of gender reassignment at any stage of transition.
Staff will receive relevant training to support Children and Young people around LGBTQ + issues.

8. Roles & Responsibilities

This policy applies to all staff, volunteers and Trustees in the organisation and is consistent with the procedures of the 3 safeguarding partners.
Our services play a crucial role in preventative education. This is in the context of a ‘whole-project’
approach to preparing children for life in modern Britain, and a culture of zero tolerance of sexism,
misogyny/misandry, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and sexual violence/harassment.

All staff will:

• Read and understand Part 1 and Annex B of the Department for Education’s statutory safeguarding
guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education, and review this guidance at least annually. Staff who
do not work directly with children can read Annex A of KCSIE (a condensed version of Annex B)
• Sign a declaration at the beginning of each academic year to say that they have reviewed the
guidance
• Reinforce the importance of online safety when communicating with parents and carers. This
includes making parents and carers aware of what we ask children to do online (e.g. sites they
need to visit or who they’ll be interacting with online)
• Provide a safe space for children who are LGBTQ+ to speak out and share their concerns

All staff will be aware of:

• Our systems that support safeguarding, including this child protection and safeguarding policy, the
staff code of conduct, the role and identity of the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and
deputy/deputies, the setting-specific behaviour policies, and the safeguarding framewo document
• The early help assessment process and their role in it, including identifying emerging problems,
liaising with the DSL, and sharing information with other professionals to support early
identification and assessment
• The process for making referrals to local authority children’s social Care (Birmingham Children’s
Trust) and for statutory assessments that may follow a referral, including the role they might be
expected to play
• What to do if they identify a safeguarding issue or a child tells them they are being abused or
neglected, including specific issues such as FGM, and how to maintain an appropriate level of
confidentiality while liaising with relevant professionals
• The signs of different types of abuse, neglect and exploitation, including domestic and sexual
abuse (including controlling and coercive behaviour, as well as parental conflict that is frequent,
intense, and unresolved), as well as specific safeguarding issues, such as child-on-child abuse,
grooming, child sexual exploitation (CSE), child criminal exploitation (CCE), indicators of being at
risk from or involved with serious violent crime, FGM, radicalisation and serious violence
(including that linked to county lines)
• New and emerging threats, including online harm, grooming, sexual exploitation, criminal
exploitation, radicalisation, and the role of technology and social media in presenting harm
• The importance of reassuring victims that they are being taken seriously and that they will be
supported and kept safe
• The fact that children can be at risk of harm inside and outside of their home, at school and online
• The fact that children who are (or who are perceived to be) lesbian, gay, bisexual or gender
questioning (LGBTQ+) or who are the child of lgbtq+ parents can be targeted by other children
• That a child and their family may be experiencing multiple needs at the same time
• What to look for to identify children who need help or protection

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

Our CEO maintains overall responsibility over Safeguarding. The Safeguarding leads take lead responsibility
for child protection and wider safeguarding across the project. DSL’s take responsibility for Safeguarding
within their departments.
When a DSL is absent, then other DSLs from each department will act as cover. If DSLs are not on site, then they will be contactable via phone.

The DSLs will be given the time, funding, training, resources and support to:

• Provide advice and support to other staff on child welfare and child protection matters
• Take part in strategy discussions and inter-agency meetings and/or support other staff to do so
• Contribute to the assessment of children
• Refer suspected cases, as appropriate, to the relevant body (Birmingham Children’s Trust, Channel
programme, Disclosure and Barring Service, and/or police), and support staff who make such
referrals directly
• Have a good understanding of harmful sexual behaviour
• Have a good understanding of the filtering and monitoring systems and processes in place Act as
PREVENT leads for their departments.
The DSLs will also:
• Keep the CEO informed of any significant issues
• Liaise with local authority case managers and designated officers for child protection concerns as
appropriate
• Discuss the local response to sexual violence and sexual harassment with police and Birmingham
Children’s Trust colleagues
• Be confident that they know what local specialist support is available to support all children
involved (including victims and alleged perpetrators) in sexual violence and sexual harassment,
and be confident as to how to access this support
• Be aware that children must have an ‘appropriate adult’ to support and help them in the case of a
police investigation or search.
• Provide quarterly Safeguarding Data reports to the CEO and the Safeguarding Trustee.
The role of the Trustees
• Facilitate a whole-project approach to safeguarding, ensuring that safeguarding and child
protection are at the forefront of, and underpin, all relevant aspects of process and policy
development
• Evaluate and approve this policy at each review, ensuring it complies with the law, and hold the
CEO to account for its implementation
• Be aware of its obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998, the Equality Act 2010, and our local
authority’s multi-agency safeguarding arrangements
• Ensure there is a Trustee with safeguarding responsibility to monitor the effectiveness of this
policy in conjunction with the board of Trustees. This is always a different person from the DSL.
• Ensure all staff undergo safeguarding and child protection training, including online safety, and
that such training is regularly updated and is in line with advice from the safeguarding partners
• Ensure that the Project has appropriate filtering and monitoring systems in place and review their
effectiveness.

This includes:

• Making sure that the leadership team and staff are aware of the provisions in place, and that they
understand their expectations, roles and responsibilities around filtering and monitoring as part of
safeguarding training
• Ensure DSLs have the appropriate status and authority to carry out their job, including additional
time, funding, training, resources and support
• Promote online safety as a running and interrelated theme within the whole-project approach to
safeguarding and related policies
All Trustees will read Keeping Children Safe in Education in its entirety.

9. Confidentiality

The Springfield Project strives to uphold good practice and work in partnership with children and families,
communicating effectively and listening well so that we have sufficient information to understand and be
able to meet their needs.
An open culture is imperative when deciding whether to share information and it is important to get the
lawful basis right. The legal framework can appear complex, and a lack of clarity can lead practitioners to
assume, incorrectly, that no information can be shared because consent has not been provided. The Springfield Project understands the lawful basis in which our DSLs can share information with other people, agencies and organisations about the children and families we are supporting.

In line with our principles of working with families outlined above, we strive to be transparent, open and clear when we need to discuss any information or concerns that worry us about a child’s wellbeing. If we feel that we need to share information, we will explain how information will be shared or used so that families can make an informed choice about whether to consent.
If we feel that we need to share information with services due to concerns about a child’s safety or welfare to provide the family with specific support, we will be upfront, transparent and honest about our concerns and the ways in which such services could help the family. We will endeavour to support and encourage the family to consent and engage with such support. We believe that this collaborative approach will support children to have the confidence to speak up and share their views as well as encouraging parents and carers of children at our school to have a willingness to engage with services that provide support.

If we have a concern about a child’s safety and have decided to share information to protect them from a risk of harm, we will endeavour to gain cooperation and understanding from parents and carers. We will strive where possible to always gain consent and where we believe our concerns have increased and warrant the sharing of information to statutory services such as Police and Children’s Social Care, we will have made efforts to discuss, explore and provide support to address these with families in a collaborative way beforehand; concerns should not be a surprise to families unless in situations where a one off or unprecedented incident occurs.
However, for a small number of children, seeking parental consent is not always possible and may place a child or others at risk of harm, for example:

• the child would be placed at increased risk of significant harm through the action of gaining
this consent
• there would be an impact on a criminal investigation
• a delay in making the referral would impact on the immediate safety of the child.

In situations where our professional or legal duty is exercised to share certain information in the absence of consent, we will inform the family as soon as possible if it is safe and appropriate to do so. We will be clear about what we have shared, with whom, the reasons why and how the information will be used.
In any situation where a child or their parent/carer object to consent or particular information sharing and we decide that it is proportionate to do so, a clear rationale, outlining our decisions and the reasons why, will be recorded on the child’s file.
In situations where there are allegations of child-on-child abuse, we will notify the parents or carers of all the children involved. If a child or group of children have suffered significant harm or are considered at risk of harm either directly or online, we will have a duty to consider making a referral to Children’s Advice and Support Service (CASS) and the Police if a crime has been committed.
In addition to sharing information, our DSLs will endeavour to arrange a meeting with the parents and carers of all children to share information about the incident, plan safety strategies and/or risk management plans. Our DSLs will endeavour to keep families up to date and provide reassurance on any measures being taken, whilst respecting the privacy of each individual child involved.
The Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 does not prevent or limit the sharing of information for the purposes of keeping children safe. The Springfield Project recognises that timely information sharing is essential for effective safeguarding. Whilst we promote collaboration and partnership with our families, fears about sharing information must not be allowed to stand in the way of the need to promote the welfare and protect the safety of children when required.

The following safeguarding principles apply when considering confidentiality:

• timely information sharing is essential to effective safeguarding.
• the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 does not prevent, or limit, the sharing of information for the
purposes of keeping children safe
• if staff need to share ‘special category personal data’, the DPA 2018 contains ‘safeguarding of
children and individuals at risk’ as a processing condition that allows practitioners to share
information without consent if: it is not possible to gain consent; it cannot be reasonably expected
that a practitioner gains consent; or if to gain consent would place a child at risk
staff should never promise a child that they will not tell anyone about a report of abuse, as this maynot be in the child’s best interests If a victim asks the school not to tell anyone about the sexual violence or sexual harassment:
• even if a victim does not consent to sharing information, staff may still lawfully share it if there is
another legal basis under the Data Protection Act that applies
• the DSL will have to balance the victim’s wishes against their duty to protect the victim and other
children

The DSL should consider the following points:

• parents or carers should normally be informed (unless this would put the child at greater risk)
• the basic safeguarding principle is: if a child is at risk of harm, is in immediate danger, or has been
harmed, a referral should be made to Children’s Advice and Support Service (CASS) where the
child resides
• where a report of rape, assault by penetration or sexual assault is made, this should be referred to
the Police. While the age of criminal responsibility is 10, if the alleged perpetrator is under 10, the
starting principle of referring to the Police remains.

Regarding anonymity, all staff will:

• be aware of anonymity, witness support and the criminal process in general where an allegation of
sexual violence or sexual harassment is progressing through the criminal justice system1.4
• do all they reasonably can to protect the anonymity of any children involved in any report of sexual
violence or sexual harassment, for example, carefully considering which staff should know about the
report, and any support for children involved
• consider the potential impact of social media in facilitating the spreading of rumours and exposing
victims’ identities
• have regard for the Government’s publication Information sharing advice for safeguarding
practitioners – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) includes 7 ‘golden rules’ for sharing information and will
support staff who have to make decisions about sharing information with all relevant parties.
If staff are in any doubt about sharing information, they should speak to the DSL.

10. Recognising and Responding to Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation (what all staff must know and do if they have concerns

At The Springfield Project, all our staff are aware of what abuse, neglect and exploitation is and have an
understanding of the different types of indicators which could suggest a child is suffering or likely to suffer
harm.
We encourage our staff to be professionally curious about what to look out for as this is vital for the early identification of abuse, neglect and exploitation so that we are able to identify children who may be in need of help or protection at the earliest opportunity.
Abuse is 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 community setting 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.
Our staff are aware that children may be abused by an adult or adults or by another child or children.

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is 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 (Fabricated Induced Illness FII).

Emotional Abuse

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 a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they
meet the needs of another person
• not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’
of what they say or how they communicate
• 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 from participating in normal social
interaction
• a child seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another
• serious bullying (including cyberbullying)
• causing a child to feel frightened or in danger
• exploitation or corruption of children.
Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, although it may occur alone.
It can be difficult to recognise emotional abuse and children may not always realise they are experiencing it.
However, there may be indicators in the way a child behaves and reacts to certain situations.

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not
necessarily involving 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
• 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
• Online 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

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.
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.
It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

Exploitation

Exploitation in relation to children refers to the use of children for someone else’s advantage, gratification,
or profit often resulting in unjust, cruel, and harmful treatment of the child. These activities are to the
detriment of the child’s physical or mental health, education, moral or social-emotional development. It
covers situations of manipulation, misuse, abuse, victimization, oppression or ill-treatment.
Our staff are aware that there are several types of child exploitation, including, but not limited to:
• Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE): this is a type of sexual abuse where children are sexually exploited
for money, power, or status. It can involve contact and non-contact activities and can occur without
the child’s immediate recognition; this is due to their grooming by the abuser.
• Child Labour Exploitation: this involves the use of children in work that is harmful to their physical
and mental development. It deprives them of their childhood, potential, and dignity.
• Child Trafficking: children are recruited, moved, or transported and then exploited, forced to work,
or sold. They are often used for forced labour, sexual exploitation, or illegal activities.
• Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE): this is where children are involved in activities of a criminal
nature, often in gangs. They may be forced or manipulated into committing crimes, such as selling
drugs or stealing.

11. Safeguarding Issues and Specific Forms of Abuse

All our staff understand that children can be at risk of abuse or exploitation in situations outside their families. They are aware that extra familial harms take a variety of different forms and children can be
vulnerable to multiple harms including (but not limited to) sexual abuse (including harassment and exploitation), domestic abuse in their own intimate relationships (teenage relationship abuse), drug taking and/or alcohol misuse, criminal exploitation, child sexual exploitation, serious youth violence, county lines, radicalisation, consensual and non-consensual sharing of nude and semi-nude images and/or videos (also known as youth produced sexual imagery) and can put children in danger. Staff are aware that Extra Familial Harms can present online, in a child’s environment/neighbourhood, school and any place/space that children
occupy or access such as:
• Child abduction
• Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
• Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)
• County Lines
• Children and the Court system
• Children absent from education
• Children with family members in prison
• Cybercrime
• Domestic abuse
• Homelessness
• Mental health
• Modern Slavery and the National Referral Mechanism
• Preventing radicalization
• The Prevent Duty
• Channel
• Sexual violence and Sexual harassment between children in schools
• Serious Violence
• FGM and the mandatory reporting duty for teachers
• Forced marriage.

Domestic Abuse

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2021. The Act introduced the first ever
statutory definition of domestic abuse and recognises the impact of domestic abuse on children, as victims
in their own right, if they see, hear or experience the effects of abuse. They may also experience it within
their own intimate relationships.
Our staff understand that these experiences can have a detrimental and long-term impact on their health,
well-being, development, and ability to learn. The statutory definition of domestic abuse, based on the
previous cross-government definition, ensures that different types of relationships are captured, including
ex-partners and family members.
Our staff are aware that domestic abuse can include intimate partner violence, abuse by family members,
teenage relationship abuse and child to parent abuse and that anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse,
regardless of sexual identity, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality or background and domestic
abuse can take place inside or outside of the home.

Homelessness

Being homeless or being at risk of becoming homeless presents a real risk to a child’s welfare.
The DSLs and deputies will be aware of contact details and referral routes into the local housing authority so
they can raise/progress concerns at the earliest opportunity (where appropriate and in accordance with local (procedures).
Where a child has been harmed or is at risk of harm, the DSL will also make a referral to local authority
children’s social care.
Honour Based Abuse
So-called ‘honour-based’ abuse (HBA) encompasses incidents or crimes committed to protect or defend the honour of the family and/or community, including FGM, forced marriage, and practices such as breast ironing.
Abuse committed in this context often involves a wider network of family or community pressure and can include multiple perpetrators.
All forms of HBA are abuse and will be handled and escalated as such. All staff will be alert to the possibility of a child being at risk of HBA or already having suffered it. If staff have a concern, they will speak to the DSL,
who will activate local safeguarding procedures.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
Keeping Children Safe in Education explains that FGM comprises “all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs”.
FGM is illegal in the UK and a form of child abuse with long-lasting, harmful consequences. It is also known as ‘female genital cutting’, ‘circumcision’ or ‘initiation’.

Any staff member who either:

• Is informed by a girl under 18 or other party that an act of FGM has been carried out on her; or
• Observes physical signs which appear to show that an act of FGM has been carried out on a girl under
18 and they have no reason to believe that the act was necessary for the girl’s physical or mental
health or for purposes connected with labour or birth
This must be reported to the Police immediately after a discussion has taken place with a DSL and involve
Birmingham Children’s Trust as appropriate. Staff should not examine a child or young person. Any member of staff who suspects a child is at risk of FGM or suspects that FGM has been carried out or discovers that a child aged 18 or over appears to have been a victim of FGM should speak to the DSL and follow our local safeguarding procedures.

12. Prevent and Concerns About Extremism

The Springfield Project is aware of our duty under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act
2015, in the exercise of our functions, to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from becoming
terrorists or supporting terrorism” (known as the Prevent duty).
The Prevent duty is one of our wider safeguarding obligations. Our DSLs and senior leaders are aware of
the revised Prevent duty guidance: England and Wales (2023) for England and Wales, especially paragraphs
141-210, which focus on education and childcare. The guidance covers 3 general themes: leadership and partnership, capabilities, and

reducing permissive environments.

Extremism is the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance,
which aims to:
• negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others; or
• undermine, overturn or replace the UK’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic
rights; or
• intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve the results in (1) or (2)
Radicalisation is the process of a person legitimising support for, or use of, terrorist violence.
Terrorism is an action that endangers or causes serious violence to a person/people; causes serious
damage to property; or seriously interferes or disrupts an electronic system. The use or threat must be designed to influence the Government or to intimidate the public and is made for the purpose of
advancing a political, religious or ideological cause.
Where there is a concern, the DSL will consider the level of risk and decide which agency to make a referral to Children’s Services or Channel, the Government’s programme for identifying and supporting individuals at risk of being drawn into terrorism.

13. Allegations of Abuse Made Against Other Children

We recognise that children are capable of abusing their peers. Abuse will never be tolerated or passed off as “banter”, “just having a laugh” or “part of growing up”, as this can lead to a culture of unacceptable behaviours and an unsafe environment for children and young people.
We also recognise the gendered nature of child-on-child abuse. However, all child-on-child abuse is
unacceptable and will be taken seriously.
Most cases of children and young people hurting other children or young people will be dealt with under the relevant setting-specific behaviour policy, but this child protection and safeguarding policy will apply to any allegations that raise safeguarding concerns.

This might include where the alleged behaviour:
• Is serious, and potentially a criminal offence
• Could put children or young people at risk
• Is violent
• Involves children or young people being forced to use drugs or alcohol
• Involves sexual exploitation, sexual abuse or sexual harassment, such as indecent exposure, sexual
assault, upskirting or sexually inappropriate pictures or videos (including the sharing of nudes and seminudes)
Procedures for dealing with allegations of child-on-child abuse

If a child or young person makes an allegation of abuse against another child:

• The staff member of volunteer who becomes aware of the allegation of abuse must record the
allegation and tell the DSL, but do not investigate it
• The DSL will contact Children’s Advice and Support Service (CASS) and follow the advice given, as well as the police if the allegation involves a potential criminal offence
• The DSL will put a risk assessment and support plan into place for all children involved (including the
victim(s), the child(ren) against whom the allegation has been made and any others affected) with a
named person they can talk to if needed.
• The DSL will contact Forward Thinking Birmingham (the children and adolescent mental health
services) if appropriate
• If the incident is a criminal offence and there are delays in the criminal process, the DSL will work
closely with the police (and other agencies as required) while protecting children and/or taking any
actions against the alleged perpetrator. We will ask the police if we have any questions about the
investigation.Creating a supportive environment and minimising the risk of child-on-child abuse
We recognise the importance of taking proactive action to minimise the risk of child-on-child abuse, and of creating a supportive environment where victims feel confident in reporting incidents.

To achieve this, we will:

• Challenge any form of derogatory or sexualised language or inappropriate behaviour between peers,
including requesting or sending sexual images
• Be vigilant to issues that particularly affect different genders – for example, sexualised or aggressive touching or grabbing towards female children, and initiation or hazing type violence with respect to
boys
• Ensure children and young people are able to easily and confidently report abuse using our reporting
systems
• Ensure staff reassure victims that they are being taken seriously
• Be alert to reports of sexual violence and/or harassment that may point to environmental or
systemic problems that could be addressed by updating policies, and processes, or could reflect
wider issues in the local area that should be shared with safeguarding partners.
• Support children who have witnessed sexual violence, especially rape or assault by penetration. We will do all we can to make sure the victim, alleged perpetrator(s) and any witnesses are not bullied or harassed
• Consider intra-familial harms and any necessary support for siblings following a report of sexual
violence and/or harassment

The Springfield Project will ensure all staff are trained to understand:
• How to recognise the indicators and signs of child-on-child abuse, and know how to identify it and
respond to reports
• That even if there are no reports of child-on-child abuse, it does not mean it is not happening – staff
should maintain an attitude of “it could happen here”
• That if they have any concerns about a child’s welfare, they should act on them immediately rather
than wait to be told, and that victims may not always make a direct report
• The important role they have to play in preventing child-on-child abuse and responding where they
believe a child may be at risk from it and they should speak to the DSL if they have any concerns
The DSL will take the lead role on any action required in relation to the alleged perpetrator(s). We will
provide support at the same time as taking any formal action. Action can be taken while other
investigations are going on, e.g. by the police. The fact that another body is investigating or has
investigated an incident does not, in itself, prevent our Project from reaching its own conclusion about
what happened and making a decision.
Sharing of nudes and semi-nudes (‘Sexting’) Your responsibilities when responding to an incident
If a staff member is made aware of an incident involving the consensual or non-consensual sharing of nude
or semi-nude images/videos, including pseudo-images, which are computer-generated images that
otherwise appear to be a photograph or video (also known as ‘sexting’ or ‘youth produced sexual
imagery’), you must report it to the DSL immediately.
Staff must not:
• View, copy, print, share, store or save the imagery yourself, or ask a child or young person to share
or download it (if you have already viewed the imagery by accident, you must report this to the DSL)
• Delete the imagery or ask the child or young person to delete it
• Ask the child or young person who is involved in the incident to disclose information regarding the
imagery (this is the DSL’s responsibility)
• Share information about the incident with other members of staff, the child(s) or young person it
involves or their, or other, parents and/or carers
• Say or do anything to blame or shame any young people involved
Staff should explain that they must report the incident to a Designated Safeguarding Lead and reassure the
child or young person that they will receive support and help.
Informing Parents/Carers
The DSL will inform parents/carers at an early stage and keep them involved in the process unless there is a
good reason to believe that involving them would put the pupil at risk of harm.
Recording Incidents
All incidents of sharing of nudes and semi-nudes, and the decisions made in responding to them, will be
recorded. The record-keeping arrangements set out in of this policy also apply to recording these incidents.
Reporting systems for children and young people using Springfield Project services
Where there is a safeguarding concern, we will take the child’s wishes and feelings into account when
determining what action to take and what services to provide.
We recognise the importance of ensuring children and young people feel safe and comfortable to come
forward and report any concerns and/or allegations.
To achieve this, staff will:
• Put systems in place for children and young people to confidently report abuse
• Ensure our reporting systems are well promoted, easily understood and easily accessible for children
and young people
• Make it clear to children and young people that their concerns will be taken seriously, and that they
can safely express their views and give feedback

14. Online Safety

The Springfield Project understands the need to protect children from harmful online content. Technology
is a key factor in safeguarding and wellbeing.
The Project aims to:
• Have robust processes and filtering and monitoring systems in place to ensure the online safety
(including generative AI technology) of children, young people, staff, volunteers and trustees.
• Protect and educate the whole Project to ensure safe and responsible use of technology, including
mobile and smart technology (which we refer to as ‘mobile phones’)
• Set clear guidelines for the use of mobile phones
• Establish clear mechanisms to identify, intervene in and escalate any incidents or concerns, where
appropriate

The 4 key categories of risk

Our approach to online safety is based on addressing the following categories of risk:
• Content – being exposed to illegal, inappropriate or harmful content, such as pornography, fake
news, racism, misogyny, self-harm, suicide, antisemitism, radicalisation and extremism,
misinformation, disinformation, (including fake news) and conspiracy theories.
• Contact – being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users, such as peer-to-peer
pressure, commercial advertising and adults posing as children or young adults with the intention to
groom or exploit them for sexual, criminal, financial or other purposes
• Conduct – personal online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm, such as
making, sending and receiving explicit images (e.g. consensual and non-consensual sharing of nudes
and semi-nudes and/or pornography), sharing other explicit images and online bullying; and
• Commerce – risks such as online gambling, inappropriate advertising, phishing and/or financial
scams To meet our aims and address the risks above we will train staff, as part of their induction, on safe internet
use and online safeguarding issues and ensure staff are aware of any restrictions placed on them with
regards to the use of their mobile phone and cameras, such as:
• Staff must not use their personal phones in work where children are present Staff will not take pictures or recordings of pupils on their personal phones or cameras.

15. Concerns About Mental Health

Mental health difficulties can, in some cases, be an indicator that a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering
abuse, neglect or exploitation. Poor or deteriorating mental health can also be a safeguarding concern in its
own right. Our staff know to be alert to behavioural signs that suggest a child may be experiencing mental
health or be at risk of developing one.
If a staff member has a concern about a child’s mental health, no matter the level of the child’s emotional
difficulties, they must speak to a DSL who will evaluate if the child is at risk of immediate harm, and if so, will
escalate to the appropriate level of support which includes speaking to the mental health lead.
If a child is experiencing low moods, low self-esteem and general anxiety, a mental health lead will be able
to provide some advice about some self-accessed support through relevant approved wellbeing websites
and apps. If however, the child is presenting with a concerning level of low mood and anxiety for a period of
time then the mental health lead (Sonya Herring) in partnership with the DSL will discuss with the child and
their parents/carer to explore options of support.
If someone is experiencing suicidal thoughts but they do not need physical input from A&E then
consideration will be given to accessing support from the SPA/Crisis team. If a referral for targeted mental
health support is required then a referral through SPA will be made.
If, however, a child/young person is at immediate risk the school will recommend they need to be sent to A&E or dial 999.

16. Procedures

Recognising abuse & taking action
All staff are expected to be able to identify and recognise all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation and
shall be alert to the potential need for early help for a child who:
• Is disabled
• Has special educational needs (whether or not they have a statutory education health and care (EHC)
plan)
• Is a young carer
• Is bereaved
• Is showing signs of being drawn into anti-social or criminal behaviour, including being affected by
gangs and county lines and organised crime groups and/or serious violence, including knife crime
• Is frequently missing/goes missing from education, care or home
• Is at risk of modern slavery, trafficking, sexual and/or criminal exploitation
• Is at risk of being radicalised or exploited
• Is viewing problematic and/or inappropriate online content (for example, linked to violence), or
developing inappropriate relationships online
• Is in a family circumstance presenting challenges for the child, such as drug and alcohol misuse, adult
mental health issues and domestic abuse
• Is misusing drugs or alcohol
• Is suffering from mental ill health
• Has returned home to their family from care
• Is at risk of so-called ‘honour’-based abuse such as female genital mutilation (FGM) or forced
marriage
• Is a privately fostered child
• Has a parent or carer in custody or is affected by parental offending
• Is missing education, or persistently absent from school, or not in receipt of full-time education
• Has experienced multiple suspensions and is at risk of, or has been permanently excluded
Staff, volunteers and Trustees must follow the procedures set out below in the event of a safeguarding issue.
If a child makes a disclosure to a member of staff or volunteer
All staff know that we place the voice of children at the centre of everything we do and endeavour to place
their best interests at heart. Staff are encouraged to be curious by speaking and listening to children whilst
respecting any protected characteristics. We hope our children have confidence and trust in our staff,
believing they will be taken seriously and be supported with their issues or concerns sensitively.
Staff also know that children may not always feel ready or know how to tell someone that they are being
abused, neglected or exploited and do not always recognise their experiences as harmful.
All staff are expected to following the following procedure if a child makes a disclosure:
• show patience regardless of a child’s age as we know they can find it hard to find the words to
express themselves
• encouraging children to tell their story in their own words
• avoiding the use of leading questions or suggesting what may have happened, instead we maintain
genuine curiosity, and only ask open-ended questions / prompts.
• make sure a child does not feel that they are in trouble, and they know that they have done the right
thing in speaking to staff
• let the child know it is not their fault as children are often made to feel blame by those harming
them
• never promise confidentiality and be transparent about our obligations to share information if we
are concerned that they are at risk of harm
• help the child to understand how we plan to support them and their family and let them know what action we will need to take next to support them.

Reporting concerns

Reporting concerns is a procedural requirement when safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
Our staff are clear that they must:
• record all conversations relating to any level of concerns; ensuring that the record is as detailed as
possible, is factual, does not contain assumptions or personal judgement and captures the child’s
account in their own words
• inform the DSL about their concern as soon as possible; where the concern involves a disclosure or
concern that the child is at risk of harm they must inform the DSL immediately.
The DSL or deputy will use the Right Help, Right Time guidance to initially assess the concerns raised and
consider the impact on the child’s welfare, at the same time their safety.
DSL or deputy will speak to the child to verify their wishes and feelings, contact the child’s parents or carers
to either inform them of the concerns and also to gauge their view (it will be at the discretion of the DSL
team to carefully consider if this action may place a child at further risk, e.g. if the child has disclosed abuse
and neglect caused in the family home).
If a child is suffering or likely to suffer harm, or in immediate danger
If it is immediately apparent that a child has suffered significant harm or is at risk of harm e.g. suffered abuse,
neglect and/or exploitation, the Project’s DSL will make a referral to Children’s Advice and Support Service
(CASS) 0121 303 1888 to request support at the earliest opportunity; consent will be gained where
appropriate. If there has been a crime committed within the circumstances of the abuse, they will also report
this to the Police.

Early help assessment
Refer to the ‘Right Help Right Time’ document to decide what level of need or if an early help assessment is
appropriate, the DSL will generally lead on liaising with other agencies and setting up an inter-agency
assessment as appropriate. Staff may be required to support other agencies and professionals in an early
help assessment, in some cases acting as the lead practitioner.
The project will discuss and agree, with statutory safeguarding partners, levels for the different types of
assessment, as part of local arrangements.
The DSL will keep the case under constant review and the setting will consider a referral to local authority
children’s social care if the situation does not seem to be improving. Timelines of interventions will be
monitored and reviewed.

Referrals

If it is appropriate to refer the case to the Children’s Advice and Support Service (CASS) or the police, the DSL
will make the referral or support a member of staff to do so.
If, in exceptional circumstances, the DSL is not available, this should not delay appropriate action being
taken. Staff members should speak to a member of the senior leadership team and/or seek advice from
CASS directly, if appropriate. This should be followed up in writing using the Request for Support form.
Further information and the Request for Support form is available online: Safeguarding Concerns –
Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership (lscpbirmingham.org.uk). The DSL must be informed as
soon as is practically possible.
The local authority will make a decision within 1 working day of a referral about what course of action to
take and will let the person who made the referral know the outcome. The DSL or person who made the
referral must follow up with the local authority if this information is not made available, and ensure
outcomes are properly recorded.
If the child’s situation does not seem to be improving after the referral, the DSL or person who made the
referral must follow local escalation procedures to ensure their concerns have been addressed and that the
child’s situation improves.

Partnership and Joint Working

Where children and young people are subject to Multi-agency plans, project staff will ensure good
communication and joint working with all partners. A named DSL will attend all multi-agency meetings for all children and young people.

Record Keeping

The Project will hold records in line with our records retention schedule.
All safeguarding concerns, discussions, decisions made and the rationale for those decisions, must be
recorded in writing. This should include instances where referrals were or were not made to another agency
such as local authority Birmingham Children Trust or the Prevent programme, etc. If in any doubt about
whether to record something, discuss it with the DSL.
Records will include:
• A clear and comprehensive summary of the concern
• Details of how the concern was followed up and resolved
• A note of any action taken, decisions reached and the outcome
• Concerns and referrals will be kept in a separate child protection file for each child.
Any non-confidential records will be readily accessible and available. Confidential information and records
will be held securely and only available to those who have a right or professional need to see them.
Managers are responsible for the secure storage of records within their area of work.

Safeguarding records are stored:

Children’s Centre	Within the RIO electronic storage system
Mini-Springers Nursery	In a locked filing cabinet in the Nursery Manager’s office
Park Road Nursery	In a locked filing cabinet in the Nursery Manager’s office
Seedlings	In a locked filing cabinet in the Mini-Springers Nursery Manager’s
Community Services	In electronic folder

In addition:
Our Safer Recruitment policy sets out our policy on record-keeping specifically with respect to recruitment
and pre-appointment checks
Managing Safeguarding Concerns or Allegations Made About Staff, Volunteers and Contractors
This section applies to all cases in which it is alleged that a current member of staff, including agency staff,
volunteers or contractors, 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 they 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
If in any doubt as to whether a concern meets the harm threshold, we will consult our local authority
designated officer (LADO).

The CEO will deal with any allegation of abuse quickly, in a fair and consistent way that provides effective
child protection while also supporting the individual who is the subject of the allegation.
A ‘case manager’ will lead any investigation. This will be the CEO or a senior member of staff that the CEO
has delegated responsibility to, or the Chair of Trustees where the CEO is the subject of the allegation. The
case manager will be identified at the earliest opportunity.
If the CEO receives an allegation of an incident happening while an individual or organisation was using the
Project’s premises to run activities for children, the CEO will follow our safeguarding policies and procedures
and inform the LADO.

Suspension of the accused until the case is resolved
Suspension of the accused will not be the default position and will only be considered in cases where there
is reason to suspect that a child or other children is/are at risk of harm, or the case is so serious that there
might be grounds for dismissal. In such cases, the project will only suspend an individual if we have
considered all other options available and there is no reasonable alternative.

Based on an assessment of risk, the project will consider alternatives such as:
• Redeployment within the Project so that the individual does not have direct contact with the child
or children concerned
• Providing a trusted designated person to be present when the individual has contact with children
• Redeploying the individual to alternative work in the Project so that they do not have unsupervised
access to children
• If in doubt, the case manager will seek views from HR and the designated officer at the local
authority, as well as the police and local authority children’s social care where they have been
involved.

Definitions for outcomes of allegation investigations
• Substantiated: there is sufficient evidence to prove the allegation
• Malicious: there is sufficient evidence to disprove the allegation and there has been a deliberate act
to deceive, or to cause harm to the subject of the allegation
• False: there is sufficient evidence to disprove the allegation
• Unsubstantiated: there is insufficient evidence to either prove or disprove the allegation (this does
not imply guilt or innocence)
• Unfounded: to reflect cases where there is no evidence or proper basis which supports the allegation
being made

Procedure for dealing with allegations

In the event of an allegation which is substantiated, the case manager will take the following steps:
• Conduct basic enquiries in line with local procedures to establish the facts to help determine
whether there is any foundation to the allegation before carrying on with the steps below
• Discuss the allegation with the designated officer at the local authority. This is to consider the nature,
content and context of the allegation and agree a course of action, including whether further
enquiries are necessary to enable a decision on how to proceed, and whether it is necessary to
involve the police and/or local authority children’s social care services. (The case manager may, on
occasion, consider it necessary to involve the police before consulting the designated officer – for
example, if the accused individual is deemed to be an immediate risk to children or there is evidence
of a possible criminal offence. In such cases, the case manager will notify the designated officer as
soon as practicably possible after contacting the police)
• Inform the accused individual of the concerns or allegations and likely course of action as soon as
possible after speaking to the designated officer (and the police or local authority children’s social
care services, where necessary). Where the police and/or local authority children’s social care
services are involved, the case manager will only share such information with the individual as has
been agreed with those agencies
• Where appropriate (in the circumstances described above), carefully consider whether suspension
of the individual from contact with children at the setting is justified or whether alternative
arrangements such as those outlined above can be put in place. Advice will be sought from the
designated officer, police and/or local authority children’s social care services, as appropriate
• Where the case manager is concerned about the welfare of other children in the community or the
individual’s family, they will discuss these concerns with the DSL and make a risk assessment of the
situation. If necessary, the DSL may make a referral to local authority children’s social care
• If immediate suspension is considered necessary, agree and record the rationale for this with the
designated officer. The record will include information about the alternatives to suspension that
have been considered, and why they were rejected. Written confirmation of the suspension will be
provided to the individual facing the allegation or concern within 1 working day, and the individual
will be given a named contact at the Project and their contact details
• If it is decided that no further action is to be taken in regard to the subject of the allegation or
concern, record this decision and the justification for it and agree with the designated officer what
information should be put in writing to the individual and by whom, as well as what action should
follow both in respect of the individual and those who made the initial allegation
• If it is decided that further action is needed, take steps as agreed with the designated officer to
initiate the appropriate action and/or liaise with the police and/or local authority children’s social
care services as appropriate
• Provide effective support for the individual facing the allegation or concern, including appointing a
named representative to keep them informed of the progress of the case and considering what other
support is appropriate.
• Inform the parents or carers of the child/children involved about the allegation as soon as possible
if they do not already know (following agreement with local authority children’s social care services
and/or the police, if applicable). The case manager will also inform the parents or carers of the
requirement to maintain confidentiality about any allegations made against teachers (where this
applies) while investigations are ongoing. Any parent or carer who wishes to have the confidentiality
restrictions removed in respect of a staff member will be advised to seek legal advice
• Keep the parents or carers of the child/children involved informed of the progress of the case
• (only in relation to their child – no information will be shared regarding the staff member)
• Make a referral to the DBS where it is thought that the individual facing the allegation or concern
has engaged in conduct that harmed or is likely to harm a child, or if the individual otherwise poses
a risk of harm to a child

The Projects Early Years settings will inform Ofsted of any allegations of serious harm or abuse by any person
living, working, or looking after children at the premises (whether the allegations relate to harm or abuse
committed on the premises or elsewhere), and any action taken in respect of the allegations. This
notification will be made as soon as reasonably possible and always within 14 days of the allegations being
made.

Where the police are involved, wherever possible the Project will ask the police at the start of the
investigation to obtain consent from the individuals involved to share their statements and evidence for use
in the Project’s disciplinary process, should this be required at a later point.
Additional considerations for contracted staff
If there are concerns or an allegation is made against someone not directly employed by the Project, such as a contracted staff member provided by an agency, the Project will take the actions below in addition to our standard procedures:

• The Project will not decide to stop using an individual due to safeguarding concerns without finding
out the facts and liaising with LADO to determine a suitable outcome
• The CEO will discuss with their agency whether it is appropriate to suspend the individual.
• The Project will involve their agency fully, but the Project will take the lead in collecting the necessary
information and providing it to the LADO as required
• The Project will address issues such as information sharing, to ensure any previous concerns or
allegations known to the agency are taken into account. We will do this, for example, by holding an
allegations management meeting or by liaising directly with the agency where necessary
When using an agency, we will inform them of our process for managing allegations, and keep them
updated about our policies as necessary, and will invite the agency’s HR manager or equivalent to meetings
as appropriate.

Specific Actions:

• Action following a criminal investigation or prosecution –
The case manager will discuss with the local authority’s designated officer whether any further
action, including disciplinary action, is appropriate and, if so, how to proceed, taking into account
information provided by the police and/or local authority children’s social care services.
• Conclusion of a case where the allegation is substantiated –
If the allegation is substantiated and the individual is dismissed or the Project ceases to use their
services, or the individual resigns or otherwise ceases to provide their services, the Project will make
a referral to the DBS for consideration of whether inclusion on the barred lists is required.
• Individuals returning to work after suspension –
If it is decided on the conclusion of a case that an individual who has been suspended can return to
work, the case manager will consider how best to facilitate this.
The case manager will also consider how best to manage the individual’s contact with the child or
children who made the allegation, if they are still attending the setting.
Unsubstantiated, unfounded, false or malicious reports

If a report is:

• Determined to be unsubstantiated, unfounded, false or malicious, the CEO/Lead DSL will consider
the appropriate next steps. If they consider that the child and/or person who made the allegation is
in need of help, or the allegation may have been a cry for help, a referral to local authority children’s
social care may be appropriate
• Shown to be deliberately invented, or malicious, the Project will consider whether any disciplinary
action is appropriate against the individual(s) who made it
Unsubstantiated, unfounded, false or malicious allegations

If an allegation is:
• Determined to be unsubstantiated, unfounded, false or malicious, the LADO and case manager will
consider the appropriate next steps. If they consider that the child and/or person who made the
allegation is in need of help, or the allegation may have been a cry for help, a referral to local authority
children’s social care may be appropriate
• Shown to be deliberately invented, or malicious, the Project will consider whether any disciplinary
action is appropriate against the individual(s) who made it
Confidentiality and information sharing
The Project will make every effort to maintain confidentiality and guard against unwanted publicity while
an allegation is being investigated or considered.

The case manager will take advice from the LADO, police and local authority children’s social care services,
as appropriate, to agree:
• Who needs to know about the allegation and what information can be shared
• How to manage speculation, leaks and gossip, including how to make parents or carers of a
child/children involved aware of their obligations with respect to confidentiality
• What, if any, information can be reasonably given to the wider community to reduce speculation
• How to manage press interest if, or when, it arises

Record-keeping

The case manager will maintain clear records about any case where the allegation or concern meets the
criteria above and store them on the individual’s confidential personnel file for the duration of the case.
The records of any allegation that, following an investigation, is found to be malicious or false will be deleted
from the individual’s personnel file (unless the individual consents for the records to be retained on the
file).
For all other allegations (which are not found to be malicious or false), the following information will be
kept on the file of the individual concerned:
• A clear and comprehensive summary of the allegation
• Details of how the allegation was followed up and resolved
• Notes of any action taken, decisions reached and the outcome
• A declaration on whether the information will be referred to in any future reference
In these cases, the Project will provide a copy to the individual, in agreement with local authority children’s
social care or the police as appropriate.

We will retain all records at least until the accused individual has reached normal pension age, or for 10
years from the date of the allegation if that is longer.

References

When providing employer references, we will:
• Not refer to any allegation that has been found to be false, unfounded, unsubstantiated or malicious,
or any repeated allegations which have all been found to be false, unfounded, unsubstantiated or
malicious
• Include substantiated allegations, provided that the information is factual and does not include
opinions
Learning lessons
After any cases where the allegations are substantiated, the case manager will review the circumstances of
the case with the local authority’s designated officer to determine whether there are any improvements that
we can make to the Project’s procedures or practice to help prevent similar events in the future.
This will include consideration of (as applicable):
• Issues arising from the decision to suspend the member of staff
• The duration of the suspension
• Whether or not the suspension was justified
• The use of suspension when the individual is subsequently reinstated. We will consider how future
investigations of a similar nature could be carried out without suspending the individual
For all other cases, the case manager will consider the facts and determine whether any improvements can
be made.

Non-recent allegations

Abuse can be reported, no matter how long ago it happened.
We will report any non-recent allegations made by a child to the LADO in line with our local authority’s
procedures for dealing with non-recent allegations.
Where an adult makes an allegation to the Project that they were abused as a child, we will advise the
individual to report the allegation to the police.

Concerns that do not meet the harm threshold

This is based on ‘Section 2: Concerns that do not meet the harm threshold’ in part 4 of Keeping Children
Safe in Education.
This section applies to all concerns (including allegations) about members of staff, including supply staff,
Trustees, volunteers and contractors, which do not meet the harm threshold.

Concerns may arise through, for example:

• Suspicion
• Complaint
• Safeguarding concern or allegation from another member of staff • Disclosure made by a child, parent or other adult within or outside the setting Pre-employment

vetting checks

We recognise the importance of responding to and dealing with any concerns in a timely manner to
safeguard the welfare of children.
Definition of Low-Level Concerns
The term ‘low-level’ concern is any concern – no matter how small – that an adult working in or on behalf
of the setting may have acted in a way that:
• Is inconsistent with the staff code of conduct, including inappropriate conduct outside of work, and
• Does not meet the allegations threshold or is otherwise not considered serious enough to consider
a referral to the designated officer at the local authority Examples of such behaviour could include,

but are not limited to:

• Being overly friendly with children
• Having favourites
• Taking photographs of children on their mobile phone
• Engaging with a child on a one-to-one basis in a secluded area or behind a closed door
• Humiliating children
Sharing low-level concerns

The Project recognise the importance of creating a culture of openness, Project and transparency to
encourage all staff to confidentially share low-level concerns so that they can be addressed appropriately.
The Project will create this culture by:
• Ensuring staff are clear about what appropriate behaviour is, and are confident in distinguishing
expected and appropriate behaviour from concerning, problematic or inappropriate behaviour, in
themselves and others
• Empowering staff to share any low-level concerns
• Empowering staff to self-refer
• Addressing unprofessional behaviour and supporting the individual to correct it at an early stage
• Providing a responsive, sensitive and proportionate handling of such concerns when they are raised
• Helping to identify any weakness in the Project’s safeguarding system
Responding to low-level concerns
If the concern is raised via a third party, the Designated Safeguarding Lead will collect evidence where
necessary by speaking:
• Directly to the person who raised the concern, unless it has been raised anonymously
• To the individual involved and any witnesses

The Designated Safeguarding Lead/CEO will use the information collected to categorise the type of
behaviour and determine any further action, in line with the Project’s staff code of conduct. The Designated
Safeguarding Lead/CEO will be the ultimate decision-maker in respect of all low-level concerns, though
they may wish to collaborate with the DSL.

Record keeping

All low-level concerns will be recorded in writing. In addition to details of the concern raised, records will
include the context in which the concern arose, any action taken and the rationale for decisions and action
taken.

Records will be:

• Kept confidential, held securely and comply with the DPA 2018 and UK GDPR
• Reviewed so that potential patterns of concerning, problematic or inappropriate behaviour can be
identified.
• Where a pattern of such behaviour is identified, the Project will decide on a course of action, either
through our disciplinary procedures or, where a pattern of behaviour moves from a concern to
meeting the harm threshold we will refer it to the designated officer at the local authority
• Retained at least until the individual leaves employment at the Project
Where a low-level concern relates to an agency staff or contractor, we will notify the individual’s employer,
so any potential patterns of inappropriate behaviour can be identified.

References

We will not include low-level concerns in references unless:
• The concern (or group of concerns) has met the threshold for referral to the designated officer at
the local authority and is found to be substantiated; and/or
• The concern (or group of concerns) relates to issues which would ordinarily be included in a
reference, such as misconduct or poor performance
Other complaints
Parents & service users who want to make a complaint are expected to follow our complaints policy.
Any issues that relate to our safeguarding practice will be recorded as such and dealt with accordingly

Whistle Blowing

The Project has a separate whistle blowing policy that staff can use should they have any concerns relating
to safeguarding practice and concerns about staff conduct.

17. Training

All staff

All staff members will undertake safeguarding and child protection training at induction, including on
whistle-blowing procedures and online safety, to ensure they understand the Project’s safeguarding
systems and their responsibilities, and can identify signs of possible abuse, exploitation or neglect.
This training will be regularly updated and will:
• Be integrated, aligned and considered as part of the whole-project safeguarding approach and wider
staff training.
• Be in line with updated statutory guidance
• Include online safety, including an understanding of the expectations, roles and responsibilities for
staff around filtering and monitoring
• All relevant Staff to receive Graded Care Profile 2 training to help identify Neglect
• All staff will have training on the government’s anti-radicalisation strategy, Prevent, to enable them
to identify children at risk of becoming involved with or supporting terrorism, and to challenge extremist ideas.

The DSLs and Deputy DSLs

All DSLs will undertake child protection and safeguarding training at least every 2 years.
In addition, they will update their knowledge and skills at regular intervals and at least annually (for
example, through e-bulletins, meeting other DSLs, or taking time to read and digest safeguarding
developments).

Trustees

All Trustees receive training about safeguarding and child protection (including online safety), which is
regularly updated.
This is to make sure that they:
• Have the knowledge and information needed to perform their functions and understand their
responsibilities, such as providing strategic challenge
• Can be assured that safeguarding policies and procedures are effective and support the Project to
deliver a robust whole-project approach to safeguarding
Recruitment – Interview Panels
At least 1 person conducting any interview for any post at the Project will have undertaken safer recruitment
training. This will cover, as a minimum, the contents of Keeping Children Safe in Education, and will be in
line with local safeguarding procedures.
See the Staff Recruitment Policy for more information about our recruitment procedures and our Volunteer
Policy for information about the recruitment of volunteers.
Staff who have contact with children, young people and families
All staff who have contact with children and families will have supervisions which will provide them with
support, coaching and training, promote the interests of children and allow for confidential discussions of
sensitive issues.

18. Monitoring Arrangements

This policy will be reviewed annually by the Designated Safeguarding Leads. At every review, it will be
approved by the Board of Trustees. The DSLs meet termly for review, reflection and quality monitoring of
safeguarding practices and procedure. Trustees receive quarterly safeguarding reports for compliance and
monitoring.
This policy links to the following Project policies and procedures:
• Positive Behaviour Management
• Over 5s Behaviour
• Missing Child Policy
• Lost Child Policy
• Anti-bullying
• Whistleblowing
• Staff Code of Conduct
• Induction
• Complaints
• Health and safety
• Online safety
• Mobile phone use
• Equality & Diversity
• Volunteers
• Safer Recruitment
• Disciplinary

19. Appendix: Links to Useful Information

Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership
Birmingham Children’s Trust
Birmingham City Council – Children, Young People & Families
BCC Corporate Safeguarding Policy

BCC No Platform Policy | Birmingham City Council

Use of Artificial Intelligence in education:

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) in education (DfE)
Using AI in education: support for school and college leaders (DfE)

Online safety:
NSPCC online-safety-for-schools
National Child Exploitation & Online Safety Centre
Bristol online-safety-and-cyber-crime resources
Online safety resources | Children and Families | Hampshire County Council

Safer Recruitment:
Staffing and employment: advice for schools (DfE)
Safer Recruitment Consortium guidance

	Child Protection & Safeguarding Policy
Date: September 2025	Owner: Sarah Mullis,Sonya Herring and Sayma Bibi
Date Approved:	24th September 2025
Review date: September 2026	Version: 1

1. Springfield Project Safeguarding Policy Statement

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1. Springfield Project Safeguarding Policy Statement

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the_springfield_project

About Us

Pregnancy & Under 5s

Children Over 5

Adult Activities

Support Us