BARRIERS TO REPORTING
Many children and learners are reluctant to seek help because they feel that they do not have anyone that they can turn to for support. They may have sought help in the past and had a negative experience, which makes them unlikely to do so again. In an NSPCC study of child maltreatment (2000), only a quarter of the people that had experienced sexual abuse as a child had told anyone at the time. Being unable to tell someone that you are being abused can be very stressful and may leave a child or learner at risk of continuing or further abuse. LGBT children and learners may face additional barriers because they fear ‘outing’ themselves; have experienced discrimination or bullying because of their sexual identity and do not trust others to be supportive. Children and learners (including vulnerable adults) may not seek help because: Fear not being believed. Feel too embarrassed to talk about a private or personal problem. Worry that their concern will not be taken seriously. Worry about confidentiality and lack trust in both the people around them (including parents/carers) and in the services provided to help them. Fear the consequences of asking for help. Fear the situation could become worse. How SCL encourages children and learners to seek support: There are signposts on walls and children and learners are told about who and how to report concerns about themselves or others. Every child and learner are informed as part of their induction to SCL, with contact emails and numbers, internal and external. Our full safeguarding policy is available on our website. Our ethos is to treat all children and learners with respect, compassion, and dignity, and in doing so we always strive to validate their emotions and views. We actively encourage the sharing of experiences of safety and risk.
RESPONDING & REPORTING CCONCERNS 5 R’s
The following 5 R’s set out the principles which colleagues at SCL are expected to follow in relation to reporting safeguarding concerns about children and learner (including vulnerable adults).
REPORT
RECOGNISE
RESPOND
RECORD
REVIEW
Report the concern to a DDSL/DSL if serious, require advice or immediate attention.
Respond appropriately to what the child or learner is telling you.
The signs and indicators that something might wrong, or there has been abuse and harm.
22 Record the concern on MyConcern without delay.
Monitor cases, close, and consider lessons learned for continuous improvement.
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