INITIAL CONSIDERATIONS
If it is considered that a child or learner is subject to life threatening concerns or risk of immediate harm, or needs emergency medical attention, then the emergency services must be contacted straightaway and the parents/carers of the child or learner told that immediate steps are being taken to get help. Beyond an immediate emergency, there may be up to four strands that the SDSL needs to consider: Strand 1 Enquiries and assessment by social care about whether a child or learner needs protection and or services. Strand 2 A police investigation if a criminal offence may have been committed. Strand 3 Consideration by an employer of disciplinary action in respect of the individual. Strand 4 Referral for ‘consideration to bar’ a person from working with children (i.e. referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service) and/or referral to a professional registration body for professional misconduct. The SDSL will oversee the management of all allegations and hold accountability for them together with the People Director.
SAFEGUARDING ALLEGATION OR BEHAVIOUR RELATED POOR PRACTICE
The SDSL is responsible for agreeing an initial plan of how to proceed with managing the allegation together with the People Director (PD) and CEdO if appropriate and will need to agree if the information before them is a safeguarding allegation. The safeguarding allegation may be in respect of the person’s employment or behaviour towards any children or learners including their own children or family member. If, after the initial consideration, they do not consider the matter constitutes a safeguarding allegation, then they must decide if an internal investigation is required to determine if the behaviour/incident is related to poor practice or misconduct. The disciplinary process must then be followed if deemed appropriate. All decisions and the reasons for them, including there being no need to take safeguarding action, must be recorded and kept on the individual colleague’s member’s file.
LOWER-LEVEL CONCERNS
As part of SCL’s approach to safeguarding, we promote an open and transparent culture in which all concerns are dealt with promptly and we identify inappropriate problematic
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