CTC Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy

Purpose & Scope 

  • to protect children and young people who attend CTC from harm. This includes the children of adults who use our services
  • to provide staff and volunteers, as well as children and young people and their families, with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection. 

This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of CTC, including senior managers paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, agency staff and students. 

Further specific guidance ‘Safeguarding for All Staff’ can be found online of the statuary ‘Keeping children safe in education’ document.

Legal framework 

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England.

We believe that: 

  • children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind
    • we have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them. 

We recognise that: 

  • the welfare of children and young people is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take 
  • working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare 
  • all children/young people, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse 
  • some children/young people are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues 
  • extra safeguards may be needed to keep children/young people who are additionally vulnerable safe from abuse. 

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by: 

  • valuing, listening to and respecting them 
    • appointing a nominated child protection lead / DSL and deputy for the safeguarding of children and young people
    • adopting child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers 
    • developing and implementing an effective online safety policy and related procedures 
    • providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures so that all staff and volunteers know about and follow our policies, procedures and behaviour codes confidently and competently
    • recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made 
    • recording and storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance [more information about this is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk/for- organisations] 
    • sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children and their families via leaflets, posters, group work and one-to-one discussions 
    • making sure that children, young people and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern 
    • using our safeguarding and child protection procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately 
    • using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately 
    • creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we have a policy and procedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying that does arise 
    • ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place 
    • ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance 
    • building a safeguarding culture where staff and volunteers, children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns. 

Social Media policy

CTC staff must not communicate with students on social network sites other than those governed by the college. No ‘friending’, ‘linking’, ‘liking’, ‘joining’, or ‘following’ must take place.

Staff must adhere to CTC’s social media policy and take note of the online guidance given by the Safer Recruitment consortium in the “Guidance for safer working practice for those working with children and young people in education settings”

Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect 

A child is abused or neglected when somebody inflicts harm or fails to act to prevent harm. A child or young person up to the age of 18 years can suffer abuse or neglect and require protection. 

Physical Abuse – May involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning or suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. 
Physical harm may also be caused when a parent/carer fabricates or induces illness in a child whom they are looking after. 


Sexual Abuse – Forcing or enticing a child/young person to take part in sexual activities, whether or not they are aware of what is happening, may involve: physical contact, including penetrative or non-penetrative acts; non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of pornographic material or watching sexual activities; or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways. 


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. It may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, failing to protect a child from physical harm or danger, or the failure to ensure access to appropriate care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs. 


Emotional Abuse – The persistent emotional ill-treatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional and behavioural development. It may involve conveying to the child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only in so far as they meet the needs of another person. It may feature age and developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. It may involve causing children to feel frightened or in danger, for example witnessing domestic abuse within the home or being bullied, or the exploitation or corruption of children. 


Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill treatment of a child, though it may occur alone 

Procedures 

CTC will follow the Child Protection Procedures that have been endorsed by the Local Safeguarding Children Authority (Suffolk County Council).

Suspicion of Abuse 

If CTC personnel, or persons contracted by the CTC, should see or suspect abuse of a child, they will immediately make this known to the Child Protection Lead / DSL. 

Disclosure of Abuse 

If a child/young person informs CTC personnel, or persons contracted by CTC, that they or another child or young person is being abused, they will:- 

  • Always stop and listen, showing that they take their allegations seriously. 
  • Encourage the child/young person to talk, but not ask leading questions, interrupt or ask the child/young person to repeat itself. 

  • Never promise that they will keep what is said confidential – explain that if they are told something very serious they will need to pass this onto the Child Protection Lead / DSL.
  • Record what they have been told accurately and as soon as possible using the child‘s / young person’s own words where possible. Make a note of the time, location and whether anyone else present.

  • Not confront the alleged abuser. 

Handling Allegations 


  • If a child/young person makes an allegation against a member of staff it must be reported as a matter of urgency
  • If the allegation is against the Child Protection Lead / DSL then the information should be reported to another member of CTC senior management or directly to Children’s Services. (This would generally be referred to the authority in which the alleged incident took place normally Suffolk County Council). 

  • The alleged perpetrator should not be made aware of the allegation at this point. 

Recording 

In all situations the details of allegation or reported incident must be recorded making accurate notes of time, dates, incident or disclosure, people involved, what was said and done and by whom, action taken to investigate, further action taken e.g. suspension of individual and if relevant: reasons why the matter was not referred directly to a statutory Agency, name of person reporting and to whom it was reported.

The record must be stored securely and shared only with 

CTC personnel, or persons contracted by the CTC, should not worry that they might be mistaken; they have a responsibility to pass on their concerns following a disclosure. They should never think abuse is impossible, or that an accusation about a person they know well and trust is bound to be wrong. 

It is if the duty of CTC personnel, or persons contracted by CTC, to record and report not to investigate.

Contact details 

Child Protection Lead / DSL:

Susan Rowe [email protected]

Deputy Child Protection Lead / Deputy DSL:

Bridie Rowe [email protected]

Emily Scott [email protected]