The Child protection Policy - 6

Onward

8. If the Designated Teacher is unavailable or is him / herself the subject of a complaint, his / her duties will be carried out by the Headmaster or other Deputy, who has received appropriate training.

So, the Headmaster (and any unnamed deputy) is also an ex officio Deputy Designated Teacher. They have received "appropriate" (there's that word again!) training, whatever might be considered to be appropriate. And he presumably has to inform himself of any actions he takes, as required by paragraph 7.

9. The Designated Teacher has undertaken basic child protection training and training in inter-agency working and will attend refresher training at two yearly intervals. The Deputy Designated Teacher will also undertake this same training.

Ealing Safeguarding Children Board runs a set of training courses in safeguarding practice. Their description indicates what kinds of courses are intended for what kinds of professionals. Group A (the basic course) is intended for "workers [who] have contact/work with children and young people and with their parents/carers, they have a responsibility to contribute to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in the community but do not necessarily have specific organisational responsibility to intervene in the lives of children and families".

In other words, Group A training is unsuitable even for all but the most junior teachers at the school who don't have specific safeguarding responsibilities. It is utterly inadequate for those with such specific responsibilities. But this basic level of training is all that is required of the Designated Teacher, who is in charge of the operation of the school's whole child protection policy. This is nuts.

More senior teachers, but not the Designated Teachers, should clearly be undergoing Group B training.

Group B training is for people who work regularly with children and young people and adults who are parents/carers. They:

• have considerable professional and organisational responsibility for safeguarding and promoting children’s well-being
• have to be able to act on child welfare concerns and to contribute appropriately to the safeguarding processes
• require the skills and knowledge to manage effectively the interface between themselves and those from group A, who may approach them with concerns about a child’s welfare, and Group C to whom referrals will be addressed

It is perfectly clear from the Ealing SCB descriptions, that the Designated Teachers have responsibilities that make the Group C training appropriate. Group C is as follows.

This group of people hold particular responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. They:

• hold particular professional or organisational authority and a substantial degree of personal responsibility and autonomy to act on child welfare concerns
• work extensively within a multi-agency context
• often have responsibility for the work of others

Quite clearly, the headmasters and deputy heads also fall into a category that requires Group C training. And yet, only "basic" training has been given to the Designated Teachers, and merely "appropriate" training to the heads and deputy heads.

It is any wonder that the child protection policy is such a shambles? If the people responsible are as poorly trained as the document permits, it can hardly be otherwise.