Report child abuse in education

NSPCC (for children, young people and adults) Telephone: 0800 136 663 (free)

 

Child Protection

The Child Protection Policy applies to all workers employed, contracted, or volunteering with Creative Chords School of Music.

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Purpose

Detail the policy, responsibilities and procedures for ensuring the safety and well-being of children and young people, as well as our workers.

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Scope

A large part of our work involves interaction with minors. All staff have a full and committed part to play in protecting children and young people from harm.

Staff who may have contact with children as part of their job must understand how to identify and report child abuse and neglect. Employees should immediately report any knowledge or suspicion of abuse and neglect to the Director.

The employer is responsible for contacting reporting authorities. Failure on the part of an employee to report suspected abuse and neglect of minors, may constitute

misconduct. If an employee has any questions regarding reporting obligations, they should ask the employer.

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Training & Conduct

Creative Chords School is accountable for providing child protection training to all staff based on their roles. Creative Chords will designate a specific individual for Child Protection, who staff can report concerns directly to.

Employees who interact with children as part of their duties must be able to recognize and report child abuse and neglect. They will receive training upon starting their role and will be able to refer back to the training at any time.

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Allegations about Staff

Creative Chords is committed to responding to any allegations of child abuse by an employee in a manner that prioritizes the safety of children and young individuals. Any suspicions or accusations against an employee will be handled with the same level of seriousness as those involving any other individual.

Creative Chords will not handle such cases independently and will promptly refer any suspected instances of child abuse to the police. Child safety will be the top priority, ensuring that no one within the organization prioritizes the interests of an adult or the organization over the child's well-being.

Allegations will be approached with respect for the rights of the adult involved, taking into account the staff's well-being during the process.

Throughout any active investigation, the employee in question will not have unsupervised contact with children and will be made fully aware of their rights. In the event of a criminal investigation by the police, the employee may be temporarily suspended, without bias, as a precautionary step. It is crucial to avoid conducting any internal investigation that could compromise the criminal inquiry.

If there is insufficient evidence to pursue a criminal prosecution, then a disciplinary investigation may still be undertaken if there is “reasonable cause to suspect” that abuse may have occurred. The allegation may represent inappropriate behavior by an employee which needs to be considered under internal disciplinary procedures.