Child Protection Committee

PURPOSE

Having responsibility for children during a large part of every day, it is our primary responsibility is to safeguard individual children and address concerns regarding their emotional or physical well-being.

The policies of the Child Protection Committee apply to all staff, and volunteers working in the School.

The guidelines set out in this policy is to safeguard and protect our students by ensuring that every adult who works in our school – teachers, non-teaching staff and volunteers – has clear guidance on the action which is required where abuse of a child is suspected.

DECLARATION BY THE SCHOOL

The issue of child abuse will not be ignored by anyone who works in our school, and we know that some forms of child abuse are also a criminal offence.

We ensure that the recommended child protection procedures are followed with empathy and professionalism.

OPERATING PROCEDURES

The Child Protection Policy will remain available to all parents on request.
Parents will be asked to supply the School with the names of all persons who have permission to collect their child from School (or to confirm that their child may leave the grounds unaccompanied). They will also be asked to inform the School of any change in this routine.
Parents are asked to brief School about arrangements following any separation or divorce.
Parents will be made aware that members of staff are advised not to make unnecessary physical contact with students.
Parents will be made aware that staff may on occasions have to help change student’s clothes when administering first aid, after toilet accidents, for PE and on other such occasions.
In the event of a parent making a complaint about a member of staff, volunteer or student, the school’s complaints procedure should be followed and the complaint addressed directly to the Principal. If the complaint is against the Principal it should be addressed to the Manager and Correspondent of the School.
The complaint should be documented by the parent complaining.
If a complaint should include an accusation against another child, the accused child’s parents will be informed. Discipline must remain solely in the hands of the members of CPC.
Emphasis will be placed on both early detection and swift intervention, but no member of the school’s staff will investigate directly and signs of possible abuse will not be considered by the School as proof.
Staff will act promptly in referring the concern to the designated CPC member. Together they will discuss the concern and complete the incident report.
The Designated Teacher meets with the Principal (or Chairperson of the Board of Governors in the absence of the Principal) and an appropriate course of action is planned. A written record of decisions should be made
The teacher and/or CPC member will talk further with the child in an attempt to reassure him/her and to clarify and record what has happened.
The CPC member, in consultation with the Principal, will decide whether, in the best interests of the child, the matter needs to be referred to a counsellor.
Where there are concerns about possible abuse, the CPC member and Principal will inform the POSCO wing of the Police department.
If a complaint about possible child abuse is made against a member of staff, services the member of staff may be removed from duties involving direct contact with pupils, and may be suspended from duty as a precautionary measure pending investigations.
In all cases, it will be explained to the child, about whom there is concern, that it may be necessary to pass information on to the CPC and perhaps other agencies. No promise of confidentiality can be given. Detailed records will be kept of all concerns and actions relating to suspicions of abuse. All notes will be written objectively, without speculation and immediately following any incident that they record.

HOW A PARENT CAN RAISE A CHILD PROTECTION CONCERN

If a parent has a child protection concern they can follow the steps below:

Talk to the class teacher.
If parent is still concerned, they can talk to the Principal or can talk to the designated member of CPC.
En-capsule the complaint and discussion with CPC member/ principal in a mail.

THE CHILD PROTECTION COMMITTEE

A child may suffer or be at risk of suffering from one or more types of abuse and abuse may take place on a single occasion or may occur repeatedly over time. They may give rise to concern but are not in themselves proof that abuse has occurred.

CHILD PROTECTION COMMITTEE

Chairperson	Ms Sajana Priya (Principal)
Child Protection Officer (CPO)	Ms Nethravati
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)	Ms Jancy Babu
Student Counselor	Ms Pramila Pauline
Teacher	Ms Lopamudra Batabyal
Teacher	Ms Sheeba David
Teacher	Mr Vinayak Hegde
Parent	Dr. Nasira Fareed
Support Staff	Ms Joyce Badrinath

ROLE OF THE DESIGNATED CPC MEMBER

The designated CPC member will:

Promote a child protection ethos in the school
Provide training to all school staff including support staff regarding child protection- An awareness of “stranger danger”; an understanding of how to respond to perceived threats; care in regard to e-safety; and the development of standards of behaviour that are appropriate.
Be available to discuss the child protection concerns of any member of staff
Be responsible for record keeping of all child protection concerns & maintain all records in a secure location
Make referrals to the School’s designated counsellor
Research information regarding current policies regarding child protection

Sexual Harassment Redressal Committee

We undertake topics like sexual harassment very seriously. It is also discussed in detail with all children across the school to ensure all problems are addressed and reported. A safety box to address any complaint for harassment or complaints of any kind is placed in the corridors of all building so that children can express their grievances fearlessly.

The committee members who oversee any issue that is brought up are as follows:-

• Ms Sajana Priya
• Ms Sheeba David
• Ms Noor Shifa Sultana
• Ms Lavanya