Any establishment that involves spending a lot of time with children and young adults requires a detailed set of guidelines and measures for ensuring safety and security. The vulnerabilities that children are open to in the 21st century require detailed and established procedures in place to ensure the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of the children in our care.
With that in mind, Brainworks-Total group of schools follows a Safeguarding Policy which outlines the various procedures that help prioritize the security of our students. The policy also complements and supports a range of other policies of the school (Anti-Bullying, Recruitment, Behaviour, Health and Safety etc.)
Aims
* To develop a structured procedure within the school which will be followed by all members of the school community in cases of suspected harm or risk to the child.
* To ensure that the entire school staff is informed and aware at all times to meet their child protection responsibilities and to promote safe practices while challenging poor and unsafe practices.
* To create an open culture where staff and students feel confident to voice concerns about their safety as well as for the safety of those around them.
* To demonstrate the School’s commitment with regard to child protection to students, parents and other partners.
Procedures/Measures
* All staff have a responsibility for the implementation of this policy.
* Ensure that staff both old and new is updated at regular intervals on the practices and procedures to be followed and of other policies that complement or work in conjunction with Safeguarding such as the Child Protection Policy, Anti-Bullying Policy etc.
* Any concerns where a child is at an immediate risk of harm or has disclosed inflicted harm should be reported immediately to Head of Department and Counselor level officers.
* All safeguarding and child protection concerns must be treated with utmost confidentiality . Confidentiality ensures the safety of the child in concern and others associated with the immediate issue.
* All records of Safeguarding and Child Protection will be filed separately from any regular file of the concerned child and will be covered under Data Protection policy of the school. Any requests to access such records will be directed to the Head of School.
* Ensure that students are informed and educated about various types and forms of abuse and safeguarding through presentations or seminars early in the academic year. This includes safety and digital etiquette or appropriation in the virtual world and platforms ranging from cyber bullying to the use of phone or devices within the school campus.
* Ensure that background check for recruited staff both local and foreign is stringently enforced. All employees to undergo the school orientation program to acquaint themselves with all school norms and practices. Employees to sign the Code of Conduct Policy before they begin their tenure with the school.
* All visitors to the school will be required to log an entry at the gate and state their nature/purpose of visit (unless otherwise under appointment). Subject to their position and purpose, visitors will be escorted.
* Ensure that prior to all school trips/excursions or any activities outside the school campus, accompanying staff and students are briefed about basic safeguarding and that all Child Protection arrangements are in place.
* The school has restricted photography/videography areas for visitors and others who do not have explicit permission to cover any event or a general school day. The Terms & Conditions Policy outlines student privacy and use of digital content to complement this measure.
* School will strictly enforce its Behaviour Policy which covers substance abuse and other deviances which present an imminent threat and danger to the safety and wellbeing of a student. The school regularly updates its ‘contraband items’ list to ensure that ‘trends’ and ‘challenges’ are not in contradiction to the norms of safety and security as laid out by the school.
