Protecting Children

A Handbook for Teachers and School Managers

Ben Whitney

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2004
• eBook ISBN:
  9781134286126
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Protecting children from abuse has never been more central to our welfare system than it is now. Schools, and the people who work there, are vital to the government's vision for child protection. New laws, guidance and standards all set out what educational establishments must provide in order to meet their legal obligations.

This book brings all these sources together to provide detailed and practical advice to help the busy teacher or school manager. Based on years of direct experience in advising schools, the author offers a realistic and informed account of the inter-agency system and of the particular contribution of schools within it, including:

• information on the legal and procedural frameworks
• responding to concerns about children's welfare
• meeting inspection standards for effective governance
• promoting inter-agency communication
• managing allegations against education staff
• wider issues of child safety, including bullying and child employment.

Protecting Children provides a guide through the minefield, balancing the needs of parents, professionals and pupils. It will be essential reading for all designated and newly-qualified teachers, school managers, governors and LEA officers.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Protecting Children
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface and guide to contents
• List of abbreviations
• Introduction: starting from here
• 1 From Poor Law to protection? An historical perspective on children and their needs
• 2 Learning from our mistakes: why things sometimes go wrong
• 3 Understanding and defining abuse: the four categories and their implications
• 4 The Children Act 1989: a guide to key elements of the law
• 5 The inter-agency child protection process: what social workers and others do to safeguard children
• 6 The child-protecting school: a summary of policy issues, inspection standards and the role of the designated teacher
• 7 From theory to practice: referring concerns and making the system work for our pupils
• 8 Bullying and other child safety issues: keeping children safe at school
• 9 Children in part-time work: a case for child protection and why their teachers need to know
• 10 The law on child employment: what children of school age can and cannot do
• 11 Safe at work: a proposed new code of practice for children and their employers
• 12 Allegations against teachers and other staff: case studies and how they were dealt with
• 13 Recognising the risk of professional abuse: managing children and reducing the possibility of false allegations
• 14 When investigation has to happen: guidance on the inter-agency process when a teacher is accused
• Conclusion: a glimpse of the future
• Appendix 1: A policy for child protection
• Appendix 2: The Children Act 1989 and parental responsibility
• Glossary
• For further reference
• Index