Safeguarding is our main priority

 The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve  conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only  insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what  they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate  expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability as well as overprotection and limitation of  exploration and learning or preventing the child from participating in normal social  interaction 

Look out for either introverted or VERY confident behaviour when around adults. Also clinginess and anxiety. 

It could happen here. 

  A form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing,  poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical  harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates  the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child. 

Look out for unusual bruises in odd locations or demarking fingertips, burns and changes in behaviour and anxiety. 

It could happen here. 

  Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in  sexual activities, not necessarily involving violence, whether or not the child is aware of  what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by  penetration (for example rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation,  kissing, rubbing, and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact  activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images,  watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate  ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse. 

Look out for changes in behaviour, difficulty sitting, difficulty going to the loo. Inappropriate sexualised knowledge. Acting out. 

It could happen here. 

  The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or  psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or  development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy, for example, as a result of maternal  substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to:  provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or  abandonment); protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger; ensure  adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or ensure access to  appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or  unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs. 

Look out for 'old dirt', changes in behaviour, eating hungrily, stealing, clinginess, anxiety. 

It could happen here. 

 CSE is a form of child sexual abuse. Sexual abuse may involve physical contact,  including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral sex) or nonpenetrative acts  such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing, and touching outside clothing. It may include  non-contact activities, such as involving children in the production of sexual images,  forcing children to look at sexual images or watch sexual activities, encouraging children  to behave in sexually inappropriate ways or grooming a child in preparation for abuse  including via the internet. 

 Look out for changes in behaviour, difficulty sitting, difficulty going to the loo. Inappropriate sexualised knowledge. Acting out.  

It could happen here. 

 Some specific forms of CCE can include children being forced or manipulated  into transporting drugs or money through county lines, working in cannabis factories,  shoplifting or pickpocketing. They can also be forced or manipulated into committing vehicle crime or threatening/committing serious violence to others. 

Look out for changes in behaviour, new clothes, gifts, talk of new friends, staying out late, tiredness, anxiety. 

It could happen here. 

Towcester and Silverstone have known County Line gangs operating. See the guide below. 

 All should be aware that mental health problems can, in some cases, be an  indicator that a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering abuse, neglect or exploitation.  Only appropriately trained professionals should attempt to make a diagnosis of a  mental health problem. Education staff, however, are well placed to observe children  day-to-day and identify those whose behaviour suggests that they may be experiencing  a mental health problem or be at risk of developing one. Where children have suffered abuse and neglect, or other potentially traumatic  adverse childhood experiences, this can have a lasting impact throughout childhood,  adolescence and into adulthood. It is key that staff are aware of how these children’s  experiences, can impact on their mental health, behaviour, and education. 

It could happen here. 

 Peer on peer abuse is most likely to include, but may not be limited to: 

• bullying (including cyberbullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying); 

 • abuse in intimate personal relationships between peers; 

 • physical abuse such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise  causing physical harm (this may include an online element which facilitates,  threatens and/or encourages physical abuse); 

• sexual violence, such as rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault; (this  may include an online element which facilitates, threatens and/or encourages  sexual violence);

 • sexual harassment, such as sexual comments, remarks, jokes and online sexual  harassment, which may be standalone or part of a broader pattern of abuse 

• causing someone to engage in sexual activity without consent, such as forcing  someone to strip, touch themselves sexually, or to engage in sexual activity with a  third party;  

• consensual and non-consensual sharing of nude and semi-nude images and/or  videos13 (also known as sexting or youth produced sexual imagery); 

• upskirting, which typically involves taking a picture under a person’s clothing  without their permission, with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks to  obtain sexual gratification, or cause the victim humiliation, distress or alarm; and 

• initiation/hazing type violence and rituals (this could include activities involving  harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group  and may also include an online element). 

It could happen here. 

 . All should be aware of the indicators, which may signal children are at risk  from, or are involved with serious violent crime. These may include increased absence  from school, a change in friendships or relationships with older individuals or groups, a  significant decline in performance, signs of self-harm or a significant change in  wellbeing, or signs of assault or unexplained injuries. Unexplained gifts or new  possessions could also indicate that children have been approached by, or are involved  with, individuals associated with criminal networks or gangs and may be at risk of  criminal exploitation 

 Look out for changes in behaviour, new clothes, gifts, talk of new friends, staying out late, tiredness, anxiety.  

It could happen here. 

 Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a procedure where the female genitals are deliberately cut, injured or changed, but there's no medical reason for this to be done.

It's also known as female circumcision or cutting, and by other terms, such as sunna, gudniin, halalays, tahur, megrez and khitan, among others.

FGM is usually carried out on young girls between infancy and the age of 15, most commonly before puberty starts.

It's illegal in the UK and is child abuse.

It's very painful and can seriously harm the health of women and girls.

It can also cause long-term problems with sex, childbirth and mental health.

Look out for girls going away for the Summer and odd stories about why the girls are going away - to see relatives / work. The girls make talk about a special ceremony or party. Also look out for difficulty going to the loo, wincing or difficulty sitting once the act has taken place. 

If a child discloses FGM, you MUST call 999 before informing school. 

If you suspect FGM, contact the DSL Team and make a MASH referral. 

It could happen here.