“Safeguarding should be a golden thread which weaves its way into a school’s everyday actions and consciousness.”

COBIS puts safeguarding at the heart of everything it does, and nowhere more so than in its quality assurance programme, the Patron’s Accreditation and Compliance scheme. We spoke to Gary Minnitt, COBIS’ Director of Accreditation about the COBIS Accreditation Standards, and what schools can do to ensure they are adhering to the very best of British safeguarding practice.  

Question 1: Sometimes the terms ‘safeguarding’ and ‘child protection’ are used interchangeably, how you do characterise the difference between the two and why is this important?

Sometimes the two terms are conflated. It is important to recognise that safeguarding is an umbrella term which encompasses a range of different elements. Child protection is one of those aspects but a very significant one. Others include safer recruitment, mental health and student and staff well-being along with some aspects of health and safety. For a useful overview of what is included under the ‘umbrella’, the Safeguarding Alliance have produced a helpful resource, which can be found here.

Why is it important ? Safeguarding should be a golden thread which weaves its way into a school’s everyday actions and consciousness. It is a shared responsibility. The welfare, physical and mental health and well-being of students and, indeed staff, should be paramount considerations.

Question 2: Where have the expectations around safeguarding been drawn from in the COBIS standards? What/who has informed these standards?

In developing the standards, we have drawn from good practice in UK schools. This is one area of education where the UK is one of the leading nations. We have also worked with the COBIS safeguarding team and with The Safeguarding Alliance who are COBIS Supporting Associates. They provide exceptional support, guidance and training for schools around the world and have impressive experience of schools in different regions and countries where there may be particular cultural and political challenges.

We have also continued to reference a variety of sources like the UNCRC – the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – and the annually produced Keeping Children Safe in Education from the DfE. We also keep a close eye on guidance and reports which are issued periodically like Ofsted’s recent report on sexual harassment in schools.

We have also learned from our COBIS member schools. We meet new issues every day and so these experiences feed into guidance for schools and our Lead Improvement Partners through our annually revised handbooks.

Question 3: What are the major challenges that schools face when gathering evidence and demonstrating best practice in ‘Standard 1: safeguarding and safer recruitment’ and how can they overcome these?  

Schools face many challenges. ‘Safer Recruitment’ is a comparative term and so there never any guarantee of absolute safety when recruiting staff any more than there is with physical security measures against terrorist attacks, or protection against cyber attacks on systems.

Constant vigilance and consistency of practice are pre-requisites of safer recruitment in schools. High quality training helps. Policies need to be clear and comprehensive, linked to complementary documents – like Equal Opportunities and a Diversity, Inclusion and Equality framework, for example – and subject to regular revision.

Governing bodies should oversee and approve revisions to these central policies regularly. It is important for the Designated Governor for Safeguarding to meet regularly – we recommend at least once a term – with the safeguarding team and really test the procedures in place and asking questions. It’s always a good rule of thumb to ‘assume nothing’ and not to take evidence at face value.

Procedure which stems from those policies should be carried out punctiliously regardless of the nature of the appointment, whether a school is recruiting a new headteacher, or filling a part-time temporary position. Corners should not be cut because an appointment is urgent, or because staff are dealing with parallel appointments during a busy period. It is person as well as the position.

Remember that the aim is to appoint excellent staff who have been thoroughly checked. The appointment of great teachers is the single most important way schools can improve the quality of learning. So their shop windows should be clear, welcoming and attractive but should also carry the message that the school is fully committed to safeguarding.

This may well deter unsuitable and predatory applicants. By the same token, strong candidates would expect to see that statement as a mark of quality. We look closely at the quality of the whole recruitment process as well as its security.

Many schools have historic gaps in their staff files and Single Central Record (SCR). These should be filled as far as is humanly possible. Some staff never filled in application forms in the past, for example, or only arranged for one reference.

There should be no reason why schools cannot ask them to complete application forms retrospectively, or why HR staff cannot obtain missing references according to our guidelines.

Obtaining missing information which was not sought on the past can be challenging but it is necessary to make every attempt to fill those historic gaps.

Recruitment stationery should be up to scratch. CVs are dangerous because the candidate controls the information shared. Application forms composed by the school tie the candidate down to providing the information required. They should also be signed to confirm the veracity of their contents; they should include identity and safeguarding sections; they should be checked in interviews for any gaps or inconsistencies in employment history and they should include clear guidance about referees and their contact details. Reference request forms should also contain child protection and disciplinary questions.

We know that in some parts of the world that written references are difficult to obtain for staff locally employed. Along with police and identity checks, every effort should be made to obtain some kind of professional testimony.

Schools, of course, can set up probationary periods for all new staff alongside induction programmes as long as they conform with national employment laws. So the work of new staff can be monitored and evaluated in an open and inclusive way.

Induction programmes should extend beyond the first couple of days and include all aspects of school life.

Question 4: What safer recruitment checks does COBIS recommend schools carry out as standard best practice?  

No stone should be left unturned. Our requirements are set out clearly in our Standards document and the Handbook for Schools. These include police checks, qualifications – professional as well as degree certificates, other criminal and checks around debarment – like prohibition order checks - and professional references.

We also require identity checks and strongly recommend that schools obtain birth certificates – original or an apostilled copy – along with passports since online identity change is easily done in some places and the birth certificate is an extra layer of security.

References for teachers and those coming from other schools who work on an operational or administrative capacity – like technicians and support staff - should include one reference from the present, or most recent headteacher and the other from another professional source. The reference request form should include questions about any concerns which have been raised, any issues surrounding fitness to be around children and any disciplinary matters which have arisen.

Referees should provide a professional email address and phone number. HR staff must verify the identity of each referee. Referees are asked to sign and scan the form before sending it back. Any issues, or ambiguities which arise in the reference should be followed up by the appointing school, preferably by the Head, or a delegated senior leader.

Schools must also obtain police and identity checks for locally appointed staff, those working through contract arrangements and any volunteers, or external providers.

Question 5: What should be in a British School Overseas’ Single Central Register?

There is a lot of unnecessary anxiety around the SCR. It is simply a dashboard much like that you would find in modern car. A dashboard provides information on the car and gives you a current condition. It is seldom if ever painting a perfect picture but we want it to run efficiently and safely so we check, maintain and exercise attention to detail. So too with the SCR.

It is a log of employment checks: identity, qualifications, criminal background and professional references and records. Whatever is recorded in the SCR should be reflected in staff files and vice-versa. We check this carefully. Both the SCR and files should record when the documents were received and checked and by whom. It should also log important training related to safeguarding, health and safety and the probationary period.

Each element should be broken down into requisite columns. For example, when checking qualifications for teachers, we would expect to see degree certificates, teacher training documents and any other relevant professional paperwork. These should be logged along with the date of receipt and who checked them. Files should contain paper copies of these original certificates and those copies should be signed by the new appointee and initialled and dated by the checker. Any documentation containing personal data should be retained in line with your school’s data and information retention policies. All the guidance schools need is in our Handbook which should read alongside the Standards.

Question 6: What advice can you give schools currently in the PAcc process around safeguarding in particular?

Have a clear safeguarding statement which appears prominently in all relevant places: advertisements, application and reference request forms, school information documents including the website, policies and on DSL/ADSL posters.

Here is COBIS’ for example:

COBIS believes that children, young people and vulnerable adults should never experience abuse of any kind. We have an unfaltering commitment to promote the welfare of all children, young people and vulnerable adults to keep them safe. We are committed to reducing risk connected to all safeguarding and child protection matters.

We recognise that the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults is paramount in the work we do and in the decisions we take, and that all children, young people and vulnerable adults, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment/identity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse.

Train well and regularly. This includes all staff who come into contact with children plus governors or their equivalent. Once a year is not enough. It should be revisited through the year, perhaps with case study interludes in staff meetings, or updates for governors. This helps to keep safeguarding high on the agenda for all staff whatever their role.

Schools should have a safeguarding team and not leave the responsibility on the shoulders of the DSL and ADSL – neither of whom should be the head or principal of the school by the way. The DSL and ADSL should be trained to the equivalent of Level 3 which enables them to organise staff training for all existing and newly-appointed staff.  

Some schools turn to online training which is cost-effective and informative. Ideally, training should be face-to-face or at least active. There are some great online options for safeguarding officers, governors and staff involved in safer recruitment which are offered by COBIS and our supporting associate the Safeguarding Alliance. COBIS also offers DSLs the chance to network with other DSLs. It can be a lonely and thankless responsibility and the chance to share good practice is invaluable. Schools should be mindful of the emotional strain safeguarding officers and senior leaders are under and must support them appropriately.

Education for the community is vital. While we require schools to have posters up around their buildings with the identity of the safeguarding team and which offer clear advice about how to report concerns, this should be complemented by sessions with students, staff and parents. Safeguarding is a constantly changing picture. There is, quite rightly, greater concern now about sexual harassment in schools, or about staff well-being than there was even a couple of years ago. New elements and issues are growing on that safeguarding tree all the time.

Inform governors. The Board should have an appointed Designated Governor for Safeguarding (DGS) who should liaise with the DSL and ADSL at least once a term and have oversight over the Single Central Record and safeguarding practice. The Board itself should have responsibility for this oversight – as well as health and safety – and should be actively engaged with a well-planned training programme.

Appoint a Mental Health and Well-Being Lead. Appointing a Mental Health Lead in schools is now statutory in England and Wales.

Be careful about the definition of responsibilities. Policies should make these clear. It is important to maintain a balance between being clear who is responsible for what and encouraging co-operation and the appropriate sharing of intelligence and information. For example, the posters introducing the DSL and ADSL should contain a statement about the school’s absolute commitment to safeguarding, information about how to contact them and in what circumstances just as it is clear how children might approach a counsellor. Overlapping can be positive, empowering and mutually supportive; tripping over each other’s shoes isn’t.

All staff should be aware of how to share concerns and what to do if a disclosure is made. Regular, effective and case study-based training can help to clarify things and make that training relevant to the school’s context.

Sharing information appropriately with staff is very important. If, for example, there is a child at risk of self-harm it would very helpful for staff in certain subjects to know where there is access to blades, like Art and Technology. Likewise, it might be important to inform staff  generally and discretely to be vigilant about a child going to the bathroom frequently and for long periods. As mentioned elsewhere, safeguarding is shared responsibility. With the right sort of regular training, staff should know how to respond to pieces of shared information which would help to keep children safe.

Question 7: Where can schools go to see examples of best practice safeguarding in the COBIS network?

COBIS Beacon schools have been awarded this status for one or more areas of outstanding practice around aspects of our Standards. Recently we have been proud to award schools for their work around safeguarding and in particular around well-being. COBIS beacon schools agree to be approached by other COBIS members who might need support and guidance around their area(s) of exceptional practice. You can find a list of schools that have achieved Beacon School Status in the COBIS Member’s Area, for more information email members@cobis.org.uk.

COBIS is committed to promoting and encouraging the highest standards of safeguarding and child protection in member schools and Supporting Associates as a requirement of continuing membership, through the provision of a variety of services and resources, including: Prohibition checks and Safeguarding resources, and running a range of Child Protection training .

We are proud to be a founding member of the International Task Force on Child Protection and the ICPC Global Ambassador. Find out more about accessing the ICPC here. 

To find out more about COBIS’ Accreditation programme or Safeguarding support, please email members@cobis.org.uk