Child Protection
The protection of our children is of paramount importance and much work has and is currently taking place to bring about changes to law and practice in child protection to ensure all possible steps are taken to keep our children safe in our schools and elsewhere.
The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 (SVG Order) and equivalent legislation in England, Wales and Scotland established new safeguarding arrangements across the UK aimed at strengthening protection for children and vulnerable adults in workplace situations. The key feature of the new arrangements is the establishment of a new Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), which will register and monitor those working with children and vulnerable adults and maintain lists of those barred from such work on the basis of harm or risk of harm. The new arrangements will go-live in October 2009. The fee in Northern Ireland for ISA registration will be £58. More information on the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (NI) Order can be found at the Department of Health, Public Safety and Social Services website and by clicking on this link: www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/index/hss/svg.htm/
Pastoral care in schools - Child protection PDF 342 KB
This publication provides guidance to schools and others on their responsibilities in relation to child protection, including the action to be taken to enable cases of suspected abuse to be properly considered and pursued. It also includes guidance on how complaints against school staff should be handled. The contents do not constitute, or purport to be, an authorative interpretation of the law: that is exclusively a matter for others.
In light of recent developments around the work on child protection, this guidance is currently being updated.
The Child Protection Support Service for Schools came into operation in April 2006 following a review of the arrangements for providing child protection support and advice to schools. Each Education and Library Board has three designated officers for child protection working under the professional supervision of the Chief Education Welfare Officer. They provide advice and training for schools on child protection matters.
Child Protection Support Service for Schools: School Governors Handbook Child Protection PDF 687KB
This handbook will assist school governors in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities regarding their safeguarding role, in order to promote consistency and clarity of approach across all schools.
Circular 2008/03 Child Protection Pre-Employment Checking of Persons to Work in Schools - New Arrangements PDF 38.0KB
This Circular explains that from 1 April 2008 responsibility for undertaking criminal history background checks transfers from PSNI Criminal Records Office to a new organistaion called AccessNI. This Circular sets out the process which all grant-aided schools must use to request pre-employment criminal history background checks on prospective employees, volunteers and school governors from that date. Other changes to apply from that date are covered in this Circular.
Circular 2006/09 Child protection: Criminal background checking of staff in schools- programme to extend coverage PDF 39 KB
This Circular recommends that all staff, paid or unpaid, in a school should have been subject to a criminal background check to ensure suitability to have access to children.
Circular 2006/08 Child protection: Training requirements for School Governors on staff recruitment and selection panels PDF 30 KB
This Circular advises that from 1 September 2006 at least one school governor serving on an interview panel or committee established for the purpose of recruiting or selecting staff for appointment to a school should be trained in 'Child Protection and Recruitment and Selection'.
Circular 2006/07 Child protection: Employment of substitute teachers PDF 35 KB
This Circular advises that as from 1 September 2006 schools should employ as substitute teachers only those who are on the Northern Ireland Substitute Teachers Register
Circular 2006/06 Child protection: Recruitment of people to work with children and young people in educational settings PDF 122 KB
This Circular replaces previous guidance on pre-employment checking in Circular 1990/28, Disclosure of Criminal Background of Persons with Access to Children.
Circular 2003/13 Welfare and protection of pupils : Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 PDF 17.1 KB.
This circular informs schools and their Boards of Governors about a number of important new legal requirements about the welfare and protection of pupils and to advise schools on sources of advice and guidance in ensuring compliance with the new requirements. It also contains information for schools and their Boards of Governors about important new legal requirements about measures to prevent bullying.
Circular 1999/10 Pastoral care in schools: Child protection PDF 27.1 KB
This circular is to advise schools of the publication of the Department of Educations guidance on child protection, 'Pastoral Care in Schools: Child Protection'.
Circular 1999/17 Parental responsibility: Guidance for schools PDF 37.5 KB
This circular informs schools about the law on parental responsibility and provides advice on the action required by schools in respect of a person or persons who acquire parental responsibility for a pupil. This circular is currently being updated to reflect changes to the law brought in through the Family Law Act (NI) 2001 and the Civil Partnership Act 2004, and will be available in spring 2009.
Cabin Hill Statutory Inquiry Report PDF 212 KB
The report of the statutory inquiry set up to investigate child protection matters at Cabin Hill School, was published on 25 January 2005. The statutory inquiry, which was announced by Education Minister, Barry Gardiner, on 2 June 2004, investigated the events surrounding the sexual abuse of a boarding pupil at Cabin Hill Preparatory School, by a fellow pupil, in 1992. The Inquiry Team was specifically asked to identify any lessons which might have application for schools and child protection more widely.
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