Safeguarding children

Safeguarding is the moral and statutory responsibility placed on organisations such as schools and colleges to promote the welfare of all those who use their service (e.g. students). This involves providing a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued, being alert to the signs of abuse and neglect and following procedures to ensure that children receive effective support, protection and justice.

Wellbeing is a very broad term, which covers various safeguarding issues such as physical and mental health, living conditions and protection from abuse/neglect.

MASH stands for Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub. According to the Social Care Institute for Excellence, a multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH) is a structure which has been developed to facilitate information-sharing and decision-making on a multi-agency basis. This is often established by co-locating staff from the local authority, health agencies and the police. When working effectively, these hubs can prevent abuse, spot patterns of abuse and identify repeat offenders through sharing information.

In UK schools, this role usually carries the title of Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), or Designated Safeguarding Person (DSP) in Wales. In independent schools this role is usually owned by the Deputy Head (pastoral) and in other education settings this may be the Headteacher or another senior member of staff.

In the UK, schools have a statutory duty to protect their students from harm. School staff are often the first to notice when children and young people are experiencing issues, it is essential for schools to have robust safeguarding processes in place to record, report and manage these issues.

Schools must also follow Safer Recruitment processes for the recruitment of teaching staff, support staff, governors, volunteers, and contractors, to ensure that their pupils are kept safe from those who wish to do them harm.

We believe that effective safeguarding starts with safer recruitment - with ensuring you have only the most suitable people representing your organisation and working with your children, young people or vulnerable adults. 

The KCSIE guidance explains that safe recruitment is an important first step to ‘help deter, reject or identify people who might abuse children and is a crucial part of the safeguarding process'. Safer Recruitment covers everything from writing the job description, shortlisting and checks, to references, interviewing, and using induction, training, and probation periods to ensure the right person is hired.