Managing staff allegations of abuse
Developing a culture which encourages everyone to report concerns
One of the most challenging and sensitive safeguarding issues is appropriately handling allegations against staff and low-level concerns.
Robust systems and processes are essential to encourage reporting of concerns and ensure high security and confidentiality levels. They demonstrate a commitment to integrity and accountability for staff, students, parents, carers, and the wider community.
In October 2022, a report was published by The Independent Inquiry into Child sexual abuse. It found that 'some teachers exploited their positions of trust to groom and abuse children.' Offenders often groomed victims and built relationships with parents to disguise their abusive behaviour, making it challenging for victims to come forward.
Reporting concerns, no matter how small, is a critical part of any school's safeguarding practice. Adopting a vision for putting safeguarding at the heart of your organisation and being willing to recognise and accept that abuse could happen is essential to protecting children from any form of abuse, including those perpetrated by staff.
Key questions for reflection:
- Do staff feel empowered to report safeguarding concerns?
- Is there a culture of openness and transparency?
- Do all adults associated with the establishment understand and adhere to a staff code of conduct?
The relationship between low-level concerns and allegations should be made clear
Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) statutory guidance in England provides a framework for dealing with concerns or allegations against those working in or on behalf of schools and colleges, including staff, volunteers and contractors. A clear staff code of conduct, strong governance, and leadership are integral to this process.
The guidance states that when managing all concerns and allegations you'll need to:
- Apply common sense and judgement
- Deal with allegations quickly, fairly, and consistently
- Provide effective protection for the student while supporting the person subject to the allegation
A low-level concern refers to any concern, no matter how small, that an adult working in the organisation may have acted in a way that:
- Is inconsistent with the staff code of conduct, including inappropriate conduct outside of work
- Does not meet the harms threshold for a referral to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)
Handling concerns appropriately and proportionately will strengthen the confidence of staff and volunteers in the establishment. In contrast, handling concerns disproportionately or inappropriately will decrease rather than increase reporting.
The Importance of Record Keeping
Maintaining accurate records of concerns, referrals, actions taken, risk assessments, and decisions is crucial. Good record-keeping ensures transparency, accountability, and compliance with legislation.
Consider a scenario where an allegation is made against a teacher… ask yourself:
- Does your school make a thorough record of all low-level concerns and allegations?
- Are the records kept confidential and secure, and access to the record limited to only the relevant persons?
- Are these records easily retrievable so that they can be reviewed for identification of potential patterns of concerning, inappropriate, problematic, or concerning behaviour?
For the integrity and transparency of any case, you must keep a record of all:
- Low-level concerns and allegations against staff
- Referrals to the LADO
- Actions taken, including disciplinary action
- Risk assessments and safety plans
- Decision-making and reasons for those decisions (including conversations with staff or external agencies and advice received)
- Information and any evidence gathered
Even though termed low-level, all concerns must be addressed diligently and consistently. It's important to recognise that the significance of an incident may not be immediately apparent, especially when considered alongside other concerns or behaviours.
Serious allegations demand a thorough and professional response, especially when multiple agencies are involved. Keeping a running chronology for each victim and perpetrator facilitates effective management of cases.
Introducing Confide
Confide is our secure software solution designed to easily record and manage all concerns and allegations against school staff members or volunteers. It enables you to record all aspects of the investigation, upload relevant documents, and produce accurate reports and data. The software has restricted access from your main safeguarding system, ensuring data remains confidential and only available to users with the appropriate permissions.
For more information on managing allegations and concerns, and how our safeguarding solution Confide can help, download our free guide to ensure you have the essential information you need to protect all your students.