In this instalment of Safeguarding Around the World we head to India to chat with Vanita Uppal, director of The British School, New Delhi, to hear about the school’s approach to safeguarding, including why regular legal updates on local laws are so important.
She also explains that, given the diversity of the student cohort, there is sometimes a need to communicate to parents the school’s expectations around behaviours, which may different from their own expectations. This, she says, has to be handled delicately.
What are some common safeguarding issues that you deal with?
There are several issues we see, such as affluent neglect, which, in effect, is emotional neglect and absent parenting due to high-pressure careers. This often means children spending more time with nannies and staff.
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There can also be too much access to inappropriate online platforms.
Some children we see have unhealthy pressure and demands from families on their learning, which can cause tensions and lead to children making unhealthy decisions.
How do you ensure a consistent approach to safeguarding?
We have a variety of ways: annual and repeated training for all staff, and specific onboarding training for all new staff, both of which include training by legal professionals to explain the context of local laws, too.
We also signpost webinars in this area to staff and review our own policies and procedures on an annual basis.
We employ designated safeguarding leads (DSLs), who are Level 3 master trainers, and have a designated safeguarding governor, too, to whom the DSLs report regarding the processes for handling incidents but not any specifics.
How do you stay aware of new and emerging safeguarding issues?
As a member of the Federation of British International Schools in Asia (Fobisia) executive board, I was the board lead on safeguarding for five years, working with the safeguarding executive drawn from Fobisia schools.
One of the major achievements during this time was the creation of a global safeguarding alliance of major British school associations, which ensures a global reach and awareness of issues and approaches worldwide.
Does the mix of nationalities among pupils present an extra challenge with safeguarding?
Absolutely. Issues are dealt with showing cultural sensitivity and clarity about our non-negotiables and expectations. Very often it requires parent sessions and awareness that might not always be there when they first join.
At the end of the day, it’s our duty of care and our insistence on safeguarding norms that control the narrative and outcomes. But it is hard work because cultural nuances and perspectives are very different.
Also, with a mix of nationalities comes different views on styles of parenting.
It varies significantly across a spectrum of extremely serious and tough styles of parenting and expectations through to very open and liberal. Each brings its own safeguarding challenges.
What about parent backgrounds?
There is a lot of patient dialogue to make parents see a different perspective and understand why the school is concerned and taking the steps it is taking.
Our DSLs do a terrific job with this because they understand the community, the local laws and our focus on keeping children safe.
What are your processes for following up on any incidents?
We have established reporting protocols in policy and procedures that are constantly shared and explained with all staff so they know what action to take if they have a concern.
We use a safeguarding tool to log incidents as soon as it is reported to the DSLs, and they take over the proceedings as standard. They then report to me, as the person with overall responsibility for safeguarding.
How do you keep your safeguarding knowledge up to date?
I do a lot of reading in this area and attend conferences whenever possible. I also work closely with the safeguarding teams in the school to follow any new trends and developments.
Vanita Uppal was talking to Dan Worth
