A Basic Understanding of Safeguarding and Protecting Children and Young People (Category 2)
Section 3: Understand how to respond to reports or suspicion of child abuse In this section you will learn: •
What to do when concerned that a child or young person may be being abused.
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How to appropriately react and respond to a child should they make a disclosure.
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About the statutory agencies responsible for safeguarding and protecting children and young people.
Section introduction Now that you have learned what the different types of abuse are and what to look out for, it is important to know and understand how to follow your organisational policies and procedures that are required to be in place within a setting. You also need to understand how to react and respond when a child or young person makes a disclosure to you, following your workplace procedures and maintaining appropriate boundaries. Finally, in this section you will explore a range of statutory agencies that are involved in the safeguarding and protection of young children such as Ofsted and the NSPCC and their duties and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and child protection.
Safeguarding Processes and Procedures All settings will have their own safeguarding processes and procedures and you need to be extremely familiar with these so you know how to report and who to go to when you have a concern.
What to do when concerned that a child or young person may be being abused Before you begin your role in a setting or organisation, you must be aware of the safeguarding processes you need to follow in your setting. This also includes being knowledgeable of the reporting procedures and the designated safeguarding lead and officers in your place of work. These are the people who will be responsible for following up and investigating your concerns. If you have a concern about a child or young person or if a disclosure of abuse is made, you should follow the best practices outlined below, and in accordance with your own organisational procedures: 1. Write down what you have witnessed or what is disclosed to you as accurately as possible. You should record exactly what the child or young person has said anything you notice such as signs of injury, the child appearing upset, stressed, angry or even ashamed while they are talking A Basic Understanding of Safeguarding and Protecting Children and Young People (Category 2) Manual | Version 1 | © YMCA Awards 2021
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