All members of staff and volunteers should familiarise themselves with the materials, policies and procedures outlined in the Pontydygsu Safeguarding Pack

In line with best practices in safeguarding, Pontydysgu adopts the principle of Recognise, Respond, Report, Record when dealing with issues of child protection.

Recognise

Respond

Report

Record

Recognise – this means that we should all know what abuse is and be able to recognise signs of possible physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect. Read the information on the NSPCC resource Signs, symptoms and effects of child abuse and neglect.

Respond – we should respond appropriately if someone discloses information about abuse happening to them or to someone else.

Do say – “Thank you for sharing this with me”, “I need to pass this information on to someone who can help”

Don’t – Act shocked or disgusted; Say bad things about the alleged perpetrator; Promise to keep secrets; Ask probing questions; Make assumptions; or Make it obvious if you disbelieve the claims.

Report – It is our responsibility to get the right people involved by passing on information. It is not our responsibility to decide if action should be taken. Any concerns should be reported to the designated safeguarding officer, or you can report directly to local children’s services, the NSPCC or the police. In an emergency you should contact the emergency services directly on 999.

Contact details can be found in the Pontydysgu Safeguarding Pack.

Record – as soon as possible you should record everything you remember by writing it on a blank piece of paper or by using Pontydysgu’s recording form. The longer you wait the less accurate your record will be. You should record dates, times, names, addresses, what was said and by whom. Sign and date your record and hand it to the DSO. Remember that the information is confidential and should only be shared on a strict need to know basis.