Roles & Responsibilities
THE DESIGNATED SENIOR PERSON
is a senior member of the school’s leadership team who is designated to take lead responsibility for dealing with safeguarding issues. The DCSF strongly recommended that schools appoint and train a deputy DSP to act in the absence of the lead DSP and support her/him.
Role
The role of the Designated Senior Person for Child Protection is to take lead responsibility for dealing with child protection issues, provide advice and support to other staff, liaising with the local authority and working with other agencies.
Responsibilities
“Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education (2006)” describes the responsibilities of the Designated Senior Person under three main headings:
Referrals
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Refer cases of suspected abuse or allegations the relevant investigating agencies
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Act as a source of support, advice and expertise within the educational establishment when deciding whether to make a referral by liaising with relevant agencies
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Liaise with the Headteacher to inform him/her of any issues and ongoing investigations and to ensure there is always cover for this role
Training
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To recognise how to identify signs of abuse and when it is appropriate to make a referral
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Have a working knowledge of how The Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Board operate, the conduct of a child protection conference and contribute to these effectively when required to do so
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Ensure every member of staff has access to and understands the school child protection policy especially new or part time staff who may work with different educational establishments.
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Ensure all staff have induction training covering child protection and are able to recognise and report any concerns immediately they arise
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Be able to keep detailed accurate secure written records of referrals/concerns
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Obtain access to resources and attend relevant or refresher courses at least every two years.
Raising Awareness
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Ensure the establishment’s child protection policy is updated and renewed annually and work with the governing body regarding this.
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Ensure parents see copies of the child protection policy which alerts them to the fact that referrals may be made and the role of the establishment to avoid conflict later
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Where children leave the establishment, ensure that their child protection file is copied for the new establishment as soon as possible but transferred separately from the main pupil file”
DSP duties
In order to fulfil these responsibilities, the Designated Senior Person should:
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Undertake DSP training provided by the CPSLO team and refresher training at two yearly intervals
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Maintain records about children for whom there are safeguarding concerns and the individual Child Protection files for children who are the subject of a Child Protection Plan.
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Ensure that the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Board Procedures (May 2007) are followed in the school
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Liaise with Social Work Teams over suspected cases of abuse
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Liaise with and co-ordinate within school the activities of any other agencies that become involved
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Attend, or arrange for an appropriate member of staff to attend, Child Protection Conferences and Core Groups relating to a child at the school.
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Submit a school child protection report to Child Protection Conferences
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Arrange for whole school training to be renewed at three year intervals, for all adults working at the school – both staff and volunteers.
Tools to assist the DSP in fulfilling these responsibilities are:
Designated Senior Persons are not responsible for:
Training Enquiries & Bookings
All training enquiries and bookings please contact:
Diane Hall
CPSLO Training Administrator
Tel:
01992 556936
Email:
diane.hall@hertscc.gov.uk or cpsloadmin@hertscc.gov.uk
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