Child Protection Safeguarding Statement

and Risk Assessment (2018)

This policy was adopted by the Board of Management on 11^th March 2018.

Review due: March 2019

Child Safeguarding Statement of RMDS

RMDS is a primary school providing primary education to pupils from Junior Infants to Sixth Class.

In accordance with the requirements of the Children First Act 2015, Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017, the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools 2017 and Tusla Guidance on the preparation of Child Safeguarding Statements, the Board of Management of RMDS has agreed the Child Safeguarding Statement set out in this document.

The Board of Management has adopted and will implement fully and without modification the Department’s Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools 2017 as part of this overall Child Safeguarding Statement.

The Designated Liaison Person (DLP) is Rosemarie Stynes.

The Deputy Designated Liaison Person (DDLP) is Paul Fairbrother.

The Board of Management recognises that child protection and welfare considerations permeate all aspects of school life and must be reflected in all of the school’s policies, procedures, practices and activities In its policies, procedures, practices and activities, the school will adhere to the following principles of best practice in child protection and welfare:

The school will:

recognise that the protection and welfare of children is of paramount importance, regardless of all other considerations;
fully comply with its statutory obligations under the Children First Act 2015 and other relevant legislation relating to the protection and welfare of children;
fully co-operate with the relevant statutory authorities in relation to child protection and welfare matters
adopt safe practices to minimise the possibility of harm or accidents happening to children and protect workers from the necessity to take unnecessary risks that may leave themselves open to accusations of abuse or neglect;
develop a practice of openness with parents and encourage parental involvement in the education of their children; and
fully respect confidentiality requirements in dealing with child protection matters.

The school will also adhere to the above principles in relation to any adult pupil with a special vulnerability.

The following procedures/measures are in place:

In relation to any member of school personnel who is the subject of any investigation (howsoever described) in respect of any act, omission or circumstance in respect of a child attending the school, the school adheres to the relevant procedures set out in Chapter 7 of the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools 2017 and to the relevant agreed disciplinary procedures for school personnel which are published on the DES website.

In relation to the selection or recruitment of school personnel and their suitability to work with children, the school adheres to the statutory vetting requirements of the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 and to the wider duty of care guidance set out in relevant Garda vetting and recruitment circulars published by the DES and available on the DES website.

In relation to the provision of information and, where necessary, instruction and training, to school personnel in respect of the identification of the occurrence of harm (as defined in the 2015 Act) the school -

Has provided each member of school personnel with a copy of the school’s Child Safeguarding Statement
Has provided all Extra Curricular providers with a copy of the school’s Child Safeguarding Statement
Ensures all new school personnel are provided with a copy of the school’s Child Safeguarding Statement
Encourages school personnel to avail of relevant training
Encourages Board of Management members to avail of relevant training
The Board of Management maintains records of all school personnel and Board member training

In relation to reporting of child protection concerns to Tusla, all school personnel are required to adhere to the procedures set out in the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools 2017, including in the case of registered teachers, those in relation to mandated reporting under the Children First Act 2015.

In this school the Board has appointed the abovenamed DLP as the “relevant person” (as defined in the Children First Act 2015) to be the first point of contact in respect of the s child safeguarding statement.

All registered teachers employed by the school are mandated persons under the Children First Act 2015.

In accordance with the Children First Act 2015, the Board has carried out an assessment of any potential for harm to a child while attending the school or participating in school activities. A written assessment setting out the areas of risk identified and the school’s procedures for managing those risks is attached as an appendix to these procedures.

The various procedures referred to in this Statement can be accessed via the school’s website, the DES website or will be made available on request by the school.

Note: The above is not intended as an exhaustive list. Individual Boards of Management shall also include in this section such other procedures/measures that are of relevance to the school in question.

This statement has been published on the school’s website and has been provided to all members of school personnel, the Parents’ Association and the patron. It is readily accessible to parents and guardians on request. A copy of this Statement will be made available to Tusla and the Department if requested.

This Child Safeguarding Statement will be reviewed annually or as soon as practicable after there has been a material change in any matter to which this statement refers.

This Child Safeguarding Statement was adopted by the Board of Management on 11^th March 2018.

Signed: Will Connor Signed: Rosemarie Stynes

Chairperson of RMDS BOM Principal/Secretary to RMDS BOM

Date: 11^th March 2018 Date: 11^th March 2018

Written Assessment of Risk of RMDS

In accordance with Section 11 of the Children First Act 2015 and with the requirement of Chapter 8 of the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools 2017, the following is the Written Risk Assessment of RMDS.

Important note: it should be noted that risk in the context of this risk assessment is the risk of “harm” as defined in the Children First Act 2015 and not general health and safety risk. The definition of harm is set out in Chapter 4 of the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools 2017 as;

“assault, ill-treatment or neglect of the child in a manner that seriously affects or is likely to seriously affect the child’s health, development or welfare, or
sexual abuse of the child

Whether caused by a single act, omission or circumstance or a series or combination of acts, omissions or circumstances, or otherwise.”

List of School Activities	The school has identified the following risks of harm in respect of its activities	The school has the following procedures in place to address the risks of harm identified in this assessment
Daily arrival and dismissal of pupils	Risk of child being harmed while on school grounds	Principal/Deputy Principal ‘meet and greet’ at gate and parents/carers where possible to accompany pupils to classes. Adequate supervision by members of school personnel.
Break times for pupils on yard	Risk of child being harmed while in the school yard	Access points to the school closed. Adequate supervision by members of school personnel (SNAs and teaching school personnel).
Break times for pupils offsite (Mount Pleasant/Linear Park)	Risk of child being harmed while offsite	Access points offsite closed. Adequate supervision by members of school personnel (SNAs and teaching school personnel).
Classroom teaching	Risk of child being harmed in the school by member of school personnel or by another child	Glass panel/open door in all classrooms. Supervision of pupil interactions by school personnel. Garda vetting of all school personnel.
One-to-one teaching	Risk of child being harmed in the school by member of school personnel	Glass panel/open door in all support room doors Garda vetting of all school personnel.
Outdoor teaching activities	Risk of child being harmed while on the school grounds	Access points to the school closed. Adequate supervision by members of school personnel.
Movement break	Risk of child being harmed while on the school grounds	Access points to the school closed. Adequate supervision by members of school personnel
Sporting activities	Risk of child being harmed in the school/on the school grounds by member of school personnel or by another child. Risk of harm due to bullying of child	Garda vetting of all school personnel. Supervision of pupil interactions by school personnel.
School tours/outings	Risk of child being harmed by member of school personnel, by another child or by personnel associated with school tour locations	Garda vetting of all school personnel. Supervision of pupil interactions by school personnel. Supervision of pupil activities involving external personnel.
Sports day	Risk of child being harmed by volunteer or visitor	Garda vetting of volunteers in the school. Supervision of pupil activities involving external personnel.
School transport arrangements – bus for school tours	Risk of child being harmed by school transport providers	Supervision of pupils by school personnel.
Care of children with S.E.N. incl. intimate care needs	Risk of harm to children with SEN who have particular vulnerabilities Risk of harm to child while a child is receiving intimate care	Garda vetting of all school personnel. Implementation of school SEN policy outlining procedures to be followed (2 adults must always be present re: intimate care needs).
Care of children with intimate care needs	Risk of harm to child while a child is receiving intimate care	Garda vetting of all school personnel. Implementation of school intimate care policy outlining procedures to be followed (2 adults must always be present re: intimate care needs).
Administration of medication	Risk of child being harmed in the school by a member of school personnel	Garda vetting of all school personnel. Implementation of administration of medication policy outlining procedures to be followed.
Administration of First Aid	Risk of child being harmed in the school or on school grounds by a member of school personnel	Garda vetting of all school personnel. Administration of first-aid to take place in open area outside office or in the presence of a second person.
Curricular provision in respect of SPHE – RSE, Stay Safe	Risk of child being harmed in the school by a member of school personnel	Garda vetting of all school personnel. Implementation of SPHE policy outlining age-appropriate curriculum to be followed.
Prevention and dealing with bullying among pupils	Risk of child being harmed in the school by another child	Implementation of Code of Behaviour and Anti-bullying policy. Adequate supervision of students by school personnel Stay Safe/SPHE programmes fully implemented.
Management of challenging behaviour among pupils	Risk of child being harmed in the school by a member of school personnel or by another child	Implementation of Code of Behaviour policy. Supervision of pupil interactions. Garda vetting of all school personnel
Care of pupils with specific vulnerabilities/needs such as; pupils from ethnic minorities/migrants, member of the Traveller community, LGBT children, pupils perceived to be LGBT, pupils of minority religious faiths, children in care	Risk of child being harmed in the school by a member of school personnel or by another child. Risk of harm due to bullying of child	Garda vetting of all school personnel. Supervision of pupil interactions. Implementation of Anti-bullying policy and associated initiatives such as whole school assemblies. Implementation of Core Curriculum, including human rights initiatives.
Recruitment of school personnel	Risk of child being harmed in the school by a member of school personnel	Garda vetting of all school personnel. Yearly review of Child Protection Safeguarding Statement and Risk Assessment. Child Protection documents to hand in all rooms in the school for all members of school personnel.
Participation of pupils in religious ceremonies/religious instruction external to the school	Risk of child being harmed in the school by personnel associated with religious instruction	Garda vetting of personnel involved. Instruction to take place in classroom with glass panel in door. Classes only to be held if there is more than 1 child present. Nominated parent present outside classroom door.
Use of ICT by pupils in the school	Risk of harm caused by pupil accessing inappropriate material via ICT devices	Pupils supervised by members of school personnel when using ICT. AUP agreement in place.
Application of sanctions under the school’s Code of Behaviour	Risk of child being harmed in the school by school personnel	Garda vetting of all school personnel. Implementation of Code of Behaviour policy outlining appropriate procedures and sanctions – All school personnel made aware of the policy
Transition year students participating in work experience in the school	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	Garda vetting of students participating in work experience. Member of school personnel always present (i.e. TY student never left alone with child(ren)).
Student teachers undertaking training placement in the school	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	Garda vetting of students undertaking training placement. Member of school personnel always present (i.e. student teachers never left alone with child(ren)).
Trainee Special Needs Assistants undertaking placement in the school	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	Garda vetting of trainee Special Needs Assistants. Member of school personnel always present (i.e. trainee SNA never left alone with child(ren)).
Use of video/photography/other media to record school events	Risk of child being harmed by member of school personnel and others accessing/circulating inappropriate or potentially inappropriate material via social media, texting, digital device or other manner	School events only to be recorded by members of school personnel/ designated recording personnel. Families reminded not to use media to record school events. If a member of school personnel uses a personal device for such, they must upload onto the school server (only) within a week and delete permanently from personal device.
After school use of premises by School Age Childcare service (pupils being collected at various times)	Risk of child being harmed by member of after-school childcare personnel or by another child	Childcare provided in room with glass panels/open space (hall) or outdoors in open space. RMDS After-School Childcare to confirm in writing to the BOM of RMDS that they have their own Child Protection Policy (Safeguarding Statement and Risk Assessment) in place which is reflective of the now fully enacted Children First Act 2015. Adequate supervision by Childcare personnel.
Use of premises by School Age Childcare service for Summer Camp	Risk of child being harmed by member of after-school childcare personnel or by another child	RMDS After-School Childcare to confirm in writing to the BOM of RMDS that they have their own Child Protection Policy (Safeguarding Statement and Risk Assessment) in place which is reflective of the now fully enacted Children First Act 2015. Adequate supervision by Childcare personnel.
After school use of premises for extracurricular activities not run by school personnel – Squash, Junior Einstein, Violin etc.	Risk of child being harmed by personnel running extra-curricular activities	Garda vetting of personnel involved. Personnel to confirm in writing to the BOM of RMDS that they will comply with the Child Protection policy of the school. Activities to take place outdoors in open space or in classroom with glass panels.
Use of off-site facilities for school activities	Risk of child being harmed by others using the facility	Supervision of pupils at all times by members of school personnel
Forest School	Risk of children being harmed offsite	Risk assessment of area completed. Garda vetting of Forest School leader and school personnel. Adequate supervision of children by Forest School leader and school personnel.
Involvement of personnel to supplement the curriculum (regular basis) – e.g. sports coaches	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	Garda vetting of external personnel used to supplement the curriculum. Members of school personnel always present for the duration of activity.
Involvement of personnel to supplement the curriculum (one-off visit) – Visiting authors, workshops etc.	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	School personnel always present for the duration of the activity to supervise the interactions of such personnel with the pupils.
Visits from external agencies/community members – Tusla (Social worker/EWO), School personnel from Educate Together National office, Visiting Teacher for the Deaf, PDST personnel, DES Inspectorate, Pastoral worker etc.	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	Sign-in book at reception to account for all visitors present in the school. Such visitors not left alone with pupils (i.e. always accompanied by a member of school personnel)
Visits from book company representatives, sales representatives etc.	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	Sign-in book at reception to account for all visitors present in the school. Such visitors not left alone with pupils (i.e. always accompanied by a member of school personnel)
Delivery companies, bin collections, contractors and maintenance workers	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	Sign-in book at reception to account for all visitors present in the school. Such visitors not left alone with pupils (i.e. always accompanied by a member of school personnel)
International visitors – DCU partners etc. (one-off visits)	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	Sign-in book at reception to account for all visitors present in the school. Such visitors not left alone with pupils (i.e. always accompanied by a member of school personnel)
HSE vaccinations	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	Sign-in book at reception to account for all visitors present in the school. Parents/carers to sign documentation for administration of vaccinations. Vaccinations to take place in room with glass panels and more than one pupil present at a time. There will also be a member of school personnel present.
HSE hearing and vision tests	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	Sign-in book at reception to account for all visitors present in the school. Parents/carers to sign documentation permitting hearing and vision testing of their child. Testing to take place in room with glass panels.
School cleaner (ISS)	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	School cleaners only work in the school outside of school hours (i.e. after 1:10pm in Infant rooms and 2:10pm in Senior rooms)
Parents/family volunteers in the school	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	Garda vetting of family volunteers. Such volunteers are accompanied by a member of school personnel when interacting with pupils.
BOM and PA members attending meetings/visiting the school	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	BOM and PA meeting held outside school hours when children are not present. When visiting the school during school hours they are accompanied by a member of school personnel.
Prospective parents visiting the school	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	When visiting the school during school hours they are accompanied by a member of school personnel.
School concerts (Christmas, Seachtain na Gaeilge, end-of-year etc.)	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	Pupils supervised at all times by member of school personnel.
Cake sales (fundraising)	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	Pupils supervised at all times by member of school personnel.
Official school photographs	Risk of child being harmed in the school by volunteer or visitor to the school	Pupils supervised at all times by member of school personnel.

In undertaking this risk assessment, the board of management has endeavoured to identify as far as possible the risks of harm that are relevant to this school and to ensure that adequate procedures are in place to manage all risks identified. While it is not possible to foresee and remove all risk of harm, the school has in place the procedures listed in this risk assessment to manage and reduce risk to the greatest possible extent.

This risk assessment has adopted by the Board of Management on 8^th March 2018. It shall be reviewed as part of the school’s annual review of its Child Safeguarding Statement.

Signed: Will Connor Signed: Rosemarie Stynes

Chairperson of RMDS BOM Principal/Secretary to RMDS BOM

Date: 11^th March 2018 Date: 11^th March 2018