Safeguarding & Child Protection

Course 01 – Safeguarding & Child Protection

Learning objectives

By the end of this course, staff should be able to:

• Explain what safeguarding and child protection mean in an after-school club.
• Recognise common signs and indicators of abuse and neglect.
• Respond appropriately when a child makes a disclosure.
• Record concerns factually and promptly.
• Report concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead without delay.
• Understand how information sharing and confidentiality apply to safeguarding.
• Recognise safeguarding links with online safety, Prevent, behaviour, SEND and safer working practice.
• Understand what to do if there is a concern about another adult.

Before you begin

This course is written for staff working in an out-of-school childcare environment. Dagenham After School Club may not operate exactly like a school, nursery or statutory social care agency, but the safeguarding expectations are still serious. Staff see children regularly, notice changes in behaviour, support collection arrangements, interact with parents, supervise activities and may be the trusted adult a child chooses to speak to.

Safeguarding means taking action to promote children’s welfare and protect them from harm. Child protection is part of safeguarding and refers to action taken where a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm. Working Together to Safeguard Children explains that safeguarding children is a shared responsibility across agencies and organisations working with children [cite:working-together-2023].

Key legislation and guidance

The following sources inform this course:

• Children Act 1989 [cite:children-act-1989]
• Children Act 2004 [cite:children-act-2004]
• Working Together to Safeguard Children [cite:working-together-2023]
• Keeping Children Safe in Education, where relevant to education settings and good safeguarding practice [cite:kcsie-2025]
• Ofsted requirements for providers on the Childcare Register [cite:ofsted-childcare-register]
• Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners [cite:information-sharing-2024]
• Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR principles [cite:data-protection-act-2018]
• Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, which underpins the Prevent Duty [cite:counter-terrorism-security-act-2015]
• Equality Act 2010 [cite:equality-act-2010]

These documents do not replace DASC policies. Staff must follow DASC safeguarding procedures, but those procedures sit within the wider legal and statutory framework.

1. What safeguarding means at DASC

Safeguarding at DASC means creating a setting where children are safe, listened to, supervised, respected and protected from harm. It includes how staff behave, how children are collected, how visitors are managed, how incidents are recorded, how concerns are shared, and how leaders respond when practice falls below the expected standard.

Safeguarding includes protecting children from abuse, neglect and exploitation; preventing impairment of health or development; ensuring children are cared for safely; acting early when worries arise; and creating a culture where staff are confident to speak up.

2. Child protection

Child protection is the part of safeguarding that deals with concerns that a child may be suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm. For example, a disclosure of abuse, repeated unexplained injuries, serious neglect indicators, or a concern about unsafe adults may require child protection action.

Staff are not expected to decide whether abuse has occurred. Staff are expected to notice, listen, record and report.

The role of staff is to recognise possible concerns, respond calmly, record facts, report immediately and cooperate with follow-up processes. The role of the DSL is to assess the concern, decide next steps, seek advice where needed, make referrals where appropriate, and maintain safeguarding records.

3. Everyone’s responsibility

Safeguarding cannot depend on one person. Even where there is a DSL, every adult working with children has a safeguarding responsibility. Children may disclose to the person they trust most, not necessarily the manager.

Staff must never assume: “someone else will report it”, “it is probably nothing”, “I need proof first”, or “it is not my job”.

4. Categories of abuse

Physical abuse

Physical abuse involves deliberately causing physical harm to a child. It may include hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical injury.

Possible indicators include unexplained injuries, injuries inconsistent with explanations, repeated injuries, fear of physical contact, flinching, or clothing that appears designed to hide marks.

Emotional abuse

Emotional abuse is persistent emotional maltreatment that affects a child’s emotional development. It may include humiliation, threats, rejection, isolation, intimidation, exposure to domestic abuse, or making a child feel worthless.

Possible indicators include low self-esteem, withdrawal, excessive compliance, aggression, sudden behaviour changes, fearfulness or extreme anxiety.

Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child understands what is happening. It may involve physical contact or non-contact activities, including online sexual abuse.

Possible indicators include sexualised language or behaviour inappropriate for age, fear of certain adults, sudden mood changes, avoidance of changing or toileting, unexplained gifts or secrecy.

Neglect

Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical or emotional needs. Possible indicators include frequent hunger, poor hygiene, inappropriate clothing, persistent tiredness, untreated medical needs, regular lateness or inconsistent collection.

Neglect often emerges through patterns. Staff should record repeated observations, not just isolated events.

5. Other safeguarding concerns

Child-on-child abuse may include bullying, physical aggression, sexualised behaviour, coercion, harassment, online abuse or humiliation. Staff must not dismiss harmful behaviour as “children being children”.

Online abuse may involve grooming, cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, radicalisation, exposure to harmful content, coercion or image-based abuse. Online safety is safeguarding.

County lines involves criminal networks exploiting children or vulnerable people. Possible signs include unexplained money, older associates, missing episodes, secretive phone use, changes in peer group, fearfulness or signs of coercion.

Domestic abuse can harm children who see, hear or experience it in the home. Staff should be alert to sudden behavioural changes, anxiety at collection, tiredness, poor concentration or fear of going home.

FGM, forced marriage and honour-based abuse are serious safeguarding issues. Staff should report concerns to the DSL immediately and must not discuss concerns with families unless directed by the DSL.

Mental health concerns can be both a safeguarding issue and a sign that a child needs support. Staff are not expected to diagnose, but they should notice and report changes.

6. Listening to children

If a child chooses to speak to you, your response matters. Staff should listen carefully, stay calm, reassure the child, avoid shock or disbelief, avoid leading questions, explain that information may need to be shared, record the child’s words accurately and report to the DSL immediately.

Staff must not promise secrecy, investigate, ask repeated questions, challenge the child, contact parents without DSL direction, or discuss the concern with colleagues who do not need to know.

7. Recording concerns

Good safeguarding records are factual, accurate and timely. They may become important evidence for decisions by the DSL, local authority, police or other agencies.

A safeguarding record should include date and time, child’s full name, staff member’s name, what was seen or heard, the child’s exact words where possible, any visible injury or behaviour observed, action taken, who the concern was reported to, and signature or electronic confirmation.

8. Reporting concerns

Concerns must be reported to the DSL or Deputy DSL immediately. If the child is at immediate risk of serious harm, staff should call emergency services first and then inform the DSL.

The basic route is: concern noticed or disclosed; staff record facts; staff report to DSL immediately; DSL reviews and decides next action; DSL may seek advice, contact parents where safe, make a referral, or take emergency action; records are stored securely.

9. Information sharing and confidentiality

Confidentiality matters, but it must not prevent safeguarding action. DfE information sharing advice explains that information sharing may be necessary where there is an established, suspected or potential risk of harm [cite:information-sharing-2024].

Staff should share information lawfully, proportionately, with the right person, on a need-to-know basis, and in the child’s best interests. Staff should not share safeguarding information casually, in public spaces, in staff WhatsApp groups, or with people who do not need to know.

Data protection law does not prevent information sharing to protect children from harm [cite:data-protection-act-2018].

10. Allegations and concerns about adults

A concern about an adult may involve inappropriate physical contact, poor supervision, rough handling, unsafe language, favouritism, boundary concerns, failure to report safeguarding concerns, breach of safer working practice, or conduct that may pose a risk to children.

Staff must report concerns about adults to the manager, DSL or responsible person according to DASC procedures. If the concern involves the DSL or manager, staff must follow the escalation route in the safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures.

11. Whistleblowing

Whistleblowing is the process of raising concerns about wrongdoing, unsafe practice, cover-ups or serious misconduct. It protects children, staff and the organisation.

Use whistleblowing routes where a safeguarding concern is ignored, poor practice continues, records are falsified, a manager fails to act, staff are pressured not to report, or you believe children may be at risk and internal routes are not working.

12. Working with parents and carers

Most safeguarding work involves positive partnership with parents. However, staff must be careful where discussing a concern with a parent could increase risk to the child, interfere with a referral, or place staff at risk.

Staff should not independently raise serious safeguarding concerns with parents unless directed by the DSL.

13. Collection procedures, missing children and visitors

After-school settings have particular risks around collection, handover and transitions. Staff must follow DASC collection procedures at all times. Risks include unknown adults attempting collection, parent disputes, late collection, children attempting to leave without permission, missing child incidents and confusion during busy collection times.

Visitors must be managed safely. Staff should challenge unknown adults politely and professionally. Visitors should sign in where required, be supervised where appropriate, wear identification if required, and not be left alone with children unless authorised and checked.

14. Trips, outings and transitions

Safeguarding continues outside the building. During trips or transitions, staff must maintain supervision, follow ratios, complete risk assessments and know emergency procedures. Staff should be especially alert during walking between sites, toileting during outings, public transport, busy public places and transitions between school and club.

15. Professional curiosity

Professional curiosity means noticing, questioning and sharing concerns appropriately. It does not mean interrogating children or parents. It means being alert to patterns and not dismissing concerns too quickly.

Examples include a child frequently hungry and tired, a parent repeatedly giving inconsistent explanations, a child’s behaviour changing after contact with a particular adult, or small concerns building into a pattern.

16. Manager guidance

Managers and DSLs should ensure staff know the DSL and Deputy DSL, training is refreshed annually, safeguarding scenarios are discussed in supervision, records are reviewed for patterns, induction includes safeguarding before unsupervised work, allegations procedures are understood, whistleblowing routes are visible, and staff understand information sharing and confidentiality.

17. Practice scenarios

18. Reflection questions

19. Knowledge check

20. Competency declaration