Protecting the safety of our students & staff

It is important to note the difference between the terms "safeguarding" and "child protection". The term "safeguarding" is what we do for ALL children and is linked to ‘promoting welfare’.

Safeguarding can be defined as:

• protecting children from maltreatment
• preventing impairment of children’s health or development
• ensuring children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

It is a school's responsibility to make sure they operate in a way that minimises as much as possible the risk of abuse to children and young people.

UNICEF defines child protection as preventing and responding to violence, exploitation and abuse against children. This includes commercial exploitation, trafficking, child labour and harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation.

Child protection forms a part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. Effective child protection processes are an essential part of the wider work to safeguard and promote welfare; they also reduce the need for action to protect children from harm.

There should always be a whole school approach to safeguarding and child protection. This means involving everyone in the school, including the governors or proprietor, all staff, all the children and their parents or carers.

A Child Protection / Student Safeguarding Policy is a statement of intent that demonstrates a commitment to protecting students from harm (to self and from others) and makes clear to all what is required in relation to the protection of students. It serves to create a safe and positive environment for children and to demonstrate that the school is taking its duty and responsibility seriously.

According to the World Health Organization, child abuse constitutes “all forms of physical and/or emotional ill treatment including verbal abuse, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power’ A person may abuse a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional (e.g. school) or community setting; children may be abused by individuals known to them, or more rarely, by a stranger. Often children may experience multiple forms of abuse simultaneously, further complicating the problem.

Most child abuse is inflicted by someone the child knows, respects or trusts. International school communities have unique characteristics of which school personnel must be aware in terms of the individuals who are around our children. School personnel should be knowledgeable of the potential reasons why children may not be able to talk about any victimization they might have experienced.

To increase Fukuoka International School’s community's awareness, this document focuses on four main categories of abuse and provides basic information about the physical and behavioral signs associated with each type.

Child Protection/Student Safeguarding Concerns include suspected, alleged, self disclosed, or witnessed abuse of a child by anyone associated within or outside the school which must be investigated and followed by appropriate action.

Physical abuse may involve hitting, punching, shaking, throwing, poisoning, biting, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing intentional physical harm to a child. (These symptoms could also indicate harm to self, such as, cutting and suicide ideation).

Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional ill treatment of a child so as to cause severe and adverse effects on a child’s emotional development. It may involve: conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved; that they are inadequate or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person; age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children; causing children frequently to feel frightened; or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill treatment of a child, though it may also occur alone.

Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative (i.e. rape) or non penetrative acts. They may include non contact activities, such as involving children in the production or viewing of pornographic material or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways. Children involved in commercial sex work are victims of sexual abuse, whether they perceive themselves as victims or not.

Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical or physiological needs, likely to result in serious impairment of the child’s health or development.

Grooming is the process during which a child sexual offender draws a child in by gaining his or her trust in order to sexually abuse the child and maintain secrecy. The offender may also groom the parents by persuading them of his or her trustworthiness with children. The process of grooming may last months or even years to break through a child’s defenses and increase the child’s acceptance of physical contact. 

There may be physical indicators that a child or young person is being physically abused. Some examples of this are:

• Unexplained bruises, welts, cuts, abrasions

• Unexplained burns

• Unexplained fractures or disclosures

There may also be behavioral indicators that a child or young person is being physically abused. Some examples of this are:

• Is wary of adults or of a particular individual

• Is violent to animals or other children or young people

• Is dressed inappropriately to hide bruises or other injuries

• May be extremely aggressive or extremely withdrawn

• Cannot recall how the injuries occurred or gives inconsistent explanations

There may be indicators in adult behavior that could indicate physical abuse. Some examples of this are:

• May be vague about the details of the cause of injury and the account of the injury may change from time to timeTaken from Child Matters of New Zealand, Indicators of Abuse

There may be physical indicators that a child is being emotionally abused. Some examples of this are:

• Bed-wetting or bed soiling that has no medical cause

• Frequent psychosomatic complaints (e.g. headaches, nausea, abdominal pains)

• Prolonged vomiting or diarrhea

• Has not attained significant developmental milestones

• Dressed differently from other children in the family

• Has deprived physical living conditions compared with other children in the family

There may also be behavioral indicators that a child or young person is being emotionally abused. Some examples of this are:

• Suffers from severe developmental gaps

• Severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, withdrawal or aggression

• Severe symptoms of self-destructive behaviour – self-harming, suicide attempts, engaging in drug or alcohol abuse

• Overly compliant; too well-mannered; too neat and clean

• Displays attention seeking behaviors or displays extreme inhibition in play

• When at play, behavior may model or copy negative behavior and language used at home

There may be indicators in adult behavior that could indicate emotional abuse. Some examples of this are:

• Constantly calls the child or young person names, labels the child or publicly humiliates the child

• Continually threatens the child or young person with physical harm or forces the child to witness physical harm inflicted on a loved one

• Has unrealistic expectations of the child or young person

• Involves the child or young person in “adult issues”, such as separation or access issues

• Keeps the child or young person at home in a role of subservient or surrogate parentTaken from Child Matters of New Zealand, Indicators of Abuse

There may be physical indicators that a child or young person is being neglected. Some examples of this are:

• Inappropriate dress for the weather

• Extremely dirty or unbathed

• Inadequately supervised or left alone for unacceptable periods of time

• Malnourished

• May have severe nappy rash or other persistent skin disorders or rashes resulting from improper care or lack of hygiene

There may also be behavioral indicators that a child or young person is being neglected. Some examples of this are:

• Demonstrates severe lack of attachment to other adults

• Poor school attendance or school performance

• Poor social skills

• May steal food

• Is very demanding of affection or attention

• Has no understanding of basic hygiene

There may be indicators in adult behavior that could indicate neglect. Some examples of this are:

• Fails to provide for the child or young person’s basic needs, such as housing, nutrition, medical and psychological care

• Fails to enroll a child or young person in school or permits absenteeism

• Leaves the child home alone

• Is overwhelmed with own problems and puts own needs ahead of the child or young person’s needsTaken from Child Matters of New Zealand, Indicators of Abuse

• Pain or irritation to the genital area

• Vaginal or penile discharge

• Difficulty with urination

• Infection, bleeding

• Fear of people or places

• Regressive behaviors, bed wetting or stranger anxiety

• Excessive masturbation

• Sexually provocative

• Stomach pains or discomfort walking or sitting

• Being unusually quiet and withdrawn or unusually aggressive

• Suffering from what seem physical ailments that can’t be explained medically

• Showing fear or distrust of a particular adult

• Mentioning receiving special attention from an adult or a new “secret” friendship with an adult or

• Refusal to continue with school or usual social activities

• Age inappropriate sexualized behavior or language

• Some indicators of neglect

• Medical needs unattended

• Lack of supervision

• Consistent hunger

• Inappropriate dress

• Inadequate nutrition

• Fatigue or listlessness

• Self­ destructive

• Extreme loneliness

• Extreme need for affection

• Poor personal hygiene

• Frequent lateness or non attendance at school

• Low self esteem

• Poor social relationships

• Compulsive stealing

• Drug or alcohol abuse

The impact of child abuse can persist for a lifetime after the abuse has been committed. Some victims of abuse are resilient and thus manage to function and survive. Much research has established the relationship between long term child abuse and life­time health and well­being, especially if the children do not get appropriate support to help them cope with the trauma. The most important point to consider is that children often are exposed to multiple forms of abuse and suffer a myriad of symptoms. Furthermore, all forms of abuse have the potential for long term impact on the victims, and can affect the victim's ability to function as a human being. Abuse challenges the self value, self esteem, and sense of worth of its victims, rendering them hopeless, helpless and unable to live a complete life.

• Poor educational achievement

• Inability to complete responsibilities

• Inability to live according to plan/ability

• Inability to care for self

• Inability to coexist, cooperate or work with others

• Lack of self confidence, prone to addiction

• Inability to express love / or accept love

• Inability to lead a family, constant health problems

• Prone to mental health problems

• Low self esteem, depression and anxiety

• Post­traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Attachment difficulties

• Eating disorders

• Poor peer relations, self injurious behavior (e.g., suicide attempts)

Students

• Unusual interest in sex, sexualizing inanimate objects and activities

• Does not stop sexual misbehavior when told to stop

• Uses force and coercion in social situations

• Unusual intensity when discussing sex and sexuality

• Socializes with children much younger

• Gives gifts, requires secrecy in relationships

Adults

• Has “favorite” student or child

• Attempts to find ways to be alone with children

• Inappropriate language, jokes and discussions about students/children

• Sexualized talk in the presence of students/children

• Gives private gifts or has private chats on Facebook/internet