As part of this piece of work, we review your safeguarding records – we follow the story for a handful of children.  We look for evidence of good quality referrals to the DSL, timely action, appropriate support and intervention in school. good quality referrals to external agencies or providers, communication with parents and carers, communication with agencies, the gathering of the child’s voice.

As part of a record keeping review, where a child has a social worker, we look for:

• evidence of attendance at meetings
• engagement with multi-agency partners
• copies of CP plans, CIN plans, PEPs as appropriate
• school actions allocated though the plan being completed or actively worked on
• contact with social worker re unexpected absences
• copies of reports written for conference (where open at CP)
• open lines of communication with all stakeholders
• the child’s voice (weekly check ins)

Through meeting with a range of staff (mix of roles, seniority and length of service), we explore whether staff understand the referral process, how they safeguard children, how safe they feel in school, what their behaviour policy advises them to do etc.

When we meet with staff, we ask open ended questions in order to explore the impact of the safeguarding training and the school’s culture of safeguarding.

Staff voice is a helpful way of reviewing the impact of the policy in a setting.

We meet with a group of children (with or without a member of the safeguarding team present) in order to discuss how safe they feel in school – any why this is the case.  We discuss the impact of PSHE lessons, of online safety education, of national awareness days and much more besides.  We talk about what a child would do if they were to feel worried about themself or a friend.

The pupil voice conversation is pre-planned and explores many avenues in relation to the setting’s safeguarding culture.

Through meetings with the headteacher, site staff, the business manager, the DSL and other relevant staff, we explore site security, evacuation and invacuation and the way that health & safety partners safeguarding.  We triangulate all of this information with a site walk and also the pupil and staff voice conversations.

KCSIE part 3 is very clear about safer recruitment practice and the expectations.  Over the years, there have been many updates to this section of the statutory guidance.  To establish the impact of safer recruitment practices in school, we explore:

• the Single Central Record
• personnel files (a sample thereof)
• job adverts
• low level concern management
• allegations management
• training of staff on interview panels
• headteacher and chair of governor training regarding allegation management
• file reviews
• LADO referrals

and much more besides.