POLICY STATEMENT

NIS is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for its entire staff and students with special care for the early childhood years. NIS follows the Egyptian Child Law no.12 for the year 1996 revised and amended in the 2014 Egyptian Constitution, article 80.

PURPOSE OF POLICY

The purpose of the Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy is to provide a secure framework for the workforce in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of those pupils who attend our school. The policy aims to:

• • reduce the risk of abuse occurring, and to ensure that a caring and appropriate response is taken should abuse occur.

• • ensure that all our pupils are safe and protected from harm.

• • ensure all other school policies are in place to enable pupils to feel safe and adopt safe practices.
  • ensure that all staff, pupils, governors, and parents are aware of the expected procedures for safety.

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CHILD SAFEGUARDING MANAGEMENT TEAM

This management team is to help ensure that the necessary steps are taken in response to any allegation. (According to the 2018 protocol for international schools on child abuse)
This team includes:

• • Team Coordinator and school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), also known as Child Protection Officer (School Counselor)

• • The School Principal

• • A representative from the school’s governing body

• • A human resource professional

• • A legal advisor

• • A representative from the local community

DEFINITIONS:

2. Child PROTECTION: a child in need of protection is a child who is at risk or likely suffer any harm or threat from a person or persons or organization.

3. ABUSE: Can consist of one or more of the following:

A) PHYSICAL ABUSE is any non-accidental physical assault or injury resulting from practices such as: Hitting, punching, kicking, burning (irons, cigarettes), biting, or pulling out hair.

B) SEXUAL ABUSE is any threat or sexual act performed upon another person. It occurs when a person uses his power and authority to take advantage of another’s trust to involve them in sexual activity. It does not necessarily involve genital contact but is any act which erodes the sexual boundary between two persons. It may appear consensual but the validity of consent is negated by the difference of power.

C) EMOTIONAL ABUSE: is the chronic attitude or behavior of one person, which is directed at another person, or the creation of an emotional environment which erodes a child’s development, self-esteem and social confidence over time. Behaviors may include: devaluing, ignoring, rejecting, corrupting, isolating, terrorizing or chronic and extreme domestic violence in the child’s presence.

D) NEGLECT: is characterized by the failure to provide for the child’s basic needs which jeopardizes or impairs a person’s development.

4. BULLYING: is the repeated use of any written, verbal, or electronic expression and/or any physical act or gesture against a student.

• • It causes physical or emotional harm to the targeted student or damage to his property.
  • It places the targeted student in reasonable fear of harm
  • It creates a hostile environment at school for the student

5. E-SAFETY/INTERNET ABUSE/CYBER BULLYING:

Online safety means acting and staying safe when using digital technologies and social media. It is wider than simply internet technology and includes electronic communication via text messages, social media and apps, and using games consoles through any digital device. In all cases, in school and elsewhere, it is a paramount concern.

• • Content Risks: the child or young person is exposed to harmful material.
  • Contact Risks: the child or young person participates in adult initiated online activity.
  • Conduct Risks: the child or young person is a perpetrator or victim in peer-to-peer exchange.
  • Commercial Risks: the child or young person is exposed to inappropriate commercial advertising, marketing schemes or hidden costs.

The school has a responsibility to ensure that there is a reduced risk of pupils accessing harmful and inappropriate digital content. It should be energetic in teaching pupils how to act responsibly and keep themselves safe. As a result, pupils should have a clear understanding of online safety issues and, individually, be able to demonstrate what a positive digital footprint might look like.
Safeguarding and promoting pupils’ welfare around digital technology is the responsibility of everyone who comes into contact with the pupils in the school or on school-organized activities.

PROCEDURES TO KEEP A SAFE ENVIRONMENT

• • Establishing and maintaining an ethos, understood by all staff, which enables children to feel secure and encourages them to talk, knowing that they will be listened to.
  • Liaising and working together with all other support services and those agencies involved in the safeguarding of children. (Safe Kid)
  • Performing regular assemblies to talk about bullying and reinforcing positive behavior. Ant- bullying themes and workshops and campaigns are regularly conducted.
  • Following a rigorous drop off and pick up routine to facilitate safety.
  • Fixed cameras CCTV in all floors, gates, corridors, playgrounds in order to investigate any allegations.
  • The presence of support staff consisting of nannies in front of every bathroom, a minimum of 3 matrons on each floor as well as coordinators.
  • Staff are advised never to be alone with a child in closed doors.
  • Physical contact of any kind is not encouraged.
  • Adults and children are expected to respect each other’s privacy during activities that require undressing, dressing or changing.
  • Bus matrons accompany young students to and from classrooms.
  • Bus matrons are assigned in every bus round during morning and afternoon trips.
  • Teachers are given different duties ranging from break, bus and gate shifts to monitoring students.

VISITORS TO SCHOOL

Visitors to school, such as parents and extracurricular activities trainers, should:

1. 1. 1. be met or directed by school staff
      2. be restricted from accessing specific areas of the school
      3. be identified with visitor pass cards
      4. be restricted from having access to students unless for the purpose of the visit.

All extracurricular activities trainers require police clearance before being employed.

REPORTING PROCEDURES

Should any faculty, staff or support staff member observes any signs or symptoms of possible abuse,
he/she must report this immediately to the Stage Headmistress who will accordingly inform the School 
Counselor and the Child Protection Team Coordinator.

ALLEGATIONS:

A) Student Allegation:

1. 1. 1. Student reporting student
      2. Student reporting student
      3. Student reporting teacher/staff

B) Teacher/Staff Allegation:

1. 1. 1. Teacher reporting witnessed or observed signs of abuse on a child
      2. Teacher reporting a student
      3. Teacher reporting a colleague

C) Parent Allegation:

1. 1. 1. Parent reporting student
      2. Parent reporting staff

IF THE TEACHER OBSERVES ANY SIGNS OR SYMPTOMS OF POSSIBLE ABUSE, HE/SHE SHOULD

• • stay calm and listen carefully reassuring the child that she/he has done the right thing by reporting the incident;
  • not investigate or ask leading questions to the student.
  • not promise to keep what they have been told a secret.
  • report the incident in written to the headmistress as soon as possible whilst information is still fresh in her/his mind.
  • Write exactly what the child has told her/him. The teacher should be precise and accurate.
  • quote the actual words used by the child – show these as “direct speech”.

THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL SHOULD

• • be informed of the incident and all the investigations done by all parties involved in the incident.
  • arrange a meeting with all parties involved.
  • consider the rights of all parties for a fair and equal process of investigation.
  • ensure that the appropriate disciplinary and preventive procedures are followed, based on the outcome of the investigation.
  • inform the Head of School of the incident and the decisions taken and, if needed, the Head of School could be summoned.

MAINTAINING CONFIDENTIALITY

Any disclosures by a Child, reports of suspected abuse and all details of the subsequent investigation will be documented promptly and the documents will be held in a secure location where a breach of privacy cannot occur. All school community and parents are aware of the school’s legal responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our pupils.