Should Schools: Have a Low-Level Concerns Policy?

The Crime Survey 2015-16 for England and Wales in terms of Child Sexual Abuse asked adults whether they were abused as a child.

7% of all adults reported experiencing some form of sexual abuse before the age of 16 by a person in authority (for example teachers, doctors’ carers or youth workers), this accounted for 6% of the total.

Safeguarding scandals have been identified in Education, Churches, Children’s charities, Children’s Homes Care Homes, young offenders’ institutions, the armed forces, the entertainment industry and sports bodies.

It is recognised to prevent abuse in organisations a strong safeguarding culture should be built; research has shown that many of the abusers have at an early stage displayed concerning actions which were contrary to a school’s code of conduct or discipline policies. The conduct then becoming accepted and normalised.

The report commissioned by The Independent Schools Council headed Child Sexual Abuse in Schools, suggest that schools may wish to consider their approach to monitoring and recording low level concerns relating to adult behaviour with children. These would be concerns that do not meet the Threshold to be reported to the LADO.

Should Schools then have a Low-Level Concerns Policy and process for recording such concerns?