With mental health and wellbeing issues dramatically rising for both children and educational staff in the wake of the pandemic and cost of living crisis, safeguarding in schools has become more challenging and complex than ever before.
Balancing budgets with the need to uphold safeguarding responsibilities as mandated by the Keeping Children Safe in Education Guidelines may seem like an almost impossible task. However, with the right tools and systems in place, teachers, safeguarding leads and support staff can effectively identify, monitor and address safeguarding concerns from mental wellbeing to abuse or neglect.
In this blog we outline 6 key reasons why safeguarding software needs to be factored into your annual budget:
1 – The number of children requiring serious mental health support has increased
A recent survey from NHS England showed that 1 in 5 children and young people aged 8-25 has a probable mental disorder in 2023.
NHS Mental Health Director Claire Murdoch said: “Today’s report shows the continued unprecedented pressures faced by young people and reflects the increased demand for NHS children’s mental health services. The NHS is providing support for more children and young people than ever before – we have already supported over 700,000 children and young people with their mental health this year and also seen a 47% increase in young people being treated for eating disorders compared to pre-pandemic.”
While it can feel challenging to lookout for signs of poor mental health and wellbeing, it’s vital to trust when something isn’t quite right and to ensure that every concern – no matter how small – is recorded. Recording these concerns can help to build a bigger picture of an individual’s mental health and wellbeing over a longer period, allowing key interventions to be made.
2 – Early intervention is key
Early action is needed across the UK to identify and support children under 5 with mental health problems that could blight their adult lives, says a report from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
NSPCC defines early help and early intervention, stating that providing timely support is vital and that identifying and addressing a child’s needs early on can increase protective factors that positively influence a child’s wellbeing.
Safeguarding software helps to quickly identify early signs of safeguarding concerns and spot trends or patterns about a child’s wellbeing over time, preventing cases from escalating and ensuring the right interventions can be made.
3 – The effects of the pandemic are still being felt
In a recent survey conducted by the National Governance Association (NGA), a substantial rise in safeguarding concerns was reported. Over 55% of respondents reported an increase in safeguarding concerns with neglect, domestic abuse, and bullying – including cyberbullying – as the top three concerns. The findings go on to say that the impact of school closures due to the pandemic has undoubtedly played a role.
Ndidi Okezie, the chief executive of the charity UK Youth has also stated: “The lingering effects of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis are having a profound impact on young people’s education, mental wellbeing, their financial security and indeed their confidence in the future”.
The concerns for the wellbeing of children and young people in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak highlight the need for dedicated tools to help support with safeguarding and welfare issues more than ever.
4 – Hundreds of thousands of children are in need
According to the latest data, there were over 640,000 referrals in 2023 and 403,000 children were classed as in need, with the number of re-referrals up 3.1% from a year earlier. Referrals from the police remained the most common source, followed by those from schools.
Effective safeguarding software enables schools to better collaborate with local authority departments and other agencies to ensure the right interventions are made at the right time. This ensures better outcomes for children through effective joint decision making and coordinated action across settings, representing an excellent investment for your child protection processes.
5 – The cost-of-living crisis is impacting both pupils and teachers
The Children Society’s report, Feeling the Strain, found 82% of parents and carers are concerned about the impact of the cost of living rises over the coming year with 16% of children in households in financial strain reported low wellbeing compared to 8% of children in households that were not in financial strain.
Another survey found that 1 in 5 teachers have been forced to take on a second job amid rising living costs. The majority of teachers (85%) said they have recently had to reduce their home heating to save money amid the cost of living, while 23% said they have been forced to skip meals.
The impact of the cost-of-living crisis upon students represents another front which educators, safeguarding leads and all staff who work with children must monitor, particularly as it could manifest in serious welfare issues like malnutrition. In addition, the effect of the crisis on education staff cannot be understated and specialised tools like CPOMS StaffSafe are essential to monitor and provide wellbeing support for staff, so that they in turn can perform effectively in their role to keep children safe.
6 – The necessity to prepare for inspections
All schools, whether independent or state-funded, are regularly required to undergo inspections, and as part of these inspections regulatory bodies including Ofsted, Estyn, Education Scotland and ISI will often assess how well a school carries out its safeguarding practices to ensure they are effective and meet the required standards.
As part of their inspections, regulatory bodies may also ask to look at records, procedures and policies relating to areas outside of safeguarding, including exclusions, sexual harassment, bullying and referrals to local authorities – often providing schools with as little as a day’s notice to share this information. To ensure that the stringent requirements of inspections can be met, it is vital that schools proactively invest in tools like safeguarding software which can significantly enhance their readiness for inspections.
These stark findings highlight the ever-important role of effective safeguarding in schools. CPOMS offers solutions to monitor the wellbeing of both pupils and staff, improving the outcomes for both and helping schools best prepare for inspections whenever they occur.
To find out more, contact our team today.
