The role of the governing body

A governing body should:

• Have a child protection policy and procedures in place that are in accordance with local authority (LA) guidance and locally agreed inter-agency procedures, and the policy is made available to parents on request
• Operate safe recruitment procedures and make sure that all appropriate checks are carried out on new staff and volunteers who will work with children, including Criminal Record Bureau and List 99 checks
• Have procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse against members of staff and volunteers that comply with guidance from the LA and locally agreed inter-agency procedures
• Have a senior member of the school's leadership team who is designated to take lead responsibility for dealing with child protection issues, providing advice and support to other staff, liaising with the LA, and working with other agencies
• Ensure the head teacher, and all other staff who work with children undertake appropriate training to equip them to carry out their responsibilities for child protection effectively, that is kept up to date by refresher training at 3 yearly intervals, and that temporary staff and volunteers who work with children are made aware of the school's arrangements for child protection and their responsibilities
• Remedy any deficiencies or weaknesses in regard to child protection arrangements that are brought to its attention without delay
• Ensure that a member of the governing body (usually the Chair) is nominated to be responsible for liaising with the LA and /or partner agencies, as appropriate in the event of allegations of abuse being made against the head teacher
• Review its policies and procedures annually and provides information to the LA about them and about how the above duties have been discharged
• Recognise the contribution the school can make to helping children keep safe through the teaching of self protection skills and encouragement of responsible attitudes to adult life through the Personal, Social and Health Education/Citizenship curriculum
• Ensure that there are safe and effective recruitment policies and disciplinary procedures in place which adhere to The Education (Prohibition from Teaching or Working with Children) Regulations 2003. A copy of the regulations can be found here and revised guidance on reporting individuals to the Secretary of State is available to download here.

Some governing bodies have found it helpful for an individual member of the governing body to champion child protection issues within the school, liaise with the head teacher about them, and provide information and reports to the governing body.

However, it is not usually appropriate for that person to take the lead in dealing with allegations of abuse made against the head teacher. That is more properly the role of the chair of governors or, in the absence of a chair, the vice or deputy chair. Whether the governing body acts collectively or an individual member takes the lead, it is helpful if all members of governing bodies undertake training about child protection to ensure they have the knowledge and information needed to perform their functions and understand their responsibilities.