Safeguarding notes for poet facilitators

These notes are a brief overview of some of the safeguarding concerns you may need to be aware of when visiting schools. The Poetry Society has a longer and more comprehensive safeguarding policy, which is updated regularly. If you are working with young people on behalf of The Poetry Society, please email educationadmin@poetrysociety.org.uk to receive a copy of the full safeguarding policy.

Everyone who comes into contact with children, and their families and carers, has a role to play in safeguarding children. A child is anyone who has not reached their 18th birthday yet.

Visiting schools as a facilitator

Every school or organisation you visit where you will come into contact with children should have both a Child Protection Policy and a designated safeguarding lead (DSL). The safeguarding lead should provide support to staff members, including yourself as a facilitator, to carry out their safeguarding duties.

If you have concerns about a child, you should ask for help and you must discuss your concerns with a designated member of staff, which will normally be the school’s or organisation’s DSL. This person then has responsibility for ensuring that the appropriate course of action is taken. If, for whatever reason, you do not have an opportunity to report a concern during the course of your visit, you should report your concern in writing, in as much detail as possible, to The Poetry Society at educationadmin@poetrysociety.org.uk. The Poetry Society will then contact the school to ensure that the appropriate action is taken, and to help manage any necessary further contact between yourself and the school.

It is not your duty to investigate or to decide whether something is or isn’t abuse, only to share information. This is a legal responsibility for anyone working with children. It is best practice to gain the young person’s consent to share their disclosure, but even if they don’t consent, you must still share the information.

You can also seek advice at any time from the NSPCC helpline – help@nspcc.org.uk or 0808 800 5000.

What to do in case of a disclosure

(i.e. if a child tells you that abuse or neglect has taken place, or that they are at risk of harm)

Recognise: Be vigilant – watching and listening

Respond: Remove immediate risk of harm

Record: Note down what you see, hear and do

Report: Report to the designated safeguarding lead without delay

In a Poets in Schools context, you might take the following steps:

If a child discloses something verbally to you

• Avoid reacting emotionally.

• Ensure they understand you believe them; take them seriously, and do not minimise or try to find other explanations.

• Listen carefully and non-judgmentally.

• Gather information if appropriate.

• Tell them you have a responsibility to share what they’re telling you – do not promise confidentiality. If possible, gain their consent to share their disclosure, and tell them who you’re going to tell.

• Do not promise you can do anything other than support within your role.

• If they are at immediate risk, help to remove the danger if you can (for instance, if they are actively suicidal, call 999 and stay with them).

• Report immediately to the designated safeguarding lead and teacher and make a record of what was said/heard, what you did, and the time and date. Do not paraphrase what was said, even if it seems inappropriate. If a child has disclosed something in writing (for example in a poem), or if you have concerns about a child because of something you’ve seen or heard, report these to the designated safeguarding lead as soon as possible and record what you have done.

If you would like to, you may follow up with the teacher or designated safeguarding lead, to find out what the outcome was.

If you would like to speak with The Poetry Society’s Education Team, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email (educationadmin@poetrysociety.org.uk).

Further information

You may wish to read more about different kinds of abuse and signs to look out for. The four main types of abuse are emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect.

If you have any more specific questions, do get in touch with The Poetry Society’s Education Team. If you’re interested in doing an online safeguarding course, we recommend those offered by NSPCC or Barnardo’s.