Adults Who Work With Children

The safety of children is paramount and should always be so. To maintain this in all work settings and contexts, it’s important for adults who work with children to have advice about suitable, safe behaviour. Following such advice also helps ensure the safety of adults.

DSCF

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) offers such advice. The purpose of the advice is to:

• Encourage safer recruitment practices
• Reduce the number of false allegations made against adults who work with children
• Help adults work with children in a safe manner
• Monitor methods of working and best practice
• Set standards of behaviour and practice
• Give the public confidence in adults who work with children
• Prevent the abuse of positions of trust
• Keep children safe

Principles

DCSF also employs a number of principles. These underpin the purpose of the advice. Apart from stressing the overriding need to secure the welfare of children and to apply a duty of care, these principles state that:

• Adults must carry out their work with children in an open manner
• Employers and workers must use the same professional standards under all circumstances
• Adults must be responsible for their own behaviour and act reasonably
• Employers must review practices regularly and follow DCSF guidance

Comprehensive

DCSF advice for adults who work with children is comprehensive. The following is a summary of some of the main points.

Duty of Care Adults who work with children have a duty of care. They must safeguard children from emotional, sexual and physical harm.

Adults should therefore act in children’s best interests. They must show proper judgement, a mature attitude and integrity.

Confidentiality While working with children, adults may have access to private details. Adults should treat all such information in a confidential way. They should also know when it’s appropriate to share this information.

If in doubt about the use of information, workers should seek the advice of senior staff.

Professional Judgements Adults should record and be prepared to discuss their judgements. They must also be ready to explain why they take a certain course of action.

Positions of Trust

Adults working with children must respect the fact that they are in a position of trust. They must not use their position and status for their own, or someone else’s, benefit.

Behaviour

Adults must behave in a way that would not cause a reasonable person to doubt their suitability for work with children. They must not make unprofessional comments. They must also dress in a manner that’s suitable for their work.

Privacy

Adults must maintain their personal privacy. They should not normally invite a child into their home. The exceptions are registered childminders and foster carers.

Communication

Adults should communicate with children by using clear boundaries. They should consult their organisation’s communications policy. This may, for instance, forbid communication with children by text or emails.

Trips

For trips with children, adults should not be alone. Another adult should be present unless agreed otherwise by an organisation’s management. Parents must also be fully aware of a trip and its purpose.

Examples

The above are key examples of the advice DCSF issues to adults who work with children. For more details, interested parties should contact DCSF.