Why student voice matters in safeguarding
Schools will all have their own policies and processes to safeguard students but without hearing from the students themselves, schools are missing out on key information that can help to build a bigger picture of a student’s environment. In this article, we discuss the importance of encouraging student voice, as well as introducing the concept of contextual safeguarding to help give schools better insight into the wellbeing of their students.
What is student voice?
Student voice is a pro-active approach to the safety and wellbeing of students whereby they express their views, concerns and experiences to school staff. The concept of student voice and giving students a platform to voice their concerns empowers them to speak up about issues that impact them, whether those issues are internal to the school or are from their wider community and environment.
The importance of student voice
Student voice is central to safeguarding. It is essential that students feel safe and empowered to speak up, express concerns and know that they will be taken seriously. It’s equally important that students have a dedicated space to speak up as well as a way of reporting concerns anonymously.
There are still a number of barriers that stop children from speaking up — stigma, fear, not knowing who to speak to or where to report concerns. Therefore, it’s essential that schools create an environment where students know that they can and know how to report concerns safely and anonymously, if required.
Here are just a few reasons that demonstrate the importance of student voice:
Empowers students and builds trust
At the core of safeguarding is relationships and trust. When students feel safe, supported and understood they are more likely to disclose what’s happening in their personal life, express any concerns or ask for help.
Identifies risks
Having the trust of students means that school staff can gain valuable insight into the safety and wellbeing of students, both within the school and at home. This may include areas of concern to monitor, potential bullying or cyberbullying, or concerns about the school environment and culture.
Shapes policies and procedures
This gained information from students speaking up can inform the development and implementation of safeguarding policies and procedures, ensuring that they are relevant, effective and aligned with the actual needs of students.
Creates a positive culture
When student voice is encouraged and valued it can create a more positive, inclusive and supportive school culture where students feel comfortable speaking up and reporting concerns.
When schools have an active student voice, this information can be used alongside contextual information to build a better understanding of the risks and concerns in students’ environments, helping safeguarding leads to intervene earlier.
How contextual safeguarding can help staff understand safeguarding risks
Contextual safeguarding is an approach to safeguarding that recognises children and young people may be at risk of significant harm, not only within their home environment, but also outside it.
Students can encounter risks in a wide range of external environments, but by thoroughly understanding contextual safeguarding, a safeguarding lead can further appreciate how external factors outside an organisation can influence their role in keeping children and young people safe.
Historically, interventions took place in the presence of the young person and involved their family, regardless of where the harm originated. However, in cases of extra-familial abuse, it has been shown that this approach is inadequate in protecting the victim. A more effective method is to intervene with the outside environment itself, to prevent harm from occurring in the first place.
Where there are concerns of harm from such contexts, safeguarding leads need to consider the various needs and vulnerabilities of the child – some will have vulnerabilities that can be exploited by others and need appropriate support to minimise the impact of this.
Give staff the right tools to report concerns early
For context to be meaningful, risks and concerns need to be reported and that’s where the right tool makes a big difference. Tes MyConcern gives staff a simple, secure way to record even small concerns early — before they escalate — and ensures nothing is missed. With MyConcern, schools can:
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Spot risks early by easily identifying patterns and trends
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Access customised reports to gain a clearer picture
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Encourage open reporting for the whole school community – school staff, students, parents and external parties
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Securely share data with the right people to help build a bigger picture for key stakeholders
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Develop a positive school safeguarding culture