Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region III
Division of City Schools
Cabanatuan District III
PAGAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Purok Rosas Barangay Pagas Cabanatuan City

Child Protection Policy

Dated February 8, 2024

A range of documents, circulars and guidance for good practice governs Child Protection
work at Pagas Elementary School. Key documents are:

● DepEd Order No.40, s. 2012

● 1987 Constitution, Art. XV, Sec.3[2]
● Convention on the Rights of the Child
● RA 7610
● RA 9231
● RA 10627
● RA 9344

The School Child Protection Policy Committee:

Chairperson: DORIS N. OCAMPO (School Principal)

Vice-chairperson: Eden L. Mendoza (School Guidance Counselor)
Members: Anabel D. De Lara (Representative of the Teachers)
Analie Duque (Representative of the Parents)
JC V. Montano (Representative of the Pupils)
Jecell Duldulao (Representative from the community)

Aims and Objectives

To safeguard the welfare and safety of all pupils in our care, we

● Provide Staff and stakeholders training and ensure awareness in Child Protection
matters
● Recognize that we have a vital role to play in effective joint working with other
agencies and professionals
● Ensure all staff is aware of referral procedures.

● Monitor all at risk students

● Support pupils in school using a variety of support networks

● Aim proactively to create an environment where students feel secure, have their
points of view valued and are listened to
● Use assemblies to raise awareness

● Maintain effective records

Working Together to Safeguard Children

Policy Guidelines

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:

● Protecting children from maltreatment

● Preventing impairment of children’s health or development
● Ensuring that children are growing up in the circumstances consistent with the
provision of safe and effective care

A child is anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday (as in the Children Acts 1989
and 2004)

Our Policy:

✔ Safeguards children wherever they are, including children who live away from home.
✔ Emphasizes the shared responsibilities of all of us to safeguard children in our
communities.
✔ Is more inclusive and stresses specific needs of disabled children and children from
different ethnic groups.
 ✔ Recognizes children involved in prostitution as being children in need.
✔ Alerts staff to inter-relationship between Domestic Violence, parental alcoholism,
drug abuse, mental illness, child abuse and neglect. These are all additional sources
of stress.
✔ Recognizes risk to children from employees including volunteers and the need to
develop safeguards that maintain a safe environment.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Role of the School Head

The School Head is ultimately responsible, within the school, for child protection. The
School Head is responsible for:

● Supporting the designated child protection teacher

● Ensuring internal and external arrangements for consultation and liaison are devised
● Considering, in conjunction with the designated teacher, at what point to involve
parents/guardians
● Advising parents/guardians of the decision to make a referral

● Ensuring an effective record-keeping system is in place

● Ensuring arrangements are in place for police checks of voluntary helpers
● Ensuring information about a child with a Child Protection Plan is passed on to a new
school
● Taking the lead where allegations are made against a member of staff

The Role of the Designated Teacher

There are two principles that the designated teacher should always bear in mind:

1. The welfare of the child is paramount and should always be at the forefront of all
decisions taken
2. Confidentiality must be respected at all times

The designated teacher should:

● Make sure all staff, stakeholders and management bodies know about and know
where to find the procedures relating to child protection
 ● Ensure that all staff are clear about their responsibilities within the child protection
procedures
● Make sure that all staff know that the designated teacher should be informed about
any suspicions or allegations of abuse
● Ensure that formal referrals to Violence Against Women & Children (VAWC) desk
are made following consultation with the School Head on behalf of the school
● Ensure the School Head is kept informed of every situation, including those cases of
uncertainty, as well as giving an update report on the welfare of those children who
have a Child Protection Plan or are being monitored
● Attend relevant INSET/Training/Seminar
● Be the lead for the Child Protection INSET within Caalibangbangan Elementary
School
● Keep all records up to date

● Advise staff in cases of uncertainly and give informed advice and guidance to new
staff
● Consider, in conjunction with the School Head, at what point to involve
parents/guardians
● Contact and Liaise with Violence Against Women & Children (VAWC) desk and any
other relevant agencies
● Be supportive to those members of staff to whom pupils have made disclosures

● Be active in supporting the Child Protection Plan

● Ensure, in consultation with the School Head, that arrangements are in place for
police checks on voluntary helpers
● Establish a system, in conjunction with the School Head, for passing appropriate
Child Protection information to a new school

The Role of Staff

● All staff will be alert to signs of abuse and will act upon any concerns or
suspicions. Observations/comments should be recorded and passed on immediately to
the Designated Teacher
● All staff, including the Designated Teacher, will receive adequate and appropriate
training
● All staff will respect confidentiality and share information on a need to know basis

● If the Designated Teacher is not in school, staff should go to one of the Designated
Deputies or the School Head.

Ten key points to follow if you suspect, or are told, of abuse:

 Adults looking after children or young people should be aware of the risks of abuse
(by adults or other young people), and take steps to reduce those risks.

Staff or volunteers in charge of children or young people should know what to do if they
suspect that someone is physically or sexually abused, or if someone tells them that this is
happening. The following key points give a guide on what to do and what not to do:

1. Always stop and listen straight away to someone who wants to tell you about incidents or
suspicions of abuse.

2. If you can, write brief notes of what they are telling you while they are speaking (these
may help later if you have to remember exactly what was said) – and keep your original
notes, however rough and even if you wrote on the back of something else (it’s what you
wrote at the time that may be important later – not a tidier and improved version you wrote
up afterwards). If you don’t have the means to write at the time, make notes of what was said
or observed as soon as possible afterwards.

3. Never make a promise that you will keep what is said confidential or secret – if you are
told about abuse you have a responsibility to tell the right people to get something done about
it (see below). If asked, explain that if you are going to be told something very important that
needs to be sorted out, you will need to tell the people who can sort it out, but that you will
only tell the people who absolutely have to know.

4. Do not ask leading questions that might give your own ideas of what might have
happened (e.g. “did he do X to you?”) – just ask “what do you want to tell me?” or “is there
anything else you want to say?”.

5. Immediately tell the person in charge of the group (unless they are themselves accused or
suspected of abusing) – don’t tell other adults or young people what you have been told.

6. Discuss with the person in charge whether any steps need to be taken to protect the person
who has told you about the abuse (this may need to be discussed with the person who told
you).

7. Never attempt to carry out an investigation of suspected or alleged abuse by interviewing

people etc. – Social Services and police staff are trained to do this – you could cause more
damage and spoil possible criminal proceedings. It is your duty to refer concerns on, not
investigate.

8. As soon as possible (and certainly the same day) the person in charge should refer the
matter to the local Social Services Department (helped by your notes). Follow their requests
about what to do next. They will set up any necessary investigations and advice you – that is
their statutory job.

9. Never think abuse is impossible in your organization or group, or that an accusation

against someone you know well and trust is bound to be wrong.
 10. Children and young people often tell other young people, rather than staff or other adults,
about abuse – make sure that your senior young people know the points on this sheet as well
as the responsible adults.

Important

These points are no substitute for the proper selection and training of adults trusted to look
after children and young people, or for the organizations/groups having their own clear “child
protection” procedures for their particular setting. Caalibangbangan Elementary School
follows selection procedures which make sure that all necessary measures are taken to ensure
the suitability of staff who have access to children.

Definitions of child abuse

Defining child abuse is not easy. ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ suggests that the
most important aspect in defining abuse is sound professional practice where judgments are
made supported by evidence from research and from thorough assessments.

Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by knowingly not preventing
harm. Children may be abused in a family, the community, an institutional setting, or more
rarely by a stranger. Most young people who are abused know their abuser.

Physical Abuse

This may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning,
suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused
when a parent or guardian fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces illness in a
child.

Emotional Abuse

Is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child, such as to cause severe and persistent
adverse effects to the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to children
they are worthless, unloved, and inadequate or valued only in so far as they meet the needs of
another person. It may cause the child to feel frightened, in danger, or to be exploited or
corrupted.

Sexual Abuse
Involves forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, whether or not they are
aware of what is happening. It may involve physical contact, penetrative or non-penetrative
acts and also includes children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual online images,
watching sexual images, or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.

Neglect

This is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs
which is likely to result in serious impairment to their health and development. May involve
a parent or care failing to provide adequate food, shelter, clothing or a failure to protect from
physical and emotional harm or danger, or allow access to medical care or treatment. It may
also include the neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

FIRST STEPS IN CHILD PROTECTION

Indicators of Abuse

The following is a summary of some of the indicators that may suggest that a child is being,
or is at risk of harm under each category. It is important to recognize that indicators alone
cannot confirm whether a child is being abused. Every child needs to be seen in the context
of their family and wider community and a proper assessment carried out by appropriate
persons.

The important message is that if it makes you feel unsure, or worried, do something about it,
don’t keep it to yourself.

Physical observations

● Bruising especially:
o bruises on trunk
o bruises on upper arm, shoulders, neck consistent with gripping
o finger tip bruising/finger marks.
● Burns and scalds especially:
o cigarette burns
o burns caused by lengthy exposure to heat.
● Human bite marks

● Fractures, particularly spiral fractures

● Swelling and lack of normal use of limbs

● Any serious injury with no explanation or conflicting explanations/inconsistent

accounts.
 ● Untreated injuries.

Behavioural observations

● Unusually fearful with adults

● Unnaturally compliant to parents
● Refusal to discuss injuries/fear of medical help
● Withdrawal from physical contact
● Aggression toward others
● Wears cover-up clothing
● Neurotic behaviour (such as rocking, hair-twisting, thumb sucking)
● Self-mutilation
● Fear of parents being contacted
● Extremes of passivity or aggression
● Drug/solvent abuse
● Running away
● Compulsive stealing, scavenging

Indicators of neglect

Behavioral observations

● Constant hunger
● Constant tiredness
● Frequent lateness or non-attendance at school
● Destructive tendencies
● Low self-esteem
● Neurotic behaviour
● No social relationships
● Running away
● Compulsive stealing or scavenging
 ● Multiple accidents and accidental injuries.

Physical observations

● Poor personal hygiene

● Poor state of clothing
● Emaciation, pot belly, short stature
● Poor skin tone and hair tone
● Untreated medical problems

Indicators of sexual abuse

Physical observations

● Damage to genitalia, anus or mouth

● Sexually transmitted disease
● Unexpected pregnancy especially in very young girls
● Soreness in genital area, anus or mouth
● Unexplained recurrent urinary tract infections and discharges or abdominal pain

Behavioural observations

● Sexual knowledge inappropriate for age

● Sexualised behaviour in young children
● Sexually provocative behaviour/promiscuity
● Hinting at sexual activity
● Inexplicable falling off in school performance
● Sudden apparent changes in personality
● Lack of concentration, restlessness, aimlessness
● Socially withdrawn
● Overly compliant behaviour
● Acting out, aggressive behaviour
● Poor trust in significant adults
● Regressive behaviour, onset of wetting, by day or night
 ● Onset of insecure, clinging behaviour
● Arriving early at school, leaving late, running away from home
● Suicide attempts, self-mutilation, self-disgust
● Eating disorders, hysteria attacks in adolescents

Indicators of emotional abuse

● Physical, mental and emotional development lags

● Acceptance of punishment which appears excessive
● Over-reaction to mistakes
● Continual self-deprecation
● Sudden speech disorders
● Fear of new situations
● Inappropriate emotional responses to painful situations.

Report of cases of abuse, violence, exploitation, discrimination, bullying or peer abuse

and other related offenses

School: /Division/Region:
_______________________________________________________

Period covered:
_______________________________________________________________

Person submitting Report :

_____________________________________________________

Designation:
__________________________________________________________________

Date: ________________________________________

Victims Res
 pon
den
ts

Nature of Actions
Name Age Sex Name Age Sex Recommendation
Complaint Taken