One of our teachers has decided to take a photo of the marks on a child’s bottom as the child said grandad hit him with a stick – but didn’t inform mum at the end of the day!
Even though the deputy designated safeguarding officer was with them when they took the photo, they absolutely shouldn’t have.
You may think that’s a reason to do so, but you just don’t take photos of children like this.
In this case, given that there’s no immediate cause for concern, the teacher should have spoken to mum to find out more detail.
Because they took a photo, the Headteacher had to contact the LADO (Local Area Designated Officer) and start an investigation, and also phone Mum to explain; “I’m sorry, but a teacher took a photo of your child’s bottom.”
This resulted in the staff members having an informal competency letter and also receive further training. (Which is why I thought I’d write this one up as a training question.)
The link below goes to our Policies folder for what you should and shouldn’t do, including when a child makes a disclosure.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YiVWOVDh-SaxLdKKz30jDM1fBreo92j1/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=107503517125289231876&rtpof=true&sd=true
