Schools are to face inspections looking solely at their child protection policies and how they are operated from early next year. But officials are worried that its wider rollout will add to concerns already felt by school staff over expanded child protection requirements in place for the past year. Such specialised standalone child protection inspections will be conducted in small numbers of schools and centres each year. Officials wrote: “It is clear that schools and education partners have anxieties concerning the level of child protection requirements placed on schools by the Children First legislation implemented in 2017, and it is likely that the child protection and safeguarding inspections will give rise to similar anxieties." School boards are also expected to be notified of child protection issues brought to attention and monitor how they are dealt with.

Source: Evening echo December 06, 2018 15:45 UTC