Children are considered to be abused or at risk of abuse by parents/carers when the basic needs of the child are not being met through acts of either commission or omission. This can include, but is not limited to:-
 

- Physical abuse: physical injury to a child where there is knowledge, or a reasonable suspicion, that their injury was inflicted or knowingly not prevented;
 

- Neglect: the persistent or severe neglect of a child that results in serious impairment of the child's health or development (both physical and mental);
 

- Emotional abuse: the persistent or severe emotional ill-treatment of a child which has severe adverse effects on the behaviour and emotional development of that child. This may involve serious bullying (including cyberbullying);
 

- Sexual abuse: the involvement of dependent, developmentally immature children and adolescents in sexual activities they do not truly comprehend, to which they are unable to give informed consent. Sexual abuse can take place online, and technology can be used to facilitate offline abuse;
 

- Grooming: When someone builds an emotional connection with a child or a young person to gain their trust for the purposes of sexual abuse or exploitation;
 

- Child sexual exploitation (CSE) and child criminal exploitation (CCE): Where an individual or group uses an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child into sexual or criminal activity. In some cases, this is in exchange for something the victim wants and may benefit the perpetrator or facilitator (e.g. financially or through increased status);
 

- Self-abuse: Any means by which a child or young person seeks to harm themselves. This can take lots of physical forms, including cutting, bruising, scratching, hair-pulling, poisoning, overdosing and eating disorders; and
 

- Child on child abuse: Abuse of a child by another child. Examples of this include bullying, physical abuse, sexual violence or harassment, upskirting (taking a picture under another person’s clothing without consent), sexting and initiation/ hazing violence and rituals.
 

All Company staff should also be aware that mental health problems can, in some cases though by no means all, be an indicator that a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering abuse, neglect, or exploitation. If staff have a mental health concern about a child that is also a safeguarding concern, immediate action should be taken, by following this child protection policy and speaking to the DSL.
 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

At Cambridge Online Tuition, we are committed to our legal and moral duty to promote the welfare of children and young people, protect them from harm and respond to safeguarding concerns. We believe that pupils have a right to learn in a supportive, caring and safe environment which includes the right to protection from all abuse.
 

Everyone who works or volunteers with us is subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure.
 

Our Safeguarding policy is available here and guidance can be found here.