Safeguarding

BSA Commitment to Care Charter

The Commitment to Care Charter is BSA’s fundamental statement of the importance of safeguarding and child protection in our schools. Every BSA member worldwide is expected to subscribe to the fundamentals of the Charter:

  • BSA schools are committed to the highest duty of care and safeguarding
  • Everyone working in a BSA school will raise concerns immediately
  • Member schools will follow all statutory safeguarding guidance and laws and report concerns to the relevant authority and the BSA
  • BSA schools will support any present pupils affected by abuse and those who report concerns, and offer support to past pupils
  • BSA will support member schools that responsibly follow the Charter.

BSA COMMITMENT TO CARE CHARTER – SEPTEMBER 2023

Please click on the link below to see further guidance about reporting issues to BSA:

CHARTER  – GUIDANCE FOR REPORTING

Supporting victims

BSA has issued a statement in response to both new and historic abuse in boarding schools, and a guidance page is available for staff receiving disclosures:

BSA SAFEGUARDING STATEMENT

PROVIDING ADVICE AND SUPPORT TO SURVIVORS OF ABUSE

SUPPORTING VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS OF ABUSE – ENGLAND

SUPPORTING VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS OF ABUSE – SCOTLAND

Safeguarding resources

SACPA WEBSITE (SAFEGUARDING AND CHILD PROTECTION ASSOCIATION)

OFSTED REVIEW OF SEXUAL ABUSE IN SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

EDUCATION FOR A CONNECTED WORLD

Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people (updated March 2024) – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

PROMOTING BEST PRACTICE – LEARNING SAFEGUARDING LESSONS FROM RECENT SERIOUS CASE REVIEWS – SECOND EDITION, NOVEMBER 2016

Government and other guidance – England

Working together to safeguard children 2023: statutory guidance

Keeping children safe in education 2024

INFORMATION SHARING: ADVICE FOR PRACTITIONERS

Guidance for Safer Working Practice 2022

The Parents’ Guide to Teaching your Teen Online Safety

Mobile phones in schools – February 2024

Government Guidance – Scotland

Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) – Link to the website

Supporting documents – National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 – updated 2023 – gov.scot (www.gov.scot) 

Government Guidance – Wales

ALL WALES CHILD PROTECTION PROCEDURES – UPDATED 2020

Keeping Learners Safe Guidance for Wales (updated April 2022)

Peer-on-peer Guidance for Wales

Government Guidance – Northern Ireland

NI CHILD PROTECTION GUIDANCE

Government Guidance – Ireland 

gov – Children First: National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017 (www.gov.ie) 

Safeguarding inquiries

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) concluded its public hearings in October 2022, and the final report into the residential school strand of the inquiry is expected soon.

The Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse | IICSA Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse 

Link to the IICSA website

THE TRUTH PROJECT PRODUCED A REPORT IN NOVEMBER 2017 INTO THE IMPACT OF HISTORIC ABUSE

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry is ongoing:

Link to the Scottish Inquiry website

An extensive report was published in Australia in 2017

Australian Royal Commission website

TABS, our sister association in the USA, have made us aware of a report into child sexual abuse from the USA:

A SHORT BSA SUMMARY OF THE DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE HERE