1. Our Commitment to Child Safety

All Parents Primary School, Mubende, is a Christ-centered learning community located opposite Pride Travelers Hotel in Mubende, Uganda. We believe that every child is created in the image of God and must be treated with dignity, respect, and love. We are fully committed to providing a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment where all children can learn, grow, and flourish.

This Child Safeguarding Policy sets out how we protect children from harm, abuse, and neglect. It applies to all staff, volunteers, visitors, contractors, and partners associated with All Parents Primary School, regardless of their role or length of involvement.

2. Key Principles

Our safeguarding approach is guided by the following key principles:

• Every child has the right to be protected from harm, abuse, and neglect.
• The best interests of the child are our primary consideration in all decisions and actions.
• Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility: all staff, volunteers, and parents share a duty to protect children.
• Children are listened to, taken seriously, and supported when they raise a concern or disclose abuse.
• Concerns about a child’s safety are responded to promptly, fairly, and in line with Ugandan law and good international practice.
• We work in partnership with parents, guardians, church leaders, community members, and appropriate authorities to promote child safety.
• Discrimination of any kind (including on the basis of gender, disability, social background, faith, or ethnicity) is not tolerated.

3. Designated Safeguarding Responsibilities

To ensure clear accountability, All Parents Primary School has appointed staff with specific safeguarding responsibilities:

• Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): A senior member of staff responsible for overseeing all safeguarding matters, receiving and responding to concerns, liaising with parents and guardians, and making referrals to appropriate authorities when necessary.
• Deputy Safeguarding Lead(s): Trained staff who support the DSL, especially when the DSL is unavailable, and who help promote safeguarding awareness across the school.
• School Leadership: The Head Teacher and senior leadership team ensure that safeguarding is embedded in all school policies, decision-making, and daily practice.
• All Staff and Volunteers: Every adult in school is required to understand this policy, complete appropriate child protection training, remain vigilant, and report any concerns immediately.

Details of the current Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Safeguarding Lead(s) are displayed on school notice boards and shared with parents at the start of each academic year.

4. Types of Abuse

Abuse can take many forms. The following definitions guide how we identify and respond to concerns. Abuse may be caused by adults or by other children (peer-on-peer abuse), and can occur in person or online.

4.1 Physical Abuse

Physical abuse involves causing physical harm to a child. This includes hitting, slapping, beating, kicking, burning, poisoning, shaking, or any other action that causes physical injury. It also includes forcing a child to take drugs or alcohol, or deliberately causing ill health.

4.2 Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse involves persistent behaviour that harms a child’s emotional development, self-worth, or well-being. This includes constant criticism, rejection, humiliating or degrading treatment, threats, intimidation, isolation, bullying (including cyberbullying), and exposure to domestic violence or other severe conflict.

4.3 Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse involves forcing, pressuring, or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. This includes physical contact (such as touching, fondling, rape, or attempted rape) and non-contact activities (such as showing pornography, exposing a child to sexual acts, or encouraging sexually explicit behaviour, including online).

4.4 Neglect

Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical, emotional, educational, or medical needs. This includes not providing adequate food, clothing, shelter, supervision, health care, education, or emotional support. Neglect can seriously impair a child’s health and development.

5. Reporting Concerns and Disclosures

All concerns about a child’s safety, well-being, or behaviour must be taken seriously. It is not the responsibility of staff, volunteers, or parents to investigate, but it is their duty to report.

5.1 If a Child Discloses Abuse

• Listen carefully, calmly, and without judgment.
• Reassure the child that they have done the right thing by telling someone.
• Do not promise to keep secrets; explain that you must share the information with people who can help keep them safe.
• Avoid asking leading questions or pressing for details; use open questions only if necessary (for example, “Can you tell me more about that?”).
• Record what the child has said as soon as possible, using their own words, and note the date, time, and context.
• Report the disclosure immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead or Deputy Safeguarding Lead.

5.2 Reporting a Concern

• Any member of staff, volunteer, parent, or visitor who has a concern about a child’s safety or welfare must share this concern with the Designated Safeguarding Lead (or Deputy) as soon as possible, ideally on the same day.
• Concerns should be recorded using the school’s safeguarding concern form or secure reporting system.
• The Designated Safeguarding Lead will assess the information, consult with school leadership if appropriate, and decide on next steps, which may include speaking with the child and/or parent, seeking advice, or making a referral to local child protection authorities or the police.
• In an emergency, where a child is in immediate danger, any adult should contact the police or local child protection services first, and then inform the school leadership and DSL as soon as it is safe to do so.

6. Confidentiality and Information Sharing

All safeguarding information is handled sensitively and stored securely. Confidentiality is respected, but it must never prevent action where a child is at risk of harm.

• Information about safeguarding concerns is shared only with those who need to know in order to protect the child.
• Records of concerns, disclosures, and actions taken are kept securely and in accordance with data protection requirements.
• Parents and guardians are informed about safeguarding concerns whenever it is safe and appropriate to do so. In some cases, information may need to be shared with authorities without parental consent if seeking consent could place the child at greater risk.
• All staff receive guidance on the limits of confidentiality and the importance of timely information sharing to safeguard children.

7. Staff and Volunteer Code of Conduct

All adults working with children at All Parents Primary School must model Christ-like character and maintain high professional standards. The following expectations are central to our code of conduct:

• Treat every child with respect, courtesy, and patience, valuing their views and feelings.
• Maintain clear and appropriate professional boundaries at all times.
• Avoid being alone with a child in a closed or secluded space whenever reasonably possible; where one-to-one conversations are necessary, they should take place in a visible, open area.
• Never use physical punishment, humiliating language, or degrading treatment.
• Use only age-appropriate, non-abusive physical contact (for example, comforting a distressed child) and only when it is clearly in the child’s best interest.
• Do not develop or encourage relationships with children that could be seen as sexual, exploitative, or abusive.
• Use digital communication with students only through approved school channels and only for educational purposes.
• Do not give or receive personal gifts to or from individual children that could be misunderstood or create favoritism, except with clear approval from school leadership.
• Challenge and report any behaviour by adults or students that may be unsafe, abusive, or contrary to this policy.
• Complete regular safeguarding and child protection training as required by the school.

8. How Parents and Guardians Can Raise Concerns

We encourage parents and guardians to be active partners in safeguarding. If you have any concern about your child or another child, please speak up. You will be listened to and your concern will be treated seriously.

• Speak to a Teacher or Class Tutor: You may first talk to your child’s teacher, who will share your concern with the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
• Contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead: Parents can request a meeting through the school office or through the official school communication channels.
• Email the Safeguarding Team: Parents can send a written concern or request for a confidential conversation using the contact details below.
• Urgent Concerns: If you believe a child is in immediate danger, you should contact local authorities or the police at once, and then inform the school as soon as possible.

9. Safeguarding Contact Details

For any safeguarding questions, concerns, or to request a confidential conversation, please contact our safeguarding team:

• Email (Safeguarding Contact): tushabeausali@gmail.com
• Email (Safeguarding Contact): musygloria@gmail.com
• Location: All Parents Primary School, opposite Pride Travelers Hotel, Mubende, Uganda.