About
The Schools Charter on Ending Harmful Practices’ seeks to encourage the delivery of high quality, safeguarding focused inputs across all Schools and Colleges.
This is to promote a preventative approach to tackling these sensitive issues and inspire collaboration between stakeholders in education, police and third sector organisations.
Engagement will be voluntary, inclusive and build on existing protocols and prior learning of the rights for children. It will further encourage adult participation especially parents, teachers, carers, communities and policy makers who have the responsibility to ensure that these rights are adhered to.
From September 2020 Relationships Education for all primary pupils, Relationships
and Sex Education (RSE) for all secondary pupils; and Health Education for all pupils will be compulsory.
HM Government has also been clear that, as part RSE for secondary pupils, schools include content on female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage.
“Through the London Harmful Practice Working Group, we continue to ensure that a protective and preventative approach is taken and to raise awareness on these issues to end these harmful practices in the UK.”
How it works
The Schools Charter is a framework that schools and external delivery providers can use as a reference point when developing or promoting inputs.
The Schools Charter applies a set of principles can be incorporated into PHSE, RSE and Citizenship lesson plans that are delivered by external providers or conversely, developed and delivered by school staff. It also encourages information sharing where disclosures are made to ensure appropriate responses are applied.
KEY PRINCIPLES:
Health implications of Harmful Practices in its different forms
Highlight the legal position in the UK relating to Harmful Practices
Have a Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) focus
Address issues regarding consent and capacity to choose (and the vulnerability of those who cannot consent)
Are evidence based (for instance highlighting the prevalence of abuse)
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
How to use the Schools Charter?
The Charter encourages schools to prioritise professional development and teacher training on harmful practices to empower teachers.
It recognises the need for this to be in collaboration with the third sector and key stakeholders and that a response from the education sector in isolation would not be as effective.
The Charter principles can be incorporated into harmful practices lesson plans that are delivered by external providers or conversely, developed and delivered by school staff.
The Schools Charter promotes the appropriate sharing of information via existing referral pathways to ensure statutory and third sector organisations have clear protocols that address:
– What to do when safeguarding disclosures are made
– How they share information via existing local referral pathways
– How they share community information/intelligence with police
“The MPS Guidance for Schools and Colleges supports and incorporates the Schools Charter on Ending Harmful Practices. This comprehensive resource helps front line professionals in schools and colleges responding to all Harmful Practices, Child Sexual Exploitation, Sexting and Rape. and aims to increase sharing of information between schools and police, increase engagement with (and support to) schools around complex safeguarding issues and promote consistency when dealing with disclosures”
The London Harmful Practices Working Group (LHPWG) is a strategic multi-agency forum.
Facilitated by the Metropolitan Police Service, this network brings together a myriad of statutory, third sector organisations, legal experts and key stakeholders from the criminal justice sector, health and education
Together the LHPWG members work to ensure a partnership approach in tackling all forms of Harmful Practices.
Co-Chair
Detective Superintendent Jim Foley
Metropolitan Police
Co-Chair
Polly Harrar
The Sharan Project
Deputy Chair
Karen Wint
Women and Health Families Service
Members
8 too many
Aina Khan Law
Anthony Gold Solicitors
Ashiana London
Barnardos
British Transport Police
Caroline Goode (retired Detective Superintendent)
City of London Police
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
Dawson Cornwell Solicitors
Department of Education
8 too many
Aina Khan Law
Anthony Gold Solicitors
Ashiana London
Barnardos
British Transport Police
Caroline Goode (retired Detective Superintendent)
City of London Police
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
Dawson Cornwell Solicitors
Department of Education
Forced Marriage Unit (FCO)
Goldsmith Chambers
Hillingdon Council
Home Office
IKWRO
Mbmc-Crawford Street
Mccormacks
NHS
NSPCC
Respond
Royal College of Midwives
Southall Black Sisters
The National FGM Centre
The Sharan Project
Thirty One Eight
Travel Care
Women’s Resource Centre
Forced Marriage Unit (FCO)
Goldsmith Chambers
Hillingdon Council
Home Office
IKWRO
Mbmc-Crawford Street
Mccormacks
NHS
NSPCC
Respond
Royal College of Midwives
Southall Black Sisters
The National FGM Centre
The Sharan Project
Thirty One Eight
Travel Care
Women’s Resource Centre
What do we mean by harmful practices?
Harmful practices cover a range of practices, not all of which are covered by current legislation. They can be traditional, re-emerging or emerging practices. From a policing perspective, harmful practices include Forced Marriage, Honour Based Abuse, Female Genital Mutilation, Breast Ironing and Child Abuse Linked to Faith or Belief.staff.
Harmful practices
Listed below are some of the harmful practices. For more information please click here.
– Abuse Linked to Faith or Belief
– Honour Based Abuse
– FGM (Femal Genital Mutilation)
– Forced Marriage
Funders
The Schools Charter is kindly funded by the Metropolitan Police through the
Mayor’s Office of Policing and Crime (MOPAC).
Copyright Schools Charter 2020