QTS Safeguarding and Child Protection 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'female genital mutilation (FGM)' mandatory reporting require of teachers in England?
- Teachers must report directly to the police if they discover that FGM has been carried out on a pupil under 18 (Correct answer)
- Teachers must only tell the DSL and take no further action
- Teachers must tell parents and allow them to seek medical advice
- FGM is not covered by mandatory reporting duties for teachers
Correct answer: Teachers must report directly to the police if they discover that FGM has been carried out on a pupil under 18
Since 2015, teachers in England have a mandatory duty to report directly to the police if they discover (not just suspect) that FGM has been carried out on a girl under 18.
Question 2: What is 'county lines' in the context of safeguarding?
- A form of criminal exploitation where gangs use children to traffic drugs across county borders (Correct answer)
- A boundary-marking system for school safeguarding zones
- A type of online grooming
- A category of domestic abuse
Correct answer: A form of criminal exploitation where gangs use children to traffic drugs across county borders
County lines refers to criminal networks that exploit vulnerable children and young people to move and sell drugs across geographic areas, often using violence and coercion.
Question 3: Which principle underpins all child protection work in England?
- The welfare of the child is paramount (Correct answer)
- Parents' rights take precedence
- Schools must always involve the family first
- Information must never be shared without consent
Correct answer: The welfare of the child is paramount
Section 1 of the Children Act 1989 establishes that the welfare of the child is the paramount consideration in all decisions affecting children.
Question 4: What is 'child sexual exploitation' (CSE)?
- A form of abuse where children are manipulated or coerced into sexual activity in exchange for something perceived as valuable (Correct answer)
- Sexual abuse only committed by family members
- Online grooming exclusively
- Physical abuse with a sexual component
Correct answer: A form of abuse where children are manipulated or coerced into sexual activity in exchange for something perceived as valuable
CSE involves children being manipulated, coerced or exploited into sexual activity, often with an exchange of gifts, money, affection or status, and may not be recognised as abuse by the child.
Question 5: Under the Prevent duty, which professionals are required to have 'due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism'?
- All specified authorities including schools and colleges (Correct answer)
- Only police and security services
- Only further education colleges
- Only teachers in secondary schools
Correct answer: All specified authorities including schools and colleges
The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 places the Prevent duty on all specified authorities, including schools, requiring them to prevent radicalisation.
Question 6: What is the purpose of a Child Protection Conference?
- To share information between agencies and decide whether a child should be placed on a Child Protection Plan (Correct answer)
- To prosecute the alleged abuser
- To remove the child from their home
- To suspend the teacher involved
Correct answer: To share information between agencies and decide whether a child should be placed on a Child Protection Plan
A Child Protection Conference brings together professionals and family members to share information and decide whether the child is at continuing risk of significant harm and whether a CP Plan is needed.
QTS Safeguarding and Child Protection 2
What does 'female genital mutilation (FGM)' mandatory reporting require of teachers in England?