QTS Safeguarding and Child Protection 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'neglect' in the context of child abuse?
- The persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in serious impairment of the child's health or development (Correct answer)
- A one-off failure to provide food
- Leaving a child alone for one hour
- Any failure to attend school
Correct answer: The persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in serious impairment of the child's health or development
Neglect is a persistent pattern of failing to meet basic needs — physical, emotional, medical, or educational — and is the most common category of child abuse in England.
Question 2: Which agency is responsible for investigating child abuse allegations in England?
- Children's Social Care (local authority) (Correct answer)
- The police alone
- Ofsted
- The school's DSL
Correct answer: Children's Social Care (local authority)
Children's Social Care leads child abuse investigations, often working alongside the police in joint enquiries under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989.
Question 3: What is a 'Section 47 enquiry' in child protection?
- An investigation by children's social care when there is reasonable cause to suspect a child is suffering significant harm (Correct answer)
- A voluntary referral from a parent
- A school exclusion review
- A court-ordered medical examination
Correct answer: An investigation by children's social care when there is reasonable cause to suspect a child is suffering significant harm
A Section 47 enquiry is a statutory investigation under the Children Act 1989, initiated when there is reasonable cause to believe a child may be suffering significant harm.
Question 4: What does 'information sharing' in safeguarding require teachers to balance?
- The right to privacy against the duty to protect children from harm (Correct answer)
- Parental consent against school policy
- Pupil preference against professional judgement
- Confidentiality against Ofsted requirements
Correct answer: The right to privacy against the duty to protect children from harm
Information sharing in safeguarding requires balancing privacy rights with the overriding duty to protect children — when child welfare is at risk, this can override normal confidentiality rules.
Question 5: What is the 'threshold of significant harm' and why is it important?
- It is the level of harm that triggers a statutory response — below it, early help is offered; above it, child protection procedures apply (Correct answer)
- It is the point at which a child must be removed from their home
- It applies only to physical abuse
- It determines whether a teacher must resign
Correct answer: It is the level of harm that triggers a statutory response — below it, early help is offered; above it, child protection procedures apply
The threshold of significant harm determines whether the state can intervene to protect a child. Below the threshold, early help is appropriate; at or above it, statutory CP procedures are activated.
Question 6: Under KCSIE, which part specifically covers the online safety responsibilities of schools?
- Part One and Annex D (Correct answer)
- Part Three only
- Annex A exclusively
- There is no online safety section
Correct answer: Part One and Annex D
KCSIE covers online safety responsibilities throughout, with Part One giving all staff key safeguarding principles and Annex D providing detailed guidance on filtering, monitoring, and online harms.
QTS Safeguarding and Child Protection 3
What is 'neglect' in the context of child abuse?