AQW 12271/22-27


Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford


Tabled Date: 21/05/2024
Answered On Date: 05/06/2024
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to detail the systems and protocols in place for schools and education otherwise than at school settings where a child may have been impacted by an incident of harmful sexual abuse or an incident of problematic sexual behaviour, with reference to the (i) children alleged to display the behaviour; and (ii) children it is directed towards.


Answer:
Harmful sexual behaviour sits within the overall context of safeguarding and child protection. Procedures for recording all safeguarding and child protection concerns are outlined in Circular 2020/07 - Child Protection: Record Keeping in Schools. This Circular provides a framework for the management of the recording, storage, retention and destruction of both manual and electronic records where they relate to child welfare concerns.
Safeguarding and Child Protection in Schools - A Guide for Schools | Department of Education (education-ni.gov.uk) also provides statutory guidance to educational settings on all aspects of child protection and safeguarding, including sexual abuse, harmful sexual behaviour and record keeping in relation to child protection concerns.
The systems and protocols in place for educational settings impacted by an incident of harmful sexual abuse or an incident of problematic sexual behaviour are outlined in Circular 2022/02 - Children Who Display Harmful Sexual Behaviour. The guidance relates to children alleged to display harmful sexual behaviour and any children it is directed towards.
Where the guidance above has identified a need to develop a Risk Assessment Management Plan (RAMP) in relation to harmful sexual behaviour, the Education Authority have confirmed the following number of RAMPs have been developed in conjunction with EA’s Child Protection Support Service and other third parties as appropriate:
Year
2021/22
2022/23
2023/24*
No. of RAMPS developed across Schools/EOTAS and ETA
122
156
148
*2023/24 academic year is incomplete