Roles and Responsibilities

While the ultimate responsibility for the implementation of the Child Safeguarding Policy is the Director General of the CSO, the CSO has appointed Designated Liaison Persons (DLP) and Deputy Designated Liaison Persons (DDLP) to ensure that this policy is promoted, supported, and fully implemented. DLPs should be fully trained to provide advice and support to any CSO staff member who has a child protection concern. They must ensure that reporting procedures are followed correctly and promptly and act as a liaison person with Tusla or An Garda Síochána where appropriate.

Staff should contact the relevant DLP if they have an issue or concern about any aspect of a child’s safety and welfare in the workplace or if a child discloses information regarding abuse in the workplace to the staff member. If the relevant DLP is unavailable for any reason, the designated DDLP should be contacted.
The relevant DLP ought to determine if Tulsa should be informed.
Further information on the roles of DLPs and DDLPs and their contact details are available at Appendix 3.

Recommended Work Practices – Do

Staff are required to observe the following good work practices to ensure that every child remains safe and has a positive experience in the course of their interaction with the CSO:

• Always put the child’s welfare and safety first.
• Ensure that you are not left alone with a child; another adult is present.
• Treat all children equally and as individuals, with respect and dignity.
• Use appropriate language and maintain awareness around language and comments made. If you think that something you said may have caused offence or upset, then try to address it in a sensitive manner.
• Respect a child’s personal space.
• Lead by example and create an atmosphere of trust.
• Be cognisant of a child’s limitations, due to a medical condition or learning difficulties for example.
• When dealing with TCOs under the age of 18, give them encouragement, support, and enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism. 
• Ensure any dangerous behaviour is avoided or stopped.
• Ensure that any personal details relating to children are kept confidential. 
• Keep a written record of any injury that occurs to a child, along with details of treatment given.
• Ensure there are clear channels of communication and access to staff if parents/guardians or children wish to voice their concerns if there is something they are not happy about.

Prohibited Behaviours - Don’t

While it is recognised that it is sometimes appropriate for staff to work on a one-to-one basis with a child, staff should not spend time alone with an individual child. Where CSO staff member needs to meet with a child alone, the door should be left open and another adult informed of the meeting.
In the case of field staff, no interviewer should enter a household or engage with a minor if there is no adult present. Interviewers should not approach an unaccompanied child as part of any survey e.g. airport survey. 

Prohibited behaviours when dealing with children:

• Do not be with a child alone.  If required, ensure an open door and another adult is nearby.
• Do not use or allow offensive or sexually suggestive physical and/or verbal language.
• Do not single out a particular child for unfair favouritism, criticism, ridicule, unwelcome focus, or attention.
• Do not allow/engage in inappropriate touching of any form.
• Do not hit or physically chastise children.
• Do not exert undue influence over a child in order to gain personal benefit or reward.
• Do not let allegations made by a child go unrecorded.
• Do not accompany a child into toilet facilities.

Failure to comply with these directions may be seen as a breach of the Policy and may give rise to both disciplinary and/or criminal proceedings. Staff should report concerns they note about any inappropriate behaviour of an officer of the CSO with regards to a child either through their line manager or the DLP directly.