Expectations of safeguarding processes

[Namechangedlikehell]

A teacher at the school my children go to has been convicted of downloading and distributing indecent images of children. We're not in the UK. School were aware of charges but not that the images related to children and were given assurances from the authorities that no pupils were involved or at risk.

School found out through the press earlier this week (as did parents) that it was indecent images of children.

Would you expect the school to have then launched a safeguarding investigation or would you expect them to have relied on the information from the authorities that no pupils were at risk.

I think you can probably guess the option the school have chosen. From my point of view, how can anyone (including the authorities) know no risk without an investigation.

Trying to work out if I have unreasonable expectations. I've spoken to my children and they have not had contact with this teacher but I am very concerned that the school does not see the need to discuss with students who have had contact to see if there was anything more going on.

To make it clear, teacher has not been employed by the school since arrested - he's in prison.

The school won't have the ability to do the sort if investigation you refer to. Only "the authorities" (the police) can do that. So yes, the school will rely on information from the authorities.

Ah so I am expecting too much. I was expecting that the parents of students he'd taught would at least he told by the school so they knew to discuss with their kids

*be told

If none of the children in the images were students why would parents need to be raise it with the children? Downloading and distributing is different to making images. Police and ss will have looked into the extent of this and judged the risk he posed to those around him. I do doubt that the school were unaware of the charges though.

I suppose I'm confused by how the risk of whether he has being doing anything else can be assessed without having discussed the allegations with the school. Not disputing though, I just would have expected this to trigger wider investigations but at the end of the day, I don't know which is why I'm asking! Sounds like it's normal for schools to leave news of this sort of thing to spread in press / rumour mill.

My only other experience of this is with grooming (but again not connected at all with the school) and the school in question took a very different approach but maybe they just had a better PR department!

I'm sure the police will have discussed the situation with the school.

They haven't according to the head. This isn't the UK, I have no faith the authorities have investigated properly and I don't see how they could have without as a minimum asking the school if they had had any concerns raised.

Difficult know what to expect given it is not in the UK.
However what I can say is what should have happened in the UK. At the point where the school became aware of the allegations being made, then the school will have liaised with what is called the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). They would have been responsible for deciding whether to suspend the teacher or not, which would have depended on what exactly had been downloaded. The probability is that they would have been suspended, especially if any of the downloading / viewing had been at the school.As a Chair of Governors I would then have wanted to be very clear about what effects this may have had on pupils and staff and therefore would have engaging appropriate outside professional help. I find it quite difficult to believe that the school did not know the nature of the charges as there would surely have been some conversations between school and police.
Having been found guilty of indecent images of children, the teacher would be sacked and almost for sure found themselves being banned indefinitely from being able to work with children and vulnerable adults by the National College.

Ah, not the UK. No bleeding idea then

Thanks everyone. I can't give too many more details but school has not even looked at IT records to see if there were any offences commited using school systems.

It's hard to say as expectations will be different in different countries. As a pp said, the LADO would be informed and a strategy meeting likely held with the Head (or Rep), the police, Social Care and the Local Authority. Recommendations would be made regarding how to proceed.

Part of the police investigation will have been identifying victims from images. This will give them an idea of victim profile, and should tell them what children were involved.
School should be checking their systems though.

If the school were in the UK, they’d be on a conveyor belt as to how to handle this situation. Their hands would be tied by the local authority.

I thought schools/teachers weren't allowed to investigate in the UK. The person it's disclosed to has to listen and record and pass to the lead safeguarding officer who will then decide how to proceed. often passed on to LADO

That is correct, it is the responsibility of the LADO to arrange any suitable investigations having been given initial information on the safeguarding concern by school designated officer