Safeguarding and video calls/lessons

[Nomaigai]

I know there are various concerns about safeguarding and the use of video conferencing. I'm wondering if somehow can help me understand the safeguarding concern for one particular point.

Two separate schools have now told me my child can't have a video call in their bedroom. Why is that? What would make a call in the bedroom unsafe? It isn't the concept of the door being closed as I've also twice been told the child needs to be somewhere away from parents (for fair reasons - once counselling and once for an entry assessment).

Given this has come from two schools I assume there is something in it but I'm scratching my head trying to understand and my Google skills have failed me.

It doesn't really matter - I'm just curious
Thanks!

If the adults your child is speaking to came to your house they would not speak your child in their bedroom.

Even if that were the only suitable place? Why not?

Bedrooms are classed as personal space. Ours want parents in view at all times

I also don't understand a lot of the safeguarding rules on this. We've been living abroad and haven't encountered these concerns before.

But again why? I don't understand what the safeguarding issue is for personal space (how is a bedroom different to a sitting room in that respect).

I could understand if they wanted parents in view to hear what was being said but it's the opposite in practice. I could also understand if the issue was a closed door but it's not that either. No school I know of wants parents in view. In fact we've had to agree they shouldn't be in view for class teams calls etc (and my son would have failed his assessment if we'd been in view, understandably).

It's protecting the teachers/adults as well. Sometimes safeguarding does seem illogical, but the rules are there to cover a range of scenarios.

For the assessment, for example, my son needed to be alone in a room with computer access, all pictures and wall hangings removed and the door shut. For a three hour timeslot. It couldn't be a bedroom (not even the spare room). Luckily I have a study I could clear out but otherwise it would have had to have been us barred from the kitchen for three hours.

It's not an issue because we are lucky enough to have space but I'm confused as to the logic.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

It's protecting the teachers/adults as well. Sometimes safeguarding does seem illogical, but the rules are there to cover a range of scenarios.

I can sort of get that in a face-to-face context but on a video call? The counselling one my son had there were two counsellors (for safeguarding because of it not being face to face - which also confused me as they could record it as needed and it seemed resource heavy!) but still no bedroom.

Maybe it just is illogical. The assessment rules came from a school I'd expect to have thought this out in detail though. I just wanted to know if there was something I'd missed.

This isn't the UK but they are both British schools and in theory follow UK (English?) practice.

Yes it is because bedrooms are personal spaces, no adult should be viewing a childs bedroom in any professional capacity, if something is said etc that's uncomfortable for child it then shows child they have no safe space not even bedroom. Is psychological.

Bedrooms are considered private and less readily supervised by adults - often upstairs with no one on hand
Ideal situation is a parent 'around' but getting on with other things, keeping half an ear out for any problems. Unless it is a counselling session or exam where obviously needs will be different and alternative safety measures will be in place.

We've had all sorts of issues from children in bedrooms deciding to get changed mid video call
Parents forgetting about video call and walking across background in just underwear getting changed in the morning
Teacher being accused of pushing a child too hard and upsetting them by a pupil and parent wasn't there so no back up/evidence/second opinion- this could have easily been teacher accused of saying something inappropriate
Significant checks are obviously done on staff but in a school setting the general set up stops child abuse. Video calls open up a whole new, less supervised situation where staff are given a lot more access to pupils and their lives. That risk has to be managed.

That said, video calls are possible- just the rules need to be looked at depending on the situation.

@Todayisgood2

Yes it is because bedrooms are personal spaces, no adult should be viewing a childs bedroom in any professional capacity, if something is said etc that's uncomfortable for child it then shows child they have no safe space not even bedroom. Is psychological.

But that's just not true. Professionals (for example social workers) often do see children's bedrooms. Not all children have their own bedroom anyway. Plus the restriction is not on the child's bedrooms - it's on all bedrooms.

@HyperHippo

Bedrooms are considered private and less readily supervised by adults - often upstairs with no one on hand Ideal situation is a parent 'around' but getting on with other things, keeping half an ear out for any problems. Unless it is a counselling session or exam where obviously needs will be different and alternative safety measures will be in place.

We've had all sorts of issues from children in bedrooms deciding to get changed mid video call
Parents forgetting about video call and walking across background in just underwear getting changed in the morning
Teacher being accused of pushing a child too hard and upsetting them by a pupil and parent wasn't there so no back up/evidence/second opinion- this could have easily been teacher accused of saying something inappropriate
Significant checks are obviously done on staff but in a school setting the general set up stops child abuse. Video calls open up a whole new, less supervised situation where staff are given a lot more access to pupils and their lives. That risk has to be managed.

That said, video calls are possible- just the rules need to be looked at depending on the situation.

This I understand but it doesn't make sense in the context of being told parents shouldn't be around. I suspect it's a not well thought out specific policy in reality, and schools are still feeling their way. I can understand children might feel intrinsically more comfortable in their own bedrooms and forget there's a video!

I agree the risk of video calls needs to be managed and there are some unique challenges. I don't want to get into reasonableness or not of how those challenges are managed - one for a whole new thread!

I assume it is because it is considered a personal space. However if a child is going to be alone in a room when they speak to someone then I’m not sure if it makes a difference what room it is and I agree not all families will have a spare room to dedicate to virtual school.

I used to be a social worker and would see children in their bedrooms. However I don’t think that’s the same for teachers. There is a clear reasons for sw to do some (in some situations not others) that doesn’t really apply to teachers.

I wouldn’t be that happy being told I couldn’t be around if it was a primary age pupil either. Secondary I could sort of understand.

The measures put in place for an assessment would, by virtue of it being an assessment, not be the same as those for lessons.

An assessment has to be done with the child on their own, particularly if it's an entrance exam, as there are some parents who would cheat as much as possible to get their child.

Ours want parents in view at all times

But parents should not be listening in to a school lesson with any other kids - and there are concerns even with their own child of course as it prevents the child asking for help - but that's different to listening in to what unrelated kids say during a lesson.

Suggesting avoiding bedrooms may be sensible, the safe space as Todayisgood2 says above, but it's also may well be the best space available in the home, it's not as simple as a no, it's likely that a lot of homes simply do not have the space to avoid using bedrooms unless all the children are on top of each other in the same room on separate calls, and you don't actually want your 8 year old hearing the discussion in your 12 year olds PSHE lesson.

I agree social workers are different and they view bedrooms for different reasons but I was challenging the statement no adult should be viewing a childs bedroom in any professional capacity as clearly there are situations where a professional would be neglect not to.

My children are later primary - I'm happy not to be involved / listening but the bedroom thing is a bit frustrating as they both have desks in their bedrooms - it would be a better set up for home learning than anywhere else. Not worth a fight though, I was just wondering if I'd missed anything!

Thanks everyone. It's food for thought.