Task 5b - Ethics within the Workplace

Task 5b-Ethics within the workplace

After completing Task 5a which illustrated my initial ideas towards ethical practice and codes of conduct in the workplace, I sought out official legislation and policies to confirm what I already know and also reiterate any areas that I may have discounted.  

For all of the schools I currently work in, digital copies of these documents are available on the schools website and/or school portal. Policies include:

Anti Bullying

Attendance

Behavior

Complaints

Children who have not been collected from School

Safeguarding and child protection

SEN Policy

School closure

Whistle Blowing Policy

All documentation is very clearly presented. Take whistle blowing for example, it tells you under subtitles what the Policy encapsulates.

Purpose:

To set out the Governing Body's policy and procedure for dealing with concerns raised by employees.

Background:

Here it gives a description of the Public Interest Disclosure Act and the policy builds on the provisions of this act.

Aims and Scope of the Policy:  

·         provide avenues for employees to raise concerns internally as a matter of course, and receive feedback on any action taken; 

·         provide for matters to be dealt with quickly and appropriately; and ensure that concerns are taken seriously; 

·         reassure employees that they will be protected from reprisals or victimisation for whistle-blowing in good faith; 

·         allow employees to take the matter further if they are dissatisfied with the Governing Body's response. 

Safeguards

Here the documentation refers to Harassment or Victimisation, Confidentiality, Anonymous Allegations, Untrue/Unfounded Allegations, and Support to Employees.

How to raise a concern inside and outside of the School

The Policy sets guidelines for the employee and also provides contact details for raising a concern outside of the School vicinity.

The role of Senior Managers          

Self-explanatory.

Monitoring and review

The Headteacher will be responsible for monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of this policy/procedure. The policy/procedure will be reviewed by the Governing Body as necessary.

I considered it important that I shared this information on my blog as every Policy should be clear, comprehensive and available to staff. I have read on blogs concerning Task 5b that a couple of Teachers have had difficulty locating their School policies. I think it is very important that we are aware of the documentation, where a hard copy is kept and also if we can access the information in our own time; the Policies and Government official documentation is put into place to protect both students and staff.

I have identified the policies applicable to my role and the inquiry; I will talk about these below.

Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy-

“All staff have an important role to play in noticing indicators of possible abuse or neglect through their contact with children. It is important that all staff know what to do     if they have any concerns. Staff will create and maintain an ethos where children are encouraged to talk and are listened to. They will have an awareness of the indicators of abuse and always take any concerns seriously.”

I am confident that after recently attending a Safeguarding course and familiarising myself with the Policies that I can create this necessary safe and encouraging environment for the children I teach. Safeguarding, I believe is one of the most important aspects of my profession. Although it can be difficult to accept, every child can be hurt, put at risk of harm or abused regardless of their age, gender, religion or ethnicity. Safeguarding legislation and government guidance says that Safeguarding means “protecting children from maltreatment, preventing impairment of children’s health or development ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.” In addition they state that it is “…everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play.”

(Working together to Safeguard children, HM Government 2013)

Code of Conduct-

·         Staff are responsible for their own actions and behaviour and should avoid any conduct which would lead any reasonable person to question their motivation and intentions.               

·         Staff will ensure their behaviour remains professional at all times, including their dress and use of language.                      

·         Physical contact between adults and children should be kept to the minimum required. Younger children may need more physical contact than older children.          

·         Adults should avoid contact which could be misconstrued. It is not permissible to take children alone in a car on journeys, however short.

·         Do not make suggestive or inappropriate remarks to or about a child even in fun, as this could be misinterpreted.   

·         It is important not to deter children from making a ‘disclosure’ of abuse through fear of not being believed, and to listen to what they have to say.                

·         It is important to follow procedure for reporting concerns, and not to attempt to investigate the concern yourself.

Remember that those who abuse children can be of any age (even other children), gender, ethnic background or class, and it is important not to allow personal preconceptions about people to prevent appropriate action taking place.

Good practice includes valuing and respecting children as individuals, and the adult modelling of appropriate conduct which will always exclude bullying, shouting, racism, sectarianism or sexism.

The code of conduct should clarify an organizations mission, values and principles, linking them with standards of professional conduct. It is our own personal experience and upbringing that shape our ethical views. What you may consider wrong or inappropriate behaviour, another person may consider that perfectly suitable. The code of conduct in this instance is addressed to the teachers and staff. The children also have their own code of conduct and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that both codes of conducts are enforced within their class and school.                

Data Protection Act-

The school is committed to the Data Protection by legal obligation. They fully comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, following the key principles and guidelines on the gathering, storage and deleting of all data.

The workplace stipulates that this includes personal data relating to any employee, worker, customer, client, supplier or agent of the client. All data is confidential and should not be shared publically unless permission is given.

This relates to my inquiry in terms of gaining consent. I must ask permission to carry out my inquiry, ensure that by doing so I will not break any rules laid out in the Data Protection Act or Safeguarding Policy. As mentioned in Task 5a ‘no one should come to any physical or psychological harm during my inquiry process.’ I will ask for permission to use certain data anonymously and will allow my employers access to my findings, notes and blogs.

Images/Photography & Social Networking and Electronic Devices-

Schools display their Policies differently.  Some have separate policies for Use of Images/Photography and Social Networking and Electronic Devices where as some schools combine under one title and one Policy.

The workplace specifies that photography and images are only authorised and carried out by a pre- screened designated photographer. Any photography is pre-arranged with our Franchisees and their staff with parental permissions obtained.

At one school I work for, when preparing for shows and performance, I video the dancers and allow them to watch it back in order to improve. This video is kept confidential and I never share them on any social media sites. This however is something I would like to investigate further. Our department has always worked this way but do we need to send our parental permission

each time or is this covered in the school policy? Furthermore, as a freelance outreach teacher the students are allowed to add me on my professional and private Facebook page through which I can communicate anything regarding classes and rehearsals etc. The student s have asked me if I can video their show next week and post it on Facebook so they can all watch it and share with their own friends and family; this is something I am currently looking into. I think it is important to note that there is a significant difference between policies within Primary School, Secondary Schools and Dance Colleges.

I personally have experienced teachers advising that they cannot befriend their students on Facebook due to breaking Policy regulations. I completely support and respect this however it is a hot topic of discussion the acceptability of a professional social media page which is kept entirely separate from your personal one. Each school has a different Policy surrounding these issues and so I must respect each school and abide by the rules in order to promote the children’s safety and welfare, and my own.