National Care Standards: School Care Accommodation Services

Annex A: Glossary

Advocate
A person who assists a child or young person to put forward their views or makes their case on their behalf.

Bullying
The intentional or perceived causing of pain, distress, anxiety, humiliation or social exclusion to one child or young person by one or more others, by physical or verbal means, or through damage or loss of property.

Child protection
Taking measures to reduce the risk of physical, emotional or sexual abuse, neglect or significant harm of a child, enabling children or staff to report concerns about actual or potential abuse or significant harm, and responding to allegations, occurrences and suspicions of abuse or significant harm of a child.

Children's rights officer
A social worker employed by the local authority to safeguard the rights of all children and young people living in the local authority area.

External manager
A manager or group of managers responsible for the running of the school or hostel who is not based in the school or hostel. The person in day-to-day charge of your school or hostel is responsible to the external manager(s).

Boarding hostel
A building, or part of a building, managed by the local authority and separate from the school, that provides accommodation for children and young people who live too far away from a school to travel every day.

Restraint
Control to prevent a person from harming themselves or other people by using:

• physical means (actual or threatened laying on of hands on a person to stop them carrying out a particular action);
• mechanical means (for example, electronic locks or video surveillance);
• environmental means (for example, using cot sides to prevent someone from getting out of bed); or
• medication (using sedative or tranquillising drugs to treat restless or agitated behaviour).

Risk assessment
The process of identifying hazards to the safety or welfare of children and young people, estimating their seriousness and likelihood, and identifying and recording reasonable measures to minimise unnecessary hazards.

Staff
People working in a school or hostel, whether paid or voluntary, full time or part time, temporary or permanent.

Whistle-blowing
The disclosure by a member of staff of confidential information that relates to some danger, fraud or other illegal or unethical conduct connected with the workplace.