How open should we be with our students' safeguarding files?
How Open Should We Be With Our Students' Safeguarding Files? Schools don't really like sharing sensitive information about their students. The documents that detail a student’s Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) remain closely guarded, justifiably so. But children also benefit from being able to talk about their difficulties, from having an environment in which they are able to talk about their past experiences. Indeed one of the cornerstones of Trauma Informed Practice (TIP) is that teachers should tailor their responses within the context of an understanding of the ways in which these histories have shaped their present behaviour. So of course we need to prioritise privacy and confidentiality, but at the same time we also need to create a culture of openness and understanding. How do we square this circle? This is a genuine question, rather than (on this occasion) an impassioned polemic. Because from where I'm standing there are two sides, each equally valid, which exis