Incident Description
Two 8 year old boys sent each other naked photos of themselves via WhatsApp where their genitals were fully exposed.
Another boy was also sent them who then shared them publicly.
Guidance for Safeguarding Response
- Potential distribution of indecent images of a child. School contacted police. Children were spoken to but no further action taken as the child who sent the images to others was under the age of criminal responsibility
- Targeted work was carried out with both boys who sent each other the images. Both boys were deemed to be vulnerable with no obvious power control
- The police did not take action and allowed the school to unpick each child’s role in the incident. The two boys disclosed individually that the third child had requested the images and encouraged the boys to take the photographs of their genitals. School took the decision to suspend with a series of 1:1 sessions organised on their return to support them and protect the other children
- School kept in regular communication with the parents of all three boys involved
- A referral to Children’s Social Care was made for the third child after a significant disclosure about home life and allegations of possible sexual abuse
Additional actions which could be considered:
- Pol-ed sessions for the group and wider peer group from KS2 and KS3 resources such as ‘What is the issue with ‘nudes’?’, ‘How can we use our phones sensibly?’
Agencies Involved in this Incident
A referral to Children’s Social Care was made and an assessment was undertaken.