ST. JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Barleyfields Road, Wetherby
West Yorkshire LS22 6PR
SAFEGUARDING IN SCHOOLS
POLICY
‘This school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of all our children, and expects our staff and volunteers to share this commitment’.
Created - November 2009
Approved by Governors - 2010
Adopted by Governors - February 2010
Reviewed & new policy created - 2011
Final agreed amendments - January 2012
Reviewed, amended and approved by Governors - 2014
Reviewed, amended and approved by Governors - 2015
Reviewed, amended and approved by Governors - 2016
Next Review - 2017
CONTENTS
Introduction
School Commitment
Providing a Safe and Supportive Environment
1. Safer Recruitment and Selection
2. Safe Practice
3. Safeguarding Information for Pupils
4. Partnership with Parents
5. Partnership with Others
6. School Training and Staff Induction
7. Support, Advice and Guidance for Staff
8. Related School Policies (inc. Children Missing from Education)
9. Pupil Information
10. Roles and Responsibilities: Governing Body
Headteacher
Designated Senior Person
All Staff and Volunteers
Identifying Children who are suffering or likely to suffer Significant Harm
Definitions
Taking Action to Ensure that Children are Safe at School and at Home
1. Staff will immediately report
2. Responding to Disclosure
3. Action by Designated Senior Person
4. Action following a Child Protection referral
5. Recording and Monitoring
6. Supporting the Child and Partnership with Parents
Allegations regarding person(s) working in or on behalf of school
Appendix 1: Contacts, Documents, References and Web sites
Appendix 2: Information on Personal Counselling / Support for Adults.
INTRODUCTION
St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School acknowledge the original information provided by Superintendent Deacon and Kirklees County Council which contributed to the development of this Safeguarding Policy
This policy applies to all adults, including volunteers, working in or on behalf of the school.
‘School and college staff are particularly important as they are in a position to identify concerns early, provide help for children, and prevent concerns from escalating.
All school and college staff have a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which children can learn.
Every school and college should have a designated safeguarding lead who will provide support to staff members to carry out their safeguarding duties and who will liaise closely with other services such as children’s social care.
All school and college staff should be prepared to identify children who may benefit from early help. Early help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges at any point in a child’s life, from the foundation years through to the teenage Years. In the first instance, staff should discuss early help requirements with the designated safeguarding lead. Staff may be required to support other agencies and professionals in an early help assessment.
‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (2016)
SCHOOL COMMITMENT
St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all of its pupils. Each pupil’s welfare is of paramount importance. We recognise that some children may be especially vulnerable to abuse eg. those with special educational needs, those living in adverse circumstances. We recognise that children who are abused or neglected may find it difficult to develop a sense of self worth and to view the world in a positive way. Whilst at school, their behaviour may be challenging. We recognise that some children who have experienced abuse may harm others. We will always take a considered and sensitive approach in order that we can support all of our pupils.
PROVIDING A SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT
1. Safer Recruitment and Selection
The school pays full regard to current DCSF guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education 2016. We ensure that all appropriate measures are applied in relation to everyone who works in the school who is likely to be perceived by the children as a safe and trustworthy adult including e.g. volunteers and staff employed by contractors. Safer recruitment practice includes scrutinising applicants, verifying identity and academic or vocational qualifications, obtaining professional references, checking previous employment history and ensuring that a candidate has the health and physical capacity for the job. It also includes undertaking interviews and checking the Children’s List and Disclosure and Baring Service (DBS) checks and right to work in England checks.
In line with statutory changes, underpinned by regulations, the following will apply:
· appropriate checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) are obtained for all new appointments to our school’s workforce through staffing personnel and payroll. From October 2009 it is a criminal offence for employers to take on an individual in Independent Safeguarding Authority regulated activity whom they know to have been barred and/or not refer to the ISA details of anyone who is permanently removed from regulated activity or who leaves while under investigation for allegedly causing harm or posing a risk of harm
· this school is committed to keep an up to date single central record detailing a range of checks carried out on our staff – a copy is also held at the Personnel and Payroll Unit, Leeds City Council.
· all new appointments to our school workforce who have lived outside the UK will be subject to additional checks as appropriate
· our school ensures that supply staff have undergone the necessary checks and will be made aware of this policy
· identity checks must be carried out on all appointments to our school workforce before the appointment is made, in partnership with the LA
Miss Louise Milivojevic…………………….. Headteacher
Mrs Joanna Parascandolo...... Chair of Governors
Mrs Jayne Ward …………………………….Teacher Governor
Mrs Pat Goodby...... School Business Manager
have undertaken the Children’s Workforce Development Council’s Safer Recruitment in Education Training. (www.cwdcouncil.org.uk)
One of the above will be involved in all staff and volunteer appointments and arrangements (including, where appropriate, contracted services).
2. Safe Practice
Safe working practice ensures that pupils are safe and that all 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;
· work in an open and transparent way;
· work with other colleagues where possible in situations open to question
· discuss and/or take advice from school management over any incident which may give rise to concern;
· record any incidents or decisions made;
· apply the same professional standards regardless of gender or sexuality;
· have regard to the confidentiality policy
· are aware that breaches of the law and other professional guidelines could result in criminal or disciplinary action being taken against them.
3. Safeguarding Information for pupils
All pupils in our school are aware of a number of staff who they can talk to. The school is committed to ensuring that pupils are aware of behaviour towards them that is not acceptable and how they can keep themselves safe. All pupils know that we have a senior member of staff with responsibility for child protection (Designated Safeguarding Lead – DSL) and know who this is. We inform pupils of whom they might talk to, both in and out of school, their right to be listened to and heard and what steps can be taken to protect them from harm. Relevant issues will be addressed through the PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Emotional) curriculum, science and RE – including Circle Time programme ‘Nurturing Human Wholeness’ which supports weekly ethos statements. Personal relationships and sex education are sensitively taught through the SRE programme in school, supported by parents. Issues will be addressed in other areas of the curriculum and children are made aware of the help and support available to them by outside agencies such as Child Line and NSPCC in a sensitive manner.
St. Joseph’s has an active and effective School Council which is used as a vehicle for listening to pupils and consulting on issues of safeguarding. The governor with responsibility for safeguarding meets with the School Council on a regular basis to discuss and raise awareness of safeguarding including e-safety. The School Council feeds back to peers, making pupils aware of the DSL in school.
All our policies which address safeguarding eg Bullying, Equal Opportunities, and Behaviour are linked to ensure a positive whole school approach to safeguard our children.
4. Partnership with Parents
The school shares a purpose with parents to educate and keep children safe from harm and to have their welfare promoted.
We are committed to working with parents positively, openly and honestly. We ensure that all parents are treated with respect, dignity and courtesy. We respect parents’ rights to privacy and confidentiality and will not share sensitive information unless we have permission or it is necessary to do so in order to protect a child.
St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School will share with parents any concerns we may have about their child unless to do so may place a child at risk of harm. We encourage parents to discuss any concerns they may have with their child’s teacher or the head teacher. We make parents aware of our policy by listing it in the school prospectus and on the school website. Parents are made aware that they can view this policy on request.
5. Partnerships with others
Our school recognises that it is essential to establish positive and effective working relationships with other agencies who are partners:
Children’s Services, Leeds City Council
Catholic Care
Crucial Crew, North Yorkshire
CAHMS
Local Police – Neighbourhood Policing Team
St. John Fisher High School and other relevant schools.
There is a joint responsibility on all these agencies to share information to ensure the safeguarding of all children.
Before and After School Club
The Before and After School Club is provided by Out Of School Club OOSC.
OFSTED Registration EY412461
We have a close working relationship between school and the Before and After School Club. Meetings between the senior staff in school and BASC are held regularly. The Foundation Stage staff in school and BASC staff share record keeping and profiles of children's development to ensure continuity of provision for the children in the EYFS ( in line with the EYFS Principles into Practise). The BASC Child Protection Policy is in place, and is available for parents/ carers to read at all times.
The designated staff for Child Protection are Dawn Spencer and Kath Morgan
6. School Training and Staff Induction
The school’s senior member of staff with designated responsibility for child protection undertakes basic child protection training and training in inter–agency working, (that is provided by Children’s Services, Leeds City Council and refresher training at 2 yearly intervals). Head Teacher and a member of the senior leadership team are DSL.
All other school staff, including non teaching staff and governors, undertake appropriate induction training to equip them to carry out their responsibilities for child protection effectively. This is kept up to date by refresher training at 3 yearly intervals.
All staff (including temporary staff, governors and volunteers) are provided with the school’s child protection policy and informed of school’s child protection arrangements on induction.
7. Support, Advice and Guidance for Staff
Staff will be supported by the designated senior person and the Leeds City Council Child Protection Team. Staff should complete a ‘Cause for Concern about a child’ proforma regarding concerns and/or details of conversations using exact words said by the child.
The designated senior person for Safeguarding/Child Protection will be supported by the Child Protection Team at Leeds City Council.
Advice and support is always available for Leeds Child Protection Team:
Raminda Aujla (contact person)...... Tel: 0113 395 1211
e-mail:
8. Related School Policies
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined for the purposes of this guidance as:
• 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; and undertaking that role so as to enable those children to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully.
Safeguarding therefore covers more than the contribution made to child protection in relation to individual children. It also encompasses issues such as pupil health and safety and bullying, about which there are specific statutory requirements and a range of other issues, e.g. arrangements for meeting the medical needs of children with medical conditions, providing first aid, school security, drug and alcohol misuse, about which the Secretary of State has issued guidance. There may also be other safeguarding issues that are specific to the local area or population’.
The following policies are available for Staff in the Induction Folder kept in the staffroom: Child Protection, Safeguarding, Internet-Safety, Fire Safety and Behaviour.
Children Missing from Education
It is the expectation of parents to inform the school of any absences. Where there are unexplained absences the school will make enquires in the first instance to the parent and contact the School Attendance Office. This school follows the Education Leeds / LSCB ‘Children missing from Education’ procedures – see infobase or www.leedslscb.org.uk
Confidentiality
School has regard to ‘Information Sharing Practitioner’s Guide’ HM. Government 2008
“Where there is a concern that the child may be suffering or is at risk of suffering significant harm, the child’s safety and welfare must be the overriding consideration. “
St. Joseph’s has a clear and explicit confidentiality policy.
9. Pupil Information
Our school will endeavour to keep up to date and accurate information in order to keep children safe and provide appropriate care for them the school requires accurate and up to date information regarding:
· names and contact details of persons with whom the child normally lives
· names and contact details of all persons with parental responsibility (if different from above)
· emergency contact details (if different from above)
· details of any persons authorised to collect the child from school (if different from above)
· any relevant court orders in place including those which affect any person’s access to the child (e.g. Residence Order, Contact Order, Care Order, Injunctions etc.)