Safeguarding - staying Safe
Hathern CE Primary School fully recognises the contribution it can make to protect children and support pupils in school. Our aim is to safeguard and promote our pupils’ welfare, safety and health by fostering an honest, open, caring and supportive climate. Pupil welfare is of paramount importance.
The school adopts an open and accepting attitude towards children as part of its responsibility for pastoral care. Staff encourage children and parents to feel free to talk about any concerns and to see school as a safe place when there are difficulties. Children’s worries and fears will be taken seriously and children are encouraged to seek help from members of staff.
Our school will therefore:
• Establish and maintain an ethos where children feel secure and are encouraged to talk, and are listened to;
• Ensure that children know that there are adults in the school whom they can approach if they are worried or are in difficulty;
• Include in the curriculum activities and opportunities for PSHE/Citizenship which equip children with the skills they need to stay safe from abuse (including online), and to know to whom they can turn for help;
• Ensure every effort is made to establish effective working relationships with parents and colleagues from other agencies;
• Operate safer recruitment procedures and make sure that all appropriate checks are carried out on new staff and volunteers who will work with children, including references, Criminal Record and prohibition from teaching checks.
Further information on our school approach can be found in our safeguarding policy.
The school adopts an open and accepting attitude towards children as part of its responsibility for pastoral care. Staff encourage children and parents to feel free to talk about any concerns and to see school as a safe place when there are difficulties. Children’s worries and fears will be taken seriously and children are encouraged to seek help from members of staff.
Our school will therefore:
• Establish and maintain an ethos where children feel secure and are encouraged to talk, and are listened to;
• Ensure that children know that there are adults in the school whom they can approach if they are worried or are in difficulty;
• Include in the curriculum activities and opportunities for PSHE/Citizenship which equip children with the skills they need to stay safe from abuse (including online), and to know to whom they can turn for help;
• Ensure every effort is made to establish effective working relationships with parents and colleagues from other agencies;
• Operate safer recruitment procedures and make sure that all appropriate checks are carried out on new staff and volunteers who will work with children, including references, Criminal Record and prohibition from teaching checks.
Further information on our school approach can be found in our safeguarding policy.
To help recognise the signs of child abuse, the Department for Education and NSPCC have produced a simple guide. View it by clicking the above image.
Parent involvement
Teach your child the Underwear Rule and help protect them from abuse. It's a simple way that parents can help keep children safe from sexual abuse – without using scary words or even mentioning sex.
Talk PANTS and you've got it covered
PANTS is a really easy way for you to explain the Underwear Rule to your child:
Talk PANTS and you've got it covered
PANTS is a really easy way for you to explain the Underwear Rule to your child:
- Privates are private
- Always remember your body belongs to you
- No means no
- Talk about secrets that upset you
- Speak up, someone can help
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Concerned about a child?
If you're worried about a child or young person and think they may be a victim of neglect, abuse or cruelty, contact your local Children's Social Care office or the Police. The numbers are below.
You do not need to know everything about the child or what is happening. You may just be worried, or feel that something is not right.
For information about how to make a referral to Children's Social Care, please see the procedures:
https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/community-safety/report-abuse-or-neglect-of-a-child
Referrals must be made in one of the following ways:
If you are worried that a child is in immediate danger or at risk of immediate harm, please call us on 0116 305 0005 (24hrs a day), or the Police on 101 or 999.
If you have a query or information that does not relate to a referral, such as requesting information, or to find out the progress of a referral or allocation, please email us at [email protected]
Out of Hours Numbers for Leicestershire and Rutland Children's Emergency Duty Team: 0116 305 0005 (covers all of Leicestershire and Rutland)
Police: 101
Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111 (free and confidential)
You do not need to know everything about the child or what is happening. You may just be worried, or feel that something is not right.
For information about how to make a referral to Children's Social Care, please see the procedures:
https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/community-safety/report-abuse-or-neglect-of-a-child
Referrals must be made in one of the following ways:
- In person or by telephone contact to the relevant Children's Social Care Services office;
- In an emergency outside office hours, by contacting the Emergency Duty Team or the Police;
- All professionals must confirm verbal and telephone referrals in writing within 48 hours of being made.
If you are worried that a child is in immediate danger or at risk of immediate harm, please call us on 0116 305 0005 (24hrs a day), or the Police on 101 or 999.
If you have a query or information that does not relate to a referral, such as requesting information, or to find out the progress of a referral or allocation, please email us at [email protected]
Out of Hours Numbers for Leicestershire and Rutland Children's Emergency Duty Team: 0116 305 0005 (covers all of Leicestershire and Rutland)
Police: 101
Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111 (free and confidential)
Domestic Violence and Abuse
Launch of Operation Encompass
All Leicestershire Schools have become part of a new safeguarding initiative, which aims to improve outcomes for children and families affected by domestic violence and abuse.
This scheme has been designed to provide early reporting to schools of any domestic abuse incidents that might have an impact on a child that attends their school. The approach, known as Operation Encompass is used in a number of other places across the UK and is run in partnership with Leicestershire County Council and Leicestershire Police.
All public agencies currently share information where there are safeguarding concerns or risk of harm to children and the Police currently share information on all incidents of domestic abuse in Leicestershire with Leicestershire County Council.
To further support the welfare of children this information sharing is being extended. During the school term our Designated Safeguarding Lead will now be informed when any domestic abuse incident has been reported to the police and one of our pupils was in the household.
This has been introduced because domestic abuse in a household can have a big impact on children, even if they do not see what is happening.
This information will be used to ensure the school is able to provide appropriate support to our pupils. The information will remain confidential and only shared on a strictly need-to-know basis, for example with the class teacher. It will not be shared with any pupils.
If you would like to speak to someone in confidence about domestic abuse, call the Leicester, Leicestershire& Rutland Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 802 0028 or visit https://lrsb.org.uk/domestic-abuse
We look to offer the best support possible for our pupils and believe that this scheme is going to be beneficial and supportive for all those involved. In other areas of the country where it is in place it has been found to be a very effective way of supporting children at a most difficult time.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. What is Operation Encompass?
A. This is a process used to inform schools when the police have attended an incident of domestic violence or abuse, where domestic abuse incidents have occurred in the homes of their pupils since the previous school day.
Q. How will it work?
A. Police will share information with First Response who will phone the school between 8.00 and 8.30am and ask to speak with the Head teacher or a Designated Safeguarding Lead (Mr Dunn/Mr Stephenson). The school will be informed simply that there was an incident and the name of the child. The First Response officer making the phone call will not be in a position to give more information at that point.
Q. What is the school meant to do with this knowledge?
A. The initial approach is that the sharing of information should not, in itself, provoke a proactive response to individual children by the school, but informs the school’s response to any presenting behaviour. The Head teacher or DSL will share this information on a need to know basis e.g. with the form teacher.
Q. Isn’t there more we can do?
A. Some schools will have the staff and resources to reassure the child that they know. At Hathern there are key staff that the children can talk to: Mrs Graham (ELSA lead) - although all staff play a Pastoral Role. This can be a real relief to a child as it can give them a tacit permission to talk about how they feel and what has been happening to them. The key aim of this process however, is to ensure that the child is offered sensitivity and understanding following a distressing incident.
Q. How frequently will schools receive this type of call?
A. Research indicates that around 2-5 calls will be made across the County each morning. There may well be long periods between calls, however larger schools may receive calls more frequently.
Q. When will this start?
A. This new process will start at the beginning of the Autumn Term 2015.
Q. Where can I find out more about the background to Operation Encompass?
A. http://www.operationencompass.org/
Domestic Abuse Helpline
Leicestershire 0300 303 1844
All Leicestershire Schools have become part of a new safeguarding initiative, which aims to improve outcomes for children and families affected by domestic violence and abuse.
This scheme has been designed to provide early reporting to schools of any domestic abuse incidents that might have an impact on a child that attends their school. The approach, known as Operation Encompass is used in a number of other places across the UK and is run in partnership with Leicestershire County Council and Leicestershire Police.
All public agencies currently share information where there are safeguarding concerns or risk of harm to children and the Police currently share information on all incidents of domestic abuse in Leicestershire with Leicestershire County Council.
To further support the welfare of children this information sharing is being extended. During the school term our Designated Safeguarding Lead will now be informed when any domestic abuse incident has been reported to the police and one of our pupils was in the household.
This has been introduced because domestic abuse in a household can have a big impact on children, even if they do not see what is happening.
This information will be used to ensure the school is able to provide appropriate support to our pupils. The information will remain confidential and only shared on a strictly need-to-know basis, for example with the class teacher. It will not be shared with any pupils.
If you would like to speak to someone in confidence about domestic abuse, call the Leicester, Leicestershire& Rutland Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 802 0028 or visit https://lrsb.org.uk/domestic-abuse
We look to offer the best support possible for our pupils and believe that this scheme is going to be beneficial and supportive for all those involved. In other areas of the country where it is in place it has been found to be a very effective way of supporting children at a most difficult time.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. What is Operation Encompass?
A. This is a process used to inform schools when the police have attended an incident of domestic violence or abuse, where domestic abuse incidents have occurred in the homes of their pupils since the previous school day.
Q. How will it work?
A. Police will share information with First Response who will phone the school between 8.00 and 8.30am and ask to speak with the Head teacher or a Designated Safeguarding Lead (Mr Dunn/Mr Stephenson). The school will be informed simply that there was an incident and the name of the child. The First Response officer making the phone call will not be in a position to give more information at that point.
Q. What is the school meant to do with this knowledge?
A. The initial approach is that the sharing of information should not, in itself, provoke a proactive response to individual children by the school, but informs the school’s response to any presenting behaviour. The Head teacher or DSL will share this information on a need to know basis e.g. with the form teacher.
Q. Isn’t there more we can do?
A. Some schools will have the staff and resources to reassure the child that they know. At Hathern there are key staff that the children can talk to: Mrs Graham (ELSA lead) - although all staff play a Pastoral Role. This can be a real relief to a child as it can give them a tacit permission to talk about how they feel and what has been happening to them. The key aim of this process however, is to ensure that the child is offered sensitivity and understanding following a distressing incident.
Q. How frequently will schools receive this type of call?
A. Research indicates that around 2-5 calls will be made across the County each morning. There may well be long periods between calls, however larger schools may receive calls more frequently.
Q. When will this start?
A. This new process will start at the beginning of the Autumn Term 2015.
Q. Where can I find out more about the background to Operation Encompass?
A. http://www.operationencompass.org/
Domestic Abuse Helpline
Leicestershire 0300 303 1844