Safeguarding

Safeguarding Policy

Child Friendly Safeguarding Policy

At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, we regard the safeguarding of children as our main priority. We believe that we all have the right to be happy, to be safe and to learn; we all have the responsibility to make this happen.

We will ensure that:

• the welfare of the child remains paramount;
• all children whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious beliefs and/ or sexual identity have the right to be protected from harm;
• all suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately;
• all staff,  volunteers and visitors in our school recognise they have a responsibility to report concerns to the  designated leads for Safeguarding: Mrs. Box and Mrs Porter.

Areas of Safeguarding

Our safeguarding policies cover all areas of school life and include:

• staff & visitors- ensuring they are vetted, informed & trained;
• children’s behaviour- promoting safer & happier behaviours & lifestyles;
• parents & carers- promoting links & supporting families;
• premises -keeping them safe, pleasant & fit for purpose;
• curriculum -providing positive, life affirming learning experiences;
• outside School- ensuring safer activities and environments outside school.

Members of Staff Responsible

We are all responsible for ensuring that each child remains safe, however the Designated Leads for Safeguarding are Mrs Box and Mrs Porter.

Safeguarding Team

Safer Recruitment

We follow strict procedures to ensure that everyone who works with our children are vetted, keeping our children as safe as possible. Ongoing checks and ‘whistle-blowing’ are in line with current policy.

Staff Training

All staff are:

• trained in child protection issues and they are aware of the procedures to follow;
• encouraged to be vigilant in order to maintain the safety of our children;
• given a copy of ‘Behaviour Guidelines for Staff & Volunteers’ and are directed to the document ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’. This applies to volunteers too.

Child Protection with Safeguarding Policy

All staff have an up-to-date understanding of safeguarding children issues and are able to implement the safeguarding children policy and procedure appropriately. Policies are in line with current guidance and procedures.

Staff are able to respond appropriately to any:

• significant changes in children’s behaviour;
• deterioration in their general well-being;
• unexplained bruising, marks or signs of possible abuse;
• signs of neglect;
• comments children make which give cause for concern.

All staff are aware of the need to maintain privacy and confidentiality.

Information Sharing

We have an obligation to obtain necessary information from parents in advance of a child being admitted to school, including:

• emergency contact numbers;
• the child’s special dietary requirements, preferences or food allergies the child may have;
• the child’s special health requirements;
• information about who has legal contact with the child; and who has parental responsibility for the child.

Written parental permission is requested, at the time of the child’s admission to the provision, to the seeking of any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment in the future.

PARENTS & CARERS MUST TELL US OF ANY CHANGES TO THESE DETAILS.

We take confidentiality very seriously. Any information which we hold is treated as confidential and shared on a ‘need-to-know’ basis.

Links with External Agencies

Because our first concern must be the well-being of your child, there may be occasions when we have to consult other agencies before we contact you. The procedures we have to follow have been laid down in accordance with the local authority child protection procedures.

We are fortunate to be supported by a range of external agencies which can be called upon to support the work we do in school. These include School Nurse, Health Practitioners, Durham Constabulary, Educational Psychology, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, Behaviour Support, Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service, Social Services and Specialists in supporting Special Educational Needs.

Operation Encompass

Operation Encompass was devised so that when a domestic incident has taken place, the details of that incident would be reported to the Key Adult at the school prior to the start of the next school day, enabling support to be given to the affected child. For more details please read the letter below

Reporting Concerns or Complaints

Further to the above procedures, we have in place a concerns and complaints policy. This enables children, staff and carers to report anything they feel is of concern.

Concerns should be raised in the following order.

1. To the Class Teacher/Head teacher. Then, if there is no resolution;
2. To the Chair of Governors. Then, if there is no resolution;
3. To the Local Authority.

Contact details are available from the school office.

Review of Policy and Practice

In order to ensure that best practice is maintained, our policies are reviewed at least regularly to incorporate the latest statutory guidance emerge.

If you would like more information on safeguarding, please contact the school for all our policies or view our policies section on our website.