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Safeguarding

If you have a safeguarding concern which you wish to report, then you can do by phoning: The First Contact Service on 03000 26 79 79.

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If any parent or carer needs to contact the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, the emergency number for Camhs Crisis Team is 0800 0516 171 (open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

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A guide to self-help apps, helplines, texts and websites available for support

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At Annfield Plain Junior 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.

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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 and volunteers working at our school have a responsibility to report concerns to the designated leads for safeguarding:  Mrs Dorward, Mrs Marley, Mrs McGregor, Miss Metcalfe;

  • Our safeguarding lead governors are Mrs Graham and Ms Reddock.

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Areas of Safeguarding

Our safeguarding policies cover all areas of school life and include statutory compliance and best practise for:

  • 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.

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Members of Staff Responsible

We are all responsible for ensuring that each child remains safe. The designated leads for safeguarding and senior mental health leads are  Mrs. Dorward, Mrs Marley and Mrs McGregor. Our mental health first aiders are Miss Porter and Mrs Taylor. All governors and staff are prevent trained.

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Safer Recruitment

We follow strict procedures to ensure that all who work with our children are vetted, keeping our children as safe as possible. All applicants and volunteers must be willing to undergo rigorous safer recruitment screening, including checks with past employees and the Disclosure & Barring Services. Ongoing checks and ‘whistle-blowing’ (confidential reporting policy) are in line with current statutory requirements. Staff trained in safer recruitment is Mrs. Dorward. Governor trained in safer recruitment is Mrs Graham.

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Staff Training

  • Staff are trained in child protection issues and they are aware of the procedures to follow.

  • Staff are encouraged to be vigilant in order to maintain the safety of our children.

  • All staff  and volunteers adhere to and re-visit annually: school’s ‘Behaviour Guidelines for Staff & Volunteers’; the document ‘KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE IN EDUCATION ’; school’s safeguarding, positive handling, data protection, online safety and e-safety policies;

  • Staff are regularly updated with Durham’s Safeguarding Partnership’s serious case reviews and lessons learnt from them to ensure they have the most up to date information.

  • Staff have completed training and are updated in a range of safeguarding, which includes: Prevent, NSPCC’s Harmful Sexual Behaviours, Child Exploitation, FGM, First Aid, Data Protection, Fire Safety, online safety, cyber security, managing medications and regularly review good practise documents e.g around County Lines, mental health and wellbeing etc.

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 procedures appropriately. Policies are in line with current guidance and procedures.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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

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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.

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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 Service, Health Practitioners, Educational Psychology, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, Behaviour Support, Family First Teams (Social Services), One Point family support workers and specialists in supporting Special Educational Needs.

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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.

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Concerns should be raised in the following order.

  1. To the Class Teacher. Then, if there is no resolution;

  2. To the Head Teacher. Then, if there is no resolution;

  3. To the Chair of Governors. Then, if there is no resolution;

  4. To SLP’s Head Office.

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Contact details are available from the school office.

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The SLP’s complaints policy can be found in the policies section.

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Review of Policy and Practice

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

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

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Keeping Children Safe in School

Visit our policy page to access a copy of the latest version of Keeping Children Safe in Education.

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