Introduction

 

Under the Education Act 2002 (section 175), schools must “make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children”.

We will endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued.

 

How we manage this in school

 

The school will therefore be alert to signs of abuse and neglect and will follow the Safeguarding Children Partnership Board’s procedures to ensure that children receive appropriate and effective support and protection.

Parents/carers should know that the law requires all school staff to pass on information which gives rise to a concern about a child’s welfare, including risk from neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse. The school should make parents/carers aware that records of safeguarding concerns may be kept about their child. They should be informed that school staff will seek, in general, to discuss any concerns with them including referrals to other agencies.

 

When and how we might share your child's information with Children's Social Care

 

Local procedures state that “Consent should always be sought from an adult with parental responsibility for the child/young person before passing information about them to Children’s Social Care, unless seeking consent would place the child at risk of significant harm or may lead to the loss of evidence for example destroying evidence of a crime or influencing a child about a disclosure made.” This includes allowing them to share information without consent, if it is not possible to gain consent, if it cannot be reasonably expected that a professional gains consent, or if to gain consent would place a child at risk.

 

Where there is a need to share special category personal data, the Data Protection Act 2018 contains ‘safeguarding of children and individuals at risk’ as a processing condition that allows professionals to share information.

 

In accordance with legislation and local Information Sharing protocols, we will ensure that information is shared securely and sensitively. Information will only be shared with other services where it is deemed necessary and proportionate to ensure that children and young people are safe and receive the right service. In all circumstances, the safety of the child will be the paramount concern.

 

Section 3 (5) of the Children Act 1989

 

Schools will contact Children’s Social Care when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Occasionally, concerns are passed on which are later shown to be unfounded. Parents/carers will appreciate that the member of staff in the school with responsibility for child protection (known as the Designated Safeguarding Lead or Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead) was carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the law and acting in the best interests of all children.

 

Under Section 3 (5) of the Children Act 1989, any person who has care of a child “may….do what is reasonable in all the circumstances of the case for the purpose of safeguarding or promoting the child’s welfare”. This means that on rare occasions, a school may need to “hold” a child in school whilst Social Care and the Police investigate any concerns further.

Domestic Abuse Advice

If you think you or your family might be victims of Domestic Abuse you can find further information below that may help you understand what might be happening, and what to do if you think you need help. There is a wide range of support available both at intensive and outreach levels depending on your circumstances. 

Children may experience domestic abuse directly, but they can also experience it indirectly by:

• hearing the abuse from another room
• seeing someone they care about being injured and/or distressed
• finding damage to their home environment like broken furniture
• being hurt from being caught up in or trying to stop the abuse
• not getting the care and support they need from their parents or carers as a result of the abuse.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, or you are witness to a domestic in progress, please contact police via 999.

National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247

‘Operation Encompass’ allows Police to share information with relevant schools when they have attended a domestic incident where pupils of school may have been present. This professional relationship allows us to provide appropriate targeted support to our pupils where it may be needed most.

 

Refuge Outreach

Refuge provide Outreach support as well as emergency support. Outreach support is inclusive of legal advice, emotional support, safety planning, and the Bobby scheme. 

More information about the service – including how to access and what they offer, can be found here:

https://www.refuge.org.uk/our-work/our-services/outreach/

 

The Bobby Scheme

This is a scheme founded by Cambridgeshire constabulary and works to provide alarms, fire proof letter boxes, cameras etc to ensure victims of crime feel more secure in their homes. You do not need Refuge Outreach support to access the Bobby Scheme, and it is not exclusive to victims of Domestic Abuse – it also supports victims of crimes such as burglary. 

https://www.thebobbyscheme.org

 

Claire’s Law

Claire’s Law was passed following the murder of Claire Wood. Claire was killed by her boyfriend, who had a history of violence. Claire’s parents campaigned for this law as they believe Claire would not have continued with her relationship had she been aware of her partners past, and this could have saved her life. 

Anyone can request a Claire’s Law disclosure for either themselves, or someone they are worried about - it can be used professionally or personally. If the police hold information on an individual in relation to violent crimes, they will only disclose this to the person intended to be kept safe. Having this information allows that person to make a more informed choice. 

This can be accessed online, or by calling 101. More information can be found here:

https://www.cambs.police.uk/information-and-services/Domestic-abuse/Clares-law

 

Ask for “Annie”. 

Anyone can walk into a pharmacy – including Boots, Superdrug, and Morrisons (full list in second link), and ask for Annie, or ANI – (Action Needed Immediately). This means they will be shown to a private room, where they will have a safe space to talk and access the help they need. For more information:

https://uksaysnomore.org/news-ask-for-ani-safe-spaces/

https://uksaysnomore.org/safespaces/

 

Ask for Angela:

Customers in pubs and bars can ‘Ask for Angela’ to make staff aware they feel unsafe or threatened. This has been introduced to help reduce sexual violence and vulnerability – e.g. if you are uncomfortable on a date and feel unable to move away from the situation. 

https://www.met.police.uk/AskforAngela

 

Bright Sky App:

Bright Sky is a mobile app that can be cleverly disguised as a weather app. It  allows opportunity to store records and information relating to their abuse, including notes, pictures and videos, which aren't stored on the device itself.  The app also has helpful advice, types of support available and a directory of commissioned services across the UK.  

 

What three words App:

This app gives each 3m squared a unique combination of 3 words, making it easy to pinpoint and share your exact location in an emergency – for example if you don’t know the address, or you are in a vast, remote, concealed or complex space. 

 

Safety alarm on iphone:

• Press and hold the side button and one of the Volume buttons until the Emergency SOS slider appears. Drag the Emergency SOS slider to call emergency services. 
• If you continue to hold down the side button and Volume button, instead of dragging the slider, a countdown will start and an alert will sound. 

 

Operation Encompass:

Operation Encompass ensures that relevant school’s are notified of incidents of police attended domestic abuse where there are children related to either of the adult parties involved. This sharing of information is known as a DASH report, and enables appropriate support to be given in school, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.

 

Information is shared with the Designated Safeguarding Lead, where parental consent is given to police.

Further information

 

If you have any questions or queries about the above information or safeguarding, please contact the school on office@owps.org.uk or 01733 370646