Safeguarding

We are committed in our responsibility to protect and safeguard the welfare of the children entrusted into our care, by establishing a safe environment in which children can learn, develop and flourish. We fully understand that prompting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility and have clear systems in place to ensure our procedures are highly effective. All policies and procedures in reference to Child Protection are formally reviewed each year.

Our Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) provide support to staff members to carry out their safeguarding duties and liaise with other services as and when necessary. We invest in Clennell Education Solutions which provides support and advice to school about behaviour and safety.

All staff members have annual safeguarding and child protection training and are aware of the referral process they should follow if they have a concern about a child’s welfare.  We have a thorough Safeguarding Induction for all new staff and volunteers.  

We are aware of our responsibilities to closely monitor the progress, achievement and emotional well-being of our Looked After Children.  We also have clear policies and procedures for children missing or at risk of becoming missing from education.

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Operation Encompass is a police and education early information sharing partnership, which began in 2016, and aims to support children (aged up to 16) who may be affected by domestic abuse (either as being present and witnessing an incident or by being involved themselves). The partnership enables schools to offer immediate support for children and young people experiencing domestic abuse.

Information is shared by the police with a school's trained Key Adult (DSL) prior to the start of the next school day after officers have attended a domestic abuse incident thus enabling appropriate support to be given, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.

Children experiencing domestic abuse are negatively impacted by this exposure; domestic abuse has been identified as an Adverse Childhood Experience and can lead to emotional, physical and psychological harm. Operation Encompass aims to mitigate this harm by enabling immediate support, making a child's day better and giving them a better tomorrow.

Operation Encompass believes that children are victims of domestic abuse in their own right and should be acknowledged as such.

You can find out more information about the partnership by accessing the following website: http://www.operationencompass.org

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Operation Endeavour is a safeguarding arrangement between Newcastle City Council Children’s Social Care (CSC), Northumbria Police and schools and colleges in Newcastle to safeguard children and young people at risk of harm from going missing.

The Department for Education statutory guidance Children who run away or go missing from home or care states:

• that approximately 25% of children and young people that go missing are at risk of serious harm;
• there are concerns about the links between children running away and the risks of sexual exploitation;
• missing children may also be vulnerable to other forms of exploitation including criminal exploitation and ‘county lines’, violent crime, gang exploitation, or drug and alcohol misuse.

There are a range of reasons why children and young people go missing, these include:

• Conflict, abuse and neglect- more than half of missing children have experienced this at home and 1 in 5 children felt forced to leave because of it;
• Sexual exploitation - 7 in 10 young people who have been sexually exploited have also been reported missing;
• Mental health issues- at least 1 in 10 missing children had mental health issues.

Operation Endeavour Process

Police receive a report that a young person has been reported missing

➔ Police record details of the young person and create a Child Concern Notification (CCN)

➔ CCN sent to CSC

➔ CSC take any further action if appropriate

➔ CSC administrator notifies the school key contacts via email

➔ School inform relevant staff

➔CSC or the police let the school know when the young person is found

➔ Young person supported as needed when they return.

School Actions

• Inform parents that the school is part of ‘Operation Endeavour’
• Consider school prospectus and website awareness
• Information must be secured to ensure confidentiality
• Designated Lead to inform the Police if the young person arrives at school when they are still misbelieved to be missing things you should know about 10 Operation Endeavour
• Support police and CSC to locate the child.
• If young people are in alternative provision the Designated Lead of the school shouldinform the DSL of the provision of the issues raised

Ongoing support after missing episode:

• Speak to the child when they return about what has happened
• Monitor children when they return; monitor attendance
• Make a referral if appropriate and contribute to a support package around the child and family (linking into the local authority)
• Help the child make sense of the way they are feeling and behaving
• Help the child to develop coping strategies
• Go at the child’s pace; follow their lead
• Acknowledge what they have been through or what they are going through

Additional information on missing young people is available on the Newcastle Safeguarding Partnership website https://www.proceduresonline.com/nesubregion/p_ch_miss_care_home_ed.html

Useful information and resources:

• The Children’s Society: www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-wedo/resources/protecting-young-runaways
• The Children’s Society What to do when a child goes missing - A guide for those working in education and youth work
• Missing People: www.missingpeople.org.uk 24 hour confidential helpline: 116 000 or email: 116000@missingpeople.org.uk
• NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000 Email: help@nspcc.org.uk

The online world is posing an ever-increasing risk to children, and it is important that schools, parents and carers work together to take an active role in teaching children about online dangers. Learning how to act safely when using the internet is an incredibly important part of safeguarding our children.

We want to highlight the National Online Safety Platform to you.

The resources include Parents & Carers courses (presented by Myleene Klass), online video resources and weekly guides covering a huge range of topics, including:

• Online Relationships
• Fake Profiles & Social Bots
• Online Bullying
• Online Grooming
• Child Sexual Exploitation
• Sexual Harassment & Violence
• Sexting · Live Streaming
• Online Identity
• Screen Addiction
• Online Challenges
• Overspending
• Social Media Platforms
• Online Gambling
• Radicalisation, Terrorism & Extremism
• Age Inappropriate Content
• Copyright & Ownership
• Hacking · Fake News
• Online Fraud
• Online Reputation
• Personal Data
• Pornography
• Targeted Adverts & Pop-Ups
• The Dark Web
• Games & Trends

To create your account, please follow the link below and complete your details. When you’re set up, you’ll be able to set ‘Parent/Carer’ as your user type.