Safeguarding

As the Senior Designated Safeguarding Lead, my key responsibilities are:

• To be available for all members of our community to discuss any safeguarding issues or concerns
• To ensure that cases of suspected or actual child protection or safeguarding concerns are referred to the appropriate agencies
• To ensure that all staff are fully trained in safeguarding and know how to spot and raise concerns
• To undergo regular refresher training to ensure my safeguarding knowledge is as up to date as possible and in line with new guidance
• To ensuring that adequate reporting and recording systems are in place for safeguarding procedures, and that there are appropriate transferal procedures for records if students move school
• To ensure that the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures are up to date with the most recent statutory guidance, and that everyone who has safeguarding duties are familiar with any updates
• To communicating with our community on the school’s policies and procedures, as well as any concerns or referrals where appropriate.
• To ensure we complying with requirements laid out by the Berkshire West Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (BWSCP)
• To ensure St. Crispin’s has sufficient safer recruitment procedures.
• To be aware of any children who may require specific safeguarding needs and have specific vulnerabilities.

Should you have any questions or wish to discuss anything further regarding safeguarding and child protection at St. Crispin’s, please do not hesitate to contact me on blythr@crispins.co.uk or on 01189781144

Safeguarding is a wide definition, it is not just about protecting children from deliberate harm it includes issues for schools such as:

• Pupil Health & Safety
• Bullying and racist abuse
• Cyber safety / Internet safety
• Harassment and discrimination
• Meeting needs of pupils with medical conditions
• Providing first aid
• Drug and substance misuse
• School security
• Promoting attendance
• Minimising exclusions
• Issues specific to the local area
• Safe people – safer recruitment compliance
• Hearing the child’s voice – school council, mentoring, peer counselling
• Behaviour management and the use of physical intervention

Child Protection refers to measures that are undertaken to protect specific children who are at risk of suffering significant harm, which could be physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect.

Knowing the signs of abuse and how to report them is a vital part of safeguarding students.

Abuse is defined as “a form of maltreatment of a child.  Somebody may abuse a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm.  Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting, by those known to them or, more rarely, by others (eg. via the internet).  They may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children”.  (Working Together to Safeguard Children (HM Government 2018)

Should you have any questions or wish to discuss anything further regarding safeguarding and child protection at St. Crispin’s, please do not hesitate to contact me on blythr@crispins.co.uk or on 01189781144

Should you wish to speak to Children’s Services directly, please see https://www.wokingham.gov.uk/children-and-families/child-protection-and-family-support/report-a-concern-about-a-child/

What we will do if we have a concern about your child 

If we are concerned that your child may be at risk of abuse or neglect we must follow the procedures in our safeguarding policy. You can look at the policy on the school website. The procedures have been written to protect all students. They comply with our statutory responsibilities and are designed to support students, families and staff. The procedures are based on the principle that the welfare of the child is the most important consideration. In almost all circumstances, we will talk to you about our concerns and we will also tell you if we feel we must refer our concerns to children’s social care. We will ask your consent to make a referral, but in some circumstances we may need to make the referral against your wishes. We will only do this if we genuinely believe that this is the best way to protect your child, and the fact that you did not consent to the referral will be recorded. Child protection is a very sensitive issue and it raises many questions as well as a range of strong emotions. We will do everything we can to support our students and you can be assured that any action we take will be in the best interests of your child. 

What to do if you have a concern about a child 

If you are concerned about the safety or welfare of your child or a child you know, you should always act without delay. Many people worry that their suspicions might be wrong, or that they will be interfering unnecessarily. If you wish, you can telephone Wokingham Children’s Services (0118 9088002) for advice without identifying the child. If the conversation confirms that you are right to be concerned you can then give the child’s details. You will be asked for your name and address too, but the agencies will take anonymous calls, so if you really do not want to say who you are, you do not have to. Remember, it is always better to be safe than sorry.