Safeguarding
Litcham School takes safeguarding extremely seriously and our staff will do everything they can to keep students safe and protect them from harm. We acknowledge that safeguarding is the most important part of everyone’s job and therefore everyone’s responsibility. All of our staff are trained to be vigilant and aware of the signs of safety and indicators of abuse. The viewpoints and voice of students is of paramount importance to our School and we will always listen to students’ wishes, thoughts and feelings, as well as identifying and supporting their needs. We will work alongside students to develop trusting, consistent and professional relationships. We advocate early help processes and, where possible, we will identify any difficulties or concerns early in order to act preventatively. We will always provide support and advice for families and parents/carers, whilst acting in the best interests of the student at all times. Safeguarding also includes ensuring we follow safe working practices and provide a secure learning environment for our students, visitors and staff.
Our commitment to safeguarding is to:
- Maintain a secure site and ensuring that all visitors are recorded and monitored.
- Ensure that safer recruitment practices are followed to prevent those who pose a risk to children gaining access to our pupils.
- Ensure that all students understand the importance of E’-safety both at School and at home.
- Filtering and monitoring all internet traffic into the School to ensure that students cannot be exposed to harmful material and communication.
- Ensuring that all staff employed by the School have received Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance which is recorded in the Single Central Record.
- Provide regular training and briefings for all staff in child protection and ensuring that all staff and visitors know who our Designated Safeguarding Leads are.
- Ensure that admission and attendance procedures are robust to protect students; ensure that they are safe and prevent students from going missing from education.
- Empower young people to identify risks both within the School and in their wider community and indeed the world; ensuring that they have the skills and confidence to protect themselves and others.
- Make sure that all students understand the importance of disclosing concerns about themselves and peers, and giving them the confidence to discuss sensitive issues.
- Provide guidance and support to ensure that all students have access to help and advice, and when needed referrals for additional agency support to meet their needs.
- Share information with other agencies and services to ensure that students and their families have support to meet their needs and prevent the pupils from harm.
- Take immediate action and contacting the appropriate agencies when we believe that a student is in danger or is at risk of harm.
Signposting
The Safer Schools Partnership
This partnership is a positive way for all schools to demonstrate their commitment to promoting a safe climate of learning and to prevent crime.
Over the course of the year a Safer School’s Officer will deliver age appropriate key messages to the students in assemblies and lessons including Internet Safety, Healthy Relationships, Sexting, Child Sexual Exploitation, and Anti-Social Behaviour.
All Safer School Partnerships (SSPs) aim to ensure:
- Safety of students, staff and the school site and surrounding area/community
- Help for young people to deal with situations that may put them at risk of becoming victims of crime, bullying or intimidation, and to provide support to those who do.
- Focused enforcement to demonstrate that those that do offend cannot do so without facing consequences.
- Early identification, support and where necessary challenge of students involved in or at risk of offending
- Improved standards of student behaviour and attendance, and less need for exclusions
- More positive relations between young people, the Police and the wider community.
- Effective approaches to issues beyond the school site that negatively impact on student safety and behaviour.
For more information about the Safer Schools Partnership – please go to: http://www.norfolk.police.uk/advice/child-protection/safer-schools-partnerships
Operation Encompass
Litcham School is part of a jointly run operation between Norfolk County Council and Norfolk Police called Operation Encompass. Encompass has been set up to help schools provide support to children who have been present at incidents of domestic violence.
Advice for parents with concerns about the welfare of their children
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/
- www.commonsensemedia.org
- http://www.saferinternet.org
- http://www.pbskids.org/webonauts
- http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk
- http://www.childline.org
Norfolk Safeguarding Children Board
https://www.norfolklscb.org/parents-carers-community/where-to-go-to-get-help/
https://www.norfolklscb.org/parents-carers-community/information-parents-carers-community/
Internet safety
Support for young people’s mental health
https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/
Mental Health Issues
There is a new national initiative called Shelf Help available in all of Norfolk’s public libraries to support young people 13-18 and their friends and families if they are dealing with mental health issues and to raise awareness of common issues, including advice and information about issues like anxiety, stress and OCD, and difficult experiences like bullying, body image and exams
Self-harm
https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/
Eating disorders
Building resilience
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/resilience.aspx
Bullying
http://www.bullying.co.uk/advice-for-parents/
https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/types-bullying/?
Drug and alcohol issues
http://www.matthewproject.org/carers/
Help and advice for families in a digital world
Parent Info is a collaboration between Parent Zone and NCA-CEOP, providing support and guidance for parents from leading experts and organisations.