Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy Erdington Academy
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Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy Erdington Academy Document Owner: Jason Halstead Ratified By: Education Committee (Sub-committee of the Trust Board) Date Ratified: October 2020 Review Date: September 2021 Page 1 of 45 Erdington Academy: Key Safeguarding Contacts Please contact the relevant Designated Safeguarding Lead for all issues relating to safeguarding children (including Prevent strategy) or for issues regarding Looked After Children. Please note that we would recommend that safeguarding staff are contacted by telephoning the main reception number rather than email so that we are able to direct you to a member of safeguarding staff immediately if the Designated Safeguarding Lead is not available. Role Staff Member Tel. Email Head of Mr Simon 0121 373 [email protected] Academy and Mallett 1080 Designated Safeguarding Lead Designated Mr Jason 0121 373 [email protected] Safeguarding Halstead 1080 Lead Deputy Mr Thomas 0121 373 [email protected] Designated Davies 1080 Safeguarding Lead Deputy Miss Estelle 0121 373 [email protected] Designated Sharp 1080 Safeguarding Lead Deputy Miss Rachel 0121 [email protected] Designated Perry 3731080 Safeguarding Lead Designated Mr Jason 0121 373 [email protected] Teacher for Halstead 1080 Looked After Children Single Point of Mr Jason 0121 373 [email protected] Contact Halstead 1080 (SPOC) for Prevent Referrals Staff trained in Mr Simon 0121 373 [email protected] Safer Recruitment Mallett 1080 Mr Andrew 0121 373 [email protected] Wright 1080 Mr Jason 0121 373 [email protected] Halstead 1080 Mr Gregory 0121 373 [email protected] Bartlett 1080 Page 2 of 45 Miss Jenny Hunt 0121373 [email protected] 1080 Mrs Julie Colvin 0121 373 [email protected] 1080 Board of Associates Safeguarding Link Andrew Best 0121 373 [email protected] Associate 1080 Fairfax Multi-Academy Trust Director of Mr Mark 0121 378 [email protected] Education Rhatigan 1288 ext 3653 CEO of FMAT Mr Simon Jones 0121 378 [email protected] 1288 ext 3653 Page 3 of 45 Local Safeguarding Issues Identified Issues In the North Birmingham and Actions and Interventions Central Area. 1. In school student mental health ambassadors. Drop-in clinics and the use of KOOTH 2. Mental health, self-esteem, and Student Mental Health and Wellbeing resilience targeted student focus groups 3. Referral mechanisms using Forward Thinking Birmingham. Criminal Exploitation, gangs and knife crime 1. Disrupting exploitation focus groups 2. PSHE lessons around recognising exploitation 3. Multi agency meetings. Police ‘knife arch’ 1. Referral mechanisms to gain family support. 2. Links with local food banks; free Impact of social and economic deprivation sanitary products 3. Hardship fund to support most vulnerable 1. PSHE lessons to raise awareness 2. Referral mechanisms using police and children’s services. Forced Marriage 3. Staff update changes to recognise and report concerns 1. Staff update training on reporting disclosures around FGM FGM 2. PSHE lessons for students to raise awareness Page 4 of 45 Local Information Erdington Academy Key Contacts Local Safeguarding Issues Part 1: Safeguarding Policy 1 Introduction 7 2 Overall aims 10 3 Guiding principles 11 4 Expectations 11 5 Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) 12 6 Contextual safeguarding 13 7 Mental health 13 8 Designated Teacher for Looked After and Previously Looked After Children 14 9 Governing body 15 10 Safer recruitment and selection 16 10.1 Induction 17 10.2 Staff support 17 11 Use of reasonable force 18 12 The school’s role in the prevention of abuse 19 13 What we will do if we are concerned – Early Help response 20 14 Safeguarding pupils/students who are vulnerable to radicalisation 21 14.1 Risk reduction 21 14.2 Channel 22 15 Safeguarding pupils/students who are vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking, or so- 23 called ‘honour-based’ violence (including female genital mutilation and forced marriage) 16 Children who go Missing from Education 24 17 Peer on peer abuse including sexual violence and harassment 25 18 Criminal exploitation & gang affiliation 26 Part 2: Key Procedures Chart: Responding to concerns about a child 27 19 Involving parents/carers 28 Page 5 of 45 20 Multi-agency work 28 21 Our role in supporting children 28-29 22 Responding to an allegation about a member of staff 29 23 Children with additional needs 29 24 Children in specific circumstances – private fostering 30 25 Links to additional information about safeguarding issues and forms of abuse 30-33 Appendices Appendix 1: Definitions and indicators of abuse 34 1 Neglect 34 2 Physical abuse 34-35 3 Sexual abuse 35 4 Sexual exploitation 35 5 Emotional abuse 36 6 Responses from parents 36 7 Disabled children 37 Appendix 2: Dealing with a disclosure of abuse 38 Appendix 3: Allegations about a member of staff, governor or volunteer 39 Appendix 4: Indicators of vulnerability to radicalisation 40-41 Appendix 5: Preventing violent extremism - roles and responsibilities (SPOC) 42 Appendix 6: COVID-19 and safeguarding 43-45 Page 6 of 45 Part One: Safeguarding Policy This means that Erdington Academy is committed to safeguarding and 1.0 Introduction promoting the welfare of all its students. We believe that: Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as: ● Our young people have the right to be protected from harm, abuse and neglect ● Protecting children from maltreatment; ● Our young people have the right to ● Preventing impairment of children's mental and experience their optimum mental and physical health or development; physical health ● Ensuring that children are growing up in ● That every child has the right to an circumstances consistent with the provision of safe education and young people need to and effective care; be safe and to feel safe in school Taking action to enable all children to have the best ● ● young people need support that outcomes; matches their individual needs, including those who may have experienced abuse Children includes everyone under the age of 18. ● Our young people have the right to express their views, feelings and wishes and voice their own values and beliefs ● Our young people should be encouraged to respect each other’s values and support each other ● Our young people have the right to be supported to meet their emotional, social and mental health needs as well as their educational needs. Erdington Academy will ensure clear systems and processes are in place to enable identification of these needs. Including consideration of when mental health needs may become a safeguarding need. ● Erdington Academy will contribute to the prevention of abuse, risk/involvement in serious violent crime, victimisation, bullying (including homophobic, biphobic, transphobic and cyber bullying), exploitation, extreme behaviours, discriminatory views and risk-taking behaviours Page 7 of 45 All staff and visitors have an important role to play in safeguarding young people and protecting them from abuse and considering when mental health may become a safeguarding issue. Schools will fulfil their local and national responsibilities as laid out in the following documents: ● The most recent version of Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfE) ● The most recent version of Keeping Children Safe in Education: Statutory guidance for schools and colleges (DfE Sept 2020) ● West Midlands Safeguarding Children Procedures ● The Education Act 2002 s175 ● Sexting in Schools & Colleges – responding to incidents and safeguarding young people (UKCCIS) 2016 ● General Data Protection Legislation (2018) ● Mental Health & Behaviour in Schools ● Birmingham Criminal Exploitation & Gang Affiliation Practice Guidance (2018) ● Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership threshold guidance Right Help Right Time Page 8 of 45 ● Multi-agency Statutory Guidance on Female Genital Mutilation, April 2016, HM Government ● Protecting Children from Radicalisation: The Prevent Duty, 2015 ● Relationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education ● Voyeurism offences act 2019 ● Children missing education Page 9 of 45 2.0 Overall aims This means that at Erdington Academy we will: This policy will contribute to the protection and safeguarding of all students in the Fairfax Multi Academy Identify and protect all pupils Trust and promote their welfare by: ● especially those identified as vulnerable students ● Clarifying standards of behaviour for staff and ● Identify individual needs as early as students possible; and ● Contributing to the establishment of a safe, resilient ● Design plans to address those needs and robust ethos in the schools, built on mutual Work in partnership with students, respect and shared values. ● parents/carers and other agencies. ● Introducing appropriate work within the curriculum. ● Encouraging students and parents to participate. Our policy extends to any establishment ● Alerting staff to the signs and indicators that all may our schools commission to deliver not be well. education to our students on our behalf including alternative provision settings. ● Developing staff awareness of the causes of abuse. ● Developing staff awareness of the risks and vulnerabilities their students face. Our Governing Body will ensure that any commissioned agency will reflect the ● Addressing concerns at the earliest possible stage. values, philosophy and standards of their ● Reducing the potential risks