SAFEGUARDING
SAFEGUARDING & CHILD PROTECTION
Valentine Primary School is committed to ensuring that every child feels safe and well-cared for. We work hard to provide a secure school environment for learners, staff, parents/carers and visitors.
The school takes pupil welfare and safety very seriously, and takes action to reduce all kinds of harm including: abuse, bullying, discrimination and avoidable injuries. We also promote a culture where children and adults feel confident to share their concerns about their own or others’ safety and wellbeing.
The school’s safeguarding leads are Daniel Constable-Phelps (Executive Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead) and Anna Rutter (Acting Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead, Child Protection Lead), who can be contacted on 023 8044 8944 and dsl@valentineprimary.co.uk.
If you are concerned about the immediate safety or well-being of a pupil, please call 023 8044 8944 (8am to 4.30pm).
If you believe that a child is in imminent danger, please contact the police. Dial 999.
At Valentine we use CPOMS (Child Protection Online Monitoring System) to log concerns, record chronological events and to action outcomes from disclosures. The system is managed by DSLs at the school. CPOMS integrates with TrackIt (our behaviour logging system) to ensure that all pertinent information related to children is recorded.
SAFEGUARDING TEAM AT MASON MOOR
LEVEL 3 SAFEGUARDING TRAINED STAFF MEMBERS
Daniel Constable-Phelps (DDSL) | Level 3 Trained |
Anna Rutter (DSL) | Level 3 Trained |
Marie Bishop | Level 3 Trained |
Davina Ashbolt-Smith | Level 3 Trained |
Mrs S Akehurst (DDSL) | Level 3 Trained |
CATEGORIES OF ABUSE - SAFEGUARDING
There are four main categories of abuse:
Physical Abuse |
Emotional Abuse Persistent emotional ill treatment of a child. It may involve telling children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. |
Sexual Abuse Forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. It may also include non-contact activities such as involving children in inappropriate sexual activities. |
Neglect Persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, which is likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. |
ONLINE SAFEGUARDING
If you are worried about something online or something involving you online, you can report it here.
For reporting terrorist or extremist material online, please click here to report.
If you suspect Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) of a child please inform the police. If you have concerns around risk, please inform the school or Children's Resource Service (formerly Southampton MASH) by calling 023 8083 3004 or via the details on their website. https://www.southampton.gov.uk/health-social-care/children/child-social-care/childrens-resource-service/
CHILD MISSING IN EDUCATION
Why might children be missing from education?
There are various reasons for this which include, but are not limited to:
- Child not starting at school when they reach compulsory school age and therefore never entering the system;
- Failing to transition between schools. For example, at phase transfer or if a family moves from one local authority to another;
- A delay in applying for a new school place upon arriving in the city;
- Refusing an alternative offer of a school place, when the preferred school is full;
- Leaving a school, with no forwarding education provision or destination.
At Valentine we have a duty to ensure that every child we know should be 'in the system' is and that we have forwarding information for children who leave the immediate local area.
SOUTHAMPTON CITY COUNCIL CME:
https://www.southampton.gov.uk/schools-learning/support-education/children-missing-education/
PROTOCOL FOR THE TRANSFER OF PUPIL SAFEGUARDING RECORDS
When children transfer from us - either to other primary settings or to a secondary school - we have a protocol in place to ensure the consistent and safe transfer of Child Protection information.
The school uses CPOMS as the safeguarding information management system to record, review and action cases. Where children transfer to schools using CPOMS, relevant details would be shared.
For physical record transfer - we operate a strict receipt system between the sender/receiver to ensure these are maintained for our records. We do not send records via post - unless this is special delivery. The local authority operate an internal post system - though we prefer to physically transfer the records using the school minibus at the beginning of the academic year.
SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND DISABILITIES
"Children and young people who have disabilities are at an increased risk of being abused compared with their non-disabled peers"
Jones et al, 2012
WHO IS AT MOST RISK OF ABUSE?
Disabled children at greatest risk of abuse are those with behaviour or conduct disorders. Other high-risk groups include:
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children with learning difficulties/disabilities
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children with speech and language difficulties
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children with health-related conditions
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deaf children
Adults who work with children and young people with SEND need to be aware of the additional needs children may have that could mean they are more vulnerable to abuse and/or less able to speak out if something isn’t right. Some children may be vulnerable because they:
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have additional communication needs
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they do not understand that what is happening to them is abuse
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need intimate care or are isolated from others
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are dependent on adults for care.
We recognise that children with additional needs or disabilities may display signs of abuse in different ways to their peers, these could include:
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Diagrams and drawings – they may seem inconsequential initially – but could be building a bigger picture of a child’s experiences and a disclosure.
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Escalating behaviours that seem disproportionate
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Not accepting that an injury is the result of the child’s additional needs
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Fabricated or induced illness
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Considering behaviour such as self-harm as possibly being indicative of abuse
REFLECTIVE PRACTICE & SUPERVISION
A culture of reflective practice extends beyond the remit of the leadership team and the designated safeguarding leads. At Valentine staff are awarded time with a qualified counsellor as a group, half-termly, at a cost to the school. This enables leaders to discuss caseloads, the emotional impact on their own well-being as well as strategies to offload and to cope with the inevitable personal trauma their role brings.
In addition, all staff in the early years (EYFS) have regular supervision with a leader who is not connected to their phase. This ensures that information, concerns and worries can be shared formally and looked into - thus keeping all children safe within the setting.
STAFF STATUTORY SAFEGUARDING - 2023