Safeguarding
Protecting children is everyone’s responsibility
People to contact:
- Mrs P King (Headteacher), Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
- Mrs B O’Driscoll (SENCO), Deputy DSL
- Mrs M Aldred, Deputy DSL
- Mrs C McHugh, Deputy DSL
- Mrs Jemma Farrell (Family Support Worker), also trained as a DSL
Contact numbers:
- School on 0121 675 2670
- Children Advice and Support Service (CASS) on 0121 303 1888
Holy Family Primary school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment .The school uses the online safeguarding monitoring system, ‘My Concern’ to log and monitor concerns. We will carefully select training and support all those with responsibility within the school in line with safer recruitment principles.
Safeguarding Children
In the interest of safeguarding children there may be occasions when the school has to consult other agencies without a parent’s prior knowledge. The school’s first concern is the child’s welfare and the school has a duty to act to protect the child at all times. Disclosures from pupils are always referred to the designated adult responsible for safeguarding. Such consultation may result in a formal referral which could prompt visits from social services and/or the police.
We fully understand that this can be a very distressing set of circumstances, but we can only assure you that we follow the procedures laid down by the Local Safeguarding Board, and the school has adopted a Safeguarding Policy/ Child Protection Policy in line with this for the safety of all.
Please refer to the following documents used in school for further inform
- Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy – on our Policies page.
- DfE Guide: Keeping Children Safe in Education – 2023
- DfE Guide: Working Together to Safeguard Children – 2018
Governor Statement
The appropriate safeguarding of all children regardless of age, ability, race, culture, religion or class, is an essential element of the work of the governing body. It is a pre-requisite to the effective development and well being of the children who attend Holy Family Catholic Primary School, and should be seen as an underlying principle in all that we do.
The policies within this folder reflect this commitment. Policies however are not enough and governors are also committed to:
- Regular review of all practice.
- Appropriate induction and supervision.
- Regular and appropriate training.
- Sustaining the professional ethos which is open and supportive of staff, which puts children’s safety and protection at its core.
- Ensure that Parents are aware of the school’s commitment to this work.
Safeguarding Policies are available to view on our website on the Policies page.
If you have any concerns over the welfare or safety of a child in our school, please contact school immediately and ask to speak to one of the Safeguarding Leads.
We are an Operation Encompass School
Our school is part of Operation Encompass which is a national scheme that operates jointly between schools and police forces. Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools, prior to the start of the next school day, when a child or young person has experienced domestic abuse.
As a school we have ensured that all members of our safeguarding team, known as a Key Adults, have been trained in the Operation Encompass procedures allowing us to then use the information that has been shared, in confidence, to support the child/ren in our care.
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 identifies children who experience domestic abuse as victims of domestic abuse in their own right. We are keen to offer the best support possible to all our pupils and we believe this will be extremely beneficial for all those involved.