Safeguarding

Mrs Kim Williams

Deputy Headteacher, Designated Safeguarding Lead

Mrs Gina Sephton

Pastoral Lead and Deputy DSL

Mrs Jessica Short

Associate Assistant Headteacher and Deputy DSL

Out of Hours Contact:- safeguarding@avonwoodprimaryschool.org.uk

At Avonwood Primary School, we aim to provide a safe, supportive and inclusive environment, which secures the well-being and very best outcomes for the children in our care. We have a duty of care to safeguard and promote the well-being of children. We take this responsibility seriously and as such, we have clear systems and procedures in place to ensure that no child should suffer from harm, at home or at school. All staff have a statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

All staff are expected to adhere to our safeguarding procedures and guidance at all times.

Mrs Kim Williams is our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and is supported by Mrs Gina Sephton and Mrs Jessica Short as their roles of Deputy Safeguarding Leads.

The Designated Member of Staff for Child Protection may refer the matter to Social Care, the Police or other agencies, as all adults who come into contact with children at Avonwood Primary School have a duty of care to safeguard and promote their welfare.

Preventing unsuitable people from working with children and young people is essential to keeping children safe, therefore we conduct rigorous selection and recruitment of staff and volunteers in accordance with the Safer Recruitment practice guidelines. There may be occasions when parents, carers or neighbours become concerned about the safety of a child who attends Avonwood. If you are concerned that a child is not safe then please ensure that you report your concerns to one of the above mentioned members of staff.

Please provide as much detail as possible about the concern such as…

Child’s full name (if known)
Date of Birth for the child (if known)
Details of the concern

Alternatively, please phone the school on 01202 727910 and ask to speak to a member of staff about a child protection matter. Should you wish to remain anonymous please put your concern in writing and address it to:

CONFIDENTIAL
Chris Jackson
Headteacher
Avonwood Primary School
Harewood Avenue
Bournemouth
BH7 6NY

Or alternatively, If you have serious concerns because you think that a child might be being abused (physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse or neglect) or at risk of radicalisation you should contact the Children’s Services Department at Bournemouth Council:

If you are concerned about a child's welfare or worried they are being abused, you can make a referral to Children's Social Care in Dorset by contacting:

Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole – Children's First Response Hub:

During Office hours: 8.30am to 5.00pm

01202 123334
childrensfirstresponse@bcpcouncil.gov.uk

In an emergency or out of hours contact:

Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Out of Hours Service:	01202 738256 childrensOOHS@bcpcouncil.gov.uk
Dorset Out of Hours Service:	01305 228558
Police Non-Emergency:	101
Police Emergency:	999

You can also seek advice and guidance from Child line – 0800 1111

Working in Partnership

Each and every member of United Learning are committed to creating and maintaining a culture of openness and honesty and strive at all times to work in partnership with parents and carers. We believe that this is in the best interests of children and their families. Only by developing co-operative working relationships within which parents and carers feel respected will we able to work holistically with children.

We believe it is important that parents and carers are aware of our statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and that we will where necessary share concerns about children with Children’s Social Care.

Wherever possible we will aim to discuss concerns about children with their parents or carers and inform them if we intend to make a referral to the Children’s Services Contact Team.

There may be rare instances however, when we judge that it is not appropriate to speak to a parent or carer before contacting the Children’s Services Contact Team. This would happen when the DLS or a Deputy DLS in her absence, judges that a child’s well-being will be imperilled if the parent or carer is aware that a referral is to be made.

Supporting Children

We recognise that a child who is abused or neglected may find it difficult to develop and maintain a sense of self-worth. We recognise that children may feel helpless and humiliated and may blame themselves for what has or is happening to them. Our school may provide a vital source of stability in the lives of children who have been abused or are at risk of harm. We recognise that the behaviour of a child in these circumstances may range from that which is perceived to be ‘normal’ to aggressive or withdrawn.

We aim to support the children in our school by:

Encouraging a sense of self-worth and assertiveness whilst not condoning bullying and aggression.
Promoting a caring and safe environment within the school and
Providing opportunities through the PSED curricula for children to learn strategies to protect themselves, ask for help and support and gain confidence in standing up for their rights and valuing and respecting others.
Working in partnership with other services involved in safeguarding children and notifying Children’s Social Care as soon as there are significant concerns about a child

Common Safeguarding Questions

When and what might I be concerned about?

At any time you might be concerned about the information which suggest a child is being neglected, subjected radicalisation or experiencing physical, emotional or sexual harm.

You may notice physical signs, notice changes in the child’s behaviour or presentation, pick up signs of emotional distress or have a child disclose a harmful experience to you.

Harm to a child can be caused by:

A parent/carer
A family member / friend
Another child
A stranger
A member of staff / volunteer

What should I do if a child discloses that she / he is being harmed?

Confidentiality - Do not promise to keep what is said a secret.

Listen – Listen carefully to what is being said to you. DO NOT INTERRUPT.

Reassure – Reassure the student that it is not their fault, stress that it was the right thing to tell.

Be calm, attentive and non-judgemental

Ask non leading questions, only if necessary e.g. (who, what when, why and how) to clarify.

Then follow the steps outlined below.

What must I do?

Share your concerns verbally with the Designated Safeguarding Lead (Mrs Kim Williams) or any member of the Leadership Team.

Make a written record (using the child's own words), sign and date it.

Pass the written record to the Designated Safeguarding lead without delay.

What should I do if the alleged abuser is a member of staff working with children?

If your concern is about a staff member or volunteer, you must report this to Head teacher (Mr Chris Jackson).

If however, your concern is about the Executive Headteacher, you should report this to the Chair of Governors. The senior person will then contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) on 01202 817600 for a discussion.

If you are unclear about any aspect of safeguarding at Avonwood then please seek advice from your Designated Safeguarding Lead for Child Protection (Kim Williams).

Click to download leaflet

We follow the guidance in the ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (2019) document (link below) and our Trust Safeguarding Policy.

Operation Encompass

Avonwood is now working with Dorset Police on a relatively new intervention called "Operation Encompass". It is a police and education intervention safeguarding partnership, enabling support for children and young people who are experiencing Domestic Abuse.

Please click on the link to find out more information

Home : Operation Encompass

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