Safeguarding

Whilst working with a child, if you become worried about:

• Comments made by a child
• Marks or bruising on a child
• Changes in a child’s behaviour or demeaner
• Disclosures of any nature that may indicate risk of harm to a child

You must report these concerns to a Designated Safeguarding Lead and log the concern on My Concern.

If a child makes a disclosure to you

• Listen, allow the child to talk freely.
• Reassure but DON’T promise anything.
• DO NOT promise confidentiality.
• DO NOT interrogate, do not ask them to write it down.
• Reassure them that it was right to talk.

What if a child expresses concern about a staff member?

If a child is to do this, it must be reported to the headteacher, if it is about the headteacher it must be reported to the Chair of Governors.

Appropriate Behaviour

• As a visitor or volunteer you may well work closely with pupils. We need to have mutual trust and respect.
• You should not engage in physical contact with the children if they instigate this it should be reported to class teacher.
• Do not photograph/record the pupils and do not have you mobile phone or camera out whilst on site. Do not exchange numbers or engage on social media with any pupils.

Confidentiality

It is expected of everybody in school not to discuss anything they hear or see on site with anybody else.

Do you have a safeguarding concern?

As a parent, or member of the public, we all have a duty of care to ensure that we support the safeguarding of all young people and those who are deemed vulnerable. If you have a safeguarding concern and wish to speak to a safeguarding lead at the academy, please call 01522 820099 and ask to speak to a DSL to raise a safeguarding concern. If your concern is beyond the school day, at a weekend or during the school holidays, any member of the public can call the customer services social care team on: 01522 782111. You will be able to share your concern with them, you can remain anonymous, however, it is helpful if you are able to share who you are, which will remain confidential. This allows them to be able to filter out malicious calls.

Operation Encompass is a project which Lincolnshire Police run in partnership with local schools. The project aims to safeguard and support children who are affected by domestic abuse and Waddington All Saints Academy is an Operation Encompass school.

What is Operation Encompass?

The project aims to safeguard and support children and young people who are involved in or affected by incidents involving domestic abuse. Witnessing domestic abuse is really distressing for a young person, who can often see the abuse, hear it from another room, see a parent’s injuries or distress afterwards or be physically hurt trying to stop the abuse.

How does Operation Encompass work?

Following an incident of domestic abuse in the home, children will often arrive at school upset and unprepared. Operation Encompass aims to ensure that appropriate school staff are made aware of the incident early enough to support children in the best way possible. After the police receive a report of abuse at a property at which an All Saint’s child is registered to, brief information will be shared with the school, directly from Lincolnshire Police. This information will be handled by the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead. This ensures support can be provided as quickly as possible and children can feel safe and listened to. We will receive a notification that there was an incident which will only state the name of the child. No further information regarding the incident will be given. This information will be shared throughout the year, including school holidays and during the weekends.

If you would like more information about Operation Encompass, you can view it online at www.operationencompass.org