Safeguarding

Safeguarding is a term which is broader than ‘child protection’ and relates to the action that Corbett takes to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility: pupils, parents/carers, staff and governors. Safeguarding is defined as:

  • Protecting children from maltreatment
  • Preventing impairment of children’s health and development
  • Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
  • Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

At Corbett, we always act in our children’s best interests and ensure that we take all reasonable steps to prevent harm to them. We feel that having the correct policies and procedures in place not only protects and promotes the welfare of our children but it also enhances the confidence of governors, staff, volunteers, parents/carers and the general public.

Sometimes we may need to share information, and work in partnership, with other agencies when there are concerns about a child’s welfare. We will ensure that concerns about our pupils are discussed with parents/carers first, unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child’s welfare.

All school staff are trained to look out for signs of harm and are required to record and report concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), Mrs Jones. In school we use a secure recording system called Child Protection Online Monitoring System (CPOMS) to log and monitor concerns.

Please let us know if you have any concerns or would like additional information. If you would prefer to email your concern, please use the address safeDSL@corbett.staffs.sch.uk.

In the following sections of this page, you will find resources related to safeguarding and children’s welfare, as well as links to further support.

At Corbett, we teach our children how to safe in many different ways.

NSPCC: Talk PANTS with Pantosaurus and his PANTS song

#TalkPANTS

Meet Pantosaurus, our pant-wearing Dino! He wants every child to stay safe and strong, just like him, and he’s on a mission to share an important message. We’re currently trying to create a brand new PANTS storybook so we can reach more children.

Source: NSPCC

Resources

If you have concerns about your school-age child, you can speak to a School Nurse by either telephone or by attending a local drop-in session. Call your local hub (see below for details) or see the Drop in schedule (5 to 19) in Staffordshire. The School Nurse can provide advice and support on issues including:

  • Behaviour
  • Emotional health and wellbeing
  • Continence issues, e.g. soiling and enuresis
  • Developmental concerns
  • Advice, information and signposting to sexual health and contraception services
  • Growth and weight concerns
  • Advice and information in relation to lifestyle concerns including smoking, drugs and alcohol
  • Supporting pupils and their families/carers with newly-diagnosed medical conditions

The virtual drop-in, hosted by a School Nurse, is open to parents/carers and young people of Staffordshire. It takes place each Thursday between 3.30pm and 4.30pm, even during the school holidays. If you need to speak to a School Nurse outside of these times please call the freephone Hub number: 0808 178 0611.

Resources

Primary self-care and helplines

Linked below is a booklet, suitable for primary-aged children, which helps them to create their own self-care plan. This is a great way to talk about how you can help yourself if you are struggling, and seek help for your child if needed now or in the future.

Primary self-care plan

24/7 NHS urgent mental health helplines, for all ages, were rolled out across the country in 2020. They provide expert advice and assessment for children and adults facing a mental health crisis. People can call for themselves, or on behalf of someone else. If you need help for a mental health crisis, find your local 24/7 urgent mental health helpline on this site.

You can call for:

  • 24-hour advice and support for you, your child, your parent or someone you care for
  • Help to speak to a mental health professional
  • An assessment to help decide on the best course of treatment

If your child needs urgent mental health support or advice, you can contact your local mental health helpline via nhs.uk/urgentmentalhealth. You can call the helpline for 24-hour advice and support for you and your child, to speak to a mental health professional or for an assessment to help decide on the best course of care.

Resources

Eating disorders and concerns

There are helplines and other resources available on the BEAT website, including a GP guide and a guide for friends and family which you can find below. From the BEAT website:

  • Remember, it’s important to address the thoughts and feelings causing an eating disorder, not just the behaviour. There are many different therapies that can do this, and no single therapy is the best choice in all cases. Depending on how young they are, you may have a lot of say over their treatment, so remember that if your child isn’t responding well to one form of treatment, they may respond better to another.
  • Be mindful of other children and how the eating disorder might be affecting them. They may need their own emotional support. Our leaflet, “Caring for Someone with an Eating Disorder (for under 18s)” may be useful for siblings of the person with the eating disorder. It is available to download on our website.

Resources

Children’s mental health week

Expressing yourself is about finding ways to share feelings, thoughts, or ideas, through creativity. It is about finding a way to show who you are, and how you see the world, helping you to feel good about yourself. As parents and carers, you play an important role in your child’s mental health. Check out our links and find further resources below.

Resources

UK Health Security Agency: key points on maintaining children’s mental health

  • Listen and acknowledge. Look out for any changes in their behaviour. Children may feel less anxious if they are able to express and communicate their feelings. Listen to them, acknowledge their concerns, and give them extra love and attention if they need it.
  • Provide clear information about the situation: all children and young people want to feel that their parents and caregivers can keep them safe. Provide honest answers to any questions they have. Explain what is being done to keep them and their loved ones safe, such as washing their hands regularly.
  • Be aware of your own reactions: it is important to manage your own emotions and remain calm, listen to and acknowledge children and young people’s concerns, speak kindly to them, and answer any questions they have honestly.
  • Connect regularly: make sure you still have regular and frequent contact via the phone or video calls with them if you live away.
  • Create a new routine: make a plan for the day or week that includes time for learning, playing and relaxing; be active for 60 minutes a day; keep to bedtimes, etc.
  • Limit exposure to media and talk about what they have seen and heard: try to avoid turning the television off or closing web pages when children come into the room. This can pique their interest to find out what is going on – and their imagination can take over. Try to answer their questions and reassure them in an age-appropriate manner, avoiding too much detail.

The guidance also outlines how children of different ages may respond: for example, three- to six-year-olds may return to behaviours they have outgrown: toileting accidents, bed-wetting, etc.

Resources

Transitions

Transitioning from primary to secondary school is a particularly significant change for children. Learning about change and how to cope with it will help them with this particular transition and prepare them for many other changes and challenges they will face in life.

Further resources

If you’ve got a problem, or are worried about someone, it can be hard to know what to do. You don’t have to cope on your own. You have the right to grow up safe from people hurting you.

What is child abuse?

Child abuse is when you, or another child or young person, is being harmed or isn’t being looked after properly.

Remember, being abused is never your choice and never your fault.  Child abuse is never right.

Here are some things to look out for:

  • Not being fed
  • Being continuously criticised, ignored or humiliated
  • Being asked to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable
  • Being frightened when left alone without an adult to look after you
  • Being hit, kicked or punched
  • Being sexually abused (this can include inappropriate sexual behaviour, language or touching)

Where to go for help

  • ChildLine is the free confidential helpline for children and young people in the UK: call 0800 1111
  • The NSPCC has a helpline 0808 800 5000 for children and young people, and a website with helpful advice about what to do if you are worried or scared

If you are a child or young person and you are being abused or neglected please contact:

Staffordshire Children’s Advice and Support (SCAS)
0300 111 8007
8.30am to 5.00pm Monday to Thursday (8.30am to 4.30pm Friday)
EDS (out of hours) 0345 604 2886
If you are in immediate danger call 999

Helpful resources

Working together to safeguard children

Illustrated toolkit

The UK government has developed an illustrated guide and toolkit especially for children, young people, and their families. This is a useful guide to share with parents to gain an understanding of the work that professionals do to help keep children safe.

Our school has been given the opportunity to take part in a project that will run jointly between schools and the police. Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools, prior to the start of the next school day, when a child or young person has experienced any domestic abuse.

Operation Encompass will ensure that our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), known as a Key Adult, is trained to liaise with the police and to use the shared information in confidence. This will ensure that the school is able to make provision for possible difficulties experienced by children, or their families, who have experienced a domestic abuse incident.

We are keen to offer the best possible support to all our pupils and we believe this will be extremely beneficial for all involved.

The Department for Education has produced a useful guide for choosing and evaluating out-of-school care services and activities. The guidance covers:

  • Community activities
  • After-school clubs
  • Supplementary schools
  • Tuition
  • Music lessons
  • Sports training
  • Other activities for children that take place without their parents’ or carers’ supervision, and which are not:
    • Schools
    • Colleges
    • 16 to 19 colleges
    • Providers caring for children under eight years old registered with Ofsted or a childminder agency