Safeguarding

Lark Hall Infant and Nursery Academy and Flax Hill Junior Academy are fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its pupils and families.  Our ethos is to always keep the child in focus as they are our priority.

It is everyone’s responsibility to safeguard children – Protecting them from maltreatment; preventing impairment of their health and development; ensuring they grow up in safe and effective circumstances; and to ensure they have the best life chances.

Safeguarding is not just about keeping our pupils and families safe and protected, but also we ensure other practices are robust and are in place, such as Online Safety (any type of abuse that occurs on the internet, facilitated through technology such as computers, tablets and mobile phones), Contextual Safeguarding (recognition that children and young people are vulnerable in some social settings, the community and with different relationships formed which can feature violence and abuse), County Lines (Police term for urban gangs supplying drugs to suburban areas, involving child exploitation) and Prevent (which is part of the Governments Counter Terrorism Strategy and aims to stop people being drawn into terrorism.  Prevent is everyone’s business.  Young people are being recruited into such groups which promote hatred, discrimination and sometimes violence).

The Academy has a clear Safeguarding Policy (see below) which explains safeguarding, our roles and responsibilities, and other expectations required.  We also follow Keeping Children Safe in Education whereby all staff adhere to this statutory guidance.  All staff are fully trained in Level 1 Safeguarding which gives them understanding and the ability to safeguard our pupils.  The Safeguarding Team above are fully trained in Level 1, 2 and 4 due to their roles of leading the schools safeguarding expectations.

Our Safeguarding Team and staff are very passionate in ensuring that our pupils needs are met, their wellbeing is provided for, and more importantly that they are safe and protected in school, at home and in the community.

Operation Encompass

Operation Encompass directly connects the police with schools to ensure support for children living with domestic abuse in their homes when there has been a police attended incident of Domestic Abuse. Rapid provision of support within the school environment means children are better safeguarded against the short, medium and long-term effects of domestic abuse.

Operation Encompass provides an efficient, confidential channel of communication between police forces and Key Adults within schools. This enables the immediate and discrete recognition of the child's situation by the Key Adult, ensuring a secure and sympathetic environment is provided and the broader effects of abuse are addressed.

Operation Encompass is a charitable organisation set up in 2011, which has since enabled effective interventions to many thousands of children who've experienced domestic abuse. The creators of Operation Encompass are working tirelessly to ensure that police and schools throughout the country are able to address victims of domestic abuse consistently and coherently.

Additional Information:

For further information regarding policies, procedures and other relevant information and resources please follow the link attached which will take you to Staffordshire Safeguarding and Children's board.

Childline is for Children only and is a free, private and confidential service where you can talk about anything. Important update: Because of the coronavirus, Childline have had to to make some changes to how Childline works. For now, you can only speak to a Childline counsellor online or on the phone from 9.00 am – midnight.

www.childline.org.uk / Tel: 0800 11 11

Thinkuknow has information regarding online safety for all ages and parents.