Safeguarding

What is Safeguarding?

Supporting all our children to thrive in their school and community.

This includes - safe premises, risk assessments, curriculum (PHSE and sex and relationships education), equality, physical and mental health and children's emotional well-being.

What is Child Protection?

Keeping vulnerable children safe from harm or risk of harm.

This includes - bullying, neglect, child abuse - keeping children safe in the community, school or at home.

Safeguarding Policy

If you are concerned about a child or an adult's behaviour, immediately speak to one of our Safeguarding Leads, who are all Level 3 trained. These are:

Mrs Rutter-Brown who is the designated lead for safeguarding and child protection.

Mrs McHugh who is the deputy designated lead for safeguarding and child protection.

Mrs Cotton who is the SENCo and EYFS lead.

Mrs Jones is our school safeguarding governor. ljones@kingsmead.cheshire.sch.uk

Do not delay in sharing any concerns you have. You can phone the school or email head@kingsmead.cheshire.sch.uk (This email is checked daily, including weekends, evenings and holidays.

If you have a concern in the holidays, over a weekend or in the evening and can not contact the school please call the Integrated Access and Referral Team (i-ART) or the Emergency Duty Team for help and advice. Alternatively you can call the police.

Report a concern about a child:

Cheshire West and Chester Early Help & Prevention and Children's Social Care
The team can be contacted 8.30am to 5pm from Monday to Thursday and 8.30am – 4.30pm on Friday.
If you have an urgent concern outside these hours, or over a bank holiday, please call the Emergency Duty Team (out of hours) on 01244 977277.
Alternatively call Cheshire Police: 0845 458 0000/ 01244 350000 (999 in an emergency).

All staff are trained in Basic Awareness and Prevent (see below on tackling extremism). Training is updated every three years and the policy reviewed annually. Staff also receive briefings and updates throughout the year. Some staff have further responsibilities and receive training in attachment and emotional literacy, data protection, domestic violence. multi-agency working, team around the family (TAF), neglect, safe recruitment, team around the family and team teach (safe handling).

Emotional Literacy Support Assistant

Mrs Dabrowska and Mrs Butterworth are the school's ELSAs and support children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties where these exceed the responsibility or expertise of a class teacher. Capacity in school is not infinite and we will prioritise their support on children whose needs are adversely impacting on learning and achievement. Parents wishing to discuss support for their child should speak to the headteacher or deputy headteacher / SENCo if their request is linked to a child's special educational needs or disability.

Department of Education Documents for Safeguarding and Child Protection

Keeping Children Safe In Education

Keeping Children Safe in Education (part one)

Prevent Strategy Information Leaflet

Regulated Activity in Relation to Children (Scope)

What To Do If You're Worried A Child Is Being Abused

Working Together to Safeguard Children

Child abuse is all our responsibility

We all know that every child has a right to be safe and should be protected from all forms of abuse and neglect; however some people do not act when they are concerned about a child as they are worried about being wrong.

Everyone can help protect children and young people by looking out for the ABC warning signs. These include changes in a child or young persons:

Appearance: such as unusual injuries or consistently poor hygiene.
Behaviour: such as being withdrawn, overly anxious, disruptive or self-harming or any other sudden changes in behaviour.
Communication: such as talking aggressively, using sexual language or becoming secretive.

Many people think it’s the job of people who work directly with children to make the report or are worried about being wrong. In fact, anyone can make a report to Children's Social Care; you don’t have to be 100% certain and if you are concerned about a child, please report it to Children’s Social Care and they will look into it. Information is usually gathered from a number of sources and your report would form one part of a bigger picture. Please help us to keep an eye out for our local children as you go about your day to day life. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and we must work together to support and protect children at the earliest opportunity.

If you suspect child abuse or neglect, call Children’s Social Care on 0300 123 7047 during office hours or 01244 977 277 in evenings and weekends to make a report. If you are concerned that a child is in immediate danger please call Police on 999.
If a family is living in a situation of domestic abuse this will affect children and should be reported
If you are living with domestic abuse and want support but are worried about phoning Children's Social Care, please e-mail head@kingsmead.cheshire.sch.uk, mark your email CONFIDENTIAL in the subject line and Mrs Rutter-Brown or Mrs McHugh will offer guidance and support.

Challenging extremism

Staff are trained in Channel awareness and WRAP (Home Office anti-extremism) training and the Prevent Strategy. Extremism includes a range of views, religious and political (such as far right extremism) that can lead people to act in ways contrary to British law. Staff understand how some children can be vulnerable to online grooming (not only for sexual exploitation but for purposes of radicalisation too). We want to prevent any of our children become victims of extremists so staff are trained to spot signs that could indicate radicalisation, how to support children and families affected, and how to report it. The single point of contact (SPOC) should anyone have a concern regarding extremism is Mrs Rutter-Brown, the headteacher.

What about concerns in the community?

Every community bears some responsibility for keeping children safe: from driving carefully to noticing when children may be at risk. Sometimes adults living in the community have concerns regarding a child's welfare which are not apparent to us in school.

CWAC Social Care Integrated Access and Referral Team or I-Art will talk through concerns in a professional and confidential manner. See above 'What do I do if I am concerned about a child's welfare?' for how to contact them.

Prevent-September 2023 (1).pdf

What do I do if I am concerned about a child's welfare?

In school, children do not differentiate between adults' roles; a volunteer parent for example may carry the same status as a teacher. If you have a concern about a child's welfare you should speak to one of the designated adults in school. All concerns are treated confidentially and designated staff will take full responsibility for further action if appropriate. Concerns in the community can be reported to Cheshire West and Chester social care.

We are all responsible for the well-being of the children in our community. The numbers and links below are to support anyone in the community with concerns in taking useful and kind action to safeguard a child.

Integrated Access and Referrals [I-Art] 01606 275099
Emergency Duty team (out of hours) 01244 977277
E-Safety - advice and guidance
Cheshire West and Chester Domestic Abuse Partnership

Online Safety

At our school, safeguarding children online is a key priority. The internet provides children and young people with many opportunities to learn, communicate and explore, but it is important that they are supported to do so safely.

Following recent cyber safety sessions delivered by Detective Constable Andrew Kevan, we are sharing a range of trusted resources and advice to help parents and carers support their children in navigating the online world safely.

Key Messages for Families

Talk regularly with your child about their online activity.
Encourage children to tell a trusted adult if something online worries them.
Review privacy settings and parental controls regularly.
Use strong, unique passwords and enable two-step verification.
Be cautious of unexpected messages, emails or requests for personal information.
Remember that social media platforms can expose children to content and interactions that may not be appropriate for their age.

Working together, we can help children develop the knowledge and skills they need to stay safe, responsible and confident online.

Social Media Privacy and Security

Many social media platforms contain content that may not be suitable for children. Parents and carers are encouraged to regularly review privacy and security settings on any apps and platforms their children use.

Internet Matters provides clear, step-by-step guides for setting up privacy controls and parental settings on a wide range of social media platforms and devices:

Reporting Suspicious Activity

If you receive a suspicious text message, forward it to 7726.

If you receive a suspicious email, forward it to:

report@phishing.gov.uk

Children should be encouraged to tell a trusted adult if they see anything online that worries them or if they are contacted by someone they do not know.

Passwords and Account Security

Creating strong passwords is one of the simplest ways to improve online security.

The National Cyber Security Centre recommends using the Three Random Words approach:

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/top-tips-for-staying-secure-online/three-random-words

You can also check the strength of passwords using:

https://www.security.org/how-secure-is-my-password

For additional protection, enable two-step verification wherever possible, including on messaging platforms such as WhatsApp.

Have Your Details Been Compromised?

Data breaches can expose personal information such as email addresses and phone numbers. You can check whether your details have been involved in a known data breach by visiting:

https://haveibeenpwned.com

Parental Controls and Device Management

Google Family Link

Google Family Link allows parents and carers to monitor devices, manage screen time and control internet access on individual devices.

https://familylink.google.com

ReThink

ReThink is designed to encourage young people to pause and reconsider before sending messages that could be hurtful or inappropriate.

Online Fraud and Scam Awareness

If you think someone is attempting to scam you into sharing personal information or transferring money, stop communication immediately and contact your bank directly.

By dialling 159, you will be connected to your bank's fraud prevention service.

To reduce nuisance and scam calls, visit:

https://www.truecall.co.uk

You can also monitor your credit record through services such as Experian to help identify potential fraudulent activity.

Reporting Harmful Content

Report Remove

Childline's Report Remove service supports young people in having indecent images removed from participating online platforms.

https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/online-mobile-safety/remove-nude-image-shared-online

CEOP Safety Centre

If you are concerned about online grooming, exploitation or inappropriate contact with a child, support and reporting tools are available through CEOP.

https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre