Safeguarding

At Green Lane CE Primary School our first and foremost priority is keeping our children safe. In this section, you’ll find a list of school policies, actions and useful signposts that helps us as a school and you as parents, to keep our children safe.
As ever, if you do have a problem or need any further information, then please do get in touch and we’ll be delighted to help.
We will ensure that:

• The welfare of the child remains paramount
• All children and adults whatever their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity status, race, religion, belief, sex or sexual orientation have the right to be protected from harm
• All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.

Members of Staff Responsible

We are all responsible for ensuring that each child remains safe, however, the Designated Lead for Safeguarding is

 

 

 

 

 

Our other safeguarding leads are

The governor with responsibility for safeguarding is Miss Lisa Johnson

Areas of Safeguarding

Our safeguarding policies cover all areas of school life and include:

• Staff & Visitors- ensuring they are vetted, informed & trained.
• Children’s Behaviour- promoting safer & happier behaviours & lifestyles.
• Parents & Carers- promoting links & supporting families.
• Intimate Care – guidelines for if we need to clean or administer medication
• E-safety – how we protect and how you can protect your children online
• Premises -keeping them safe, pleasant & fit for purpose.
• Curriculum -providing positive, life affirming learning experiences.
• Outside School- ensuring safer activities and environments outside school.
  

Safer Recruitment

We follow strict procedures to ensure that everyone who works with our children is vetted, keeping our children as safe as possible. Ongoing checks and ‘whistle-blowing’ are in line with current policy.

Staff Training

• All school staff are trained regularly in child protection issues and they are aware of the procedures to follow.
• Staff are encouraged to be vigilant in order to maintain the safety of our children.
• All Staff & Volunteers are given a copy of ‘Behaviour Guidelines for Staff & Volunteers’ and are directed to the document ‘KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE IN EDUCATION 2018’.
  
• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018

Prevent Training

All staff have an up-to-date understanding of current Prevent Issues staff and are able to identify children who may be vulnerable to radicalisation.

Mrs Hartley is the school Single Point of Contact and both Mrs Hartley and Mrs Linsley receive regular training on the Prevent Agenda.

Child Protection with Safeguarding Policy

All staff have an up-to-date understanding of safeguarding children issues and are able to implement the safeguarding children policy and procedure appropriately. Policies are in line with current guidance and procedures.

Staff are able to respond appropriately to any:

• significant changes in children’s behaviour;
• deterioration in their general well-being;
• unexplained bruising, marks or signs of possible abuse;
• signs of neglect;
• comments children make which give cause for concern.

All staff are aware of the need to maintain privacy and confidentiality.

Information Sharing

We have an obligation to obtain necessary information from parents in advance of a child being admitted to school, including:

• emergency contact numbers;
• the child’s special dietary requirements, preferences or food allergies the child may have;
• the child’s special health requirements;
• information about who has legal contact with the child; and who has parental responsibility for the child.

Written parental permission is requested, at the time of the child’s admission to the provision, to the seeking of any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment in the future. We take confidentiality very seriously. Any information which we hold is treated as confidential and shared on a ‘need-to-know’ basis.

Links with External Agencies

Because our first concern must be the well-being of your child, there may be occasions when we have to consult other agencies before we contact you. The procedures we have to follow have been laid down in accordance with the local authority child protection procedures.

We are fortunate to be supported by a range of external agencies which can be called upon to support the work we do in school. These include School Nurse, Health Practitioners, Educational Psychology, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, Behaviour Support, Social Services and Specialists in supporting Special Educational Needs.

Durham Safeguarding Children Partnership

Durham Safeguarding Children Partnership (DSCP) is a statutory body which is independently chaired and consists of senior representatives of all the principal agencies and organisations working together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in the County.

Our Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is Sharon Lewis.

Details of Durham SCP can be found here and provide an excellent resource for both parents and professionals.

Review of Policy and Practice

In order to ensure that best practice is maintained, our policies are reviewed regularly to incorporate the latest statutory guidance.

If you would like more information on safeguarding, please contact the school for all our policies or view our policies section on our website.