Child Protection and Safeguarding
Safeguarding children and young people is paramount and is integral in all staff members roles and responsibilities and in all policy and procedure. Safeguarding and Child Protection is at the forefront of all the work we do as a school and underpins all of our policy and processes.
All children and young people have the right to be protected. At High Close School, we need to ensure that we have a child centred and coordinated approach to safeguarding; all young people must be safeguarded and protected from harm, whatever their specific needs and circumstances. The best interests of the child are paramount and must always be at the centre of all decision making.
All staff receive regular training in Child Protection and Safeguarding and regular updates on new guidance and legislation.
You can find the up to date Child Protection and Safeguarding policy on the policies page.
Operation Encompass
Operation Encompass is a national police and education early intervention safeguarding partnership which supports children who experience Domestic Abuse.
Operation Encompass is in place in every police force in England and Wales, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar.
Children were recognised as victims of domestic abuse in their own right in the 2021 Domestic Abuse Act.
Operation Encompass means that the police will share information with our school about all police attended Domestic Abuse incidents which involve any of our children PRIOR to the start of the next school day. The notification informs us about the context of the incident and includes the Voice of the Child. Appropriate safeguarding procedures will be put in place following any Operation Encompass notifications.
Online safety briefings
We have created a short series of videos to support parents and carers in keeping their young people safe online. You may already be aware of lots of this information but it is based on frequently asked questions from families we work with. Although these videos were created a few years ago, the information remains relevant, for further information on the topics discussed please visit the links below. The last video mentions a form to ask further questions, this no longer exists so if you have any questions please contact the staff who work with your young person who will ensure you get a response.
If you would like to know more please speak to a member of staff at the school.
Below are links to website that can help keep your young people safe online
Advice from Thinkuknow
https://www.ceopeducation.co.uk/parents/
Internet Matters - advice on online safety and how to set controls on different devices, social media platforms, games etc
https://www.internetmatters.org/
Reporting inappropriate images of young people that have been shared online
https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/online-mobile-safety/report-remove/
Online Safety Briefing 1
This video looks at the risks that could affect any young person while they are online
OnLine Safety Briefing 2
This video looks at how, as a parent, you can help your young person stay safe on line by setting boundaries and expectations
Online Safety Briefing 3
This video looks at how you can report concerns if you are worried about anything you see online