Safeguarding at St. Joseph’s
At St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, our priority is the safety, happiness, and well-being of our children. We take our role as safeguarding and child protection officers very seriously and we will always deal with safeguarding and child protection cases quickly, following full National and Lancashire County Council procedure and protocol.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We work with many agencies, as appropriate and necessary and we are an Operation Encompass school.
If you have ANY concerns about a child’s safety or welfare, please do not hesitate in contacting School and requesting to speak to our Headteacher or a School Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Miss Rachael Griffiths
Head Teacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Nicole Dodd
Inclusion Lead/SENCO and Deputy Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Louise Beaumont
Key Stage Two Lead, Deputy Head teacher and Deputy Safeguarding Lead
Miss Emma Roberts
Key Stage One Lead and Deputy Safeguarding Lead
Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Governor is Father John-Paul – Chair of Governors. Any whistle blowing or staff allegations must be referred immediately to Miss Griffiths (Headteacher) and full procedure will be followed. If you have any concerns regarding Miss Griffiths, please contact Father John-Paul. All policies are kept within school in both the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage Two staff rooms. Furthermore, information and referral forms, LADO advice, 7-minute briefings and information on Prevent, Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023, Safer Working Guidance 2022 can also be accessed.
We have several policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Child Protection Policy. This policy will give clear direction to staff, volunteers, visitors and parents about expectations and our legal responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children at our school.
Our school fully recognises the contribution it can make to protect children from harm and to support and promote the welfare of all children who are registered pupils at our school.
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 our 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. Our aim is to work in partnership with families, whenever possible to prevent concerns escalating to child protection issues. Early intervention is paramount. Please always come and talk to us if you have any concerns.
We will always work to:
· Protect children and young people at our school from maltreatment;
· Prevent impairment of our children’s and young people’s health or development;
· Ensure that children and young people at our school grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care;
· Undertake that role to enable children at our school to have the best outcomes.
Educational Visits and Visitors
Mrs Hamilton is our Educational Visits Coordinator. All school trips are thoroughly risk assessed
and uploaded to Kym Allen Health and Safety Consultants. The trip must be approved by Miss Griffiths, the Headteacher, and
Kym Allen Health and Safety Consultants 4 weeks in advance for residential trips.
Prevent Agenda
We actively support the Government’s Prevent Agenda to counter radicalism and extremism.
What is radicalisation?
Radicalisation refers to the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and forms of extremism, there is no single way of identifying an individual who is likely to be susceptible to an extremist ideology.
- They are usually 13 years old or upwards but not always.
- They may have a personality or identity crisis.
- They may have unmet aspirations or have a personal crisis.
- They may have a need for adventure or excitement.
- They may feel that their culture or religion is under threat.
- Individuals may feel socially isolated or suffering depression.
- They may demonstrate criminal behaviour.
- They may be groomed by others who promise them excitement, glory or freedom.
What are the signs?
- Overly sensitive about online viewing.
- Feeling isolated or expressions of “us and them” mentality.
- Becoming more argumentative or domineering in their viewpoint – quick to condemn those who disagree with their opinions.
- Downloading extremism content.
- Social isolation – especially if they had been social previously.
- Abnormal routines or travel patterns.
- Altered appearance.
All the staff and volunteers at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School will have ‘due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’, known as the ‘Prevent Duty’. Any prejudice, discrimination or extremist views, including derogatory language, displayed by pupils, staff, visitors or parents will always be challenged and where appropriate, dealt with.
We encourage pupils to respect the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. ALL staff and volunteers will have a general understanding of how to identify a child who may be at risk of radicalisation and will use professional judgement in identifying children who might be at risk of radicalisation and act accordingly, reporting any concerns directly to a school DSL. DSLs understand when it is appropriate to make a referral on the pupil’s behalf to engage early help and intervention.
The school Online Safety Policy will ensure the safety of children by ensuring they cannot access terrorist and extremist material when using the internet and that suitable filtering software is in place. Furthermore, Pupils will receive regular educational sessions on internet safety and cyber bullying.
FGM Information
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a procedure where the female genitals are deliberately cut, injured, or changed, but there’s no medical reason for this to be done. It’s also known as female circumcision or cutting, and by other terms, such as sunna, gudniin, halalays, tahur, megrez and khitan, among others.
FGM is a form of child abuse. It’s dangerous and a criminal offence in the UK. It is everyone’s responsibility to report suspected FGM practices. We know:
- there are no medical reasons to carry out FGM.
- it’s often performed by someone with no medical training, using instruments such as knives, scalpels, scissors, glass, or razor blades.
- children are rarely given anaesthetic or antiseptic treatment and are often forcibly restrained.
- it’s used to control female sexuality and can cause long-lasting damage to physical and emotional health.
FGM can happen at different times in a girl or woman’s life, including:
- when a baby is new-born
- during childhood or as a teenager
- just before marriage
- during pregnancy
If you’re worried a child is at risk of or has already had FGM, call our free, anonymous dedicated FGM helpline on 0800 028 3550 or email fgm.help@nspcc.org.uk.
FORWARD (Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development) is an African-led women’s rights organisation who can offer guidance on emergency support and advice for those affected by FGM.
For further information, please click the link below: