Overview

Caldecote Church of England Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all members of the school community to share this commitment. To this end we will endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued.

The safety and well being of all children and young people is of paramount importance. We recognise that parents and carers send their children to school each day with the expectation that the school provides a safe and secure environment in which their children can flourish. We therefore have a wide range of measures in place to ensure this is put into practice and is maintained.

Children have a right to feel safe and should be protected. Safeguarding children is everyone's responsibility. If you have any concerns about a child within the school, please contact a member of staff immediately. If you do not feel able or confident speaking to a member of staff you should contact the Access and Referral hub also known as Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub: 0300 300 8585 or LSCB (Local Safeguarding Children Board). 

http://www.bedfordshirelscb.org.uk/lscb-website/home-page

Our school is part of the Operation Encompass project which aims to: 

• ensure that schools have timely information about all police-attended incidents of domestic abuse, no matter where in the world the child lives
• enable staff in every school to understand how to support children who are experiencing domestic abuse 
• ensure all children experiencing domestic abuse receive timely support in their school.

 If you would like more information please visit the Operation Encompass website at:           www.operationencompass.org

Child Protection at Caldecote CE Academy

The school staff are trained to be alert to signs of abuse and neglect and will follow the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) procedures to ensure that children receive appropriate and effective support and protection.

Parents and carers should know that the law requires all school staff to pass on information which gives rise to concern about a child's welfare, including risk from neglect. The staff will seek, in general, to discuss any concerns with the parent/carer and, where possible, inform them of the referral to Social Care. This will only occur where such discussion will not place the child at increased risk of significant harm.

In accordance with local Information Sharing protocols, we will ensure that information is shared securely and sensitively. Information will only be shared with other services where it is deemed necessary and proportionate to ensure that children are safe and receive the right support.

School will seek advice from Social Care when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Occasionally concerns are passed on which are later shown to be unfounded. Parents/carers will appreciate that the member of staff in the school responsible for Child Protection (known as the Designated Lead) is charged with carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the law and acting in the best interest of the child.

Policies

We have a number of policies in place which support our ethos for ensuring our children are safe, secure and in an environment where they can learn, thrive and Shine.

 Safeguarding policy section

Staff Induction and Training

All our staff and volunteers have an induction schedule which includes safeguarding training and every member of staff has formal training every year. This knowledge is maintained throughout the school year with bitesize reminders and updates on current practices and law.

Robust Recruitment Procedures

As a school we take time to assess all applications and include clear expectations around safeguarding and suitability to work with children. We apply these protocols and expectations to regular volunteers too. Candidates are expected to answer questions around safeguarding during their recruitment selection interview. Following guidelines in KCSIE (Keeping Children Safe in Education) 2023, as part of the shortlisting process, Caldecote CE Academy will carry out an online search as part of their due diligence, on shortlisted candidates. This is to help us identify any incidents or issues that have happened, and are publicly available online, which we might want to explore with the applicant at interview. 

Nominated Officers

We have four members of staff who may undertake the Designated Child Protection Officer role (Designated Lead). These are Mrs Hulbert ( Designated Safeguarding Lead & SENDCo), Mrs Campbell (Head Teacher and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead), Miss Tomlinson (Class teacher and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead)  and Liz Chase (Office Admin Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and Clerk to Governors) Our safeguarding governor is Vaughan Johnson.

Site Security

We have stringent management and maintenance of our site to ensure it is safe and secure which includes management of visitors to our site.  All visitors must sign in and wear a visitor badge and are escorted unless they have met our vetting requirements to work in school unsupervised. All internal gates are secured or locked during the school day.

Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (M.A.S.H)

The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), also known as Access and Referral hub in Central Beds, deals with referrals from professionals and members of the public who may have concerns about a child's welfare. It makes the process of dealing with referrals quicker and more effective by improving the way County Council: Children's Social Care, Central Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue, Youth Offending Service and Education, work alongside other partner agency colleagues including Bedfordshire Police, Central Bedfordshire Health Partners, National Probation Service and the East of England Ambulance Service to share information.

Contact details

• By telephone contact the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub: 0300 300 8585
• By e-mail to : cs.accessandreferral@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

Mental Health Support

As we all know good mental health is paramount to be an effective member of society, to achieve and to reach our potential.  The pandemic and other challenges have left many people facing problems that they thought they would never have to address. Poor mental health can affect anyone at any time in their life and there is no stigma attached to seeking help. In fact it is a sign of real strength to ask for help when we need it.

Below you will find links to some organisations that can give advice and support to those who feel they might just need a little extra help for themselves or someone they are worried about.

Our door is always open and we will be happy to listen to anyone who feels they would like to ask for support or advice.

Our Senior Mental Health lead is Mrs Lesley Hulbert, but feel free to approach any member of our team for support. If they are unable to help you directly they will sign post you to someone who can.

Here are some  little videos to share with young children about feeling low and that it is okay to feel like this.

This video talks more about feelings and coping skills. It explains what mental health is and the difference between mental health and mental illness. 

This video is children talking about their feelings and how they deal with them and how the feelings make them feel.

Below are some websites to visit for information, guidance, advice and support.

Safeguarding guidance for parents

If you or someone you know is suffering Domestic Abuse there is help and support available to you via the following App:

The app is called Brightsky and you can download it to your smartphone.It provides support and information to anyone who may be in an abusive relationship or those concerned about someone they know.

The app provides a UK-wide directory of specialist domestic abuse support services with contact details, along with a tool to record incidents of abuse via text, audio, video or photo, without any of the content being saved on the device itself. If you need to talk to someone you can call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247. If you are in immediate risk call the police on 999.

Other useful websites: