Safeguarding at St Gregory's

 

At St Gregory’s Catholic Primary School, we regard the safeguarding of children as our main priority. We believe that we all have the right to be happy, to be safe and to learn. We all have the responsibility to make this happen. We will ensure that:

• The welfare of the child remains paramount.
• All children whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious beliefs and/ or sexual identity have the right to be protected from harm.
• All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.
• All staff and volunteers working at our school have a responsibility to report concerns to one of the safeguarding team: Mrs Roney (Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead), Mrs Williams, Mrs Green and Miss Blanchard.
• Our Safeguarding governor is Mrs L Baggaley.

 

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:

• Staff are trained 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 our safeguarding policies and directed to the documents
• All staff have an up-to-date understanding of safeguarding issues (including those highlighted in the PREVENT strategy) 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 or any 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. PARENTS & CARERS MUST TELL US OF ANY CHANGES TO THESE DETAILS. 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:

• 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

 

Operation Encompass

“In conjunction with Merseyside Police, St Gregory’s Catholic Primary School is involved in a new initiative called Operation Encompass. The purpose of Operation Encompass is to safeguard and support children and young people who have been involved in, heard or witnessed a domestic abuse incident. Following such an incident, children will often arrive at school distressed, upset, worried and unprepared. Operation Encompass aims to ensure that appropriate school staff (called Key Adults) are made aware early enough to support children and young people in a way that means they feel safe and included.”

 

Our Key Adult is Mrs Roney

You can find out more by visiting www.operationencompass.org