Safeguarding

Kingsdown School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Safeguarding is about ensuring that everyone is safe from harm, safe from bullying, safe from abuse of any kind, safe from discrimination or harassment and ensuring that we all feel safe in our school environment.

If you are ever concerned about the safety or well‐being of someone at our school please talk to one of the school’s Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs).

Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs K Agambar, Child Protection Coordinator

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mr L Hathaway
Mrs M Coles
Mr S Suleman - Link Governor for Safeguarding

We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy which can be viewed in the Policies section of our website.

There are 5 main elements to our policy and procedures:
• Ensuring we practice safe recruitment in checking the suitability of staff and volunteers to work with children.
• Raising awareness of child protection issues & working on the prevention of abuse, through training, teaching and pastoral support offered to students.
• Following procedures for identifying and reporting cases, or suspected cases of abuse.
• Supporting students who are at risk or may have been abused.
• Establishing a safe environment in which children can learn and develop.

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.

We actively support the Government’s Prevent Agenda to counter radicalism and extremism.

We have a dedicated team who have all received in depth safeguarding training to ensure that we:

- Identify children who may need early help, are at risk or have been harmed
- Secure the help that children need and refer them to the expertise to help them
- Manage safe recruitment and allegations about adults who may be of risk to children

Anti-Bullying

Please click on the thumbnail below for our student friendly antibullying policy:

General Concerns

This page on the NSPCC website provides information about:

• Online safety
• Leaving your children home alone
• Talking about difficult topics
• Drugs and Alcohol
• Self-harm and mental health worries

Railway Safety

Swindon is well known for its history with the railways; Network Rail have been working hard to reduce the accidents that occur on its tracks particularly during the summer months when children are on school holiday. Click this link to find more information.

Help in Swindon

The Early Help Conversation (EHC) and Plan is Swindon’s process for supporting children, young people and families with additional needs. The aim of the EHC is to identify children and young people’s needs early and provide the right help at the right time whilst keeping the family at the heart of all the planning of support.
https://www.swindon.gov.uk/info/20200/early_help_and_graduated_response/1422/early_help_conversation_and_plan

Contact Swindon is the new ‘front door’ for the council’s children’s social care services, and will be available for families, residents and professionals across the borough.
From this date, anyone who has a concern about a child, or wants to request help from the service, should:Telephone 01793 464646E-mail: contactswindon@swindon.gov.uk

Mental Health & Well Being

Kooth is an online service by XenZone, who have been commissioned in this area by the Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). In Swindon they provide online counselling and emotional well being help for children and young people. The support is free, confidential, and anonymous.  It can be accessed using an internet enabled smart phone, tablet, or computer.

BeU Swindon - https://beuswindon.co.uk/ BeU Swindon takes referrals for 0-18 year age group with a defined mental health need such as anxiety, self harm, or low mood.
Young Minds - YoungMinds is the national charity committed to promoting and improving the mental health of all children and young people. It provides a Parent’ Information Service for any adult with concerns about mental health of a child or young person (from birth up to the age of 25). https://www.youngminds.org.uk/

Radicalisation

The Prevent Duty is about ensuring that appropriate support is available for individuals who may demonstrate vulnerabilities to radicalisation. Protecting pupils and students from radicalisation is part of the wider duties of teachers. It is an extension of Safeguarding processes, in the same way schools safeguard children from exploitation, drugs and other forms of abuse.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-duty-guidance

Guidance for if a child goes missing

Why is this important?

• When a child goes missing or runs away from home, this should be seen as a cry for help and should be taken seriously.
• Every year 100,000 children and young people (under 16) go missing or run away from home.
• Up to 70% of children who are sexually exploited or go missing run away. Some times they go missing more than once.

What should you do if your child is missing or runs away?

Check for signs they might have gone e.g. social media, friends etc…

Think- has there been a change in behaviour recently? Have they been wearing different clothes, using substances or have changed their friends?

Call - the police on 101, you do not need to wait 24 hours. Keep a log of the police officer you have been in contact with.

What should happen afterwards?

All children who run away from home must get a return home interview from an independent person who listens to them and helps them to resolve issues so that they can stay safe.

Further support:

Samaritans: t:08457 909 090 or text: 07725 909 090