Federation Safeguarding Statement

Policy and Procedures

We will ensure all policies and procedures in respect of safeguarding children are up to date and in line with the latest version of Keeping Children safe in Education.  We do this by adopting the annual safeguarding policy produced by KCC for its schools that aligns with local safeguarding processes. This policy is accessible to all staff through the Federation Documents Team and on our website.  The KCC policy is personalised to the federation by the Senior Leadership Team and then ratified by the Board of Governors. All staff and Governors are asked to read and sign to say that they understand the Federation Safeguarding Policy and the most recent version of Keeping Children Safe in Education document on a yearly basis.

Disclosure & Barring Checks

Federation School meet statutory requirements in relation to Disclosure & Barring Service – all staff and volunteers who meet the ‘regulated activity test’ are required to undergo an enhanced DBS check prior to employment.

Audit

The Federation has robust audit process to ensure that safeguarding systems and processes are working. We use the KCC safeguarding review toolkit each spring which is reported to the full governing board in the summer. The Safeguarding Link governor also undertakes checks of the monitoring of the single central record in each school 3 times a year.

Designated Safeguarding Leads

The Board of Governors has ultimate responsibility for safeguarding issues.  Operationally, this responsibility falls to the Executive Headteacher. The Executive Headteacher appoints a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) in each school and nursery who oversees the operational application of safeguarding and child protection with the individual setting. The DSL is clear about their role, have sufficient time and receive relevant support, and training, to undertake their roles, which includes close contact with outside agencies including social services, the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and relevant health care organisations. The Executive Headteacher acts as deputy DSL in each school and appoints at least 2 other deputy DSL to ensure there is sufficient capacity and a robust decision-making process.

Safeguarding Role	Name:	School Role / Responsibility
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)	Michelle Crowe	Head of School
Deputy Safeguarding Leads	Tara Deevoy Sarah Hunt Claire Beer	Executive Headteacher Inclusion Manager Well Being Lead
Designated Safeguarding Link Governor	Tony Mould	School Governor and School Management Committee member

Training

All eligible staff and volunteers are required to undertake relevant safeguarding training.  A folder with training certificates and dates for renewal is kept by each DSL. Within the federation this training takes the form of:

• A mandated on-line training course for all staff via the Kent Safeguarding children multi-agency partnership as part of induction (to be repeated every 2 years following this)
• Prevent and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) training undertaken by all staff as part of induction and then repeated in line with current suggested timescales
• Annual Face to Face safeguarding update training with a KCSIE quiz and opportunities to discuss responses to various scenarios

• Safeguarding updates on a needs-led basis relating to the contextual issues faced by each school coordinated by the on-site DSL
• A monthly safeguarding newsletter for parents circulated to staff

• Mandatory specialised DSL training updated every 2 years

Supervision

Regular supervision is provided for all DSL to ensure that they are able to reflect upon decision making and their own well-being and understanding. This takes place 3 times a year using a range of external providers.

How we safeguard

Safeguarding is an integral part of school and is everyone’s responsibility. 

It is important for children to feel safe.  Our day-to-day practices, our curriculum and the use of specialist organisations such as NSPCC, help empower our children by teaching them how to recognise abuse, stay safe on and offline and to use their voices to speak out.  Children are encouraged to talk to a trusted adult if they are worried about anything. Our schools each have a pastoral care / well-being room where children can spend time if needed.

At times, we may need to share information, get advice or work in partnership with other agencies if we are concerned about a child’s welfare. We believe it is always better to be transparent with all parties at these times and work together to achieve the best outcomes.

There may be times when you need extra help and support. If this is the case, please come and talk to us. There are many ways in which we can help.

There are notices around the school with photos of all the DSL to identify these staff for visitors. They are also named in the safeguarding induction leaflet given to all contractors, volunteers and visitors. DSL are also named on our website for parents to be able to contact directly if needed.

The school is a busy place and we use lanyards to identify visitors and their level of training and checks. They are as follows: 

School staff - As part of their induction, children are introduced to all staff members, so they become familiar faces.  Therefore, staff do not wear lanyards on a day to day basis.

Black and White – Governors (DBS checked with full safeguarding training)

Blue – Contractor (DBS checked).

Yellow – Volunteers (DBS checked with basic safeguarding induction)

Red - Visitors with a DBS

Bright Green – any visitors without a DBS (accompanied around site at all times)

How you can safeguard

Parents and carers play a role in safeguarding children in their community. If you have any concerns, no matter how small, you should speak to the school. Schools cannot make referrals to the local safeguarding team on behalf of parents but we can direct you to the right place or provide support.

If you think a child or young person may be in immediate danger, call 999. Otherwise contact Kent Safeguarding Children Multi-Agency Partnership (KSCMP) either online or by calling 03000 41 11 11

Please read the regular safeguarding newsletter that comes out each month on SchoolPing to ensure you are up to date with relevant safeguarding issues facing children today.

Please ensure that you have parental controls on your wifi and that online access is supervised.  If your child has a mobile phone, please check this regularly to ensure they are not accessing inappropriate content or behaving inappropriately online.  We will work with you if you have concerns or if any behaviour is reported to us. Educating our children to safely navigate the online world is of vital importance and we include this in lessons at school, but open and honest conversations when issues do arise are often powerful learning points.