Safeguarding
Hart Primary School
A CULTURE OF SAFEGUARDING
‘Children have a right to be cared for and protected, protecting them is everyone’s responsibility’.
At Hart Primary School we have a duty of care to ensure that all users of the school are kept safe from harm. We are committed to providing a secure and supportive environment in which children can develop and grow into mature and responsible people. Safeguarding children is an essential part of our whole school holistic approach to ensure that children are protected from abuse and neglect and that every child reaches their full potential.
The school’s staff, volunteers and governing body have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children as a shared responsibility with parents and other carers. To support this statement, the school may signpost to services that are specialised to promote opportunity, prevent problems, act early and act effectively if and when concerns arise. Therefore, whilst we do not want to worry you, we will report to Children’s Social Care if we have any reason to believe that a child may be at risk of suffering abuse or neglect.
Safeguarding is of paramount importance at Hart Primary School and we operate on the understanding ‘it could happen here’. With this is mind, all staff and governors receive at least the yearly statutory safeguarding training and in addition, we are proactive in the education of our staff regarding safeguarding through ongoing ‘drip feeding’ of safeguarding awareness so that our staff are all prepared should a safeguarding incident occur. The DSL and Safeguarding lead also receive additional training including safer recruitment training so that we can be assured that our staff are safe to work with children.
Parents/carers are normally our first point of contact, and if a suspicion of abuse is recorded, parents/carers will be informed at the same time that the record is made; we will support parents/carers and ensure we work in collaboration with them to protect children. Working with parents/carers to prevent abuse is our primary aim and only when that has failed or in emergency situations will a referral be made to social care. When a referral is made to social care parents will be notified beforehand, except when guidance from social care or the police does not allow this. We cannot safeguard children alone.
All children’s services agencies work in partnership with each other. There are duties and rules about information sharing but if staff, parents or carers have any concerns about a child, other parent provider, agency or any person, they have a responsibility to report those concerns and we must record and act on them We have a child protection policy’ and other safeguarding policies that are underpinned by KCSIE and the document “Working Together to Safeguard Children” and Safer Recruitment guidance. The policy applies to all children and young people regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality or religion. It is a requirement that all users are informed of these policies and what they should do if they have concerns.
Policies are placed on the school website. If you have any concerns about the practice of our staff team please speak to the Head of the School, Marie Crowe, who is also our Designated Child Protection Officer.
What you can do
Parents and carers play a role in safeguarding children in their community. If you have any concerns, no matter how small, you should report them to someone who you trust will listen. The school is required to have a designated safeguarding lead (DSL) for this purpose.
Parents and children should speak to the designated safeguarding lead if they have any concerns about a child or staff member. If you think a child or young person may be in immediate danger, call 999.
Otherwise, contact The Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees Children’s Hub on 01429 284284 / 01642 130080 or out of office hours call 01642 524552.
Designated Safeguarding Leads
Miss Marie Crowe – Head of School
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads
Mrs Sara McLaren – Assistant Head
Mrs Lyndsey James – Class Teacher
If you have any safeguarding concerns please speak to one of the named people above. Contact details can be obtained from the school office.
Policies: