Safeguarding

Safeguarding is defined as:

Protecting children from maltreatment;
Preventing impairment of children's mental and physical health or development;
Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and
Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Here at Kingsbury, we strive to keep our pupils safe in school, home and in the community. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families and carers has a role to play in safeguarding children. No single person can have a full picture of a child’s needs and circumstances. If children and families are to receive the right help at the right time, everyone who comes into contact with them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action. Staff receive regular training to enable them to be alert to any concerns.

At Kingsbury Academy, we use an ICT based program called ‘CPOMs’ which helps us to record and collate all school safeguarding concerns and actions which are taken for example, a child running off from home, alcohol issues, child protection issues or welfare concerns. Some issues need long term family support often via Early Help process. Some issues need immediate action by a referral to the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH).

All concerns are promptly acted upon and referred to our Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs). If you have any concerns about a child, please contact us on 02476594952 and ask to speak to a DSL.

School Based Early Help:

Ensuring parents have support, when they need it, is very important to us at Kingsbury Academy. Everyone needs a helping hand at times and if we as a school cannot help directly, we can signpost you to other agencies that may be able to.

Our Pastoral Lead is Kathryn Croom and you can contact her directly on familysupport@kingsbury.thrive.ac or phone the main Office and ask to be put through to her.

What is MASH?

The Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) brings key professionals together to facilitate early, better quality information sharing, analysis and decision-making, to safeguard vulnerable children and young people more effectively.

Staff from across health, social care, the police, education, probation are based in the MASH at any one time at its base in Broadgate House in the city centre.

The MASH provides timely access to a range of partner agency information which builds a picture and enables us to understand the level of risk.

Information from different agencies is collated within the MASH, and used to decide what action to take. As a result, the agencies are able to act quickly in a co-ordinated and consistent way, ensuring that children are kept safe.

For those concerns that meet the threshold for Social Care involvement, representatives from the different agencies in the MASH and outside collate information from their respective sources to build up a picture of the circumstances of the case and the associated risks to the child.

As a result, better decisions are made about what action to take and support will be targeted on the most urgent cases. Feedback is also given to professionals reporting concerns.

How do I contact someone if I am concerned about a child or young person?

If there is no immediate danger or you need advice or information, you should call the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub on 024 7678 8555.

Social worker (out of office hours): 024 7683 2222.

If you wish to report a matter to the police, call 101 and state your concerns.

If you wish to report an emergency matter always dial 999.

Advice and information

If you want to discuss your concerns or need advice e.g. if you are not sure whether your concerns are justified, you would like more information about issues like confidentiality or you would like to know what happens next (after you have reported your concerns), do one of the following:

Call Childline on 0800 1111
Call the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000
Check Coventry CSCP procedures

Prevent referrals for children and young people

The Prevent Duty requires that if there are concerns that an individual may be vulnerable to radicalisation around violent extremism then these concerns need to be shared so that appropriate support is provided in order to safeguard those individuals. A partnership referral form has been prepared to make sure that it is easier to outline and submit the referrals.

To make a Prevent referral for a child or young person a referral form needs to be sent to both of the following email addresses:

CTU_GATEWAY@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk

mash@coventry.gov.uk.

Operation Encompass

Operation Encompass is a partnership between police and schools.

One of the principles of Operation Encompass is that all incidents of domestic abuse are shared with schools, not just those where an offence can be identified.

The Head teacher and Designated Safeguard Leads will be notified that the police have attended an incident of domestic abuse. This information sharing enables appropriate support to be provided for that child so that all interactions, from when the child first arrives at the school gates, are of a positive nature.

Operation Encompass is an integral component in child safeguarding and protection policies.

Coventry Safeguarding Children Partnership

www.coventry.gov.uk/lscb

Non-school based Early Help

Early Help is a partnership of organisations who provide help, advice and support to children, young people and families.

The aim of Early Help is to help you as soon as possible and prevent problems from getting worse by providing you support, as early as possible.

Request for support: myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/Early_Help___Request_for_support

Family Hubs

If you feel like you need some help and support with your own children or your family, or you just want to talk to someone about your family life, Coventry City Council have 8 Family Hubs around the city. Family Hubs are open to all children, young people and their families living in Coventry and they will work with you and give you information, advice and support. You can walk into any Family Hub (it doesn’t have to be your local Hub) or you can phone them. More information on this can be found at: www.coventry.gov.uk/familyhubs

E-safety

Children must always be careful when using the internet. It can help children in many ways and provides a way to keep in touch with friends, but it can also cause problems and upset.

Encourage your child to always tell you if they have made a new friend online and never allow them to go to meet anyone alone.

Below are some links to further support you in keeping your child safe online: