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Child Protection and Safeguarding
The Governors and staff at St Bernard’s Primary School recognise that children have a right to be protected from harm and that the safeguarding of our pupils is paramount.
St Bernard’s Catholic Primary School believes that the safety, welfare and care of children is paramount. We are therefore committed to the highest standards in protecting and safeguarding the children entrusted into our care at all times. Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, all Staff, Governors and Volunteers should play their full part in keeping children safe.
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children can be defined as follows:
- Protecting children from maltreatment;
- Preventing impairment of children’s health and development;
- Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care;
- Taking action to ensure all children have the best outcomes
Child Protection refers to a situation where a child is suffering significant harm, or is likely to do so, and action is required to protect that child.
Please find our latest safeguarding and child protection policy via this link.
To this end, St Bernard’s School follows the 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' guidelines issued by the Department for Education (DfE) and is updated and enhanced each year. This statutory document is guidance for schools and colleges who must have regard to it when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
The document should be read alongside the 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' guidance, issued by the DfE. This document is also statutory, and provides guidance on inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
These documents highlight current significant national issues including preventing Radicalisation in line with the 'Prevent' Strategy and with the internet available to every child in today's modern society an increased awareness of issues such as Grooming and Child Sexual Exploitation. We work alongside other agencies including Health, Social Care, and the Police to ensure all our children are kept safe and protected from harm.
We also have our own Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy 2020 which all members of staff adhere to (available on our Policies tab).
Safeguarding Contacts
If you have any concerns regarding a safeguarding issue please contact Mr Jordan.
If he is not available, please contact Mrs Waller, the Deputy DSL. In addition Miss Boyle, Mrs Russell and Mrs Barker can offer safeguarding support. All staff at St Bernard's recieve annual and in-year refresher training around safeguarding.
Email: Rjordan@stb.newmancatholictrust.com
Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mr R Jordan (Principal)
Deputy Safeguarding Lead
Mrs J Waller (Vice Principal)
Safeguarding Team Members
Miss Boyle (KS1 Phase Leader), Mrs Russell (Bursar) and Mrs Barker (SENCo)
Designated Safeguarding Governor
Ms A Norman
Angharadnorman@newmancatholictrust.com
Chair of Governors:
Mr Robert Stewart
Email: chair@stb.newmancatholictrust.com
All details are treated confidentially and will only be shared if there are concerns that a child is at risk. It is always our aim to share our concerns transparently with the child’s parent or guardian before making a referral. However, we reserve our right to refer without consent if we are sufficiently concerned about a child’s safety or we are unable to contact the parent/guardian after reasonable attempts have been made.
Reporting a Concern
If you are worried about someone likely to be or are suffering from abuse you must report your concerns to First Response: 0117 903 6444
Prevent duty (if you suspect someone has been
groomed to become a terrorist): 0800 789321 or via this link
If you have a concern about a professional working with children, call the
LADO (local authorirty designated officer): 0117 903 7795
In an emergency:
If you think a child is in immediate danger you should call 999.
Thank you for your invaluable support with safeguarding our children.
Keeping your child safer out of school
Keeping your child safer out of school
Stop It Now - is a child protection charity. Their confidential helpline, live chat and secure messaging service are open for anyone with concerns about child sexual abuse prevention. Find out more by clicking on the link Stop It Now.
Domestic Abuse
According to the NSPCC, one in five children in the UK has been exposed to domestic violence. Children often go to school the next day with little or no support. Domestic violence has a devastating impact on children and young people which can last into adulthood.
During the pandemic and its longer term impact, we are aware that for some people this will be more difficult and potentially dangerous. If you are in a difficult position or need help for yourself or you need to signpost help to a neighbour or friend this information may be of help. In an emergency always contact the police on 999.
Please see information and support from Bristol Against Violence and Abuse BAVA.
Mental Health
Looking after our mental health is important and below is a link to a document that gives guidance on talking to your child about their mental health. Anna Freud Mental Health
Worried about your child’s behaviour or mental health and not sure what’s normal ? Wondering whether to see your GP ?
Perhaps you’ve been referred to specialist services but there is a long wait ….. or perhaps you’ve been told the problem isn’t quite serious enough to be referred. Happy Maps can give you some extra help and advice. Happy Maps
ChildLine is a private and confidential service for children and any young person up to the age of nineteen. You can contact a ChildLine counsellor about anything, no problem is too big or too small. Call Free on 0800 1111. Please click on the link below for more information.
Online Safety
St Bernard’s recognises the benefits and opportunities which new technologies offer to teaching and learning. We encourage the use of technology in order to enhance skills and promote achievement. However, the accessible and global nature of the internet and variety of technologies available mean that we are also aware of potential risks and challenges associated with such use. Please click on the following links to obtain further information and resources regarding E-Safety. CEOP National Online Safety
FGM
FGM is a procedure where the female genitals are deliberately cut, injured or changed, but there is no medical reason for this to be done. It's also known as female circumcision or cutting, and by other terms, such as sunna, gudniin, halalays, tahur, megrez and khitan, among others.
FGM is usually carried out on young girls between infancy and the age of 15, most commonly before puberty starts. It's illegal in the UK and is treated as child abuse. All women and girls have the right to control what happens to their bodies and the right to say no to FGM.
If you're concerned that someone may be at risk, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0800 028 3550 or click the link below for further information.
Prevent
As part of St Bernard’s Catholic Primary School's ongoing safeguarding and child protection duties we are fully behind the government's Prevent Strategy.
From 1 July 2015 all schools are subject to a duty under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, in the exercise of their functions, to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. This duty is known as the Prevent Duty for Schools.
At St Bernard’s, we build pupils’ resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British values and enabling our pupils to challenge extremist views.
Please click on this link for more information and you can support your child/ren.
Private Fostering: when someone else is looking after your child
Private fostering is when someone who isn’t a close family member looks after your child for more than 28 days.
You might need to ask someone else you know to look after your child. For example, if:
- you need to stay in hospital for a while
- you’re going to live abroad
- you’re not getting on well with your child
If your child is being privately fostered or you’re planning to put them in private foster care, it’s against the law not to tell Bristol City Council.
Click on the link for further information Private Fostering
Young Carers
Young carers are children and young people who look after someone in their family who has a disability, a long term illness, or is affected by mental ill health or substance misuse. Young carers may look after parents, care for a brother or sister, or another family member. For
information about advice and support please click on the link Young Carers