Safeguarding and Safety
Harvey Road Primary School rigorously protects our pupils by creating a safe environment for them to live and grow. This is achieved through a robust set of safeguarding practices and by ensuring that all staff and volunteers involved with us do not pose a risk to children and know how to respond to a child in need.
Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.
Safeguarding means:
- protecting children from maltreatment including:
- abuse (physical, emotional or sexual)
- neglect (where not providing sufficient support and care may be as damaging as other areas of safeguarding)
- harassment (physical, emotional or sexual)
- exploitation (criminal, county lines, radicalisation)
- preventing harm to children's health or development
- ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
- taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes
Safeguarding children and child protection applies to all children up to the age of 18.
What is Child Protection?
Child Protection is part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. It refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm.
Safeguarding encompasses the following seven areas:
- Child Protection
- Reducing risks of allegations being made against a member of staff
- Whistle blowing
- Online safety
- Radicalisation/extremism (through the PREVENT programme)
- Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
- County Lines
At Harvey Road School we believe that:
- All children have the right to be protected from harm
- Children need to be safe and to feel safe in school
- All children have the right to speak freely and voice their values and beliefs, fears and concerns
- All children must be encouraged to respect each other’s values and support each other
- All children have the right to be supported to meet their emotional, behavioural and social needs as well as their educational needs – a happy, healthy, sociable child will achieve better educationally
- Schools can and do contribute to the prevention of abuse, victimisation, bullying, exploitation, radicalisation, extreme behaviours, discriminatory views and risk taking behaviours
The six principles of safeguarding according to the Social Care Institute for Excellence are:
1. Empowerment
People being supported and encouraged to make their own decisions about how to support children in need
2. Prevention
It is better to take pro-active action before harm actually occurs
3. Proportionality
The least intrusive response may be the best response so long as it is appropriate to the risk presented
4. Protection
Support and representation for those in greatest need
5. Partnership
Local solutions through services such as the police, social workers and family support workers all working in partnership
with their communities. Communities have a part to play in preventing, detecting and reporting neglect and abuse
6. Accountability
Accountability and transparency in safeguarding practice through clear allocation of roles and responsibilities
Policies and key strategic documents that are connected to safeguarding include:
- Child Protection policy
- Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE publication)
- Whistle Blowing policy
- Online Safety policy
- Anti-Bullying policy
- Behaviour policy
Keeping Children Safe in Education
Roles & Responsibilities
Safeguarding Designated Lead (DSL): Louisa Ingram
Deputy Safeguarding Designated Lead : Clair Tustin
Child Protection / Safeguarding Governor: Charley McKay
If you have any concerns regarding a child's safety please email our DSL at: head@harveyroad.herts.sch.uk
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| Prevent Audit and Action Plan.pdf | Download |
