Safeguarding 

“Every child deserves a champion—an adult who will never give up on them.”

Rita Pierson

Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff, governors, volunteers and visitors to share this commitment maintain a vigilant and safe environment.. This means that we have a Child Protection policy in place to safeguard all of the children in our care; everyone has a responsibility to act without delay to protect children by reporting anything that might suggest a child is being abused or neglected. Parents and carers are welcome to read the policy on our website. Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child’s welfare. We will ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with parents/carers first unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child’s welfare.

If you have any concerns about a child’s safety or welfare, please speak to a member of the Safeguarding team or if you feel you cannot wait and feel that a child is at immediate risk, please contact Liverpool Child Social Care Service 0151 459 2606. Alternatively, you can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing help@NSPCC.org.uk

Our School Safeguarding Team

Cultivating Kindness 

Well Being Site Walks

School council walked around our school to make sure that we are all safe.  They noticed that: there are signs to help us; there are fire alarms and fire doors; there are locks on doors and gates; there is safety flooring around play equipment and on the Daily Mile track; there is no litter; there are covered fences all around school and a fence around the car park.

They talked about how to use the outside equipment safely: only during the school day with a teacher supervising; don't play on the tyres when they are wet as they become too slippery.

They have decided to put some posters up to remind children not to play on the equipment at the beginning and the end of the school day as there could be too many children on there and it is dangerous.

Safeguarding Curriculum

Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do at St Francis de Sales Catholic Infant and Nursery School. We take care to identify opportunities in the taught curriculum for children to learn about safeguarding in many different ways which reflect the age and stage of our young children at the very beginning of their learning journey.

 At the beginning of every school year, there is a focus on the Mission Statement, values and ethos of our school. This positive start to the year ensures everyone is clear about their roles and responsibilities, sets the tone for the rest of the year and leads to excellent safeguarding outcomes.

Our well thought out and considered curriculum provides our children with opportunities to experience life in all its diversity, to acquire knowledge, understanding and skills that will significantly impact upon their personal development, behaviour and welfare, and will equip every child with the developing knowledge and skills required for personal safeguarding.

 Our PSHE curriculum covers all aspects of safeguarding.  We are sensitive in our teaching, and recognise that sensitive subjects need to be taught at an age-appropriate level, or at a small group or 1:1 level where a more urgent need arises.

 We constantly challenge children to think about safeguarding matters and their own personal, physical and mental wellbeing. We value children’s questions and give them space for their own thoughts, ideas, and concerns. 

 We provide children with opportunities across the curriculum to explore values, personal rights, responsibilities and equal opportunities to develop spiritual and moral concepts that impact positively on safeguarding. We promote Gospel Values and British Values that form the foundation to prevent radicalisation and extremism.

 Practical safeguarding opportunities within the curriculum include:

• Road safety
• Poolside and water safety through swimming lessons in the Summer term in Year 2
• Fire awareness in Forest School, fire drills  and through visits from the local fire service
• Visits to school from medical staff
• Visits from CAFOD
• Transition between year groups and to our Junior school
• Safety in the community and on school trips
• Online safety and safe use of technology

We have an open and safe learning environment where children can express their views, seek help, and help others. The promotion of equality of opportunity and diversity, for children and staff, helps prevent any form of direct or indirect discriminatory behaviour.

Our children learn not to tolerate any prejudiced behaviour. Our Positive Relationship and Behaviour policy promotes making good choices and exhibiting good learning behaviours alongside developing awareness of what poor choices are.

Class times are a time for sharing ideas, addressing concerns, and promoting important Gospel and British Values.  Assembly and circle times promote personal safeguarding matters and explore relevant themes, eg anti-bullying, including cyber bullying, positive relationships, British Values.

Staff and children are quick to challenge stereotypes and the use of derogatory language.

Our school reflects the diversity of children’s experiences, and provides a developing awareness and understanding of people and communities beyond their immediate experience through lived and learned experiences.

Operation Encompass

In conjunction with Merseyside Police, we are involved in a national initiative called “Operation Encompass”.  The purpose of Operation Encompass is to safeguard and support children and young people who have been involved in, heard or witnessed a domestic abuse incident.

Following an incident, children will often arrive at school distressed, upset, worried and unprepared.  Operation Encompass aims to ensure that appropriate school staff are made aware early enough to help and support children and young people in a way that means they feel safe and included.

This is a valuable initiative that means we can help and support students and their families within our school when they need us most.

You can find out more information by visiting the Operation Encompass website (click the button below) or by contacting a member of the safeguarding team at school.

What is Operation Encompass?

Past serious case reviews, including the tragic case involving Daniel Pelka, have identified a failure in agencies sharing information with schools relating to domestic abuse. Operation Encompass has been used in a number of areas with success. Further information can be found at: www.operationencompass.org

Operation Encompass is an initiative between the Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs), with support from the Complex Dependency Programme.

Its purpose is to safeguard and support children and young people where a domestic incident has been reported from their home. Following such an incident, children will often arrive at school distressed, upset and unprepared. Operation Encompass will ensure that appropriate school staffs are made aware early enough to support children and young people in a way that means they feel safe supported and listened to.

How will it work?

Schools identify a 'Key Adult' and in our school, this is Mrs Stokes as the existing Senior Designated Person for Safeguarding.  All key adults have attended training specific to the role in preparation for Operation Encompass.

Each morning, a locally-based Police Officer from the Integrated Referral Unit (IRU) will review all violent or abusive incidents that would indicate domestic abuse. In incidents where children are living at the home and aged between 4 and 18 years old, the school that the child or young person attends will be contacted by telephone and information will be passed to a designated “Key Adult” in the school.  The staff in contact with those pupils will then be in an informed position to support them in a way that is right for that particular child or young person, either with silent or overt support.

Prevent Strategy

 What is the PREVENT Strategy?

 Prevent is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes

 The Prevent Strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the extreme far-right wing and extreme Islamist groups.

 Read our Prevent Strategy- Information for Parents guide here.

Further information can be found by clicking the links below

https://www.ltai.info/what-is-prevent/

https://educateagainsthate.com/

http://www.preventforschools.org/?category_id=38

Call the national police Prevent advice line 0800 011 3764 in confidence.

The advice line is open 9:00am – 5:00pm every day. 

Young Carers 

Every child should grow up feeling loved and supported; young carers often tell us how proud they are of their caring role, and the skills they have developed -  but sometimes it can be overwhelming for them. When juggling caring with attending school, homework, after school activities, friends etc.  This is when young carers rely on adults i.e. parents, teachers and other professionals to work together to help get the right balance. 

Mr Johnstone is our young carers champion; please get in touch if you need help or support and click HERE to find out more. 

ijohnstone@stfrancisdesalesinf.liverpool.sch.uk 

Safeguarding Websites Recommended by the DFE

• AskAboutGames: Supporting families with video games
• PACT - Prison Adivce Service 
• Childnet: Keeping under-fives safe online
• Internet Matters: Guidance for parents of pre-schoolers
• London Grid for Learning: Portal linking to various resources on parental engagement around online safety
• NSPCC: Guidance for parents on keeping children safe online
• Parent Zone: Digital Parenting magazine
• Parent Info
• Thinkuknow: Guidance and information for parents/carers from NCA-CEOP

Additional Safeguarding Websites to Support Parents and Carers

• NSPCC Baby and Toddler Safety
• Bereavement 
• Child Criminal Exploitation
• NSPCC Keeping Children Safe Away From Home
• Educate Against Hate
• Real Love Rocks
• Liverpool Early Health Directory
• Safeguarding Resource Hub
• Liverpool Safeguarding Children's Board
• THINK Road Safety
• Anti-Bullying Support List
• Department for Education 'Tackle Child Abuse' Campaign 
• NSPCC Gangs & Young People 
• Anti-Bullying Alliance
• Bullying UK
• Diana Award - Anti- Bullying Campaign
• Webinars for Parents/Carers