Safeguarding
‘Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined for the purposes of this guidance as: protecting children from maltreatment; preventing the impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care, and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.’ KCSIE 2023
St Joseph’s Commitment to Safeguarding and Child Protection
At St Joseph’s, we are committed to safeguarding children and young people, and we expect everyone who works in our school to share this commitment. Adults in our school take all welfare concerns seriously and encourage children and young people to talk to us about anything that may worry them.
For more information, please see our Safeguarding Policy on our Policies and Documents page.
Communication with Parents
Our school will always discuss concerns with parents/carers, and consent for any referrals should be sought unless to do so would:
- Place the child at risk of significant harm, or further risk of significant harm.
- Place a vulnerable adult at risk of harm.
- Compromise any enquiries that need to be undertaken by children’s social care, or the police.
The school will endeavour to ensure that parents have an understanding of the responsibilities placed on the school and staff, for safeguarding children.
In the interests of safeguarding children, there may be occasions when the school has to consult with other agencies, without a parent or carer’s prior knowledge. Our first concern, and responsibility, is the child’s welfare, and we have a duty to protect children first, and always. Our school will follow the procedures required by the Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board.
Curriculum
Child safety issues, and child protection, will be addressed through the curriculum where appropriate, especially through Computing, Online Safety, PSHE. the RHSE Curriculum and Welcome Page.
We use a variety of resources and approaches to teach the children how to keep themselves safe, build their resilience, and manage risks.
Safeguarding Contacts in School
We have designated people in school who look after safeguarding. They are available to discuss any concerns or worries you may have regarding safeguarding. Our Safeguarding Lead is Mrs Gowen.
Our Safeguarding Governor is Ms K O’Connor.
Operation Encompass
Operation Encompass, is a joint operation involving Birmingham Children’s Trust, Birmingham City Council, and West Midlands Police, which has been established to help schools provide in-school support to children, who have been present at, exposed to, or involved in any domestic abuse incident.
You can find out more information about this in the letter below:
