At St Bonaventure’s school we recognise our duty and committment to ensure the welfare and safety of all children in school. Above all we value the fundamental principle of the Children Act 1989:
‘The welfare of the child is paramount’
It is essential for us to keep children safe by providing a safe environment in which to learn; supporting their development in ways which will foster a sense of self esteem and independence; and, identifying and responding to children in need of support and/or protection from abuse or neglect as per our Safeguarding and Child Protection policy (which can be found on our policy page).
We have a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) at school who is supported by a named governor. It is the responsibility of every staff member to report any concerns that they have about a child to the DSL - no concern is too small when it comes to the safety of our children. We have set procedures for monitoring, recording and reporting concerns and we are always keen to maintain positive relationships and communication with our parents. Where appropriate, we discuss concerns with parents, however, there may be exceptional circumstances where concerns need to be discussed with external agencies (in accordance with Child Protection procedures).
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Sarah Ballantine (Headteacher) and you should contact her in the first instance. If she is not available then Steph Woolley (Deputy Head) should be contacted.
The NCA's CEOP Command (formerly the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) works with child protection partners across the UK and overseas to identify the main threats to children and coordinates activity against these threats to bring offenders to account. They protect children from harm online and offline, directly through NCA led operations and in partnership with local and international agencies.
They have lots of useful information for parents/carers, children and childcare professionals.
Please look at their website www.ceop.police.uk and in particular the "Thinkuknow" pages.