Safeguarding at South Bank Primary

South Bank Primary School is committed to ensuring all our pupils feel safe and well cared for and to providing a secure and safe school environment for learners, staff, parents, carers, families and other visitors.

The safeguarding of children and young people is the responsibility of all adults.  In South Bank Primary this includes staff employed by the school, PFI staff, supply staff, staff commissioned or contracted from external services & agencies, volunteers, governors, parents/carers, and extended family members. 

We all have a responsibility to ensure that children and young people feel safe and well at all times. 

Within school this means that all aspects of the environment ensure that a child feels able to learn and develop in a safe environment.  In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all practitioners ensure their approach is child-centred. This means that they consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child and be aware that children includes everyone under the age of 18.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:

• protecting children from maltreatment;
• preventing 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.

Child Protection is a key aspect of safeguarding which is concerned with protecting children from abuse and maltreatment, and involves working with social care and/or the police when a child is deemed to be at risk of significant harm.  There are 4 categories of abuse:

• Physical Abuse
• Sexual Abuse
• Emotional Abuse
• Neglect

Some of the signs of abuse and/or problematic mental health include the following indicators.  However, it should be remembered that there may be a perfectly innocent explanation for any of these and it is important not to jump to conclusions.  To this end our Safeguarding Team will take any concerns seriously but ensure any enquiries are made in a sensitive manner:

• Changes in appearance including personal hygiene and weight loss
• Bruises and injuries, and evidence of pain or discomfort
• Clingy and/or fearful behaviour
• Changes in eating habits
• Uncharacteristic and/or secretive behaviour
• Problems with peer groups
• Changes in sleep patterns
• Self-harming behaviour
• Talk about suicide and/or death
• Changes in mood including prolonged anxiety, stress, fearfulness, being easily prone to tearfulness and/or tendency to overreact
• Loss of interest in social events and/or hobbies
• Deterioration of attention span and/or restlessness
• Evidence of age-inappropriate sexual knowledge

Many of the above may also be signs of problematic mental health.  South Bank Primary is committed to being alert to signs of abuse and/or problematic mental health and intervening early to safeguard children’s safety, welfare and wellbeing. 

Our safeguarding team works with a range of external agencies and services including Health and Social Care. Although there is a range of support available for children in school, sometimes other services can provide additional, targeted support.  The school works particularly closely with Early Help, and aims to identify instances where children and their families may benefit from additional support at the earliest possible point.  Some of the concerns we might be vigilant to are listed below, along with links to other websites.

South Bank Primary has also signed up to Operation Encompass.   This is a Police and Education early information sharing partnership which enables schools to offer immediate support for children and young people witnessing domestic abuse. Information is shared by the police with the school’s safeguarding team prior to the start of the school day following an incident of domestic abuse in the previous 24 hours or over the weekend which has been attended by police officers. This information enables appropriate support to be given, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.  Children experiencing domestic abuse are negatively impacted by this exposure; domestic abuse has been identified as an Adverse Childhood Experience and can lead to emotional, physical and psychological harm. Operation Encompass aims to mitigate this harm by enabling schools to maintain a watchful brief, intervene with support if needed, and help to make the day a better one for children.  Right click on the logo below for more information.

At South Bank Primary, we are committed to the safety and happiness of all our pupils.  Safeguarding is the responsibility of all members of our school community.  If you are concerned about a child please speak to one of our safeguarding leads.

For more details on how we safeguard students at South Bank Primary School, to read our Safeguarding policy

Keeping Safe

At South Bank Primary School we work in partnership with our children to support our children to keep themselves safe in our world.

Our curriculum contains input on:

• Road Safety
• e-safety or internet safety
• Relationships and trusted adults
• ‘Stranger danger’
• ‘Life Skills’

We link with other agencies such as our local Police Community Support Officer, the early intervention team, attendance and welfare officers and other services who can support us in delivering clear messages of actions our children can take to keep themselves safe.

We record all incidents which concern us on our safeguarding system (CPOMS) and inform parents, carers, family and multi-agencies as necessary and in line with our Safeguarding Policy. 

If you are worried about a child, what might you be worried about? 

What is child abuse and neglect?

Some abuse may happen because parents, carers or other adults act in ways which harm children. Other kinds of abuse occur when adults fail to take action to protect children or fail to meet a child’s basic needs.

There are four main types of abuse:

Physical Abuse
This may involve hurting or injuring a child by hitting, shaking, poisoning, burning, scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child.

Emotional Abuse
Persistent emotional ill treatment of a child. It may involve telling children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person.

Sexual Abuse
Forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. It may also include non-contact activities such as involving children in inappropriate sexual activities.

Neglect
Persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, which is likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development.  Witnessing domestic abuse is extremely harmful to children and causes long term emotional harm and distress.

What might make you concerned?

There are many possible signs of abuse ranging from physical injury to changes in behaviour.  In some cases a child may tell you that they are being harmed. Alternatively you may witness an incident either between a parent and a child or a professional or volunteer working with children, which causes you to be concerned.

What to do if you are concerned about a child?

Adults have a responsibility to share any concerns they have, even when they may have some doubts as to whether a child is being harmed.

If you are concerned about a child speak to someone. This might be a health visitor, school staff, family doctor, social worker or police officer. 

During school hours please call or email:

Phone:  01642 453451 and ask to speak to a Safeguarding Lead

Email:  safeguarding@southbankprimary.co.uk

Alternatively, or outside of school hours, the following links might be helpful:

Redcar & Cleveland Multi Agency Children's Hub (MACH)

Telephone -  01642 130700​

Email - RedcarMACH@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk

The Multi Agency Children's Hub (MACH) is a partnership between Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, Cleveland Police and Health Partners.

The MACH Team are available:

Monday to Thursday from 8:30am to 5:00pm

Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

Duty Team - Out of Hours:  01642 524552

For the NSPCC, please click here  or call 0800 1111

For Childline, please click here or call 0808 800 50000

Online safeguarding

If you are worried about something online or something involving you online, you can report it here.

For reporting terrorist or extremist material online, please click here to report.

If you suspect Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) of a child please inform the police on 999

If you have any concerns around risk, please inform the school Safeguarding Team or contact the following agencies: