Safeguarding

All staff at St Maxentius are committed to ensure the safety of children. Staff are trained to identify any risks and are vigilant to ensure the protection of all children. All staff have received training on the most current guidance 'Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024'. We have summarised our policy below, the full detailed policy can be found at the end of the page.

We strive to ensure that all our students remain safe and free from harm, and we are committed to playing a full and active part in the multi-agency approach to child protection concerns. Additionally, we have a legal duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people, and to have a child protection policy and procedures in place, which should be shared with you, to address concerns about the safety and protection of children and young people

Through our day-to-day contact with students, and direct work with families, our staff have a crucial role to play in noticing indicators of possible abuse, neglect and exploitation. Parents/carers should be aware therefore, that where it appears to a member of staff that a child or young person may have been abused, we are required, as part of the local child protection procedures to report this concern to Children’s Social Care (known as the Integrated front door) immediately. Therefore, to avoid any misunderstandings, parents/carers of students who sustain accidental injuries such as cuts/bruises/fractures should inform us without delay and explain the cause.

Principles

Children and young people have a right to be safe.
Parents/carers have a right to be informed of any concerns.

Children and young people are best protected when we work together with parents/carers.

Partnership

Please speak to us if you have any concerns.
We will inform parents/carers of any concerns we have and will offer help and support as necessary.
We will seek your permission to share information.
We will involve you and actively encourage you to participate in any meetings regarding your child.
We will consult with other agencies when we have concerns that a child or young person may have been abused, neglected or exploited.

* (providing this does not compromise safety)

Prevention

We aim to offer help and support at the earliest opportunity as needs emerge (Early Help).
We have a comprehensive PSHE curriculum that teaches our students about keeping safe.
We will take positive action to prevent children and young people from abuse, neglect and exploitation through the development of an open culture that informs children and young people of their rights and encourages them to speak about any concerns.

Responding to Concerns

We will listen to parents/carers who raise concerns about their child and offer support.
We will refer all allegations or concerns that a student has been, or is likely to be, abused, neglected or exploited to The Integrated Front Door.
We will put support in place as soon as we are aware of any concerns this may include completing an Early Help Assessment.

Child on Child Abuse

Physical and emotional abuse of children by other children will not be tolerated and will be dealt with. Parents/carers will be kept informed of actions taken. All concerns about abuse will be referred immediately to Children’s Social Care (The Integrated Front Door) and the police.
Parents/carers or students can report abuse by contacting Dedicated helpline for victims of abuse in schools | NSPCC and Stop abuse together (campaign.gov.uk)
We will ensure students are believed and listened to and support is put in place. This may include a safety plan. Sanctions will be put in place for perpetrator (s).

Emotional health and wellbeing

We aim to support any students who experience any difficulties with their emotional health and wellbeing. Please speak to a member of staff for more details and access support at Be Kind to My Mind here

Domestic Abuse

As part of Operation Encompass we receive notifications from the police relating to domestic incidents when children/young people live in the household. The aim is for us to offer advice and support.
Parents and carers are encouraged to speak to us about domestic abuse.
Services can be accessed at Fortalice 0800 2000247 and 01204 365677 and Endeavour 01204 394842

Please see more details about encompass on our website here.

Online Safety

Children can be harmed and abused online and therefore we have measures in place to protect them. We also teach students how to keep safe on line.
It is important that Parents/carers have adequate safety measures in place at home, that children receive consistent messages of how to keep safe on line and that they are appropriately supervised.

Child Protection Strategy Meetings and Conferences

If circumstances require, a member of our staff will attend strategy meetings and child protection conferences and will share information. This information will be shared with parents/carers beforehand where possible. We will keep confidential child protection records separately from a student’s academic and other records. And these will be transferred to their future school/college.

Confidentiality

Information from any source, including parents, about possible child abuse cannot be kept confidential.
Information and records about children who are the subject of a Child Protection Plan will be given only to those people who need it and will be kept strictly confidential by them.

If parents have concerns about the safety or wellbeing of their child, they should contact our Designated Safeguarding Leads, Mrs L. Cousen (Headteacher) and Mr P. Bracegirdle (Deputy Head), available on 01204 333 106 or through parents@st-maxentius.bolton.sch.uk

Encompass

Our school works in partnership with Bolton Safeguarding Board and Greater Manchester Police on a project entitled “Encompass.”

The purpose of Bolton Encompass is to safeguard and support children and young people who have been involved in or witness to a domestic abuse incident. Domestic abuse impacts on children in a number of ways. Children are at increased risk of physical injury during an incident, either by accident or because they attempt to intervene. Even when not directly injured, children are greatly distressed by witnessing the physical and emotional suffering of a parent.

Encompass has been created to address this situation. It is the implementation of key partnership working between the police and schools. The aim of sharing information with local schools is to allow ‘Key Adults’ the opportunity of engaging with the child and to provide access to support that allows them to remain in a safe but secure familiar environment.

Following the report of an incident of domestic abuse the school’s Key Adult will be informed immediately that the child or young person has been involved in a domestic incident. This knowledge, given to schools through Operation Encompass, allows the provision of immediate early intervention through silent or overt support dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.

The purpose and procedures in Operation Encompass have been shared with all parents and governors, is detailed as part of the school’s Safeguarding Policy and published on our school website.

At St. Maxentius our Key Adults are Mrs L Cousen and Mr P Bracegirdle.

Encompass Protocol

Safeguarding policy