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The Management of Safeguarding at Raedwald Trust

The management of safeguarding at the Raedwald Trust is the responsibility of the Trust Board. In law, the Trust Board must ensure that they comply with their duties under legislation and have due regard to the guidance in Keeping Children Safe in Education ensuring that the Trust and Academy policies, procedures and training are effective and comply with the law at all times.

The Head Teacher of each Academy takes the lead responsibility for the Academy’s safeguarding arrangements.

Safeguarding policies and procedures

Each Academy has a Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy with accompanying linked policies in place so that appropriate action can be taken in a timely manner to safeguard and promote children’s welfare. The policies describe procedures which are in accordance with government guidance and refer to multi-agency arrangements in place, currently through the Suffolk Safeguarding Partnership through the three safeguarding partners.  This is updated annually and is available publicly on the Raedwald Trust website.

• A staff Code of Conduct is in place, which includes acceptable use of technologies, staff/pupil relationship and communication using social media. This sits alongside our Online Safety Policy, Managing Allegations of Abuse against Adults Policy and the Acceptable Use of ICT Policy.  All staff sign to say that they have read, understood and agree to abide by these policies.
• We have a proactive response to children who do not attend their timetabled educational sessions.  The Academy will follow up with a phone call to a parent/carer, their other emergency contacts, multi agency professionals and, if required, the police.
• We have two emergency phone contacts for each pupil, where reasonably possible.
• We inform the local authority when a child both joins and leaves an Academy roll within the Raedwald Trust.  Upon departure we inform the local authority where the returned to/moved onto.
• Information on the role and identity of the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is contained in the Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and is shared with all new staff on induction.
• There are external visitor and volunteer procedures in place with information that people require, in order to keep pupils safe.

The Designated Safeguarding Leads 

All staff at the Raedwald Trust put safeguarding at the forefront of what we do.  The Head Teachers take the lead responsibility within each Academy for safeguarding and child protection. This is explicit in the Head Teacher job description.  This responsibility is not delegated.

The Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) and the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (DDSLs) across the Trust are listed below.

• The DDSLs have all been trained to the same standard as the lead DSL. Their training is updated every 2 years in line with statutory guidance.
• All DSLs/DDSLs will work with other agencies in line with ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’.
• During term time, the lead DSL and the DDSL are available for staff to discuss any safeguarding concerns.
• All staff have regular updates through team meetings and via email to keep their knowledge and skills updated.
• There is a Raedwald Trust newsletter sent to parents/carers termly where safeguarding information and signposting to other agencies is shared.

Multi-agency working

The Raedwald Trust works closely with other agencies to keep pupils safe in line with the statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’.

• We are aware of the shared and equal duties to work with multi agencies to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
• We will continue to work with other agencies including social care, the police and health services to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. This will include providing a co-ordinated offer of early help when additional needs of children are identified and contributing to multi agency plans to provide additional support for children subject to child protection plans.   The Raedwald Trust will allow access for children’s social care from the host local authority and, where appropriate, from a placing local authority, for that authority to conduct, or to consider whether to conduct a section 17 or section 47 assessment (Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 states that it is the general duty of every local authority to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need; and so far as it is consistent with that duty, to promote the upbringing of such children by their families and a Section 47 enquiry means that Children’s Social Care must carry out an investigation when they have ‘reasonable cause to suspect that a child who lives, or is found, in their area is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm’. The aim is to decide whether any action should be taken to safeguard the child.)

Information sharing

• The Raedwald Trust recognises that information sharing is vital in identifying and tackling all forms of abuse and neglect.
• We recognise how important information sharing is between practitioners and local agencies in order to keep children safe.  We have a clear process and principles for sharing information within the academy team, with the MASH team and Suffolk Safeguarding Partnership when necessary.   We will be proactive in sharing information as early as possible to help identify, assess and respond to risk or concerns about the safety and welfare of children, whether this is when problems are first emerging or where a child is already known to local authority children’s social care.
• The Raedwald Trust is aware that although the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR place duties on organisations and individuals to process personal information fairly and lawfully, and to keep the information they hold safe and secure they do not prevent, or limit, the sharing of information for the purposes of keeping children safe. We are aware that fears about sharing information must not stand in the way of the need to promote the welfare and protect the safety of children.
• All staff have received training on the data protection and GDPR principles which allow them to share personal information.  The Leadership team in particular are confident in the processing conditions under the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR which allow them to store and share information for safeguarding purposes.
• The Leadership team are aware of the special category personal data and there is a data processing impact assessment for pupil medical information which falls into this category.  All staff are aware that the Data Protection Act 2018 contains ‘safeguarding of children and individuals at risk’ as a processing condition that allows practitioners to share information. This includes sharing information without consent, if it is not possible to gain consent, it cannot be reasonably expected that a practitioner gains consent, or if to gain consent would place a child at risk.
• When pupils leave the Raedwald Trust, either returning to their mainstream setting or moving onto a new placement, the DSL will ensure any child protection files (paper based and/or electronic) are transferred to the new setting.  If possible, these will be transferred electronically, or by hand delivery.  Confirmation receipts will be obtained and retained by the Raedwald Trust.
• In addition to the child protection records, the DSL will consider if it would be appropriate to share any other information prior to the child moving on e.g. information that would allow the new setting to put in appropriate support for a child with complex mental health difficulties when they arrive.
• When a pupil is transferred to the Raedwald Trust we will ask the referring school/previous placement for similar information in order to keep the child safe.

Staff training

• All new staff receive safeguarding and child protection training which includes online safety on induction. This includes details about internal processes about how to raise a concern, as well as general safeguarding information such as recognising signs of abuse.
• All staff undertake annual safeguarding and child protection training. The training package is delivered by Raedwald Trust staff who are Train4Trainer (T4T) trained to deliver the local authority’s safeguarding and child protection training.
• In addition to this, staff undertake additional training in safeguarding areas such as female genital mutilation, online safety and child sexual exploitation.
• The Trust Safeguarding Group (TSG) meetings are held fortnightly for sharing updates and additional support.  This is attended by at least one member of each Academy’s safeguarding team, the Trust Safeguarding & Compliance Lead and is Chaired by the Trust CEO.

Online safety

• All internet lines coming into all of the Raedwald Trust sites have an appropriate filtering system applied. This is monitored by our IT support.
• Staff can request access to particular sites or software for teaching purposes.
• Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe online and who to tell if they have any concerns.
• Parents have information about how to keep their child safe online on the Raedwald Trust website as well as through newsletters and emails.

Opportunities to teach safeguarding

• Pupils are taught about safeguarding, including Relationship and Sex Education, in Personal, Social and Health Education lessons and where opportunities arise in other subjects. Online safety is mainly taught in IT lessons.

Inspection

• The effectiveness of safeguarding is inspected as part of the Ofsted inspection framework.  The Trust Board additionally commissions an annual external audit of safeguarding across all sites within the Raedwald Trust.

Safer recruitment

• It is the Trust Board’s responsibility to ensure that people who pose a risk of harm from working with children by adhering to statutory responsibilities to check staff who work with children, taking proportionate decision on whether to ask for additional checks other than those required. The Raedwald Trust has written recruitment and selection policies in place with appropriate procedures in place.   Over 20 members of Raedwald Trust staff, including Head Teachers and the Central team, have been trained in safer recruitment.

What staff should do if they have a concern about another member of staff who may pose a risk of harm to children

• There are written procedures in place to manage concerns/allegations, against staff (including volunteers) that might indicate they would pose a risk of harm to children (please see ‘Managing Allegations of Abuse against Adults Policy’ on the Raedwald Trust website).  Any such allegations are referred to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).
• There are procedures in place to make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) if a person in regulated activity has been dismissed or removed due to safeguarding concerns. We are aware that this is a legal duty and failure to refer when the criteria are met is a criminal offence.

Child on child abuse

• All staff at the Raedwald Trust are aware that children are capable of abusing their peers. As part of our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policies, we have clear procedures with regard to child on child abuse.
• The policy includes: procedures to minimise the risk of child on child abuse, information about how child on child abuse will be recorded, investigated and dealt with, clear processes on how victims, perpetrators and any other child affected by child on child abuse will be supported and a statement that abuse is abuse and should never be tolerated or passed off as ‘banter’, ‘just having a laugh’, or ‘part of growing up’.  We are also aware of the gendered nature of child on child abuse.
• All staff are aware of the different forms of child on child abuse such as sexual violence and sexual harassment, physical abuse such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling or other physical harm, and sexting.

The child’s wishes

• Where there is a safeguarding concern, Raedwald Trust staff will always try to take the child’s wishes and feelings into account when determining what action to take and what services to provide. There are always available staff for pupils to talk to and explain how they feel.
• Ultimately, the systems and processes will operate with the best interests of the child at their heart.

Looked after children in care and children previously in care

• The most common reason for children becoming a child in care is a result of abuse and/or neglect.  Raedwald Trust staff have the skills, knowledge and understanding to keep children in care safe.
• Raedwald Trust staff are given information they need in relation to a child’s ‘looked after’ legal status and the child contact arrangements with birth partners or those with parental responsibility.  This comes from the pupil’s home school/previous setting on admission.  We will also have information about the child’s care arrangements and the levels of authority delegated to the carer by the authority looking after them. Details of the child’s social worker and the name of the virtual school head in the authority that looks after that child will be recorded on School Pod.

The designated teacher for children in care

• Each Raedwald Trust Academy has a designated teacher for children in care.  Please see our Academy staff pages for more information.
• All staff promote the educational achievement of children in care, and children who have been previously been in care.

Virtual school heads

• The Virtual School Head is a statutory position within the local authority, and this person is responsible for managing pupil premium plus for looked after children and for children who have left care.
• Local authorities have ongoing responsibilities to young people who cease to be looked after and become care leavers.
• The designated teacher works with the virtual school head to discuss how funding can be best used to support the progress of looked after children in school.  They also work with the virtual school head to promote the educational achievement of previously looked after children.
• The role of the virtual school head has extended to include a non statutory responsibility for oversight of the attendance, attainment and progress of children with a social worker.

Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

• Children with SEND can face additional safeguarding challenges. Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy reflects the fact that additional barriers can exist when recognising abuse and neglect in this group of children. This can include:

– Assumptions that indicators of possible abuse, such as behaviour, mood and injury relate to the child’s disability without further exploration

– Being more prone to peer group isolation than other children

– The potential for children with SEN and disabilities being disproportionally impacted by behaviours such as bullying, without outwardly showing any signs and

– Communicating barriers and difficulties in overcoming these barriers

To overcome these additional challenges, Raedwald Trust will always consider extra support for pupils with SEND.

The use of ‘reasonable force’ in schools and colleges

• Although there are circumstances when it is appropriate for staff to use reasonable force, Raedwald Trust staff will only implement this as a last resort.  The term ‘reasonable force covers the broad range of actions used by staff that involve a degree of physical contact to control or restrain children e.g. guiding children to safety by the arm or more extreme circumstances such as breaking up a fight.  ‘Reasonable’ in these circumstances means ‘using no more force than is needed’.  The use of force may involve either passive physical contact such as standing between pupils or blocking a pupil’s path, or active physical contact such as leading a pupil by the arm out of the classroom, The DfE produce advice for schools.
• It is the DfE’s opinion that a ‘no contact’ policy can leave staff unable to fully support and protect pupils. In line with advice, the Raedwald Trust adopt sensible procedures and practice which allow and support staff to make appropriate physical contact. The decision on whether to use reasonable force is done to the professional judgement of the staff concerned and will always depend on individual circumstances.

More information about the use of restraint and physical intervention at the Raedwald Trust can be found here.