Safeguarding Information
Safeguarding Newsletter
Safeguarding Newsletter Term 4 2023 – 2024
Safeguarding Newsletter Term 3 2023 – 2024
Safeguarding Newsletter Term 2 2023 – 2024
Safeguarding Newsletter Term 2 2023 – 2024 – Antibullying
Safeguarding Newsletter Term 1 2023 – 2024
Safeguarding Newsletter – Off the Record Edition 2023 – 2024
'I am a child and I don't feel safe'
‘I am a child and i don’t feel safe’
At the Academy:
- Tell a trusted adult! This could be your Tutor, your Pastoral Lead or your favourite teacher.
- Ask to speak to Mrs Tushingham, the Academy Safeguarding Lead or any member of the Safeguarding Team (scroll down and you can see posters like the one below all around the Academy.)
- Please Email the academy via [email protected] if you need help, advice or support.
At home or in your community:
- Call and speak to an adult at the Academy using the landline 0117 440 8900
- Email Mrs Tushingham or another adult at the Academy, you can find their email addresses on SMHW or by typing in their last name into your email.
- Phone Childline on 0800 11 11 anytime day or night. They are happy to speak to you about any worries. The call is free. Your teachers will be happy for you to use a phone in the Academy – just ask.
If you feel you or another child is in immediate danger, please call 999.
‘I am an adult and I am concerned about a child.’
If you are concerned about the treatment of a child, you can do one of these things:
- Report it to the school’s Designated Safeguarding Officers (Mrs Tushingham) by phoning the school on 0117 440 8900 or emailing [email protected]
- Contact South Gloucestershire’s Social Services Access and Response Team:
01454 866000 ‐ Monday to Friday 9am ‐ 5pm
01454 615165 ‐ Out of hours and at weekends
In an emergency, please ring 999
For further information, please go to South Gloucestershire’s website: www.southglos.gov.uk/safeguarding
Student Friendly Policies
SAFEGUARDING IS EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY
At Hanham Woods we recognise our moral, ethical and statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all students. We endeavour to provide a safe, secure and welcoming environment where young people are respected and valued.
We promote their health, wellbeing and personal and social development.
We are alert to the signs of abuse and neglect, and follow procedures to ensure that the students in our care receive effective support, protection and justice.
We help to keep students safe by having:
- an up to date safeguarding and other safeguarding related policies
- clear safer recruitment processes.
Furthermore we:
- check the suitability of all our staff to work with children.
- encourage students to tell us if something is wrong.
- adhere to health and safety regulations.
- train all our staff to recognise and respond to child welfare concerns.
- appoint designated staff who have additional training in child protection.
- work in partnership with parents and carers.
- share information with appropriate agencies if we have concerns
Online Safety
At Hanham Woods Academy we aim to equip our students with the knowledge, understanding and skills to use information and communication technology creatively and purposefully. A key aspect of this lies in being digitally literate. Online technologies play a huge role and so providing a broad and balanced online safety education is vital to ensuring that students can navigate the online world safely and positively.
To find out more please read our
COVID-19
Children have been spending more time at home and if they live in an area where there is a lockdown or high level restrictions, they may not be able to see friends and family in person. This makes keeping in touch online extra important.
Many children are spending more time online – and expanding the ways they use the internet. They may join online communities or start using new video-calling platforms. Children who receive support from services may go online to contact social workers, counsellors and others in their support network.
While all this can bring benefits to children’s mental health and wellbeing, children can be exposed to risk online.
Risks
When children spend time online they may be exposed to:
Europol has reported an increase in some countries in offenders attempting to contact young people via social media since the outbreak of the virus (Europol, 2020).
Please click the link for advice and guidance for parents and carers on how to keep your child safe online:
Useful Links
Please access these links for further support, as well as contacting your child’s Head of House or a member of the Safeguarding Team with your concern:
‘I need help setting up Parental Controls for online devices.’
‘I’m worried my child is being bullied online.’
‘I’m worried my child is sending or receiving sexualised chat or images.’
Prevent
Prevent is about safeguarding people and communities from the threat of terrorism. Prevent is 1 of the 4 elements of CONTEST, the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
South Glos Council Prevent Leaflet
Incidents of extremism and radicalisation are rare and as such when they do occur, make the news. As with all safeguarding issues, it is important to be vigilant, and not complacent, but also not to panic.
What is extremism and radicalisation?
Prevent defines extremism as: “vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also include in our definition of extremism calls for the death of members of our armed forces”
Radicalisation is defined by the UK Government within this context as “the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and extremist ideologies associated with terrorist groups.”
However…
We live in a wonderfully diverse world, with both differences and similarities to celebrate. Exploring religious and different social beliefs, in a peaceful and non-violent way, is part of growing up and should not be confused with something more sinister. The best way to PREVENT extremism and radicalisation is by open discussion and increased understanding of each other.
As a parent…
- You know your child better than anybody else. Having open, honest conversations on a regular basis will allow your child to explore new ideas in a safe environment.
- Talk to your child about their online viewing. Social media such as YouTube and Facebook can be used to groom children towards a certain point of view.
- Discuss different points of view concerns topics in the news, modelling that there is always more than one point of view.
- Encourage your child to take an active part in their local community. This could be part of a sports club, social group, volunteering. Getting out, meeting and talking to people around you helps to understand and become part of a community.
As a school…
- All staff have had Prevent training from an accredited Prevent trainer in school.
- All staff have completed further online Prevent training
- We have updated our safeguarding procedures to reflect statutory requirements in the Government’s Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015.
- We have direct contact with the Local Prevent Officer and other
- external professionals to receive on-going support and two way communication.
- Students are encouraged to discuss and explore issues during Space lessons, Assemblies and on Focus days.
If you have any concerns that someone you know may be at risk of radicalisation, please contact the local police on 101.
If your concern is of an URGENT nature please dial 999 or the Anti-Terrorist Hotline 0800 789 321
Young Carers
Young Carers are children and young people who look after someone in their family who has a disability, a long-term illness, or is affected by mental ill health or substance misuse. Young carers may look after parents, care for a sibling, or another family member. Some students may not realise that they are young carers.
We are aware that some students at Hanham Woods Academy are young carers.
As an Academy, we are committed to offer extra support and ensure that young carers can enjoy school and achieve the best outcomes in all aspects of their lives. To support this, we have a designated Young Carer Lead, Miss Charlotte Spear, who can be contacted by emailing [email protected] or by calling the Main Reception on 0117 440 8900.
Please feel free to contact Miss Spear if you want to know more, or you think yourself or your child may be a young carer.
School Nurse
Hello to students, parents and staff
I just want to introduce myself to those who may not know me. I am the link Nurse for Hanham Woods and have worked with the school for a number of years. I work for CCHP Sirona care and health which is part of the NHS.
On Tuesday lunchtimes I am around for students, I am based in the Student Hub. This is a free, confidential, non-judgemental, open access service for young people which provides help, support, guidance and advice on a wide range of health issues.
I also provide the C card scheme for keeping your sexual health safe.
We have a CCHP school Nursing website which parents may wish to explore and this has some useful resources to help with your children and young peoples’ health. I have attached the QR code below and the website address is : www.cchp.nhs.uk
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Honour based Violence (HBV)
Female Genital Mutilation
Female genital mutilation is the mutilation of the external female genetalia for non-medical reasons. It is often referred to as female circumcision, ‘cutting’ or ‘sunna’.
Government Statement opposing FGM
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is child abuse and an extremely harmful practice with devastating health consequences for girls and women. Some girls die from blood loss or infection as a direct result of the procedure. Some women who have undergone FGM are also likely to find it difficult to give birth and many also suffer from long-term psychological trauma.
UK Law
Female genital Mutilation is a crime in the United Kingdom. Even if a girl is taken abroad to undergo FGM, it is still a crime in the UK if the mutilation is done by a UK national or a UK resident.
It is also a crime if a UK national or resident assists or gets a non-UK national or resident to carry out FGM overseas on a UK national or resident.
If FGM is committed against a girl under the age of 16, each person who is responsible for the girl at the relevant time is guilty of an offence.
Criminal Penalties
Anyone found guilty of an FGM offence – or of helping somebody commit one – faces up to 14 years in prison, a fine, or both. Anyone found guilty of failing to protect a girl from risk of FGM faces up to 7 years in prison, a fine, or both.
Support
If you are worried that this might happen to you or someone you know, you can speak to a member of the safeguarding team in school. They will be able to help and support you.
Alternatively, you can report this abuse by contacting one of the following:
If there’s immediate danger or if you or someone you know is in immediate danger of FGM, contact the police.
Call 999 to report emergencies or 101 for non-emergencies.
You should also contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office if you know a British national who’s already been taken abroad.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Telephone: 020 7008 1500
If you or someone you know is at risk
Contact the NSPCC anonymously if you’re worried that a girl or young woman is at risk or is a victim of FGM.
NSPCC FGM Helpline
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0800 028 3550
C. Card Scheme
Hanham Woods Academy offers students in Years 9 to 11 confidential access to South Gloucestershire Council Public Health and Wellbeing Division’s free condom distribution scheme called C.Card. This forms part of our wider commitment to safeguarding the welfare and supporting the wellbeing of pupils.
In addition to providing free condoms, the scheme is designed to provide confidential* and factually accurate advice, support and information on; consent, the law, healthy relationships, contraception and sexual health.
We see the availability of the scheme as building on the Academy’s existing commitment to the delivery of high quality relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) as part of our PSHE curriculum. You may already be aware that RSHE is now a statutory requirement. However, our belief in the importance of this education to the development and wellbeing of young people means we have been an ‘early adopter’ school – delivering in line with the statutory guidance for the past 2 years.
Staff providing the scheme have received specialist training, and have access to ongoing support as required. This enables them to deliver the scheme safely and effectively. Any student wishing to access the scheme will first need to be assessed against the Fraser Guidelines and Bichard Checklist to ensure their suitability. This would be the same process used by any Doctor or Nurse providing medical advice or treatment to someone under 16.
Free condom distribution schemes have existed nationally for 30 years, with South Gloucestershire Council’s Public Health and Wellbeing Division operating it since its inception in 2013. The Public Health and Wellbeing Division have designed their C.Card scheme to fit with the national guidance published by Public Health England (2015) and the National Institute for Care and Health Excellence (2017).
Hanham Woods Academy are proud to have joined the existing South Gloucestershire schools providing the scheme via their internal support staff and Public Health Nurse drop-in service, increasing our capacity to safeguard the wellbeing and welfare of more Hanham Woods Academy students.
If you have any questions about the provision of the scheme at Hanham Woods Academy please do not hesitate to make contact Rebecca Tushingham (Designated Safeguarding Lead).
*young people, including those under 16, who are assessed as being ‘Fraser Competent’ have a legal right to access health services ‘confidentially’. Whilst we will always make pupils aware of the advantages of talking to parents and carers about these matters, we have a responsibility to uphold the right of pupils to this confidential services. The only exception being when we have concerns about the welfare of the pupil – in which case our normal safeguarding processes will be followed.
