Role of Safeguarding Officers

Designated Safeguarding Leader:  

Mrs Elizabeth Rye, Headteacher

Designated Safeguarding Lead Refresher 26th January 2022

Online Safety (e-Safety) for Designated Safeguarding Leads completed Summer Term 2021

Deputy Safeguarding Leader: 

Mr Matthew Jones, Deputy Headteacher

Designated Safeguarding Lead Refresher Training completed 24th May 2022

Deputy Safeguarding Leader:  

Mrs Rachel Cunningham, SENCo

Designated Safeguarding Lead 18th & 20th May 2021

Online Safeguarding Training completed Term 4 2020/2021

Named Safeguarding Governor: 

Mrs Sandy Chapman, Safeguarding & Ethos Sub Committee 

The Governing Body Role in Safeguarding 24th November 2021

Safer Recruitment Training:

The following have received Safer Recruitment Training:

Mrs Elizabeth Rye, Headteacher

Mr Matthew Jones, Deputy Headteacher

Mrs Rachel Cunningham, SENCo

Mrs Donna Emirali, Burser

Policy and procedure:

Act as a champion of the school’s safeguarding policy and procedures by ensuring all staff have access to and understand them

Induct new members of staff with regard to the school and KSCB (Kent Safeguarding Children’s Board)

Safeguarding policies and procedures

Ensure the school safeguarding policy is updated and reviewed annually

Ensure the Safeguarding policy is displayed publicly on the school website and is available to all parents/carers and other stakeholders.

Ensure that the Single Central Records is kept up to date.

Register for alerts from Kent Safeguarding Children’s Board

Reporting concerns:

Recognise how to identify signs of abuse and when to make a referral

Respond appropriately to disclosures or concerns relating to the well-being of a child

Refer allegations or cases of suspected abuse to the relevant investigating agencies, ensuring they have access to the most relevant up to date information

Liaise with the Governor with safeguarding responsibilities

Ensure that relevant, detailed and accurate written records of referrals/ concerns are kept and that these are stored securely

When pupils move school, ensure their safeguarding file is sent to the new establishment immediately and securely

Refer cases to the Channel programme where there is a radicalisation concern as required

Support staff who make referrals to the Channel programme

It is not the role of the DSL to investigate allegations of abuse or neglect by members of staff working or volunteering with children in school. This falls to the Headteacher or to the Chair of Governors where the allegation is against the Headteacher

Multi Agency working:

Ensure that pupils who are victims of abuse are supported appropriately and sensitively and that all actions from planning and intervention meetings are carried out and monitored.

Attend and contribute effectively to Child In Need meetings, Child Protection conferences, and planning and review meetings; including those taking place out of normal working hours.

Liaise and coordinate with colleagues and outside organisations to provide Early Help as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child or young person’s life working with the Early Help Strategic Partnerships and referring to the Early Help Allocation groups where necessary. Acting as Lead Professional as appropriate.

Ensure that actions resulting from meetings are SMART and that they are carried out in a co-ordinated way; making the difference which was anticipated.

Training:

Ensure all new staff has safeguarding induction within their first 7 days and receive frequent updates so that they are able to recognise and report any concerns immediately.

Attend relevant training every 2 years and an annual basis attend forums/roadshows to reinforce and enhance Safeguarding knowledge and practice.

Represent the school at Designated Lead forums and disseminate the information to colleagues.

Ensure all staff receives appropriate safeguarding training at least every 3 years.

Knowledge and skills:

Liaise with Deputy Safeguarding Leads to share best practice.

Act as a source of support, advice and expertise within the school.

Have a working knowledge of how the Kent Safeguarding Children Board operates.

Ensure that staff members are following up to date procedures in line with National and Local expectations and receive regular updates.

Act with integrity; maintaining confidentiality at all times.

General Duties:

To undertake such other duties, training and/or hours of work as may be reasonably required and which are consistent with the general level of responsibility of this job.

To ensure that the Section 175 Audit published by Kent Safeguarding Children Board (KSCB) is completed annually and returned by deadline and reviewed regularly.

Ensure that there is a DSL or Deputy DSL on site at school during term time.

Role Description for the nominated Safeguarding Governor

Name: Mrs Sandy Chapman – CPD: The Role of the Governing Body in Safeguarding in School completed 24th November 2021

As the nominated governor for safeguarding children, you will play an essential role in ensuring children in this school are kept safe from harm. The safeguarding governor plays an important role in ensuring oversight and scrutiny of safeguarding policy, procedure and practice on behalf of the full governing body.

Your role as Nominated Governor for Safeguarding is to:

• act as a ‘critical friend’ to the school, in order to ensure that the appropriate systems and procedures are in place to cover all aspects of the safeguarding agenda;
• ensure that statutory governing body responsibilities are met;
• monitor that safeguarding policies (Inc. associated policies such as whistle-blowing) are regularly reviewed by the governing body;
• ensure there are suitably qualified, trained and supported Designated Safeguarding Leads;
• ensure there is a robust system for recording, storing and reviewing child welfare concerns and liaison with outside agencies as necessary;
• ensure that all adults working, volunteering or governing in school are suitably checked, training and inducted in term of child-protection and that this is properly recorded on the Single Central Record;
• attend Basic Awareness Safeguarding training every 3 years and other training as appropriate to the role and relevant to issues within the school;
• ensure personnel governors have successfully completed Safer Recruitment training;
• take account of how safe pupils feel when in school and that their voice is heard and acknowledged;
• ensure the school constantly review and consider their curriculum in order that key safeguarding ‘messages and lessons’ run throughout;
• monitor progress against any outstanding actions on the governing body safeguarding audit tool and any other reviews;
• have input into the Headteacher’s annual safeguarding report to the full governing body.