We are proud that safeguarding is an integral part of the culture and ethos of Alderbrook School. A safe and caring environment helps our pupils flourish into confident, happy people with a positive outlook on life. All staff and trustees of Alderbrook School are committed to establishing and maintaining an environment where students feel safe, secure, are encouraged to talk and are listened to.
We listen to any concerns or worries our students have and act accordingly to support them and make sure they are well cared for. Our links to external agencies, our own in school well-being practioners, Pastoral team counsellors and our safeguarding team’s commitment to our pupil’s welfare provides the extra layer of protection some children require.
Our safeguarding team all have regular external training to allow them to do their job with skill, knowledge and confidence. All staff working in the school have safeguarding training annually. This covers general safeguarding requirements, a deeper focus on a topic that is relevant at the time and a section on the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. This gives all the staff the confidence they need to notice potential concerns and raise any concerns in a timely and appropriate way. We recognise that staff in school are well placed to observe the signs of possible abuse because of the day-to-day contact with students, and need to be vigilant, always acting in the interests of the young person, whilst maintaining an attitude of ‘It could happen here’. Staff are given a Safeguarding Handbook at the start of each academic year and new staff receive the handbook when they start working at Alderbrook.
We endeavour to ensure that parents/carers have an understanding of the responsibility placed on staff for Safeguarding and Child protection. We think it is important to work in partnership with parents, carers and outside agencies to help our pupils achieve their full potential. There are occasions when our concern about a child may mean that we have to consult other agencies. Whilst we would always aim to work in partnership with parents there may be exceptions to this when concerns are raised for the protection of a child.
We have a statutory responsibility to share any concerns it might have about any young person who has made a disclosure or is at risk of (significant) harm, with other agencies and in particular Police, Health and Children’s Services. Schools are not able to investigate concerns but have a legal duty to refer them. In most instances, we will be able to inform the parents/carer of the need to make a referral. However, sometimes the school is advised by Children’s Services or Police that the parent/carer cannot be informed whilst they investigate the matter. We understand the anxiety parents/carers understandably feel when they are not told about any concerns from the outset.
We recognise our duty to work with other agencies in protecting students and young people from harm and in responding to concerns about possible abuse. This includes agencies such as Children’s Services, Police, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Education Welfare Service, Educational Psychology Service and other agencies/services coming into school to support individual students/groups of students.
There are different layers of support available to support young people and families
Universal – Support that all students access in School
Tier 1 – Additional support that the School can offer is required
Tier 2 – Further support is required for the young person/family using external agencies
Tier 3 – Formal statutory intervention required by Children’s Services and external agencies
Please click on the links below for more information about the different services available.
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