Safeguarding and Child Protection Summary
At St Bernadette’s Catholic School, we strive to be a place where everyone is made to feel welcome and we treat each other with respect and dignity. We put the safety and welfare of the children at the centre of all we do. All staff, voluntary helpers, parents and visitors have a duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children and protect them from neglect, abuse and exploitation of any kind.
Our designated staff for safeguarding (DSLs) are Ms Regan (also SENCO and Inclusion Leader) and Mrs Hooper (Deputy Head). The deputy designated lead for safeguarding is Miss Ford (Early Year's Lead). All staff and volunteers are aware of the school’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy which is available on the school’s website. Staff training includes recognising and responding to signs which may indicate possible safeguarding concerns.
If you have any concerns about something you have seen or heard, please pass it on to a member of staff – either to the child’s class teacher or to a senior member of staff. We request that concerns passed on verbally are also recorded in writing. Concerns will be taken seriously and dealt with in the appropriate manner.
In emergencies, parents are able to refer their concerns to Front Door For Families (FDFF). Their contact number is 01273 290400.
There is an online referral form at https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/children-and-education/front-door-families and their email address is:
Keeping Children Safe in Education
Operation Encompass...
Our school is part of Operation Encompass. This is a joint project with Sussex Police which started in January 2019. The project provides early reporting to schools of any domestic abuse incidents involving children (incidents in which a child was present, ordinarily resides at the incident location or with an involved party).
We know that children and young people can be significantly affected through witnessing or being exposed to domestic abuse and this operation will allow our school to better support our pupils and their families. A nominated member of school staff, known as a Key Adult, has been trained to liaise with the police. Our Key Adults are Ms Regan and Mrs Hooper.The school will be able to use information that has been shared with them, in confidence, to ensure that the right support is available should it be required by a child and/or their family. We are keen to offer the best support available to our pupils and we believe this is beneficial for all those involved.
Additional information about Operation Encompass is available at www.operationencompass.org
Information about a wide range of local services for families is available at www.familyinfobrighton.org.uk
If you have any concerns or questions then please contact Ms Regan or Mrs Hooper and we will be happy to discuss this further.