Safeguarding

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Erasmus Darwin Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We recognise that this is everyone’s responsibility. At Erasmus Darwin Academy we have regard to current legislation when carrying out our duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

We believe that our purpose within safeguarding is to ensure we:

Are committed to developing a robust safeguarding culture of vigilance and challenge.
Build resilience by raising awareness of safeguarding and child protection issues, and equipping children with the language and skills to keep themselves safe.
Establish a safe environment in which children can learn and develop within an ethos of openness and where children are taught to treat each other with respect, to feel safe, to have a voice and know that they will be listened to.
Support vulnerable pupils who have been abused, have witnessed violence towards others or may be vulnerable to abuse.
Prevent unsuitable people from working with children by ensuring we practice safe recruitment in checking the suitability of all school staff, supply staff and volunteers to work with our children and maintain an active, ongoing vigilance in line with the safeguarding culture.

Our aim is to follow the procedures set out by Staffordshire Safeguarding Children’s Board, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 and Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025 by knowing and understanding that:

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility and the voice of the child is evident.
Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play.
Everyone should ensure that their approach is child-centred considering, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.
By establishing a safe environment, we enable our children to learn and develop within an ethos of openness.
No single practitioner can have the full picture of a child’s needs and circumstances.
If children and families are to receive the right help at the right time, everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action.
The importance of providing children with a balanced curriculum including PHSE, healthy relationship education, online safety, sexting, child-on-child abuse as well as ‘abuse outside the home’ (County Lines, Child Criminal Exploitation incl Child Sexual Exploitation and other contextualised safeguarding issues). Also supporting this with online activities, enabling children to enhance their safeguarding skills and knowledge whilst understanding the risks.
Undertaking the role to enable children and young people at our school to have best outcomes.
Ensuring that we have awareness of our staff’s knowledge and understanding, as well as embedding safeguarding through clear systems of communication and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) so that safeguarding is a robust element of our practice.

If you have a concern that any student is being harmed, is at risk of harm, or you receive information (intentionally or unintentionally) you must contact school reception as soon as possible and ask to speak to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).

Alternatively, you can contact;

The police on 101 or
Staffordshire Families Integrated Front Door (SFIFD) for children’s services for Staffordshire on 0300 111 8007 or the
Initial Response Service for Walsall on 0300 555 2866.

Further information regarding how to keep children safe, identifying and preventing abuse and what help is available can also be found on the NSPCC website

Through our comprehensive training programme comprising of weekly safeguarding training sessions, topped up with weekly e-bulletins our staff are well equipped to understand and perform their roles and responsibilities as set out in current legislation with regard to safeguarding children.

In accordance with statutory guidance all Erasmus Darwin Academy Staff are fully aware of and are in compliance with the following guidance:

Working together to Safeguard Children (DfE)
Keeping Children Safe in Education: statutory guidance for schools and colleagues (DfE)
The Procedures of the Staffordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership,

Erasmus Darwin Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All posts within the Academy require enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) clearance in addition to identification and qualification checks.

Further safeguarding information for parents:

The Staffordshire Safeguarding Children’s Partnership has a range of advice for parents and carers in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people.

Staffordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership

Useful sites for parents/carers:

Child Sexual Exploitation

Domestic Violence

Drugs

Talk to Frank

E-Safety

Mental Health

Prevent duty statement

On 1 July 2015 the Prevent duty (section 26) of The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 came into force. This duty places the responsibility on local authorities and schools to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. Erasmus Darwin Academy is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its pupils. As an Academy we recognise that safeguarding against radicalisation is as important as safeguarding against any other vulnerability. All staff are expected to uphold and promote the fundamental principles of British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. We believe that children should be given the opportunity to explore diversity and understand Britain as a multi-cultural society; everyone should be treated with respect whatever their race, gender, sexuality, religious belief, special need, or disability. As part of our commitment to safeguarding and child protection we fully support the government’s Prevent Strategy.