Safeguarding and Child Protection at Fossebrook

Fossebrook Primary School is committed to Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All staff share this commitment to safeguarding and the welfare of all our children is paramount. Our school provides a safe, secure and caring environment in which the children can flourish. To meet this expectation, we closely follow our school’s Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy, as well as our ESafety and Positive Behaviour Policies. Details of these policies can be found under the ‘School Policies’ section of this website.

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is: Mrs Sarah Evans

Sarah Evans DSL Prevent Officer	Sancha Wallis DDSL	Kate Leith DDSL	Kara Cragg DDSL	Abbie Hunt DDSL	Becca Findlay DDSL	Claire Shipley DDSL

Reporting a Safeguarding Concern

If you have a safeguarding concern about a pupil in school you should report it to either a DSL in school or Leicestershire County Council using the link below: https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/community-safety/report-abuse-or-neglect-of-a-child

It is important for parents to be aware that:

Staff and volunteers in the school have a duty to report concerns about a child, whether this means the child may be in need of additional support or help of some kind or whether it is thought that a child may have been abused or be at risk of abuse.

There are 4 categories of abuse:

                 •Physical     •Sexual     •Emotional     •Neglect

In some cases the school is obliged to refer children to Early Help of the

Social Services Department, for children to be assessed for their needs or if an investigation into possible child abuse is required. In many cases there will already have been discussions between school staff and the parents of the child, and the situation and concerns will not be a surprise to the parents. However, parents may not be told that the school has referred their child to Early Help or the Social Services Department if it is thought that this might put the child at risk. The Social Services

Department tries to carry out its enquiries in a sensitive fashion. It has to gather information and generally it can be open with parents about the steps being taken.

If school staff need to express concerns about a child or refer a child to Early Help or the Social Services Department, it is understood that this can cause distress or anger for the child’s parents. It is important that all parties (including parents and school staff) try to discuss these matters as calmly and sensibly as possible.