Safeguarding
At Fairfield Primary School, we regard the safeguarding of children as our main priority. We believe that we all have the right to be happy, to be safe and to learn. We all have the responsibility to make this happen.
Definition of ‘safeguarding’
‘Keeping children safe in Education, DfE, 2022, defines safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children as:
‘Protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes. ‘Children’ includes every one under the age of 18’.
Keeping Children Safe in Education
Safeguarding at Fairfield Primary School
Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play in safeguarding children. School staff are particularly important as they are in a position to identify concerns early and provide help for children, to prevent concerns from escalating. Schools and their staff form part of the wider safeguarding system for children working with social care, the police and health services both to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.
Safeguarding children permeates all aspects of our work as a school, with a preventative role to inform and boost the resilience of all students by enhancing protective factors in their lives. Accordingly, this policy links with many other related policies in school that can be found here:
Click here to see Safeguarding Policies
Children are encouraged to express and discuss their ideas, thoughts and feelings through a variety of activities and have access to a range of cultural opportunities which promote respect and empathy for others. As part of our new Prevent duty under s.26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 we are aware of the importance of building pupils’ resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British values and enabling them to challenge extremist views. Schools can build pupils’ resilience to radicalisation by providing a safe environment for debating controversial issues and helping children and young people understand how they can influence and participate in decision making.
The policy applies to all children and young people regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality or religion. It is a requirement that all users are informed of these policies and practice guidance and what they should do if they have concerns.
What you can do
Parents and carers play a role in safeguarding children in their community. If you have any concerns, no matter how small, you should report them to someone you trust who will listen. The school is required to have a designated child protection officer for this purpose. Parents and children should speak to the safeguarding team if they have any concerns about a child. If you have a safeguarding concern about a staff member, you should speak to the Headteacher.
If you think a child is in immediate danger, you should contact 999. Otherwise, contact Halton Children’s Social Care iCART team on 0151 907 8305.
Procedure
All safeguarding concerns are recorded electronically using CPOMS. If a concern is raised regarding a child, this is recorded by an adult and the designated safeguarding lead is informed immediately by the system. The decision of the next step is then made and recorded.
If a concern is raised regarding a member of staff this must be given to the Headteacher.
If a concern is raised regarding the Headteacher this must be given to the Chair of Governors - Paul Busow.
All of these concerns are taken very seriously and correct procedures are followed as stated in our Safeguarding keeping children safe policy.
Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy 2023/24