Toll Bar Primary School

Safeguarding Information

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.

We all have a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and all staff at Toll Bar Primary School ensure that the relevant training requirements are met in order to help us keep children safe.  Children have a fundamental right to be protected from harm and families have a right to expect schools to provide a safe and secure environment. All schools have a legal duty to work with other agencies, for example social services and the police, to safeguard children’s welfare.

If you have any concerns about the health and safety of a child or feel that something may be troubling them, you should share this information with an appropriate member of staff straight away.

Some issues such as a child’s appearance, hygiene, general behaviour, can be shared with any teacher or member of support staff. Don't worry how small things may seem, it's always important to tell someone if you are concerned.

There are 4 main categories of abuse: Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Emotional Abuse and Neglect.  

Contextual Safeguarding: This is an approach to understanding, and responding to children’s experiences of significant harm beyond their family and home.  This approach recognises the different relationships children have in their schools, peer groups, online and in their community. Parents and carers may have little influence over these contexts and children’s exposure to extra-familial abuse can impact negatively a parent-child relationship.  It should be considered whether children are at risk of abuse or exploitation in situations outside their families. Extra-familial harms take a variety of different forms and children can be vulnerable to multiple harms including (but not limited to) sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, and serious youth violence.

For safeguarding warning signs - PLEASE CLICK HERE

If you feel your concern is very serious, this may be related to a child protection concern such as physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect.  You must speak to our Designated Safeguarding Lead or the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead. If you are unable to locate them, please tell our office staff you have a safeguarding concern and they will get in touch with someone to come and speak to you.

Designated Safeguarding Lead, Early Years Safeguarding Lead and Head teacher – Mr Bower

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Head – Miss Whaley

Level 3 Safeguarding Lead and Parent Support Advisor - Mrs Wood

Level 3 Safeguarding Lead and Attendance Officer - Mrs Ginnever

Child Protection/Safeguarding Governor – Mr Robinson

When the school is closed, during the school holidays or evenings and weekends, you are still able to contact our safeguarding team.  Please contact us via email at admin@tollbar.doncaster.sch.uk or phone 07375926110. If no one is available to take your call, please leave your name and a contact number and one of the members of our safeguarding team will get back to you. These communication methods will be checked regularly.

OUR SAFEGUARDING POLICY IS AVAILABLE TO VIEW ON OUR POLICIES PAGE: Policies

Also see - Working Together to Safeguard Children and Keeping Children Safe in Education Document

Serious Safety Concerns

If school staff are unavailable and staff, parents or the general public have serious concerns about the welfare / safety of a child they can contact:

Doncaster Safeguarding Children Partnership

Urgent Safeguarding concerns -  01302 737777 

Urgent Concerns regarding a child's mental health - 01302 796191

Information for reporting concerns - DCSP

ALWAYS CONTACT 999 IF SOMEONE IS IN DANGER

Early Help

Early Help is a way of getting extra help and support when your family needs it, but getting it as soon as difficulties start, rather than waiting until things get worse. It’s for children and young people of any age and their family. Help can come from all kinds of services and organisations who work together to support your family. You might be using some of these services already, but we want to make sure they are providing the right support for you and your family’s needs. 

More information can be found on the Doncaster Council website: 

https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/schools/early-help-what-is-it-in-doncaster

For more information on Early Help and other support that our school offer, please see our Parent Support webpage - PLEASE CLICK HERE

Operation Encompass

Operation Encompass is project currently being introduced in South Yorkshire.  It is a partnership between South Yorkshire Police and Education, supported by each Local Safeguarding Children’s Board.  Operation Encompass has been designed to provide early reporting on any domestic abuse incidents, where the police have attended and that might have an impact on a child in school.

 A key safeguarding member of staff in school will be informed when a domestic abuse incident has been recorded within the previous 24 hours or over the weekend. This will enable school to monitor children possibly affected and, where required, support if necessary.

 The designated member of the school staff will use the information that has been shared, in confidence. They will also ensure that the school is able to make provision for possible difficulties experienced by children who have been involved in, affected by, or witnessed a domestic abuse incident.

 At Toll Bar Primary School, we are keen to offer the best support possible for our children and we believe Operation Encompass will enhance the safeguarding within school and will be extremely beneficial for all those involved.

CEOP

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) work with safeguarding and child protection partners across the UK and overseas and helps protect children from harm online and offline with a focus on child sexual exploitation and online protection issues .  

The CEOP Safety Centre has clear information and advice on what can be reported to CEOP, the reporting process and what will happen if you do decide to make a report. You can visit the CEOP Safety Centre and make a report directly to CEOP by clicking the Click CEOP button located on our home page.

If you are experiencing online bullying or something else online has worried you please speak to an adult you trust, or you can talk to Childline at any time on 0800 1111 or at www.childline.org.uk.

If you want to know more about keeping children safe online, you can use CEOP's Thinkuknow education resources.

If you are worried that someone has acted inappropriately towards your child or another child you may know or work with, you can report this. This may include things like sexualised chat, being asked to meet up, or being asked to do something that made the child feel uncomfortable.

Any member of the public - whether a child, parent or professional - can report a concern about child sexual abuse or online exploitation to the CEOP safety centre. All reports are assessed and responded to by CEOP's specialist Child Protection Advisors. If a police response is necessary, it would be conducted in partnership with your local police force.

Please remember that if a child or young person is in immediate danger then always call 999.

Domestic Abuse

Domestic abuse, or domestic violence, includes a range of abusive behaviour (either physical, sexual, financial, psychological or emotional) between people 16 years or older, who are or were intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender.  

Domestic abuse can happen to anyone; partners; ex-partners; family members; regardless of sexuality or gender orientation, race, background or upbringing.

Children and young people can also be affected by the abuse that they see and hear, and they can be harmed as part of domestic abuse between adults. Young people may also experience abuse from their own boyfriend/girlfriend.

Doncaster Local Authority's Domestic Abuse Protocol is a professionals guide to how to respond to victims, survivors and families experiencing domestic abuse and to the people who are causing the harm.  We use this and the Domestic and Sexual Abuse toolkit.  The toolkit contains all of the information that is contained within the Doncaster Domestic Abuse Protocol but also contains information about sexual abuse services and referral pathways, and provides schools with additional information in relation to teaching about healthy and unhealthy relationships.  Further information on this can be found here: https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/crime-anti-social-behaviour-nuisance/domestic-abuse-protocol

 If you or someone you know is in need of support, please feel free to discuss this with a member of our school safeguarding team.

Alternatively, if you would like to speak to a Doncaster domestic abuse worker in the Domestic Abuse Hub telephone 01302 737080, email dahub@doncaster.gov.uk or complete the Doncaster online self-referral form: https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/Eforms/BusGenEform/Boot/1809.

Domestic Abuse Information - https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/crime-anti-social-behaviour-nuisance/domestic-abuse-2

Support for Victims - https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/crime-anti-social-behaviour-nuisance/domestic-abuse-support

NSPCC information on Domestic Abuse -  https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-abuse-and-neglect/domestic-abuse