Gilbert Colvin Primary School

Gilbert Colvin Primary School

Safeguarding and Child Protection Mission Statement

In delivering our safeguarding duties, we will:

• provide a caring, positive, safe and stimulating environment that promotes the social, physical and moral development of the individual child;
• identify concerns early and prevent concerns from escalating;
• establish and maintain an environment where children feel respected, secure, are encouraged to talk and are listened to when they have a worry or concern;
• establish and maintain an environment where school staff and volunteers feel well informed about safeguarding and child protection and are listened to when they have concerns about the safety and wellbeing of a child;
• ensure children know that there are adults in the school whom they can approach if they are worried;
• ensure that children who have unmet needs are supported appropriately.  This could include a referral to early help services or specialist services if they are a child in need or have been / are at risk of being abused and neglected;
• where there is a safeguarding concern, take the child’s wishes and feelings into account when determining what action to take and what services to provide and ensure that there are systems in place for children to express their views and give feedback;
• when concerned about the welfare of a child, always act in the best interests of the child;
• work with parents to build an understanding of the school’s responsibilities for the welfare of all children, including the need for referrals to other agencies in some situations;
• include opportunities across the curriculum, including within Personal Social Health Education (PSHE) and Information Technology (IT), for children to be taught about safeguarding and to develop the skills they need to recognise danger, protect themselves from risks and stay safe from abuse; maintain an attitude of “it could happen here” where safeguarding is concerned.