Safeguarding and Child Protection

At St Francis of Assisi, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils as set out in ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (updated DfE September 2023) 

• Inclusion and Intervention Coordinator Claire Latham is Designated Senior Leader for Child Protection and her training is up to date (November 2022)
• Sharon Lamph and Jan Ryan have also received DSL training and their training is up to date (November 2022). Ann Naylor received DSL training (November 2023) and her training is up to date. Cheryl Moore received training in November 2022.
• The Child Protection Governor is Cath Eglin and her training is up to date (November 2023)
• All staff, governors, parent helpers, volunteers, supply staff are DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service previously known as CRB) cleared 
• All contractors or services regularly used are DBS cleared
• All staff have  received child protection training (September 2023)
• Safer recruitment is in place
• The school follows all statutory responsibilities in accordance with safeguarding. These are outlined in our school Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, which is publicly available in our school reception.

   Useful links: 

     ‘Keeping Children safe in Education’

     ‘What to do if you are worried a child is being abused’

     ‘Prevent’

     Keeping children safe online NSPCC

     LCC (Lancashire County Council - Safeguarding

Operation Encompass is a police and education early information safeguarding partnership enabling schools to offer immediate support to children experiencing domestic abuse.

Operation Encompass ensures that there is a simple telephone call or notification to a school’s trained Designated Safeguarding Lead /Officer (known as Key Adult) prior to the start of the next school day after an incident of police attended domestic abuse where there are children related to either of the adult parties involved. 

Information is shared with a school’s Key Adult (Designated Safeguarding Lead or Officer) prior to the start of the next school day after officers have attended a domestic abuse incident. This sharing of information enables appropriate support to be given, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.

Children are negatively impacted by experiencing domestic abuse and without early intervention and support this negative impact can last through a child’s life course.  Domestic abuse can impact upon social, psychological, physical, emotional and behavioural outcomes with an often negative impact upon a child’s academic success. Experiencing domestic abuse has been identified as an Adverse Childhood Experience.

Operation Encompass aims, by directly connecting police and schools, to secure better outcomes for children, to enable schools to better understand the impact living with domestic abuse has upon children, to help schools to better understand a child’s lived experience and to therefore be able to support and nurture each child, making a child’s day better and giving them a better tomorrow.

The aim is to have Operation Encompass in every force, in every school, for every child no matter where they live. It is simply every child’s right.