Safeguarding

Safeguarding at Cherry Hinton C of E Primary and Nursery

Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. 

Cherry Hinton C of E Primary and Nursery and its Governing Body are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and expects all staff and volunteers in school to share in this commitment. The school has an extensive 'Offer of Early Help' (see below) to support pupils and their families.

Safeguarding also includes online safety. Below is information for parents on E-safety and links to useful websites.

The Prevent duty is part of a wider government strategy. It 'requires all education providers 'to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism'. This includes safeguarding children from extremist ideologies and radicalisation. 

A very useful resource for all adults in the school community, parents/carers especially, is the Educate Against Hate website https://www.educateagainsthate.com/ . There is information, advice, resources and support on radicalisation and E-safety on this site. 

If you have a Child Protection or Prevent concern please get in touch with school as soon as possible. No concern is too small. Contact the school via office@cherryhinton.cambs.sch.uk or call 01223 568834.

The designated Child Protection staff members in school are;

Designated Safeguarding Lead and Prevent Lead - Ms Haiselden, Headteacher

Deputy Safeguarding Leads - Miss Dawkins, Mrs Saunders

Safeguarding Governor - Rev. Nell Whiscombe

There is always a member of the Safeguarding team available in school. 

All staff and governors receive updated safeguarding training every September when the Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is reviewed. All new staff receive training during their induction. 

Other policies linked to safeguarding and child protection include e-safety and our Positive Behaviour Policy. These can be found on the website under Policies. 

Louise Saunders our Family Support Worker and also now Deputy Safeguarding Lead, is also available for advice and support around your children in school and to support you as parents/carers in supporting your child(ren) the best you can.

Safeguarding and Child Protection Statement

Under the Education Act 2002 (section 175), schools must “make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children”. 

We will endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued.

The school will therefore be alert to signs of abuse and neglect and will follow the Safeguarding Children Partnership Board’s procedures to ensure that children receive appropriate and effective support and protection.

Parents/carers should know that the law requires all school staff to pass on information which gives rise to a concern about a child’s welfare, including risk from neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse. The school should make parents/carers aware that records of safeguarding concerns may be kept about their child.  They should be informed that school staff will seek, in general, to discuss any concerns with them including referrals to other agencies.

Local procedures state that “Consent should always be sought from an adult with parental responsibility for the child/young person before passing information about them to Children’s Social Care, unless seeking consent would place the child at risk of significant harm or may lead to the loss of evidence for example destroying evidence of a crime or influencing a child about a disclosure made.”  This includes allowing them to share information without consent, if it is not possible to gain consent, if it cannot be reasonably expected that a professional gains consent, or if to gain consent would place a child at risk.

Where there is a need to share special category personal data, the Data Protection Act 2018 contains ‘safeguarding of children and individuals at risk’ as a processing condition that allows professionals to share information.

In accordance with legislation and local Information Sharing protocols, we will ensure that information is shared securely and sensitively.  Information will only be shared with other services where it is deemed necessary and proportionate to ensure that children and young people are safe and receive the right service. In all circumstances, the safety of the child will be the paramount concern.

Schools will contact Children’s Social Care when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Occasionally, concerns are passed on which are later shown to be unfounded.  Parents/carers will appreciate that the member of staff in the school with responsibility for child protection (known as the Designated Safeguarding Lead or Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead) was carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the law and acting in the best interests of all children.

Under Section 3 (5) of the Children Act 1989, any person who has care of a child “may….do what is reasonable in all the circumstances of the case for the purpose of safeguarding or promoting the child’s welfare”.  This means that on rare occasions, a school may need to “hold” a child in school whilst Social Care and the Police investigate any concerns further.