Safeguarding - A guide for parents
Safeguarding
Ellowes Hall have a statutory responsibility to protect children from abuse. We play a very important role in keeping children and young people safe.
We aim to create a culture where:
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children feel confident to speak out if they have a concern about their own or another child’s safety
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adults feel confident to recognise and respond to safeguarding and child protection concerns.
Our guidance is taken from the most up to date nationwide Government guidelines “Keeping Children Safe in Education” issued in September 2023, as well as acting on advice from our local Dudley Safeguarding Children Board.
We follow the Dudley Safeguarding People Partnership procedures and regularly attend forums to keep ourselves up to date and involved in the local area and any Safeguarding concerns.
Safeguarding is about ensuring that everyone is safe from harm - safe from bullying, safe from people who could abuse, safe from discrimination or harassment - and that we all feel safe in our environment. If your child is ever concerned about safety or wellbeing or about a friend, they should talk to someone such as a parent or a member of staff.
Talking helps, and if these people agree there is a problem, they will find other people to help. We have a wide team of staff all advanced trained to be able to support your child whenever it is needed and we ask you to communicate with us over any areas of concern to keep your child safe.
Designated Safeguarding Lead
The Designated Safeguarding Lead is Mr J Marsh. His contact email address is jmarsh@ellowes.dudley.sch.uk
The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is Mrs M Stanley email address is mstanley2@ellowes.dudley.sch.uk
Deputy Safeguarding Leads
We currently have two deputy DSL's in the school. Ms Jones (Deputy Headteacher) and Mr Jones (Deputy Headteacher)
We have several advanced safeguarding leads around site including Heads of Year who can deputise when required and work closely with the Safeguarding team to keep abreast of all matters relating to Safeguarding.
Designated Teacher for Children in Care
Our designated teacher for children in care is our SENCO Ms C Flavell. Her contact email address is cflavell@ellowes.dudley.sch.uk
Nominated Safeguarding Governor
Our Safeguarding governor is Ms B Caldwell. He can be contacted through school reception.
Promoting Safeguarding around School
We understand that part of our role is to educate our students throughout the year on matters of a Safeguarding nature. We want to ensure that we give every opportunity for a students to keep themselves safe.
Here at Ellowes Hall we:
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Have a strong and extensive safeguarding team
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Train and develop all staff and governors – in keeping with legislative and best practice requirements, we ensure that the most up to date training is delivered regularly to keep Safeguarding at the forefront.
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Ensure all staff are fully committed to their responsibilities through robust recording and reporting procedures and the availability of supportive provisions and interventions. We use CPOMS to keep our records secure and in line with out procedures to maintain excellent record-keeping in a timely and confidential manner.
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Carefully plan our Achieve/RSHE curriculum and review this regularly to ensure all students have the opportunity to learn about keeping themselves safe and reporting their concerns, as well as the laws around consent, behaviour in the community and other key topics. We have a well-sequenced curriculum intent across subjects, which envelops the promotion of our learners’ wellbeing and safety.
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Invest in thorough safety education for pupils using companies such as ‘Loudmouth’ and ‘Stand Against Violence’ who specialise in certain safeguarding concerns. These opportunities allow our students to learn about keeping themselves and those around them safe in a fun and engaging environment. We ensure that anyone who may feel negatively affected by these shows are given support throughout or prior warning and provide additional sessions to consolidate the understanding for anyone who might need it.
Operation Encompass
We are a proud member of Operation Encompass in the West Midlands
Operation Encompass is a police and education sharing partnership enabling schools to offer support for children and young people experiencing domestic abuse. Information is shared by the police with our DSL prior to the start of the next school day after officers have attended a domestic abuse incident. This allows us to offer support, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.
Children experiencing domestic abuse are negatively impacted by this exposure; domestic abuse has been identified as an Adverse Childhood Experience and can lead to emotional, physical and psychological harm. Operation Encompass aims to mitigate this harm by enabling immediate support, making a child's day better and giving them a better tomorrow.
Operation Encompass believes that children are victims of domestic abuse in their own right and should be acknowledged as such.
🔗Keeping children safe in education
🔗What to do if you are worried a child is being abused
🔗Working together to safeguard children
Useful websites and information
We understand that it can be difficult to know where to look for support when considering the safeguarding of our children. We pledge that our door is always open for any advice or support that we can offer.
Below is a list of many useful websites that you may wish to access at any given time.
Child Sexual Exploitation
West Midlands violence reduction partnership
Stop CSE
Domestic Violence
Women's Aid
Refuge
The Hideout
Family Lives
Drugs
Talk to Frank
Drug misuse and dependency
Child Safety
Accident prevention
E Safety
Removing an image online
IT for parents
Advice - Facebook
Advice - Tiktok
Advice - Instagram
Self Harm
Virtual College
General advice for Parents
Parent Info -CEOP
Useful information helpline
NSPCC
Local Authority information
Ellowes Hall Safeguarding Policy
The most recent annual Safeguarding policy can be found here.