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Safeguarding and Welfare – Master

Safeguarding and Welfare

To report a concern, click here:

Report an Issue

OR email: concerns@hdhs.school

To contact the Essex Safeguarding Children Board call 03456037627 or go to https://www.escb.co.uk/

Prevent Duty and Counter-Radicalisation 
If you know of someone who you think is being radicalised or at risk of being so, please report this using the following links:
or
Alternatively, you can use the usual in school reporting systems.

 

Here is our latest Safeguarding Update dated 1st September 2021:

Dear Parent/ Carer, 

I hope you all had a restful summer break. I am writing to you to update you on recent developments regarding safeguarding your sons and daughters both in and out of school. 

The NSPCC has recently published the results of its research into online grooming of children and noted that offences have increased by 70% since 2017/18. The main medium used by groomers is Instagram. I include below a link to a guide for parents to the risks and need to know facts about Instagram: https://nationalonlinesafety.com/hub/view/guide/instagram-reels

There has also been a real increase in the incidences of young people having nude pictures put online. In most cases it is not the children themselves who have uploaded the images. Childline have developed a tool for young people to have any images that appear online deleted/ removed: 

https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/online-mobile-safety/remove-nude-image-shared-online/  

Our Health and Safeguarding Drop-In Surgeries will continue to run throughout this academic year. Dates and details will follow.

Finally, if you require any support or advice with any of the issues in this newsletter please do not hesitate to contact us via one of the following methods: 

  1. Whisper Button – this can be anonymous: https://www.swgflwhisper.org.uk/report/har4 
  2. Emailing the Safeguarding Team via concerns@hdhs.school 
  3. Calling the school and speaking to a member of the Safeguarding Team (DSL: Mr J. Loten, DDSL: Mrs N. Prior). 

Yours faithfully, 

J.W. Loten
Deputy Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead

 

Previous safeguarding updates:

SG Updates_ Wednesday 1st September 2021

Safeguarding Update dated 29th June 2021_

Monday 22nd February, 2021 – Online safety courses for parents

National Online Safety Membership Parental Sign Up, Monday 8th February

Safeguarding Update, Monday 8th February 2021

Safeguarding Update, Friday 29th January, 2021

Safeguarding Update, Monday 18th January, 2021

Safeguarding Update, Wednesday 7th January, 2021

Emotional Health Services for Young People (January 2021)

Safeguarding Updates_ Emotional Health Services for young people (January 2021).

The current Family Innovation Fund (FIF) is a range of established services for Children, Young People and Parents/Carers with low level needs that cannot be supported by services such as Schools, and GPs alone. FIF provides that little bit of extra help to support children, young people and parents/carers.

Family Information Fund-Xtra

FIFXtra Referral and Consent Form August 2020

8th December 2020

Please see the below link from the NSPCC for guidance around setting up a child’s device safely in readiness for Christmas.

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/news/new-devices/

Yours faithfully,

J.W. Loten, Deputy Headteacher

Here are 12 online safety tips for Christmas:

The 12 online safety tips for Christmas

HDHS WEEKLY ONLINE SAFETY GUIDE – #WakeUpWednesday

We believe in empowering parents, carers and trusted adults with the information they need to hold informed and age-appropriate conversations about online safety with their child, should they feel it is needed. Every Wednesday we will share guides to focus on specific platforms/risks which we believe trusted adults should be aware of. #WakeUpWednesday.

Our current and previous #WakeUpWednesday Guides can be viewed and downloaded here:  #WakeUpWednesday

Be FEARLESS against crime

Fearless is a site where you can access non-judgemental information and advice about crime and criminality. You can find more information here: Be FEARLESS against crime

Child Exploitation and Mental Health in Schools

All of our safeguarding processes and procedures conform to Keeping Children Safe in Education (2019):

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education–2

Please also see our our Child Protection Policy which can be found in the policies section of this website: https://www.hdhs.org.uk/parents/policies/

Further details can be found here: Child Sexual Exploitation and Mental Health in Schools

 

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is child abuse and an extremely harmful practice with devastating health consequences for girls and women. Some girls die from blood loss or infection as a direct result of the procedure. Some women who have undergone FGM are also likely to find it difficult to give birth and many also suffer from long-term psychological trauma. For more information click the link FMG Additional Information or go to NWG Network

Free Online Relationships and Sex Education Training

Here is some information regarding free online Relationships and Sex Education training workshops available for Essex parents and carers.

Click here

Parenting adolescents is not easy, there are many difficult topics and issues that need to be discussed and developing a good and open relationship is important for healthy development. This handbook aims to offer support to parents who may be finding their relationship with their teenage child difficult.

Click here

Reporting abuse

The symbol on the ‘Report Abuse’ button, which looks a bit like an eye on legs, represents the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT), a group of law enforcement agencies who work together to fight online abuse relating to children. If you click on the button you will be reporting a problem directly to someone at CEOP (the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Agency). You are then likely to be contacted by a social worker or a police officer, to talk through your report in more detail. They need to do this to make sure you are safe. It is also a good idea to talk to your parents about your report to CEOP, although if your report concerns a family member, CEOP will not make contact with them until an investigation has been completed.

Reporting Other Concerns

If you do not want to make a report by pressing the CEOP button but are still worried about something that is online, related to self harm, mental health or anything you consider abusive, then please talk to your Head of Year, Assistant Head of Year or Student Services Assistant at school, or to an adult you can trust. Alternatively, you can make a report 24/7 by clicking our ‘report an issue’ button and key people in the school will be notified straight away. This allows us to support you even more effectively.

You can also get guidance from NEFLT NHS Foundation Trust. Any young person up to the age of 18 (25 if you have Special Educational Needs) can contact NEFLT’s Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Service (EWMHS), or any parent, guardian or teacher of a young person who is experiencing emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties.

You can find out more about NELFT by accessing: www.nelft.nhs.uk

Harwich and Dovercourt High School is a subscriber to the South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL) who are international leaders in providing support to stay safe online.

Please use this link if you have any concerns, or require specialist advice on how to respond and deal with online issues.

http://swgfl.org.uk/products-services/esafety/resources

You can get support that relates to Facebook, AskFM and Sexting, amongst others. For families, there is a toolkit as well as more specific support for early years or older children progressing onto university.

REMEMBER: If in doubt, don’t hesitate to contact the school and we will support you.

Reporting Radicalisation and Extremism

The media is alive with reports of concern over radicalisation, extremism and terrorism.  Here is what to do if you have a concern of this nature: Reporting Radicalisation and Extremism

Self Taken Images – ‘Sexting’/Nude Selfies

Someone taking an indecent image of themselves, and sending it to their friends or boy/girlfriend via a mobile phone or some other form of technology is sometimes referred to as ‘sexting’. Once these images have been taken and sent to others, control is lost of them and they can end up anywhere. They could be seen by friends and family, a future employer, or even, in some cases, end up in the possession of an offender!

This also puts the person who originally sent the images in a vulnerable position, as somebody they may or may not know now has these images and could use technology to bully, harass or even try to locate them. Just think – if you wouldn’t print and pass these images around your school or show your Mum or Dad, they are not appropriate to share via phone or other technologies.

Take 15 minutes to look through these advice videos produced by CEOP.

 

Social Networking

We are aware that many students have people in their “friends” list on social networking accounts who they do not actually know. We are advising all our students to delete “friends” from Facebook, or similar social networking accounts, if they do not know them in person, and are not actually friends with them.

More advice can be found here: Social Networking

We take E-Safety very seriously at HDHS

*STOP PRESS* Do you really know what your children are doing online? You may have internet filters already in place; do you really know how secure the filters are? What are YOU doing to safeguard your youngsters’ electronic activity?

As a school we have produced an E-Safety Advice Leaflet which can be downloaded here:  HDHS-E-Safety-Leaflet

At Harwich and Dovercourt High School we educate and protect our students in their use of ICT and the internet. We aim to constantly reinforce the responsibilities that our students have when surfing the web through ICT lessons, PSHE lessons and Community Assemblies.

“The risks that children face may have changed but basic parenting skills remain the same” is the central message from the UK’s national centre for child protection – the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre.

Further details can be found here:  Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre

What to do if you have a safeguarding concern involving a child

i) Inform a member of the Safeguarding Team. The Safeguarding Team at HDHS are:

Mr J. Loten – Deputy Headteacher and Designated Lead

Mrs N. Prior – Inclusion Manager and Deputy Safeguarding Lead

Mrs K. Finch – Headteacher

Mr S. Garnham – Senior Assistant Headteacher

Mrs C. Elmer-May – CASA Manager

Mrs L. McCullough – PE Teacher

Mrs S. Parker – Head of Sixth Form

Mrs C. Manners – Assistant Headteacher/ Executive SENCo

Miss C. Doyle – Assistant Headteacher

ii) If you are concerned that a child or young person is being harmed or neglected, or is at risk of this, you should go to the Essex Effective Support website where you can make a referral to the Children and Families Hub.

Where a child is at immediate risk of significant harm, call the Children and Families Hub on 0345 603 7627 and ask for the ‘Priority Line’ or call the Police.

​(Out of Hours: [Mon-Thurs 5:00pm-9am. Fri & Bank Holidays 4:30pm-9am) 0345 606 1212 or Email: Emergency.DutyTeamOutOfHours@essex.gov.uk)

The Children and Families Hub also offers a consultation line for professionals providing advice and guidance. This can be accessed by calling 0345 603 7627 and asking for the ‘Consultation Line’.

Young Carers Statement

Harwich and Dovercourt High School is committed to develop provision for young carers and their families.

We are determined to support young carers as well as we can.

How we will achieve this:

  • The whole school is committed to meeting the needs of young carers so that they can attend and enjoy school in the same way as other pupils and achieve their potential.
  • Appointing Mr Garnham as a designated Young Carers’ School Lead with responsibility for young carers and their families. Mr Garnham is available to support all young carers and will be supported in this by Mrs Helm.
  • The school only shares information with professionals and agencies on a need to know basis in order to support pupils and their families.
  • Harwich and Dovercourt High School will actively seek feedback and ideas from young carers and their families to shape and improve support.
  • The school has an effective referral system and strong partnership in place with relevant external agencies, including referral to Young Carer agencies providing key workers who will work with young carers and families.

We will strive to achieve best practice for students and families in our school in order to provide them with the best chance of success in their future.