Safeguarding

Child Protection Policy 2023 - 2024

Child Protection Policy 2024 - 2025

St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We are fully committed to ensuring that consistent effective safeguarding procedures are in place to support families, children and staff at school. All concerns are passed through the members of staff who are trained as “Designated Child Protection Officers” in school.

We are here to keep you safe and happy at school.

If you have any worries about the health and safety and you, your friends or people you know or if you feel that something may be troubling them, you should tell an adult straight away. You can talk to any teacher or member of support staff in the school.

Do not worry that it is something small – we would rather that you tell us things which turn out to be small, than miss something which is important.

However, if you think the matter is very serious you must talk to a trusted adult immediately.

Community Safeguarding Training

At St. Joseph's we aim to educate our community about safeguarding. The plans below outline information that is shared with colleagues, parents and our Academy Council (Governors).

Safeguarding Training/Information AUTUMN 25

Safeguarding Training/Information SPRING 25

Educating our Children about Safeguarding

At our school, we place the highest importance on safeguarding and ensuring our children feel safe and secure. As part of this, we educate our pupils about the significance of the different coloured lanyards worn by staff and visitors. Children learn that school staff wear specific lanyards, while visitors are provided with a different colour to identify them easily. We teach our pupils to recognise trusted adults and understand the importance of reporting any concerns to a member of staff. This approach helps our children develop a clear understanding of safeguarding, promoting a safe and supportive school environment for everyone.

Through our comprehensive PSHE curriculum, we educate pupils about safeguarding in an age-appropriate and supportive way. Lessons cover important topics such as staying safe online, recognising trusted adults, understanding healthy relationships, and knowing what to do if they feel worried or unsafe. We empower our pupils with the knowledge and skills they need to protect themselves and make safe choices, both in school and in the wider world. By fostering open discussions and promoting confidence, we ensure that every child understands their right to feel safe and knows how to seek help when needed.

PSHE/Safeguarding Overview 24.25

Online Safety Overview 24.25

CATHOLIC CARE

Catholic Care can work with children, parents and families on a variety of different issues such as anger, behaviour in school or at home, bullying, health worries, anxiety, stress, separation and grief.

Catholic Care can provide emotional, physical, social, spiritual & mental health support as and when needed. All sessions are in a safe environment and are confidential.

Our Catholic Care worker is Gemma.

CAUSE FOR CONCERN

Staff are expected to report any causes for concern to the Designated Child Protection Officers by updating CPOMS. Any concerns will be shared with parents/carers as early as possible, as more often than not there are extremely reasonable explanations for the concern. Concerns may range from children being visibly upset to persistent lateness to children “disclosing” concerns.

Prevent Duty

As part of St. Josephs commitment to safeguarding and child protection we fully support the government's Prevent Duty, and take guidance from Teaching Approaches to help build resilience to extremism.

What is the Prevent Duty?

The Prevent Duty is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. It:

responds to the ideological challenge we face from terrorism and aspects of extremism, and the threat we face from those who promote these views
provides practical help to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure they are given appropriate advice and support
works with a wide range of sectors (including education, criminal justice, faith, charities, online and health)

For more information please click the link below from the DfE website

The Prevent Duty

Domestic Violence

Safer Leeds have updated their website to include more useful information for victims of Domestic Violence and people delivering services. Please see link below for more information.

https://www.leeds.gov.uk/antisocial-behaviour-and-crime/domestic-violence-and-abuse