Parents: Safeguarding

The protection and safeguarding of children is a key priority for the school and this has been recognised recently by Ofsted, when our procedures and practices were considered to be "outstanding". All staff receive regular training with regards to child protection and safeguarding; this enables us to deal sensitively, supportively and appropriately with matters should they arise.

Safer recruitment of staff:  The school is committed to the safer recruitment of staff including the satisfactory receipt of an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (alongside references from former employers etc.), in addition to the interview panel being satisfied that the candidate is suitable for post, including a commitment to child protection and safeguarding.

Mrs K Towers is the school's designated senior person with regard to Child Protection and Safeguarding.  Staff, students and parents are advised to make contact with Mrs Towers if there is any concern with regard to the safeguarding of children at Richard Lander School. Mrs Yvonne Rippon deputises for Mrs Towers. 

Please follow this link to the school's Child Protection and Safeguarding policy 

Please follow this link to the school's Supporting Students at School with Medical Conditions policy

 

A message for students:

All adults who work with children and young people should work as a team that effectively support and protect you.  You may be interested in this document produced for young people, created by the Children’s Rights Director.

If you have any questions please see Mrs Towers or Mrs Rippon.

 

https://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/new-figures-itvs-britain-get-talking-parent-survey-conducted-yougov  

Half of parents in the UK are worried about their children's mental health, according to a new survey commissioned by ITV, but many are unsure how to support mental wellness in teenagers and significant numbers say they don't engage in regular, proper conversation with their youngsters.

Following the launch of ITV's Britain Get Talking campaign, part of its new, five year social purpose strategy to support mental wellness, the YouGov survey figures indicate significant concern about mental health and highlight the need for more engagement between many parents and their teenage children.

Supported by ITV's strategic partner Mind as well as YoungMinds, the Britain Get Talking campaign encourages making mental wellness a priority, with regular, meaningful conversation between parents and their children an effective way to connect with and support mental health in young people. 

However, the key findings of the survey of thousands of parents showed that in significant numbers of families, parents and children do not spend time talking on a regular basis.

 
Indecent / embarrassing image of you online? You can get rid of it.

We would like to make you aware of the YOTI app which has been verified as legitimate by the National Crime Agency.
 
Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation have come together to provide a service where children can request the removal of sexual images of themselves which have been shared online. As part of that process the child would be asked to provide a link to where the image is stored online, rather than send the image itself.
 
The child is also required to verify their identity and age and this is done through the YOTI app. YOTI will not store images of the child’s ID following the verification process.
 
Below are a couple of online resources which contain details regarding this service:
 
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/sexting - There is a section which covers what you can do if you’ve lost control of a sexual image and refers to the YOTI app.
 
https://contentreporting.childline.org.uk – This is the portal where you can report images and videos for take down and again refers to using the app to verify age.
 

Operation Encompass is a unique Police and Education early intervention safeguarding partnership which supports children and young people exposed to domestic abuse.

Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools before the start of the next  school day when a child or young person has been involved or exposed to a domestic abuse incident the previous evening.

The information is given in strict confidence to a school’s Key Adult to enable support to be given dependent on the needs and wishes of the child.

Operation Encompass is a Trauma Informed and Trauma Sensitive charity. We acknowledge and understand the impact of Domestic Abuse as an Adverse Childhood Experience.

Operation Encompass mitigates against the damaged caused by exposure to Domestic Abuse and other ACE’s

 

Good mental health is as important as physical health! You may find the information found on the following website of help:

http://www.youngminds.org.uk/

 

Child Sexual Exploitation can happen anywhere, including Cornwall.  

You may find the information though the following websites of interest, as we seek to protect the young people in our collective care:

http://www.paceuk.info/

http://www.safechildren-cios.co.uk/media/11482471/Leaflet-for-Parents-and-Carers.pdf 

On My Mind - website for young people
On My Mind has been launched to help young people have more engagement in mental health support and to give them a greater say in the treatment they receive and the outcomes they desire. The Anna Freud Centre has co-produced On My Mind with young people and it has been clinically approved by the Centre. The website is primarily for young people aged 11-25, but it is also a resource for GPs, schools or parents who can signpost young people to the website. 

Screen time

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has published guidance for clinicians and parents on screen time use and the effects of screen time on children and young people. A systematic review of evidence found that children with higher screen time tend to have: a less healthy diet, a higher energy intake, and more pronounced indicators of obesity; more depressive symptoms, although it has been found by some studies that some screen time is better for mental health than none at all. Recommendations include: avoid screens an hour before the planned bedtime; families should negotiate screen time limits with their children based upon the needs of an individual child.
Source: RCPCH  Date: 4 January 2019
Further information:
Read more on NSPCC Learning: Keeping children safe online - online course

What is the Early Help Hub 
The Early Help Hub identifies the most appropriate Early Help service for a child or young person aged from pre-birth up to 18, or 25 where young people have special educational needs or a disability. It does this by:
• Receiving requests from parents and professionals
• Ensuring that each request has appropriate consent
• Assessing the needs on the request and matching it with the right support service. This sometimes involves contacting the parent or professional to gather further information
• Allocating the request to the most appropriate community early help service
• If an Early Help service cannot be identified, every effort is made to signpost to other sources of support