Safeguarding
Safeguarding children and young people means protecting them from abuse or neglect; it means creating an environment where children feel safe, supporting their learning and development.
It is the duty and responsibility of everyone to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. All staff, volunteers and regular visitors must have a good understanding of our safeguarding policies and practices. We have an attitude of ‘it could happen here’ in order to ensure a culture of strong safeguarding.
Safeguarding Team
Caroline Dare
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Officer
safeguarding@charmouth.dorset.sch.uk
01297 560 591
Key policies can be found in the Policies section of the website and our Safeguarding and Child Protection policy can be found at the bottom of this page. Please also see the First Federation Safeguarding policies and information.
We are an Operation Encompass school, working in partnership with Dorset Police. Operation Encompass Letter to Parents safeguarding-encompass statement
If you have any concerns about the safety and welfare of a child you should report it. If you feel a child is at immediate risk of danger, the police should be contacted. Any direct concerns should be reported directly to 01305 228866 or via Dorset Council. Other concerns can be reported to the school via a dedicated email address (safeguarding@charmouth.dorset.sch.uk) which is accessed by the safeguarding leads (see safeguarding contacts).
If you have any concerns relating to domestic abuse, Dorset Council has a specific helpline as well as local support or please contact our safeguarding team (safeguarding@charmouth.dorset.sch.uk) for signposting to advice and support. You do not need to be alone.
The Local Authority must be informed if any child is in the care of someone who is not connected to the child for a period of 28 days or more; this is called private fostering. Please contact the school safeguarding team for support. More information on private fostering can be found here.
Online safety information, including links to useful websites, can be found on our online safety page.
Further links for additional support can be found via these websites:
Online Safety
As technology and online activities change, evolve and update frequently, it can be hard for parents and carers to keep up to date with what children may access online. Please see below links to websites with advice and information for parents and carers, resources to support online safety and where to go for advice if you are upset or concerned by something you have seen online.
| The following websites offer advice and information to parents about staying safe online:
BBC Own It – Short programmes on aspects of staying safe and happy, including online. Childnet – Childnet International is a non-profit organisation working in partnership with others around the world to help make the internet a great and safe place for children. Common Sense Media – Reviews films, TV shows and games giving honest age related reviews for parents. Dorset Police Online Safety – helping parents keep their children safe online. Internet Matters – Helping parents keep their children safe online. Net Aware – Guide to Apps, games and social media sites – NSPCC and O2 NSPCC Online Safety – A site to help you understand the risks and keep your child safe; from setting up parental controls to advice on sexting, online games and videos Parent Info – Help and advice for families in a digital world (CEOP and Parent Zone) South West Grid for Learning – The South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL) are a charity ensuring children benefit from technology, free from harm. Think U Know – Links to 6 Thinkuknow websites for advice about stayinf safe when you’re on a phone, tablet or computer. UK Safer Internet Centre – Tips, advice, guides and resources to keep your children safe online Vodafone – Helping your family live a better digital life. |
| These websites can be visited for help and advice if something online has upset or concerned you:
CEOP – A police agency where you can report worrying or unsafe online activity. Internet Watch Foundation – A place to report illegal content found on the internet confidentially and anonymously. Report Harmful Content – A place to report any harmful online content provided by UK Safer Internet Centre and operated by SWGfL. True Vision – A website to report any hate crime. |