Our designated safeguarding lead (DSL) for Safeguarding and Child Protection is Miss Philippa Moulson

Our two deputy designated safeguarding leads (DDSL) for Safeguarding and Child Protection are Mrs Claire New and Mrs Claire Greenway

Mrs Claire New Headteacher

Mrs Claire Greenway SENDCo/Inclusion

To contact the school about a safeguarding or child protection concern, please either speak with us face to face, telephone the school on 01903 773177 or email dsl@epinf.co.uk

Our governors responsible for Child Protection and safeguarding are:

Mr Stuart Simpson & Mrs Sue Nelson Safeguarding Governors

East Preston Infant school is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

The health, safety and well-being of every child is our paramount concern. We listen to pupils and take seriously what they tell us.

We recognise that for children, high self-esteem, confidence, supportive friends and clear lines of communication with a trusted adult, helps prevent the chances of them being abused.

It is vital that our children are kept safe and feel safe, and as such we have robust systems in place to ensure that our children are supported and protected at all times:

We:

• Practice safe recruitment by checking the suitability of staff and volunteers to work with children
• Establish a safe environment in which children can learn and develop
• Maintain an ethos where children feel secure, are encouraged to talk and are listened to
• Ensure that children know that there are adults in school who they can approach if they are worried or are in difficulty
• Include PSHE and RSE activities and opportunities to equip children with the skills they need to stay safe from abuse
• Raise awareness of child protection issues and equip staff with the skills to recognise these
• Develop and implement procedures for identifying and reporting cases/suspected cases of abuse
• Support pupils who have been abused in accordance with the agreed child protection plan

On rare occasions, our concern about a child may mean that we have to consult other agencies even before we contact you. The procedures which we follow have been laid down in the West Sussex model Safeguarding policy which we have adopted and follow, for the safety of all.

The Culture of Safeguarding at EPIS

Leadership and Governance	Communication
DSLs have attended relevant training All Governors receive safeguarding training Headteachers report contains safeguarding section Annual Safeguarding audit Clear lines of accountability Half termly monitoring/review of CPOMS Culture of openness and support	Relevant Safeguarding policies Conversations between DSLs to discuss children/concerns Assemblies – key messages, keeping safe Class lessons, circle times, PSHE/RSE curriculum School Council ELSA children and parent support Pupil questionnaires Clear protocols for information sharing
Training	Safeguarding Systems
Annual safeguarding training for all staff Additional termly refreshers on focused areas e.g. FGM, Peer on Peer Safeguarding training as part of induction CPOMS training delivered at induction Staff know how to identify children who are at risk of harm Staff know how to contact IFD (MASH) in absence of DSLs DSL attends relevant training/network meetings Staff have read, signed and are confident with safeguarding policies	Inclusive practice for staff, parents, children DBS checks for all staff and volunteers Safeguarding policy and children’s version Safeguarding checks for lettings CPOMS for record keeping DSL monitors CPOMS half termly DSL meetings/briefings attended Confidential online safeguarding folder Staff sign to say they have read relevant policies and documents Safeguarding audit Staff sign annual safeguarding disclosures form Sign in/out system for staff and volunteers Safeguarding training log Systems in place for absent pupils

What is Safeguarding?

Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.

Safeguarding means:

• Protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
• Preventing harm to children’s health or development
• Ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
• Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes

Safeguarding Contact Information

If you are worried about the safety of a child at the school

Who do I contact if I have a Safeguarding concern about a child at East Preston Infant school?

Our designated lead (DSL) for Safeguarding and Child protection is Miss Philippa Moulson.

Our deputy designated leads (DDSL) for Safeguarding and Child protection are Mrs Claire New, Headteacher and Mrs Claire Greenway, SENDCo/Inclusion.

To contact the school about a safeguarding or child protection concern, please either speak with us face to face, telephone the school on 01903 773177 or email dsl@epinf.co.uk

Our governor representatives for Safeguarding and Child Protection are Mr Stuart Simpson and Mrs Sue Nelson

If your Safeguarding concern relates to recruitment or Data Protection please contact Mr Stephen Hill, School Business Manager on 01903 773177 or email office@epinf.co.uk

Who else can I contact?

If you think a child or young person is at immediate risk, you should treat this as an emergency and call 999 to report your concerns to the Police.

If you think a child is being abused or neglected, please contact the Integrated Front Door (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub and Early Help). You can contact the IFD during office hours on the details below:

Tel: 01403 229 900

Email: WSChildrensservices@westsussex.gov.uk

The out of office hours (5pm – 8am weekdays) and 24-hour emergency number on weekends and bank holidays is 0330 222 6664 or email WSChildrenservices@westsussex.gov.uk ensuring you put in the subject box: ALERT FOR EDT

When you contact the IFD please give as much information as possible about the child you are concerned about. This will help the IFD decide the best way to respond to your concern. The information you give will be kept confidential. You can remain anonymous but it is helpful if you can give your name and details.

NSPCC whistle-blowing helpline – 0800 028 0285

Operation Encompass - Early reporting of domestic violence

Our school is part of a project which has been designed to provide early reporting of any domestic violence incidents that occur outside school, which might have an impact on a child in school. This is done through an email to the school following an incident.

The project ensures that at least one member of the school staff, known as the Key Adult, is trained to liaise with the police and to use the information that has been shared, in confidence.

In this way, we aim to support each child who has been involved in, or witnessed, a domestic abuse incident. The key adults at East Preston Infant School are Miss Philippa Moulson, Mrs Claire New and Mrs Claire Greenway. If they receive an Encompass email they will make sure that, a person the child trusts, is available to help – should the child need this. In most cases the staff in school do nothing, except keep a careful eye on the child and make sure that appropriate action is taken should there be any concerns. The confidential information will only be shared with staff who need to be updated; other staff at the school will not be informed of any details but will be asked to provide support as appropriate.

All schools have a duty to share any information with other organisations if they feel a child is at risk of being hurt. The Key Adults may contact other organisations. 

The sharing of Encompass information from the police is not usually child protection. It allows the school to be ready to help your child straight away, and it means that parents know the Key Adults are aware that something has happened. Parents are actively encouraged to come and talk to the Key Adults. We are here to support you and your children.

We are keen to offer the best support possible for our children and Operation Encompass has already been extremely beneficial for all those involved.