Safeguarding
Westgate Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Child Protection/Safeguarding Policy which can be viewed below and in the Policies section of our website.
Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child’s welfare. We will ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with his/her parents/carers first unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child’s welfare.
We actively support the Government’s Prevent Agenda to counter radicalism and extremism.
At Westgate, we take our role in safeguarding very seriously as we believe all children have the right to feel and be safe and nothing is more important to us than the safety and welfare of our pupils. We take rigorous steps to ensure that children stay safe and do not come to any harm. We work closely with parents / carers and a range of professional external agencies in order to secure this.
Lincolnshire use an organisation (Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children’s Partnership) – LSCP - who deal with all serious child protection concerns where a child is considered to be at risk of significant harm. Their website can be accessed at https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/safeguarding/lscp/3
Reporting Concerns
If you suspect or believe a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm (including any form of mistreatment or abuse) you should ALWAYS report your concerns.
In an emergency always dial 999. If there is no immediate danger to the child, or if you need some advice or information, you can contact the Children Services Customer Service Centre (CSC) on 01522 782111. If it is outside normal office hours you can contact the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) on 01522 782333
If you have any concerns, no matter how small they may seem, about the safety or welfare of any child, please contact the school's safeguarding team;
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Mrs. A. Cross |
Deputy Head teacher, Designated Safeguarding Lead |
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Mr. J. Beaven |
Head teacher, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead |
All Westgate Academy staff are committed to regular Safeguarding Professional Development and all staff complete 3 Safeguarding modules via e-learning on the LSCB professionals portal.
The Prevent Strategy
Prevent is part of CONTEST, the Government’s strategy to address terrorism. The main aim of Prevent is to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. Prevent focuses on all forms of terrorist threats. E.g. international terrorism, far right extremists (among others).
The Government’s Prevent strategy can be found at the following address: www.homeoffice.gov.uk
Three key themes
- Safeguarding vulnerable individuals through the provision of advice and support and intervention projects.
- Working closely with institutions such as Universities, Schools, Prisons, Health, Charities and faith establishments.
- Challenging terrorist ideology by working closely with other local and national agencies, partners and our communities
Prevent Team
The Prevent Engagement Team of officers and police staff aim to encourage discussion ensuring that terrorism is prevented from taking root in our communities. They support the wider engagement activities already taking place in schools, places of worship and community groups. Through this work they aim to strengthen communities in order to challenge the ideologies and messages of hate which lead to terrorism.
How you can help?
It is important that we all work together, so that we can protect our communities. There are many ways you can help.
The police, Local Authorities, and our partner organisations are working together to help strengthen and empower our communities to reject those who want to cause harm. We work together and focus on three key themes:
- You can get in touch with your local neighbourhood or Prevent team for advice and support, if you are worried about someone you know who you believe may be vulnerable to radicalisation
- You can speak to your local officers or Prevent contact about helping run community events to bring people from different communities together
- You can provide facilities that could help us and our partners hold community engagement events.
Operation Encompass
Operation Encompass is an innovative project which Lincolnshire Police is running in partnership with local schools. The project aims to safeguard and support children who are affected by domestic abuse.
What is Operation Encompass?
The project aims to safeguard and support children and young people who are involved in or affected by incidents involving domestic abuse. Witnessing domestic abuse is really distressing for a young person, who can often see the abuse, hear it from another room, see a parent's injuries or distress afterwards or be physically hurt trying to stop the abuse.
Following such an incident, children will often arrive at school upset and unprepared. Operation Encompass aims to ensure that appropriate school staff are made aware early enough to support children in the best way possible.
How does Operation Encompass work?
Following an incident of domestic abuse in the home, children will often arrive at school upset and unprepared. Operation Encompass aims to ensure that appropriate school staff are made aware of the incident early enough to support children in the best way possible.
After we receive a report of abuse in which children were present in the home or usually reside there, brief information will be shared with the school directly from Lincolnshire Police. This information will be handled by the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead within the school. This ensures support can be provided as quickly as possible and children can feel safe and listened to.
Each Designated Safeguarding Lead has been fully trained to liaise with the Police and Children’s Services. They are able to ensure the right support is made available to the child following the disclosure of a domestic abuse incident.
Police will share information with the Designated Safeguarding Lead. The school will be informed that there was an incident and the name of the child. No further information will be given at this point.
What should the school do with this information?
By knowing that the child has had this experience, the school is in a better position to be supportive and understanding of the child’s needs and possible behaviours. The Designated Safeguarding Lead will share this information on a need-to-know basis.