Safeguarding
The welfare of our children is paramount. All children, regardless of age, gender, culture, language, race, ability, sexual identity or religion have equal rights to protection, safeguarding and opportunities.
We recognise that all adults in our school have a full and active part to play in protecting our pupils from harm and have an equal responsibility to act on any suspicion or disclosure that may suggest a child is at risk of harm.
Our school is committed to developing a culture of safeguarding by providing an environment in which children and young people feel safe, secure, valued and respected, and which promotes their social, physical and moral development. Children in our school feel confident to, and know how to approach adults if they are in difficulty.
Our Safeguarding Team
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone's responsibility.
Our safeguarding officers at the school are:
Mrs Pip Utting: Headteacher, Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mr Matt Blow: Deputy Headteacher, Deputy Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Caroline Case: Assistant Headteacher and Inclusion Leader, Deputy Safeguarding Lead
Ms Deborah Capon: Family Liaison Officer, Deputy Safeguarding Lead, Young Carers Lead
Miss Lucy Duncombe: Class Teacher, Assistant SENCO, Deputy Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Natalie Yendole: Assistant Headteacher, Deputy Safeguarding Lead
Governors
Rebecca Campbell: Safeguarding Governor
Stefan Bown: Deputy Safeguarding Governor
Adults and children are welcome to talk to us if they are worried about anything.
Our Safeguarding Policy and Other Information
Who to contact if you have a concern
If you have a safeguarding concern about a child, you can contact any member of staff and they will refer the concern to our safeguarding team. If you have a general worry or question about your child and their well-being, please speak to your child's class teacher in the first instance.
For some children and families, home isn't a safe place.
If you are concerned about the safety or welfare of a child, please contact Kingston and Richmond's SPA (Single Point of Access) on 020 8547 5008 from 8am to 5.15pm Monday to Friday where you can share your concern and gain advice and information.
If you need to speak to someone urgently after hours or at the weekend, call the 'Out of Hours' team on 020 8770 5000.
SPA is a multi-agency team, managed by Achieving for Children, who facilitate different levels of support depending on the needs of a child or young person and their family.
If you think a child is in immediate danger, you should call 999.
Who to contact if you have a concern or need support with domestic violence
The Kingston Domestic Violence Hub (DV Hub) provides free, confidential, non-judgemental and independent support to anyone who is experiencing domestic violence.
DV Hub workers support all victims of domestic violence. Whatever your age, sex, gender, sexuality, religion, race or disability, they will either directly support you or link you with the service most appropriate for your needs.
The hub is not a drop-in service, but if you wish, a domestic violence worker will arrange to meet with you and talk to you face to face.
Call 020 8547 6046 or send the DV Hub an email.
The DV Hub phone line is open from 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.
If you need support outside of these hours call the Freephone 24-Hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
If you are in immediate danger, dial 999.
https://www.kingston.gov.uk/domestic-sexual-violence/get-help-domestic-sexual-violence
Early Help Service
Kingston Early Help
‘Early Help’ is support given to a child, young person or family when a problem first emerges. It can be provided at any stage in a child or young person’s life. Early Help is all about identifying needs within families early and providing coordinated support to build resilience before problems become complex. Please click here for more information about Kingston’s early help offer:
Integrated Working
Integrated working enables everyone supporting children and young people to work together effectively to put the child at the centre, meet their needs and improve their lives.
By combining their professional expertise, knowledge and skills, and involving the child or young person and family throughout, practitioners can identify needs earlier, deliver a co-ordinated package of support that is centred on the child or young person, and help to secure better outcomes for them. Integrated working is achieved through collaboration and coordination at all levels, across all services, in both single and multi-agency settings.
Early Help Assessment
The Early Help Assessment is an assessment and planning tool to help identify and address the needs of children, young people and families at risk of poor outcomes in a timely and coordinated way. The multi-agency nature of the tool improves involvement between agencies.
The Role of the Lead Professional
This is a role taken on by one of the professionals working with a child in order to:
- act as a single point of contact that children, young people and their families can trust, and who is able to support them in making choices and in navigating their way through the system;
- ensure that children and families get appropriate interventions when needed, which are well planned, regularly reviewed and effectively delivered;
- reduce overlap and inconsistency when more than one practitioner is working with a child.
The team around the child (TAC)
A 'Team Around the Child' is a group of people who are providing support who will work together to ensure all the needs are met in a co-ordinated manner.
For more information on Early Help please click here.
https://kingstonandrichmondsafeguardingchildrenpartnership.org.uk/early-help.php
Sexual Harassment and Harmful Sexual Behaviour
Burlington Junior School follows the DfE's advice about sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges.
Sexual violence and sexual harassment exist on a continuum and may overlap. They can occur online and offline (both physical and verbal) and are never acceptable. Burlington Junior School will ensure that all those who are affected by harmful sexual behaviour are taken seriously and offered appropriate support.
Sexual violence and sexual harassment is not acceptable at Burlington Junior School. Behaviours such as making sexual remarks (even if they are meant as compliments), grabbing bottoms, breasts and genitalia is not 'banter' or 'having a laugh' and will never be tolerated.
Through our school policies (such as behaviour and anti-bullying), our assemblies and our curriculum (particularly in PSHE), pupils are taught about healthy and respectful relationships, consent, equality, body confidence and prejudiced behaviour.
For more information about this, please see our Safeguarding Policy.
Useful Links
- NSPCC'S Pantosaurus
- Childline
- NSPCC
- Children's Commissioner - The Things I wish my Parents Had Known - Young people's advice on talking to your child about online sexual harassment
Please see the documents at the bottom of this page for further guidance and information.
Operation Encompass
Burlington Junior School is signed up to the police initiative Operation Encompass that helps the school provide silent support to children. The system ensures that when police are called to an incident of domestic abuse, and where children in the household have experienced the incident, the police will inform the Designated Safeguarding Lead in school the following day. This ensures that school has up to date information about the child’s circumstances and can make sure silent support is given. Please see the letter below.
Private Fostering
Are you a privately fostering a child?
Private fostering occurs when a child under the age of 16 (under 18 if disabled) is cared for 28 days or more by someone who is not their parent or a close relative. It is a private arrangement between a parent and the carer.
By law, the local authority has the duty to safeguard and protect children from harm. Therefore, if you are a private fosterer, by law, you should:
- Inform the local authority as soon as possible that you are intending to, or are currently, privately fostering a child.
- Notify your local council within 48 hours of the child leaving your care, with the contact details of the person into whose care the child has moved.
Please see the link below for more information on private fostering from Kingston and Richmond:
Useful Safeguarding Links
- Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) - Safety Online Website
- Child Line (contact number for children - 0800 1111)
- Keeping Children Safe in Education
- NSPCC - National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
- Single Point of Access (Kingston and Richmond SPA)
- Strengthening Families - Achieving for Children