Safeguarding
Safeguarding aims
The aims of safeguarding at the Academy are prevention, protection and support to ensure our students are safe from:
- maltreatment, neglect, violence and sexual abuse
- accidental injury and death
- factors that impair their mental and physical health or development
- discrimination and bullying in the Academy and the community.
- becoming victims of crime and or involved in anti-social behaviour and criminal activity.
- becoming victims of exploitation
In doing so we will create a culture of vigilance so that any concerns are identified, recorded and managed swiftly so students achieve the best outcomes.
The definition for Safeguarding, as outlined in Working together to safeguard children (2023) is:
- Providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge.
- Protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online.
- Preventing the impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development
- Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.
- Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
We will ensure our staff, other professionals, parents/carers and students work together to know about keeping children safe. They will understand the importance of following procedures and listening to each other, especially when there are concerns about safety.
The Academy will work hard to reduce the kinds of harm that children can suffer, including abuse, bullying, discrimination and avoidable injuries and death. As part of this we will seek the views of children and the people who care for them, so that the Academy is a place where all our students are safe and feel valued.
The safeguarding team
All staff in the Academy are trained to receive disclosures sensitively and report them quickly to ensure that we can put the right support in place. Our ethos is to always act in the best interests of the child. Staff and students are supported by the Safeguarding Team:
- The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Ms Rosalind Kramer
- The Academy’s Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (DDSL) are:
- Ms Anna Baniuk (Secondary phase)
- Mr Yusuf Mirza (Secondary phase)
- Mr Sean Bonnett-Johnson (Sixth Form)
- Ms Elin Gardner (Primary phase)
- Ms Chanel Springer (Primary phase)
- The Prevent Lead for the Academy is Ms Rosalind Kramer
Out of hours
If you suspect a child or young person is at immediate risk of harm, call the Police on 999. To make a report to social care after 5pm during the week or at the weekend please call the Local Authority emergency out-of-hours line:
Newham Local Authority Children’s Social Services (MASH) Tel: 0203 373 4600 (Monday – Friday, 09:00 – 17:00) / Out of Hours Tel: 0208 430 2000 / Email: mash@newham.gov.uk
NSPCC Tel: 0808 800 5000 / Email: help@nspcc.org.uk
Childline (18 or under) Tel: 0800 1111
Monitoring and review
We regularly review safeguarding concerns and procedures to ensure that our practices are robust and address the needs within the Academy. Our students tell us how we are doing through ‘Student Voice’ surveys and focus groups and we are audited by the Harris Federation and local authority partners. Senior leaders within the Academy review support needed for our most vulnerable students through regular Triage meetings and our lead Governor with responsibility for safeguarding meets with the DSL termly to review trends, education, and support.
Reporting concerns
Students can report safeguarding concerns to any member of staff in the Academy. They can email the Safeguarding Team on safeguarding@chobhamacademy.org.uk or report a worry or concern using the SHARP system at https://chobhamacademy.thesharpsystem.com/
Parents and members of the local community with a concern about a student can contact the Safeguarding Team via the Academy telephone number, by email on safeguarding@chobhamacademy.org.uk and through the SHARP system https://chobhamacademy.thesharpsystem.com/
If you have a safeguarding concern about a member of school staff, you should report this directly to Francesca Perry, Executive Principal francesca.perry@harrisfederation.org.uk
If you have a safeguarding concern about the Executive Principal, Vice Principals, Harris Federation staff or Governors you should report your concern directly to Rebecca Hickey, Director of Secondary Education at Harris Federation rebecca.hickey@harrisfederation.org.uk
Members of the public are also able to make direct referrals to Social Care. Below are details of Children’s Services in our local area.
Newham residents
- Newham MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub) 0203 373 4600
- Emergency duty team (out of hours) 020 8430 2000
- Email mash@newham.gov.uk
Waltham Forest residents
- Waltham Forest MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub) 020 8496 2310
- Emergency duty team (out of hours) 020 8496 3000
- Email MASHrequests@walthamforest.gov.uk
Contextual safeguarding
‘Contextual safeguarding’ is an approach to understanding, and responding to, young people's experiences of significant harm beyond their families. It recognises that the different relationships that young people form in their neighbourhoods, schools and online can feature violence and abuse.
Diagram: Contexts of Adolescent Safety & Vulnerability (Firmin 2013)
The local context
At the Academy we place our approach to safeguarding within the context of the priorities and strategies of the London boroughs of Newham and Waltham Forest. They identify the key safeguarding concerns affecting young people as being:
- Domestic abuse
- Neglect
- Exploitation and gang violence
- Serious youth violence
Sources: Newham Safeguarding Children Partnership's 2022-2023 annual report
Waltham Forest Safeguarding Children Board (WFSCB) annual report for 2022-2023
Our Academy
The main areas of concern affecting our students reflect the wider safeguarding concerns in the local community.
Our key priorities, based on reported safeguarding incidents are:
- supporting students with their mental health needs,
- responding to issues within the home and family; including poverty, neglect and domestic violence.
- supporting and educating the victims and perpetrators of child-on-child abuse; including online abuse.
Our curriculum and staff training provides varied opportunities for staff and students to recognise the signs and indicators of harm and abuse and how to stay safe.
We have a universal offer of information and resources available to every student as well as more targeted support and intervention to address specific needs or issues.
We work in partnership with statutory and voluntary agencies to support our students and their families at the earliest possible opportunity.
Useful resources
Early help support for families
Newham Family Hub Network https://families.newham.gov.uk/kb5/newham/directory/family.page?familychannel=1
Waltham Forest Early help Service
Online safety
If you are worried about the way that someone is communicating with you online or you’re a parent/child and you’re worried about how someone is communicating with your child online you should make a report to one of CEOP's Child Protection Advisors: https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/
Advice and information:
- You. Your Friends. The Internet - Keeping yourselves safe, keeping the internet fun. https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/11_13/
- 'Sex, Relationships, The Internet - Three things that get a little bit complicated.'
- https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/14_plus/
- Protecting your children from online abuse (this includes a useful short interactive video) https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/
- Parent Info - From CEOP and Parent Zone - 'The 5 digital parenting rules that REALLY matter.' http://parentinfo.org/article/the-5-digital-parenting-rules-that-really-matter
- Parent Info - From CEOP and Parent Zone - 'Setting Safety and Privacy settings for Social Media Apps.http://parentinfo.org/article/setting-safety-and-privacy-settings-for-social-media-apps
- Online Safety - NSPCC https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
- A Parent's Guide to Social Networks - NSPCC: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/
Mental health
If you are worried about your mental health or are a parent/carer worried about your child’s mental health, you can speak to a member of the Safeguarding team or your GP. If required, we can make referrals to more specialised mental health support.
Advice and information:
- The NHS guide to coping with exam stress: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/coping-with-exam-stress/
- YoungMinds offer support for both children and parents struggling with mental health: https://youngminds.org.uk
- Stem4 is a teenage mental health charity aimed at improving teenage mental health: https://stem4.org.uk/
- Childline have different forms of support available for teenagers: https://www.childline.org.uk/get-support/
- The Children’s Society provide support for those suffering with mental health difficulties: https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/our-work/young-peoples-mental-health
- Kooth provide free, safe and anonymous online support for young people: https://kooth.com
Relationships
- Relate offer advice on parenting teenagers: https://www.relate.org.uk/relationship-help/help-family-life-and-parenting/parenting-teenagers
- Relate also offer support for young people on relationships: https://www.relate.org.uk/relationship-help/help-children-and-young-people
- Childmind offer advice on teenage relationships: https://childmind.org/article/how-to-help-kids-have-good-romantic-relationships/
- The Mix offer support on a range of subjects include relationships: https://www.themix.org.uk
- Support understanding relationships for teenagers: https://www.thechange-project.org/supporting-young-people/
- Childline offer advice on relationships: https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/friends-relationships-sex/sex-relationships/relationships/
- Family Lives offer support for teenagers: https://www.familylives.org.uk/advice/teenagers/sex/healthy-relationships/
Bullying
If you have any concerns about bullying or you are being bullied, you should talk to your tutor or Head of Year who will support you.
Additional advice:
- Bullying UK offer advice for parents on what to do if they think their child is being bullied: https://www.bullying.co.uk/advice-for-parents/
- Kidscape offer advice for parents on what to do if they think their child is being bullied: https://www.kidscape.org.uk/advice/advice-for-parents-and-carers/
- The Anti-Bullying alliance have an interactive anti-bullying tool for parents: https://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/sites/default/files/opigno_scorm_extracted/scorm_41/story.html
- The National Bullying Helpline offer advice and support for parents and children: https://www.nationalbullyinghelpline.co.uk/kids.html
- Young Minds have produced a parent’s guide to spotting bullying: https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/feelings-and-symptoms/bullying/
- The Government have published this advice for parents on cyberbullying: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/444865/Advice_for_parents_on_cyberbullying.pdf
Gangs
If you’re concerned that your child might be involved in gangs, you can contact the school and ask to speak to a member of the Safeguarding team or the Head of Year.
Advice and information:
- Relate offer support for parents/carers who are concerned that their child has joined a gang: https://www.relate.org.uk/relationship-help/help-family-life-and-parenting/parenting-teenagers/behaviour/my-teenager-has-joined-gang
- Childline offer advice on gangs for teenagers: https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/crime-law/gangs/
- The NSPCC offer advice for parents/carers who are concerned that their child has joined a gang: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/staying-safe-away-from-home/gangs-young-people/
- Gangsline offer help and support on gangs: https://www.gangsline.com/parenting/help-advice-2.html
- The Government have published this advice for parents and carers on gangs: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/345337/AdviceParentsCarersGangs14.pdf
- This video offers advice for parents about ‘Chicken Shop Grooming’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH895nZ1arE
Drugs and alcohol
- Childline offer advice for children on drugs and alcohol: https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/you-your-body/drugs-alcohol-smoking/
- The NSPCC offer advice for parents/carers who are concerned about their child’s potential use of drugs and alcohol: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/drugs-alcohol/
- FRANK offer friendly, confidential advice on drugs and alcohol: https://www.talktofrank.com
- The NHS offer advice for parents/carers on talking to their child about drugs: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/talking-about-drugs-with-your-child/
