Safeguarding at Westfield
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 and carers and a range of professional external agencies in order to secure this.
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 Designated Safeguarding Team.
Our Safeguarding Governor is Neil Hopkins.
Westfield Junior School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Please read our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy here.
Statutory Duties
Under the Education Act 2002 (section 175/157), schools must ‘make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children’.
We will endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued.
The school will therefore be alert to signs of abuse and neglect and will follow the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) procedures to ensure that children receive appropriate and effective support and protection.
Parents and carers should know that the law requires all school staff to pass on information which gives rise to a concern about a child’s welfare, including risk from neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse. The school will make parents and carers aware that records of welfare concerns may be kept about their child. Parents and carers will be informed that school staff will seek, in general, to discuss any concerns with them including referrals to other agencies. However, in situations where the child is suspected to be at risk of harm, the law says that schools may take advice from other agencies without informing parents and carers.
In accordance with local Information Sharing protocols, we will ensure that information is shared securely and sensitively. Information will only be shared with other services where it is deemed necessary and proportionate to ensure that children and young people are safe and receive the right service.
Schools will seek advice from Social Care when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Occasionally, concerns are passed on which are later shown to be unfounded. Parents and carers will appreciate that the member of staff in the school with responsibility for child protection (known as the Designated Safeguarding Lead) was carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the law and acting in the best interests of all children.
Under Section 3 (5) of the Children Act 1989, schools or any person who has care of a child ‘may… do what is reasonable in all the circumstances of the case for the purpose of safeguarding or promoting the child’s welfare’. This means that on rare occasions, a school may need to ‘hold’ a child in school whilst Social Care and the police investigate any concerns further.