Safeguarding

The Commonweal School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and wellbeing of young people.  All staff including visitors are expected to share this commitment.

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.

Child protection is part of the safeguarding process.  It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm.  This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.

Safeguarding children and child protection guidance and legislation applies to all children up to the age of 18.  Commonweal also recognises the need to support vulnerable students in our Sixth form who are over 18.

Safeguarding Policy and Procedures

The school has a whole-school safeguarding policy and associated procedures in place to ensure that safeguarding and child protection issues are dealt with efficiently and appropriately.  All staff, including our support staff, visitors, and volunteers, are made aware of our procedures, and parents/carers are welcome to read the policy which is linked below.

Safeguarding Team

The contacts may be reached on the School’s main telephone number 01793 612727 through reception.

• Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) Marianne Drew
• Deputy DSL – Wendy Butcher
• Deputy DSL – James Woods
• Deputy DSL – Ali Merk
• Deputy DSL – Crystal Clifford-Budden (SEN)
• Deputy DSL – Hazel McKay (C6)

The members of our safeguarding team work in partnership with a range of other agencies, including Local Partners, to keep students safe.

• Governor for Safeguarding – Jokie Bakker (Chair of Governors)

Useful Parent Links

We recognise that parenting teens is demanding in our rapidly changing world.  Please look at some of the links below to make yourselves aware of the issues facing some young people and for advice and support if you have any worries about your own child.

General Links

• www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/resources-and-publications/parenting-teenagers-general
• www.nspcc.org.uk
• www.childline.org.uk
• www.familylives.org.uk
• www.nhs.uk/live-well
• www.mumsnet.com/teenagers

Mental Health

• www.YoungMinds.org.uk  provides a lot of useful information for students and parents
• BE U Swindon – Free mental health and emotional wellbeing support for children and young people 01793 781484 beu.swindon@nhs.net
• www.Mind.org.uk

Apps for Wellbeing and Mental Health

The link below is a list which has been compiled by Mind in Brighton and Hove as a guide to Apps available to support your wellbeing.  Mind are not able to recommend individual Apps.  As a parent please check the suitability of each App, and if there are any cost implications or compatibility issues.  Whilst most of the apps listed are free to download, please be aware of potential in-app purchases.

• https://www.mindcharity.co.uk/advice-information/how-to-look-after-your-mental-health/apps-for-wellbeing-and-mental-health/

At Commonweal we often suggest the CalmHarm app to help distract from anxiety or Self-harm thoughts.

Online safety and apps/online communities

Always make sure to keep yourself safe whilst online.  For more information about online safety please visit the CEOPs ‘Think You Know’ guide to online safety.  Additionally, you may want to visit Mind’s online safety page that contains helpful advice as well as their ‘How To’ Stay Safe Online Booklet.

Healthy Relationships

• A parent’s guide to discussing Healthy Relationships with their children
• www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/friends-relationships-sex/

Online Safety & sexting

• www.thinkuknow.co.uk
• www.ceop.police.uk
• www.parentinfo.org
• A parent’s guide to dealing with sexting
• The parents’ guide to teaching your teen online safety

Substance Misuse

• Dealing with Young People’s Alcohol and Drug misuse
• www.youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/parents-guide-to-support-a-z/parents-guide-to-support-drugs-and-alcohol/
• www.talktofrank.com

Exploitation

• http://www.itsnotokay.co.uk/parents
• www.paceuk.info/for-parents/
• Spot the Signs – A Parent Information Leaflet
• Criminal Exploitation – A parent’s guide (County Lines)

Radicalisation and Prevent Strategy

• Parent Guide to The Prevent Strategy
• www.educateagainsthate.com/parents
• www.internetmatters.org/issues/radicalisation

TikTok – Parents Guide

Operation Encompass

Operation Encompass is a national scheme that operates jointly between schools and all police forces.