Child Protection & Safeguarding

Safeguarding and Child Protection

On this page you will find information about safeguarding and child protection with links to specific documents that support this most important aspect of child safety and development.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families and carers has a role to play. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all professionals should make sure their approach is child-centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.

Safeguarding includes the establishment and implementation of procedures to protect children from deliberate harm, however, safeguarding also encompasses all aspects of pupils' health, and safety and well-being.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:

• Protecting children from maltreatment;
• Preventing 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; and
• Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

(Children includes everyone under the age of 18)

Our Commitment

St James the Less RC Primary School is committed to ensuring the welfare and safety of all children in our school. We will protect and support our vulnerable children, children who need support through early help, children in need and children who have a child protection plan. The school will, normally, endeavour to discuss all concerns with parents or carers about their child or children. However, there may be exceptional circumstances when the school will discuss concerns with Social Care and/or the Police without parental knowledge (in accordance with Child Protection procedures and in line with Part 2 of KCSIE). The school will, of course, always aim to maintain a positive relationship with all parents. The full child protection policy is available on our school website with some other supporting documents. 

Please use the links on this page for supporting documentation for a range of child protection issues. As with all of our published information, please get in touch if you have any queries or concerns. This is doubly important if you have concerns that may be related to child protection and safeguarding. We would rather you were over cautious and contacted us rather than worry or fail to pass on information.

Our DSL's (Designated Safeguarding Leads)

Mrs J Bell-Shaw (Lead DSL) 

Mrs H Langan (Deputy DSL)

Mrs A Farrell (Deputy DSL) 

Keeping Children Safe in Education (2025) 

The Department for Education (DfE) publishes a document called Keeping Children Safe in Education and has published an updated version of this statutory safeguarding and child protection guidance for schools in England. The guidance sets out what schools and colleges in England must do to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18. As part of our staff training procedures we ensure that our staff have received the most recent guidance and notify them of any changes to previous guidance.

The full guidance is provided in the document below:

Operation Encompass

Operation Encompass

The purpose of Operation Encompass is to safeguard and support children and young people who have been involved in or witness to a domestic abuse incident. Domestic abuse impacts on children a numbers of ways. Children are at increased risk of physical injury during an incident, either by accident or because they attempt to intervene. Even when not directly injured, children are greatly distressed by witnessing the physical and emotional suffering of a parent.

Encompass has been created to address this situation. It is the implementation of key partnership working between the police and schools. The aim of sharing information with local schools is to allow ‘Key Adults’ the opportunity of engaging with the child and to provide access to support that allows them to remain in a safe but secure familiar environment.

Following the report of an incident of domestic abuse, our school will inform a key adult that the child or young person has been involved in a domestic incident. This knowledge, given to schools through Operation Encompass, allows the provision of immediate early intervention through silent or overt support dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.

The purpose and procedures in Operation Encompass have been shared with all parents and Governors, is detailed as part of the school’s Safeguarding Policy and published on our school website. For more information on Operation Encompass, please visit their website.

St James the Less RC Primary School Operation Encompass leaders are our designated safeguarding leaders. Refer to contact information.

Child Protection Policy

Child Protection Policy

Click link below for our Child Protection Policy which is adjusted to reflect the most recent changes to Keeping Children Safe in Education. 

Early Help

What is early help?

Every family goes through challenging times at some point. Early help means working with you and your family so that small problems don’t become big problems. To offer a blanket of support for families to succeed.

Early help is for everybody, for families with children and young people of any age. And it’s your choice whether to have it or not.

Why would I want early help?

There are lots of reasons why people look for early help. It could be that you’re worried about your child’s health, development or behaviour, or how they’re doing at school. It may be that you’re worried about money or housing and how that is affecting your family. Maybe your child or family is affected by domestic abuse, drugs, alcohol, or crime. Perhaps your child is a carer for their SEND sibling, or maybe you’ve had a bereavement in the family that’s made life a challenge.

Where can I get early help?

If you feel you and your family might need support to solve some problems, please do not hesitate to contact the school's DSL's. 

What will happen when I ask for early help?

We will talk  about the problems you’re experiencing. We will ask what help and support you think you might need. You can talk about things that are going well and things that you’re proud of as well as things that you’re finding a challenge.

We will also discuss your child or children in your family to make sure they understand how they are feeling and anything they think they might want some help with. 

What do you offer in terms of early help? 

At St James the Less RC Primary School, we are committed to providing Early Help to support the well-being and development of our pupils and their families. We offer attendance support and work closely with families to address any barriers to regular school attendance. Our team can make referrals to external agencies and signpost families to local services that provide additional support for both pupils and parents. We also assist with practical needs such as school uniform support. As part of our holistic approach, we lead Early Help Assessments and coordinate Team Around the Family meetings to ensure that all aspects of a child’s needs are met collaboratively. Additionally, we provide information about disability training events to empower families and staff with relevant knowledge and resources. Together, we strive to create a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment where every child can thrive.

Prevent

The Prevent duty is part of the government's counter-terrorism strategy aimed at stopping individuals from being drawn into terrorism or extremist activities. As a school, we play a vital role in identifying and supporting pupils who may be vulnerable to radicalisation or extremist influences. We promote a safe and inclusive environment where all pupils are encouraged to respect diversity and develop critical thinking skills. Our staff receive regular training to recognise signs of radicalisation and know how to refer concerns appropriately. 

The Prevent Duty Guidance can be found below:

Useful Links

CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command)
Website: www.ceop.police.uk 
A trusted place to report concerns about child exploitation and receive advice on online safety.

Childline
Website: www.childline.org.uk 
A free, confidential helpline and online service for children and young people to talk about any worries or problems.

NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children)
Website: www.nspcc.org.uk
Provides advice, support, and information for parents and children on safeguarding and child protection.

Parentzone
Website: www.parentzone.org.uk 
Offers guidance and resources to help parents keep children safe online.

Thinkuknow
Website: www.thinkuknow.co.uk 
Educational resources and advice for children, young people, and parents about online safety.

Internet Matters
Website: www.internetmatters.org 
Provides practical advice for parents to help children stay safe online.