Safeguarding
Our Designated Safeguarding Leads are:
Joanne Backhouse
Designated Safeguarding Lead
Alison Briggs
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Amy Brierley
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Michael Ball
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Jane Winterbottom
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Lisa Needham
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
At Medlock Valley we take the safeguarding of all pupils very seriously. The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is the Director of Operations & Pastoral Care, Joanne Backhouse. The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads are Alison Briggs (Director of Inclusion), Amy Brierley (Pastoral Lead, Safeguarding & Attendance), Jane Winterbottom (Early Intervention Lead) and Michael Ball (Director of Learning).
If you have any queries or questions around safeguarding issues at Medlock Valley, then please contact one of the named Leads through the school office, or via e-mail:
info@medlockvalley.oldham.sch.uk
School safeguarding procedures are outlined in the Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy which is available on our school website.
For any safeguarding issues which arise out of school hours, please contact the Local Authority Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 0161 770 7777 or via referral through oldham.gov.uk/mashreferrals.
Safeguarding Governor – Helen Crabtree
Medlock Valley’s named Safeguarding Governor is Helen Crabtree. Her role is to:
Ensure that school keeps up to date with statutory guidance and any advice issued by the local safeguarding children’s board
Ensure school has up to date policies around safeguarding and child protection and handling any allegations against staff
Support the Local Governing Body in developing their understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and report back to them about safeguarding issues
Meet regularly with the DSL to monitor policies and procedures and check that all staff and governors have the appropriate level of training
Monitor the Single Central record (SCR) with the DSL to ensure the monitoring of the SCR with the DSL internally.
Radicalisation
What is Radicalisation?
Radicalisation simply means the process where someone is led to adopt extreme political, social and religious ideals and aspirations.
The Government is now asking that schools understand the process of radicalisation and has placed a duty on school staff to help prevent it.
All staff, Governors and Trustees have completed the online ‘Prevent’ training which explains about radicalisation and how staff might be able to recognise when it is happening to a child and how school can best deal with this.
There are many websites that explain more about radicalisation and give support for you to help your child. Please search ‘A parent’s guide to the prevent duty’. Some are linked below:
If you have any further questions around radicalisation then please speak to Joanne Backhouse, Head of School.
Operation Encompass is a police and education early information sharing partnership enabling schools to offer immediate support for children and young people experiencing domestic abuse. Information is shared by the police with a school’s trained Key Adult (Designated Safeguarding Lead) prior to the start of the next school day after officers have attended a domestic abuse incident thus enabling appropriate support to be given, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.
The purpose of Operation Encompass is to safeguard and support children and young people who have been involved in, heard or witnessed a domestic abuse incident. Following such an incident, children will often arrive at school distressed, upset, worried and unprepared. Operation Encompass aims to ensure that the trained Designated Safeguarding Lead (Joanne Backhouse) is made aware early enough to support children and young people in a way that means they feel safe and included. Parents should also inform school if their child is experiencing such issues.
If you have any questions or require any further information, please speak to Head of School: Joanne Backhouse or Amy Brierley Pastoral Lead for Safeguarding and Attendance.
You can find out more by visiting http://www.operationencompass.org