Safeguarding, online safety support, well-being & mental health support (including Early Help)

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. At Much Birch, we use My Concern to log and record any concerns. 

This page also contains signposting advice and support for our parents and families.

Much Birch Signposting for Well-being and Mental Health Support

At Much Birch we take the well-being and mental health of our children very seriously.

In school, the children are regularly reminded that they can talk to any member of staff if they have a worry or concern about themselves or another pupil.

We have an open-door policy and Mrs Tweddle will always be happy to ensure a time is made for families to come in and discuss any worries.

Classrooms have a worry box that is regularly checked by our Learning Mentor Mrs Bridges

Children can have time with our Learning Mentor who is ELSA trained.

Children and families can also see Mrs Rawlings, our SENDCo who is in school every Thursday.

Mrs Davies the Executive head is our Mental Health lead.

If we cannot help you directly, we will try to sign-post you to an agency who can.

Here are some useful links: 

EARLY HELP FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AT MUCH BIRCH

Early Help is a pathway to supporting you and your child as they grow up when you or they may need further support or guidance. Providing early help to our pupils and families at Much Birch means we can improve outcomes for children, families, and communities, providing support as soon as a problem emerges. There are many ways in which we can help as outlined in this offer of early help. In order to support in the right way, we work with you to identify: what are you worried about, what is working well and what needs to happen. The information you share with us we will help us to easily identify what other agencies and professionals we may use to be able to support you and your child appropriately.

Early Help can support children and their families who may be struggling with:

- Routines and family rules

- Children who are caring for a family member

- Children who may not want to go to school for different reasons

- Children in the family who have special educational needs (SEND)

- Children or parents / carers misusing drugs or alcohol

- Children at risk of becoming involved in anti-social or criminal behaviour

- Children at risk of being tricked, forced, or made to work in the criminal world

- Children who may need support because they may live in a home and see adult mental health problems.

- Children who have parents who argue a lot (and sometimes might hurt each other) whether the parents live together or apart.

- Children at risk of being groomed to join groups which support illegal views

- A privately fostered child (a child from another family living within your family home)

Early help relies upon local groups and people in the community and sometimes we work together to help children, young people, and their families. The Herefordshire Early Help Directory below shows all the services that are available to children and families.  The links above will also provide information for different areas of support.  Please talk to Mrs Rawlings our SENDco - if you feel you need support in this area. 

All safeguarding/  SEND / pastoral details of contact feature in the monthly newsletter. 

Link to our ELSA / Bereavement page

Safeguarding protocols at School

Click below to see our policies page which includes all of our Safeguarding Policies.

Staying Safe Online

Child friendly online safety videos on our Computing page. 

Adult support for online safety - links below: 

Staff Safeguarding Training 23/24

Completed:

September 2023 INSET - Safeguarding proctocols and Keeping Children Safe in Education updates.

(See KCSIE changes overview document in policies) 

October 2023 - My Concern training for teachers / DDSLs

November 2023 - DSL & DDSL (AR) Designated safeguarding lead refresher training.

November 2023 - Staff briefing on DSL refresher training. 

Ongoing - Whole staff briefings on any current safeguarding issues.

December 2023 - My Concern refresher training (teaching staff)

Scheduled: 

March 2024 (TBC) -  DDSL (CW) Designated safeguarding lead refresher training.

After refresher training - cascade of any new information from training to staff. 

Summer term (TBC) Team Teach