What is Safeguarding?
Safeguarding is what we do as a community to promote the welfare of individuals and protect them from harm such as, but not limited to, abuse, neglect, and sexual exploitation.
How is this different to child protection?
Child protection is what we do as a community to protect children who have already, or are likely to, have experienced abuse, neglect, sexual exploitation, or have otherwise been harmed.
Our safeguarding team is led by Mrs Ransom, who is our Designated Safeguarding Lead.
The other members of the team are: Mrs Brown (who is also Mental Health lead and SENCO), Mrs Caulfield (Asst. Head KS3) and Mr Downes (Asst. Head KS4)
SAFEGUARDING INFORMATION - PARENTS/CARERS
It is crucial that parents and carers are aware of the signs that a student may be suffering harm of some sort. If any of the signs below are observed they may indicate that there is a safeguarding issue:
- displaying disruptive or anti-social behaviour
- being bullied or bullying others
- having poor attendance at school
- being involved in, or at risk of, offending
- having poor general health
- having anxiety, depression or other mental health issues
- misusing drugs or alcohol
- having a particularly challenging relationship with parents or appearing to be unusually independent from their parents
- experiencing difficulties at home, such as domestic abuse, parental substance abuse or parental mental health problems
How to report a concern?
If you notice any of these signs you should take action to support the young person. If you consider the situation to be an emergency always contact the police on 999.
If there is no risk of imminent harm you can speak with a member of the school safeguarding team. This can be done through contacting Mrs Ransom, the school safeguarding lead, by phone: 01727 856206, and/or email: cransom@loreto.herts.sch.uk
If you are unable to contact the school, it is essential that you do not wait. If you have concerns regarding a child please contact Children’s Services, Customer Services 0300 123 4043. For non-urgent enquiries about children's social care, email contact@hertfordshire.gov.uk
Tips for Keeping Young People Safe
- Check Privacy Settings on ALL your child’s devices.
- Communicate with your children about who they are meeting on and offline.
- Know the names of your child’s friends. Always ask your child how they know any new friends.
- Independently research on keeping safe online and familiarise yourself with various social media apps.
- Agree times for your child to be home from school and ensure their phone is charged at the start of each day.
To access our policies and other important information, please click the links below: