Safeguarding

Create Safeguarding Statement

At Create Partnership Trust we put the safeguarding and wellbeing of the children first and expect all visitors and volunteers to do the same.

In our schools children are taught how to keep themselves safe, form positive relationships, and know who to speak to if they need help.

We work with our families and sometimes outside agencies to safeguard our pupils. Our staff have a duty of care to report any concerns, and always act in the best interests of the child.

For more information please see our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.

Designated Safeguarding Team

Lead DSL: b.orourke@brookfields.create.org.uk

• You should report concerns to a member of the Designated Safeguarding Team (DST) immediately who will deal with the concerns and inform the Designated Senior Lead (DSL).
• Overall responsibility for Safeguarding within our MAT lies with the CEO- Mr Mark Unwin.
• Our designated Trustee for Safeguarding is Mary Higgins.

If anything worries you or concerns you, report it straight away.

Prevent Duty

Should you have any concerns regarding a child or family being at risk of radicalisation or being drawn into terrorism through exposure or engagement with extremist viewpoints, beliefs or language  (irrespective of race, gender, or cultural background) then please speak with Miss O'Rourke who is the Single Point of Contact (SPOC).

Operation Encompass 

Our school is part of Operation Encompass.

Operation Encompass is a national police and education early intervention safeguarding partnership which supports children and young people who experience Domestic Violence and Abuse and which is in place in every police force in England and Wales.

Children were recognised as victims of domestic abuse in their own right in the 2021 Domestic Abuse Act.

Operation Encompass means that the police will share information with our school about all police attended Domestic Abuse incidents which involve any of our children PRIOR to the start of the next school day.

Our safeguarding team have undertaken the relevant training to ensure they can support our pupils and their families.

Safeguarding out-of-hours

If you have a safeguarding concern regarding a child from Brookfields Primary School, then please contact Miss O'Rourke or Mrs Kacem on 0121 675 1897.

Alternatively, email

b.orourke@brookfields.create.org.uk 

If you have an urgent concern about a child's safety and consider them to be in imminent danger, then please contact the Police on 999

Alternate services and support are listed below:

NSPCC Helpline  - if you are worried about a child and for anonymous referrals - telephone 0808 800 5000

Birmingham & Solihull Women's Aid - supporting victims of domestic abuse - telephone 0808 800 0028

Police non-emergencies - telephone 101

Keeping Children Safe in Education

All Staff at our school have read the Keeping Children Safe in Education (Information for Schools and Colleges) document.

This document explains;

• What School and College Staff should know and do
• Types of abuse and neglect
• Specific Safeguarding Issues
• Further Information on a Child Missing from Education
• Further Information on Child Sexual Exploitation
• Further Information on Female Genital Mutilation
• Further Information on Preventing Radicalisation

Right Help, Right Time

In line with Birmingham Safeguarding Children’s Board, Brookfields follows the refreshed threshold guidance “Right Help, Right Time” (RHRT). This framework has provided everyone at Brookfields with clear advice about what to do and how to respond if a child and their family need extra help. Our DSLs, have attended the required training suggested by the RHRT Multi-Agency so have embedded the RHRT guidance within the day to day practice of the school. Our staff regularly receive training so they know that the voice of the child is at the centre of their planning, decision making and service delivery.

For further information on the materials provided by RHRT, read the following documents:

Sexual Harassment 

Please find below a useful leaflet with advice and strategies to support conversations with your child about Sexual Harassment. With the every grown use of technology, this is becoming an increasing concern faced by our young people. As a school, we will have ensured our curriculum incorporates e-safety and educates our pupils about what to do when they feel unsafe. The guidance below will support you as a parent to speak to your child also.

If you have any concerns linked with sexual harassment please speak to Miss O'Rourke or Mrs Kacem.

Keeping you child safe online

Online Safety Tip: With over 1.5 billion users, WhatsApp has become one of the most used messaging apps. Find out what feature you can use to help keep your child’s personal information private.

https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/ whatsapp-safety-a-how-to-guide-for-parents/

When it comes to the internet, our children are exposed to so many different things.

Together we want to work in partnership with you to help keep our children safe online.

Below is some information about two very common online platforms children access.

At first glance they may seem harmless, but we would like to make you aware of some of the risks these platforms could pose to your child.

Remember to check your child’s devices and talk to them about the apps and platforms they should and should not be using.

APP/game	WHAT IS IT?	LISTEN OUT FOR PUPILS TALKING ABOUT:
TikTok	Users share short videos of themselves, often lip-syncing to music, and watch other people’s videos You can gain ‘fans’ and follow other people There are often ‘challenges’ that spread among users The app uses algorithms to feed users more related content, which can push them towards niche or unsettling videos	Videos that sound inappropriate ‘Challenges’ that are potentially dangerous Strangers they’ve made contact with through TikTok Content about eating disorders, self-harm and bullying Things they heard or saw on TikTok that don’t sound true, or might be fake news
Snapchat	Picture, video and message-sharing with contacts ‘Snaps’ disappear and aren’t saved on phones Known for sharing nude and semi-nude images	Sharing explicit images and requests for photos Screenshots of ‘Snaps’ being shared Strangers they’ve made contact with Videos and photos that sound inappropriate
YouTube	A website and app where users can watch videos uploaded by other people Users can also watch live streams of other people Users can upload their own videos and leave comments on other people’s videos	Uploading videos of things that happen at school ‘Challenges’ that are potentially dangerous Videos that sound inappropriate Other pupils’ videos that they’ve found, and making fun of the person who made the video
Instagram	Users upload photos and videos to their profile, and can live stream to other users You can gain followers and follow other people, as well as comment on other people’s photos and videos Users can private message each other, send each other private photos and videos, and upload to a daily ‘story’ that other users can see for 24 hours	Sharing explicit images and requests for photos Screenshots of private messages or photos being shared Pictures or videos that sound inappropriate
Twitch	A website and app where users can watch videos and live streams of other users, typically playing computer games They can also live stream themselves and private message each other	Strangers they’ve made contact with Inappropriate content they’ve seen
Kick	Like Twitch, a website where users can watch videos and live streams of other users Computer gaming streams are popular, as well as gambling	Strangers they’ve made contact with Gambling Inappropriate content they’ve seen
WhatsApp	A messaging app where users can message each other by text, video and voice notes Users can also video and voice chat with each other	Strangers they’ve made contact with Pictures or videos that sound inappropriate Screenshots of private messages or photos being shared
Discord	A messaging platform where users can message, video and voice call each other, and join servers to talk to lots of other people Originally used for communication while playing computer games	Strangers they’ve made contact with Pictures or videos that sound inappropriate Ideas or beliefs that sound extreme
Minecraft	A game where players explore online worlds. They can use ‘blocks’ to customise the world and create new parts Players buy ‘Minecoins’ with real money, and then exchange them for in-game extras such as outfits for their character or new worlds to explore Players can communicate in multiplayer worlds using text chat	‘Griefing’, where someone intentionally ruins the game for other users Contact with strangers Spending lots of ‘Minecoins’, which means spending lots of real money
Roblox	An online game creating system where you can create and publish games and activities, and play in other users’ games Players can buy ‘Robux’ with real money, and then exchange them for in-game upgrades such as special outfits or abilities for their character	‘Griefing’, where someone intentionally ruins the game for other users Contact with strangers Players spending lots of ‘Robux’, which means spending lots of real money
Fortnite	A game where players build structures, as well as fight computer-controlled monsters and other players The most popular game mode, ‘Battle Royale’, pits 100 players against each other, either alone or in teams of up to 4 Players can communicate with each other using pre-determined icons, and with their teammates over voice chat Players can buy ‘V-Bucks’ with real money, and then exchange them for in-game extras such as outfits	‘Griefing’, where someone intentionally ruins the game for other users Contact with strangers Players spending lots of ‘V-Bucks’, which means spending lots of real money

NSPCC

The NSPCC website has lots of information on it around how to keep your children safe. One of the leaflets helps you decide when are children ready to be left home alone.

This guide provides practical tips and advice to help parents and carers decide what is best for their child when it comes to staying home alone or going out alone.

It covers some of the risks parents should consider before making a decision, such as how their child feels about the idea and who they should contact in an emergency.

There is also a checklist for parents and children to work through together to help them prepare for different types of scenarios. This includes questions about what to do if there is an accident at home or they are approached by a stranger outside.

See the website for more information

https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/media/2614/home-or-out-alone-guide.pdf