Designated Safeguarding Leads
Main school:
DSLs: Mrs Cassiano & Mrs Palmer-Trujilo
DDSLs: Mrs Marlow, Mrs McGuire & Mrs Steele
SEMH AP base:
DSL: Mr Robinson-Smith & Mrs McGuire
DDSL: Mrs Cassiano & Mrs Palmer-Trujilo
Family Support Work
Mrs Palmer is our Family Support Worker. Many of you have already benefited from Mrs Palmer’s expertise as she supports the SLT with safeguarding, parental engagement and community welfare projects. Mrs Palmer can support with a number of early intervention support including but not limited to:
- Behaviour management at home
- Social, emotional and mental health difficulties (anyone in the family)
- Housing
- Medical needs advice
- Addiction support and advice
- Domestic abuse support and advice
- Supporting the SENDco (special educational needs & disabilities coordinator)
- Food bank referrals
- Support with applications and referrals for further services
- Support social care plans
- Support the teacher of LAC (looked after children)
- General welfare check ins
Mrs Palmer can be contacted by email at: fsw@vernonterrace.net
What is Early Help?
Early Help’ means providing help for children, young people and families as soon as problems start to emerge or where it is likely that issues will impact negatively on children’s outcomes.
Early help…
- Is for children of all ages and not just the very young,
- Can be provided at any point of need and;
- Can be very effective in supporting a child, young person and/or their family to step down from statutory services as well as preventing the escalation of issues.
- Is important because there is clear evidence that it results in better outcomes for children.
Early help is a term that describes much of the everyday work of schools.
What Is the Prevent Duty?
The Prevent Duty is part of the UK government’s broader counter-terrorism strategy known as CONTEST. It places a legal obligation on schools, colleges, universities, and other educational institutions to play a vital role in safeguarding students from the risks of radicalisation and extremism.
Introduced as part of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, the Prevent Duty requires educational institutions to take appropriate steps to prevent individuals from being drawn into terrorism.
Why Is the Prevent Duty Important?
Education providers are uniquely positioned to identify and support vulnerable individuals who may be at risk of radicalisation. The Prevent Duty ensures that all staff are aware of the risks and are equipped with the knowledge and tools to intervene early, providing students with the support they need to stay safe.
By fostering an environment of vigilance and care, educational institutions can help protect young people from the dangers of extremist ideologies.
Key Responsibilities
Under the Prevent Duty Educational institutions must:
- Promote Fundamental British Values
- These include democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Promoting these values helps counteract extremist narratives and encourages a culture of inclusion and respect.
- Provide a Risk Assessment (see below)
- Provide regular staff training
- Include procedures for protecting children within their safeguarding policy
- Partnership Working (working collaboratively with multi agencies best suited to support a child at risk)
The Role of Schools
Day to Day Support
Most families, most of the time, can get on with their lives quite happily with little or no outside help. If they need help it is usually provided by universal services, such as schools. This can include the day-to-day support provided to pupils and their families by staff within the school.
Focused Pastoral Support
All families can have times, however, when difficulties arise and they either may not recognise it or may not know how to start putting things right. Without the right support early on, situations can easily get worse very quickly. Schools play a role in supporting families to address these difficulties through more focused pastoral support, which might include bringing in support via an external agency.
Early Help Assessment
For those children and families whose needs and circumstances make them more vulnerable, or where schools need the support of other agencies to meet the needs of the family, a coordinated multi-agency approach is usually best. This is achieved through undertaking an Early Help Assessment and assigning a Lead Practitioner to work closely with the family to ensure they receive the support they require. Schools should be a key partner in any multi-agency work to support families.
School Commitments to Early Help
The following four commitments have been agreed as non-negotiable elements to our Early Help Offer.
By signing up to and implementing these commitments we can ensure:
- Pupils, parent/carers and staff are clear on the Early Help support available through the school
- Clarity for partners, supporting improved multi-agency working
- It is up-to-date with local approaches to the delivery of early help support for more vulnerable families
- Helps evidence your school’s commitment to the personal development and wellbeing strand of the Ofsted Framework