Safeguarding

Our Safeguarding

At George Washington Primary School we are committed to the safety, well-being and welfare of all our learners.

Everyone working in our school environment shares a strong commitment to protecting every child from harm. We do this through various means:

• A safeguarding team who are well trained and work with a range of agencies to support children and families
• Staff training is current and up-to-date for everyone
• Identifying children who are suffering or who are likely to suffer significant harm, and who will take prompt and appropriate action with the aim of making sure they are safe at home and within the school
• Engaging with families at the onset of any issues and providing support at Level 1 or Level 2 Early Help (See below)
• Employing an Early Help support worker who visits school once a week
• Having up-to-date school policies that reflect national and local principles
• Operation Encompass and Operation Endeavour (See below)

Early Help

Early Help service works closely with families in Sunderland to provide the right level of support at the right time. They are there to support you with any concerns about your children, your family and your home circumstances. This might be about behaviour, problems at school, housing, debt, routines and boundaries, or other difficulties you're experiencing. 

The support from Early Help means families can make their own lives better and find solutions to problems. Getting help early helps to prevent little concerns from becoming big concerns. 

Why use Early Help?

Being a parent or carer is one of the most important jobs there is, but it is also one of the hardest. Parents and carers are key to giving children a happy, stable childhood. If one person in your family has a problem - it might be a child, young person or adult - then the whole family are often affected. If the whole family is supported, then it is more likely things will improve. 

How can I find out more?

• Give us a call on 0191 561 4084
• Talk to your health visitor, school or anyone currently working with your family

Operation Encompass

Operation Encompass is a scheme which is used by Northumbria Police and which we are signed up to at George Washington Primary School. The project, which began in 2017, aims to support children who are affected by domestic abuse.

One of the principles of Operation Encompass is that all incidents of domestic abuse are shared with schools, not just those where an offence can be identified.

Operation Encompass is very simple and easy to implement within a school.

Every school appoints a trained Key Adult(s) – the Key Adult(s) are the people who receive information about police attended Domestic Abuse incidents.

The Key Adult will be notified prior to the start of the next school day that the police have attended an incident of domestic abuse. This timely information sharing enables appropriate support to be provided for that child so that all interactions, from when the child first arrives at the school gates, are of a positive nature.

The Key Adult must be trained as a Designated or Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and should attend a Key Adult Briefing.

For more information https://www.operationencompass.org/

Operation Endeavour

Like Encompass, Operation Endeavour is a project that incorporates Northumbria Police, local children’s social care and schools to safeguard children and young people at risk of harm from going missing.

In the event that a child or young person goes missing, the police will notify the Key Adults in school. Schools will then be notified when the child or young person has been found.

Schools and any other relevant agencies will then support the young person as and when needed.

Useful Links

Missing People 24-hour confidential helpline: 116 000 or Email: 116000@missingpeople.org.uk

NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000 or Email: help@nspcc.org.uk 

Concerned about a child?

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child, the school’s safeguarding team are available through appointments made at the school office.

You can make your own referral to children’s services at Together for Children (TfC) on 0191 520 5560 (available 8.30am to 5.00pm Monday - Thursday, 8.30am to 4.30pm Friday) or the Out of Hours Team on 0191 520 5552 (also available 24 hours Saturday and Sunday).

In an emergency always call 999.