At Park View School the health, safety and well being of every child is our top priority.  We expect all staff, governors and volunteers to share this commitment to safeguarding our pupils.

We strive to ensure that consistent and effective safeguarding procedures are in place to support the families, students and staff of our school.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Kirsty Tate and she can be reached at [email protected].  The Deputy DSL is Jodie Graham. All staff are trained annually in child protection, with a number of key pastoral staff trained to a higher level. Key pastoral staff are also trained as Mental Health First Aiders. Park View School has appropriate policies and procedures in place to deal effectively with child protection issues including bullying, radicalisation and mental health concerns. Our policies can be seen in the Policies section of the school website. We also work with a range of outside agencies to ensure the best support for our young people. Paper copies of the safeguarding policy are available on request from the school office.

Park View School employs a strict selection and recruitment process adhering to government guidance on safer recruitment including statutory checks on staff and volunteers including Enhanced DBS (disclosure and barring services) checks.

If you have serious concerns about your child or another pupil or a member of staff at Park View School please do not hesitate to contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

In school, pupils are helped to develop their own understanding of risks and how to keep themselves safe through a comprehensive personal development programme. This includes learning about safety online, relationships with others and British values. Learning takes place in lessons, through assemblies and through the use of visitors.

Working Together to Safeguard Children

  • Early Help for children and young people and families: One Point Service (Durham).  Chester-le-Street One Point Hub 03000 261 112.  In Sunderland check the Together for Children website.
  • Safeguarding: If you are worried a child is in immediate danger or at risk of harm please contact First Contact (Durham) on 03000 267 979 or in Together for Children Sunderland 0191 520 5560.  If a crime has been committed please contact the police.
  • Support and Information for parents and carers about drugs and drug use. TalktoFrank provides information about the realities and risks of drug use for parents and children.  It includes a phone line, text service and online chat.
  • You can contact Stop It Now! for information and advice if you have concerns about someone’s behaviour, including children who may be displaying concerning sexual behaviour
  • Directory of support services in Durham  http://www.countydurhamfamilies.info/kb5/durham/fsd/home.page
  • Advice and support for family life:  https://www.familylives.org.uk
  • https://www.lucyfaithfull.org.uk/  

Support for Neuro-Diverse Families

  • If you are worried about your child sending nude images or videos (sometimes referred to as ‘youth-produced sexual imagery or sexting), NSPCC provides advice to help you understand the risks and support your child.
  • If your child has shared nude images, Thinkuknow by NCA-CEOP provides advice on talking to your child and where to get help.

  • If You Care Share A charity promoting emotional well being in young people and supporting families affected by suicide.
  • Papyrus provide confidential support and advice to young people struggling with thoughts of suicide, and anyone worried about a young person
Support around sexual harassment and violence in education

  • Thinkuknow provides advice from the National Crime Agency (NCA) to stay safe online
  • Thinkuknow: home activity packs, a set of fun, engaging activities based on Thinkuknow cartoons, films, games, and advice articles
  • Parent Info is a collaboration between Parentzone and the NCA providing support and guidance for parents from leading experts and organisations
  • Childnet provides a tool kit to support parents and carers of children of any age to start discussions about their online life, to set boundaries around online behaviour and technology use, and to find out where to get more help and support
  • Internet Matters provides age-specific online safety checklists, guides on how to set parental controls on a range of devices and a host of practical tips to help children get the most out of their digital world
  • LGfL provides support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online, including 6 top tips to keep primary aged children safe online
  • Net Aware provides support for parents and carers from the NSPCC, providing a guide to social networks, apps and games
  • Let’s Talk About It provides support for parents and carers to keep children safe from online radicalisation
  • UK Safer Internet Centre provides tips, advice, guides and resources to help keep children safe online, including parental controls offered by home internet providers and safety tools on social networks and other online services
  • National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has guidance for parents and carers to help keep children safe online

If you have downloaded new apps or bought new technology to help stay connected, remember to review and adjust privacy and safety settings if you or your child is signing up to a new online service.

  • The BBC have a website and app called Own It. The website has a lot of content for children to help them navigate their online lives, and the free smartphone app comes with a special keyboard which can intervene with help and support in the moments that children need it the most. It can be downloaded for free in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
  • SafeToNet is an app for parents to help them safeguard their children from online risks like cyberbullying and sexting, whilst always respecting their child’s rights to privacy.

Support and Guidance for Parents on Knife Crime

Ben Kinsella Trust https://benkinsella.org.uk/resources-for-parents/

Radicalising Content Online

Radicalisation means the process by which people come to support terrorism or extreme political ideas associated with terrorism.  If you are concerned that any family member, friend or loved one is being radicalised, you can call the police or 101 to get advice or make a Prevent referral, so that they can get safeguarding support. Support is tailored to the individual’s needs and works in a similar way to safeguarding processes designed to protect people from gangs, drug abuse and physical and sexual exploitation. Receiving support through Prevent is voluntary, confidential and not any form of criminal sanction. If you need further help, you can also contact your local authority safeguarding team.