Safeguarding, E-Safety and Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)

Key Personnel

Designated Safeguarding Lead  Hannah Turner (hturner@swaveseyvc.co.uk)

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead  Blake Feig (bfeig@swaveseyvc.co.uk)

01954 234468

Other Designated Personnel:

Ali Williamson: awilliamson@swaveseyvc.co.uk

Joseph Barker-Sherry: jbarker-sherry@swaveseyvc.co.uk

Becky Dear: rdear@swaveseyvc.co.uk

Chris Suckling: csuckling@swaveseyvc.co.uk

Jenny Warburton: jwarburton@swaveseyvc.co.uk

Hannah Kennard (Maternity Leave): hkennard@swaveseyvc.co.uk

Chloe Thompson: cthompson@swaveseyvc.co.uk

A new email address has been set up in the event of a school closure so don’t worry if you usually get help & support in school. Email worried@swaveseyvc.co.uk and someone from the safeguarding team will help you.

Here is a list of other agencies which can offer support:

Policy

To view the relevant Safeguarding & Child Protection Policies please use the following link: http://www.meridiantrust.co.uk/policies/

Other Swavesey Village College Specific Policies can be found here.

E-Safety

The Internet has become an integral part of children’s lives, enabling them to undertake research for school projects, talk to their friends and access information from around the world. This brings with it the need to ensure that learners are safe. We appreciate that social media can be a minefield for all concerned and its only by working together can we ensure that our young people use technology safely in the 21st century. Technology is an inextricable part of their life and we want to help you to ensure that they all stay safe.

Unfortunately though, there are times when Internet use can have a negative effect on children. This section of our website is to ensure that parents are aware of the possible dangers and feel able to support their children to use the internet responsibly. the link below is the presentation we show to all parents who wish to attend our yearly online safety evening in January. We also present this to new Year 7 families at the new Year 7 Parents’ evening in the July before they join us in September.

Here is a useful parents’ guide to Zoom, Instagram, House Party and other suggestions:

Safer Schools September 2023: here is guidance from Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness

In school, through tutor time, we have been reminding students what to do if they are worried about CSE (Child Sexual Exploitation) and who they should contact.  Unfortunately CSE is common throughout our country and the news headlines have demonstrated that it is widespread.  The following advice for parents on spotting CSE comes from the NSPCC:

1. Your child may become secretive and stop engaging with usual friends. They may become very prone to mood swings.
2. They may be associating with older men and/or women.
3. They may go missing from home and be defensive about their location and activities.
4. They may receive odd calls and messages on their mobiles or social media.
5. They may be in possession of new, expensive items which they couldn’t normally afford, eg mobile phones, iPads.

If your child displays three or more of the above signs then you should contact school, the Police on 101 or ChildLine on 0800 111

Here are some links that might be useful:

http://www.barnardosrealloverocks.org.uk/

http://paceuk.info/about-cse/

http://www.net-aware.org.uk/

Drugs Information for Parents

Attached here is a letter sent to Parents in February 2020 rasing awareness of illegal drugs in society and how Parents can help to protect their child. Also attached is an information sheet on Spice, illegal psychoactive man-made substances.

Operation Encompass

At Swavesey Village College we are working in partnership with Cambridgeshire Police and  Cambridgeshire County Council to identify and provide appropriate support to pupils who have experienced domestic abuse in their home; this scheme is called Operation Encompass.  See key principles here.

In order to achieve this, Cambridgeshire’s Education Safeguarding Team will share police information of all domestic incidents, where one of our pupils has been present, with the Designated Safeguarding Lead(s) (DSL)/Domestic Abuse (DA)Lead. On receipt of any information, the DSL/DA Lead will decide on the appropriate support the child may require.

The Operation Encompass information is stored in line with all other confidential safeguarding and child protection information. All information sharing and resulting actions will be undertaken in accordance with the ‘Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Joint Agency Protocol for Domestic Abuse – Notifications to Schools, Colleges and Early Years settings’.

Government Definition of Domestic Abuse and Violence:

Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. The abuse can encompass, but is not limited to:

• psychological
• physical
• sexual
• financial
• emotional

Controlling behaviour

Controlling behaviour is a range of acts designed to make a person subordinate and/or dependent by isolating them from sources of support, exploiting their resources and capacities for personal gain, depriving them of the means needed for independence, resistance and escape and regulating their everyday behaviour.

Coercive behaviour

Coercive behaviour is an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim.

1 in 5 children have been exposed to domestic abuse and it is present in 60% of all serious case reviews. It is estimated that children are present in 80% of incidents.