The Academy of St Francis of Assis is aware of its duty and responsibility, which it has about safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children and young people: 

‘Our school will prevent and respond to abuse and neglect by ensuring that the ethos and atmosphere of the school is conducive to a safe environment. Pupils and parents/carers will feel supported and able to report safeguarding concerns to any member of staff. Staff will feel they are supported by colleagues and the senior management team, including the governing body, and are able to report and seek advice and guidance on any safeguarding concerns, including those regarding colleagues or themselves. We will protect children at risk of abuse or neglect by having procedures in place that reflect current legislation, guidance, and best practice. ‘ 

‘Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families and carers has a role to play. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all professionals should make sure their approach is child-centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.’ (DFE 2023)  

Safeguarding Children:   

Action should be taken to promote the welfare of a child in need of additional support, even if they are not suffering harm or are at immediate risk.  

‘Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.’ (DfE 2023)  

 Key information for parents 

‘The school ensures children learn in a safe, caring and enriching environment. Children are taught how to keep themselves safe, to develop positive and healthy relationships, how to avoid situations where they might be at risk including by being exploited. 

The school also has a statutory responsibility to share any concerns it might have about a child in need of protection with other agencies and in particular police, health and children’s services. Schools are not able to investigate child protection concerns but have a legal duty to refer them. In most instances the school will be able to inform the parents/carer of its need to make a referral. However, sometimes the school can in certain circumstances share information without the consent of the family and may be advised by children’s services or police that the parent/carer cannot be informed whilst they investigate the matter or make enquires. We understand the anxiety parents/carers understandably feel when they are not told about any concerns from the outset. The school follows legislation that aims to act in the interests of the child. 

The school will always seek to work in partnership with parents and other agencies to ensure the best possible outcomes for the child and family. 

If you have any questions regarding these policies please contact the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead, Ms T Bleasdale (Deputy Headteacher). 

What happens if a concern is raised? 

The school has a statutory responsibility to share any concerns it might have about a child in need of protection with other agencies and in particular police, health and children’s services. Schools are not able to investigate concerns but have a legal duty to refer them to statutory services such as the Police or Social Services. 

In most instances the school will be able to inform the parents/carer of its need to make a referral. However, sometimes the school is advised by children’s services or police that the parent/carer cannot be informed whilst they investigate the matter. 

We understand the anxiety parents/carers understandably feel when they are not told about any concerns from the outset. The school follows legislation that aims to act in the interests of the child. You can find further details in our policy here. 

Operation Encompass 

Operation Encompass is a city wide initiative designed for schools to put in place immediate support for children affected by domestic violence. You can download a copy of the Operation Encompass document, which is a Merseyside multi-agency protocol aimed at offering early intervention and support for children and young people who experience domestic abuse in their household. Click HERE to access Operation Encompass website. 

Extremism and radicalisation – the Prevent Duty 

The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 places a duty upon local authorities and educational providers to ‘have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’. The DfE has provided statutory guidance for schools and child care providers: ‘The Prevent Duty’ (June 2015). The guidance summarises the requirements on schools and child care providers in terms of four general themes: risk assessment, working in partnership, staff training and IT policies. Our school will ensure that staff are aware of the indicators of extremism and radicalisation and no how to respond in keeping with Local and national guidance. Staff will use their judgement in identifying children who might be at risk of radicalisation and act proportionately which may include making a referral to the Channel programme.  Equally children will be made aware of the risks and support available to them. We will ensure that children are safe from terrorist and extremist material when accessing the internet in schools.  The Government has developed an ‘educate against hate’ website providing information and resources for schools and parents to support them to recognise and address extremism and radicalisation in young people. 

• Radicalisation is defined the process by which people come to support terrorism and extremism and, in some cases, to then participate in terrorist activity. 

• Extremism is defined as vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs; we also include in our definition of extremism calls for the death of members of the armed forces 

Young Carers Information

The Children and Families Act (2014)The Care Act and the Children and Families Act should work together to make sure the needs of the whole family are met and inappropriate or excessive caring by young carers is prevented or reduced.

The Children and Families Act 2014 and the Care Act 2014, both significantly strengthened the rights for young carers. They aim to assess and support children and young people from taking on excessive or inappropriate care.

What is Ofsted’s approach to young carers? Ofsted has strengthened its guidance in The Common Inspection Framework: Education, Skills and Early Years (Ofsted, 2015) stating on page 7 that “In making judgements, inspectors will pay particular attention to … young carers”.

What is a young carer?

A young carer is someone under the age of 18 who helps to care for a family member, relative or friend. A young person aged 16-25 with caring responsibilities can be known as a young adult carer.

As many as 1 in 5 children and young people are young carers in the UK.

School census in relation to young carers

The first year of school census data relating to young carers was released in June 2023 on the Department for Education website.

The data showed that there was significant under-reporting of the number of young carers in schools (both when compared to the estimated number of young carers in schools, and the numbers known to local young carer services).

Nationally, 38,983 pupils were recorded as young carers, representing 0.5% of the pupil population and an average of 260 young carers per local authority. In contrast, research by the University of Nottingham and the BBC suggests that around 10% of all pupils will be providing high or very high levels of care. In Liverpool according to the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment over 5,100 people in Liverpool aged under 25 identified themselves as providing unpaid care, equating to 3.5% of that group.