Pupil Safeguarding

Safeguarding Children

A ‘child at risk’ is a child who:

• is experiencing or is at risk of abuse, neglect or other kinds of harm; and

• who has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs).

A child is abused and neglected when someone inflicts injury, or fails to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family, or in an institutional or community setting, by those known to them, or more rarely, by a stranger. A child is anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday. ‘Children’, therefore, means ‘children and young people’ throughout. The fact that a child has become 16 years of age and may be living independently does not change their status or their entitlement to services or protection under the Children Act, 1989.

Everybody should:

• be alert to potential indicators of abuse or neglect;

• be alert to the risks that abusers may pose to children;

• share their concerns so that information can be gathered to assist in the assessment of the child’s needs and circumstances;

• work with agencies to contribute to actions that are needed to safeguard and promote the child’s wellbeing

• support the child and their family.

Categories of Abuse are Physical, Sexual, Emotional/Psychological, Financial and Neglect as outlined in the Social Services and Wellbeing Act (2014), Working Together to Safeguard People Volume 5 – Handling Individual Cases to Protect Children at Risk.

Contact Us

Mr D Lawrence or Miss C Thomas: 01646 685685

Child Care Assessment Team: 01437 776444

Social Services out of Hours: 0300 333 2222