Safeguarding at Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School
“The arrangements for safeguarding are effective”. Ofsted Oct 2021
Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School is committed to the highest standards in protecting and safeguarding the children entrusted to our care.
Our culture of safeguarding includes the following:
- The safeguarding team includes experienced key staff such as members of the Senior Leadership Team, the SENCO and Attendance Officer. We also have a full time Safeguarding Officer who is a non-teaching member of staff - Safeguarding Team
- All staff members receive annual safeguarding training which is contextualised to our school setting and covers updates to national safeguarding documentation. Safeguarding training also takes place throughout the year.
- Our safeguarding governor is a Senior Leader in a local school. The governors receive termly safeguarding reports
- Pupils are taught about safeguarding matters in a range of ways such as during Formation, PSHE & assemblies
- Regular safeguarding updates for parents/carers throughout the year
- We work in partnership with a range of external agencies such as the Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership, the police, school nurse etc.
- All school devices are filtered and monitored to keep children safe online - all pupils, parents/carers and staff are educated about this
- We routinely complete highly successful audits of our single central record (SCR). The SCR is a compulsory record kept by schools in the UK for the purpose of safeguarding. The SCR details all recruitment and vetting checks carried out on staff.
- We have a specialist Mental health and wellbeing team
Our school will support all children by:
- Promoting a caring, safe and positive environment
- Encouraging self-esteem and self-assertiveness
- Effectively tackling bullying and harassment
We recognise that some children may be the victims of neglect, physical, sexual or emotional abuse. Staff working with children are well placed to identify such abuse.
“There is a strong culture of safeguarding and care for pupils throughout the school. Staff know that keeping pupils safe is their top priority. They are vigilant for signs that pupils might need extra help. Leaders ensure that pupils get the help they need, when they need it, from external agencies when appropriate.” Ofsted Oct 2021
At Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School in order to protect our children, we aim to:
- Create an atmosphere where all our children feel secure, valued and listened to
- Recognise signs and symptoms of abuse
- Respond quickly, appropriately and effectively to cases of suspected abuse
“Pupils, parents and staff agree that pupils are safe in school”. Ofsted Oct 2021
If you have any concerns that a child is being harmed, is at risk of harm, or you receive a disclosure (intentionally or unintentionally) you must email [email protected] or contact one of the following members of staff as soon as possible:
Everyone working with our children, their parents and carers should be aware that their role is to:
- Listen and note carefully any observations which could indicate abuse
- Not to attempt to investigate once the initial concern is raised
- Refer to the Designated Senior Lead (DSL) immediately
- Contact the Head or the Deputy DSL if the DSL is not available
- Remember disclosures of abuse or harm from children may be made at any time
If anything worries you or concerns you, report it straight away.
Contact the Headteacher if you are worried about the behaviour of a member of staff.
Contact the Chair of Governors if you are worried about the behaviour of the Headteacher.
CASS - Children's Advice and Support Service
CASS provides a single point of contact for professionals and members of the public who want to seek support or raise concerns about another child in our community.
They want to keep all children and young people in Birmingham safe from harm. If you are concerned about a child, please contact CASS. They will listen, assess your concerns, and can take action if a child is at risk.
If you're not sure whether a child is at risk you can discuss the circumstances with CASS.
CASS daytime contact details (Monday to Friday only)
Monday - Thursday 8.45am - 5.15pm
Friday 8.45am - 4.15pm
Phone 0121 303 1888 select Option 2 then Option 2
CASS Emergency Out of Hours (including weekends) phone 0121 675 4806
If your concern is urgent, due to a child being at risk of immediate and significant harm please call 999.
If you are are student at Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School you can share your worries by emailing: [email protected]
A message sent to this email address goes straight to the DSL team. As long as we know who you are – someone will get in touch with you – the DSL team may share your concern with your HOY / tutor / Lay Chaplain.
This email address is designed to give you the opportunity to share your concerns.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION – if you send an email to [email protected] you will automatically receive the following response:
This is an automated response.
Thank you for sharing your concern.
Please note that this email is not monitored 24/7. It may take a little while for one of our team to come and see you.
If you want advice more quickly, please speak directly to a member of staff in school. Alternatively, call Childline (0800 1111) for advice.
If you are immediate risk of harm, please call the police 999
For more information about Safeguarding please visit our Safeguarding tab on our website. Here you will find information such as the latest version of our Safeguarding Policy, Keeping Children Safe in Education, Working Together to Safeguard Children and advice about safeguarding matters.
‘Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility’
For more information and support with safeguarding please go to:
NSPCC - provide therapeutic services to help children move on from abuse, as well as supporting parents and families in caring for their children.
Childline - a free, private and confidential service where you can talk about anything. Call 0800 11 11
Samaritans - whatever you're going through, a Samaritan will face it with you. We're here 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call 116 123
Brook - struggling to talk to your teenager about sex and relationships? Brook offers free and confidential advice via website, telephone, text and email.
Beat - if you know someone who has an eating disorder or you think they might have an eating disorder, Beat can help.
CEOP- Child Exploitation and Online Protection. Are you worried about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating online
Frank - you probably can’t stop your child from coming into some contact with drugs and alcohol, but by staying as informed as possible, you can help them make the right choices when they do.
