Safeguarding
Oak Academy is committed to safeguarding children and promoting children’s welfare. It expects all staff, governors, volunteers and visitors to share this commitment and maintain a vigilant and safe environment. It is our willingness to work in a safe manner and challenge inappropriate behaviour that underpins this commitment.
Please find our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy here.
Should you require any of our Policies in an alternative language, please do not hesitate to contact us.
The people that hold safeguarding roles at Oak Academy are:
Designated Safeguarding Lead
SMSC Lead
Mr Michael Garza
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Inclusion Officer
Miss Amy Frampton
The following email address can be used to contact a member of the safeguarding team safeguardingteam@oa.weareauthentic.education
In an emergency please contact the police (tel: 999)
The BCP children’s out of hours service can be contacted on 01202 738256.
The Dorset out of hours children’s service can be contacted on 01202 228866.
During normal office hours, concerns about children in Bournemouth Christchurch or Poole can be raised by contacting the BCP multi agency safeguarding hub on 01202 735046.
Concerns about children in Dorset county can be raised by contacting 01202 228866.
Our Code of Conduct can be found here:
Information from the Department for Education about safeguarding children can be found at:
www.gov.uk/childrens-services/safeguarding-children
Statutory Guidance: Keeping Children Safe in Education
Statutory Guidance: What to do if You’re Worried a Child is being Abused
Statutory Guidance: Working Together to Safeguard Children
(Please note this information is available in other languages upon request)
Child Sexual Exploitation
Child Sexual Exploitation – the more you know, the more you see
Child Sexual Exploitation is Child Abuse. Any young person could become a victim, regardless of their social or ethnic background.
Victims are often coerced into sexual relationships which they confuse with love and attention. They risk damage to their physical, emotional and psychological health.
- Sexual exploitation is a form of sexual abuse in which a young person is manipulated or forced into taking part in a sexual act often in return for attention, affection, money, drugs, alcohol or accommodation.
- The child might think that their abuser is their friend or boyfriend but the abuser might physically or verbally threaten them and be violent towards them. They will control and manipulate them and try to isolate them from friends and family.
- In organised sexual exploitation young people are passed through networks where they are forced into sexual activity with a number of men. This often takes place at ‘sex parties’ and the young people may be used to recruit others into the network.
There is no stereotypical victim of exploitation, but the below warning signs are an indication that a child may be exploited:
- Regularly missing from home or school and staying out all night
- Change in behaviour – becoming aggressive and disruptive or quiet and withdrawn
- Unexplained gifts or new possessions such as clothes, jewellery, mobile phones or money that can’t be accounted for
- Increase in mobile phone use or secretive use
- A significantly older ‘boyfriend’ or ‘friend’ or lots of new friends
- Spending excessive amounts of time online or on their mobile and becoming increasingly secretive about this activity
- Sudden involvement in criminal behaviour or increased offending
- Sexual health problems
- Change in physical appearance
If you have concerns that a child you know may be a victim of Child Sexual Exploitation report it to your local police on 101
Alternatively you can report it to Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org/cse
In an emergency, or if a crime is ongoing, always dial 999.
Helplines:
- Local Authority Children’s Social Care
– Bournemouth 01202 458102, Poole 01202 735046, Christchurch 01202 414106, Out of Hours 01202 657279
- Home Office website:
We PROTECT: fighting online child sexual exploitation
- Parents Protect! is a website which aims to raise awareness about child sexual abuse: http://www.parentsprotect.co.uk/
- Barnado’s have published the following leaflet for parents: Spot the Signs and this leaflet for children:Be aware, stay alert, keep safe!
- PAN Dorset have produced a CSE Leaflet with more help to spot the signs of CSE.
- PACE – Parents Against Child Sexual Exploitation – helps parents fight to keep their children safe: paceuk.org
- You can also visit Stop-CSE.org.
Private Fostering
What is private fostering?
The legislation about private fostering arrangements is contained within the Children’s Act, 1989. It is legally defined as an arrangement that occurs when a child who is under 16 (if disabled, under 18) is cared for by someone other than their parent or a close relative, with the intention that it should last for 28 consecutive days or more
What is required of the parents and carers?
The law places a duty on the parents of the child (or those with parental responsibility) and the ‘foster carers’ to notify the local authority. This should be done as soon as the arrangement has been made. Sometimes a placement is unplanned. In such cases, the local authority should be notified as soon as it becomes apparent that the placement is likely to extend to 28 days or more.
More details can be found viaPrivate fostering (bcpcouncil.gov.uk)or please email the safeguarding team on safeguardingteam@oa.weareauthentic.education
Human Traficking and Modern Day Slavery
Within our Learning 4 Life Curriculum students will learn about Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery. We want to ensure that our students have a well rounded and informed learning platform that allows them to be respectful of others and to know what to do if they spot the signs.
Thousands of people across the UK are being held in squalor and undertaking forced labour. Some may be fleeing war zones, others may have financial problems, but all find dream turns to nightmare as their life descends into fear, debt and drudgery in exhausting, ill-paid, dangerous and degrading work, with escape impossible, forbidden or punished.
Please follow the links below for further guidance and information:
https://pdscp.co.uk/working-with-children/child-trafficking-modern-slavery/
https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-abuse-and-neglect/child-trafficking-and-modern-slavery
Modern_Slavery_Awareness_Booklet
County Lines
County lines is a form of criminal exploitation where urban gangs persuade, coerce or force children and young people to store drugs and money and/or transport them to suburban areas, market towns and coastal towns (Home Office, 2018). It can happen in any part of the UK and is against the law and a form of child abuse.
Children and young people may be criminally exploited in multiple ways. Other forms of criminal exploitation include child sexual exploitation, trafficking, gang and knife crime.
This can be a particularly worrying topic for students, parents/carers and staff, however, there is lots of information available to ensure that we know and understand the risks and signes in order to effectively support our young people. Please do take some time to look at the links below and should you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Safeguarding Team.
Protecting Children from County LinesCounty Lines Leaflet
Young Carers
Oak Academy recognises that some students may have a caring role at home and at times, they may require additional support.
We strongly believe that every young person deserves to be seen and heard and at Oak Academy we aim to provide an open and supportive environment for our Young Carers who may have extra responsibilities at home.
We are passionate about ensuring you have the support you need to manage your responsibilities at home, school work and being a successful and happy individual in your own right.
Young carers are people under 18 who provide care for another person. This care can include practical or emotional support, and another person can be anyone within the same family, whether they are an adult or child.
Oak Academy are extremely privileged to work closely with MYTIME Young Carers Charity who offer our young carers with additional support, opportunities, guidance and a chance to make new friends.
If your child is a young carer and you would like any additional information or would like to discuss this, please do contact Ms Stephenson karen.stephenson@oa.weareauthentic.education or Miss Trott kate.trott@oa.weareauthentic.education
Prevent
Preventing Terrorism and Radicalisation within our Communities
Terrorism can occur anywhere in the world with atrocities carried out in support of various ideologies. There is no single definition of terrorism but it commonly refers to criminal acts intended to provoke a state of terror in the general public.
The most serious threat we face in the UK is from international terrorism linked to or influenced by Al-Qaeda; who wrongly use religion to justify their actions. However, terrorism can be motivated by a range of ideologies or other factors, including religion, politics and race. In the UK the extreme right wing groups and single issue groups such as animal rights campaigners can post a significant threat.
What is Prevent?
Prevent is part of the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy that aims to stop people becoming terrorists. It is a multi-agency approach to safeguard people at risk of radicalisation.
How does Prevent work?
It looks at building a deeper understanding of how individuals become radicalised. This helps to identify ways of preventing people from becoming terrorists or supporting violent extremism.
Typically, a radicalisation process includes exposure of an individual to extremist viewpoints that may eventually influence the person to carry out an act of violent extremism or terrorism. This could take week, months or even years. It is possible to intervene during this process and stop someone becoming a terrorist or supporting violent extremist activity.
Useful Contacts and Information
There is a lot of information about Prevent available on the Home Office website or on the Educate Against Hate website http://educateagainsthate.com/
Preventing Children from Radicalisation: the Prevent Duty
If you believe someone is at risk of radicalisation you can help them obtain support and prevent them becoming involved by raising your concerns and making a referral, either to the Academy Safeguarding Lead, or contact the Safeguarding Referral Unit:sru@dorset.pnn.police.uk
Telephone Contacts
Anti-terrorist hotline: 0800 789 321
Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111
Rail Safety
Safety Message from Network Rail to Parents and Carers
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have been identified as areas of concern due to the increasing levels of risk taking by children and young people around the railway network. In these areas we have reports of children young people sitting on platforms with their legs dangling over the edge, jumping on top of trains, running across the live tracks and climbing onto railway bridges to jump into rivers below. We are really concerned for the safety of young people from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Some children and young people locally have already died or received life-changing injuries as a result of taking these risks.
We are working with the Pan-Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership and schools in the area to ensure that young people are aware of the range of risks associated with the railway. help us to keep your children safe. A simple chat about how to stay safe on the railway could be all it takes to ensure that no more young lives are lost or damaged through accidents on the railway.
www.youvstrain.co.uk is a great place to start – you will find facts about the dangers associated with the railway and real-life video stories from young people who have made a mistake around the railway, are dealing with the consequences and the impact of this on families. This includes Tegan’s story, a video filmed in Bournemouth.
Please look at these resources and talk to your children and young people about the dangers of the railway. Help us to keep them safe.
Mental Health
Positive Mental Health gives you the space to be the person you are, rather than who you think you should be, and to live authentically–to be honest, vulnerable, to share your feelings and also to look after yourself with compassionate care.
Website Support and Parent/Carers Guides
FUSE Mentoring Sessions for Young People
Coping with pressure at school
Self Harm – Advice for Parents and Carers
Coping when supporting someone else
Supporting someone who feels suicidal
EMPOWERING YOUNG PEOPLE TO MANAGE THEIR MENTAL HEALTH AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING