Safeguarding

Operation Encompass was set up to provide early reporting to schools about any domestic abuse incidents that occur outside of school hours to which a young person attending Walton-le-Dale High School has been exposed, and which might then have an impact on their schooling the following day. Following an incident, students will often arrive at school distressed, upset, worried and unprepared.

Operation Encompass aims to ensure that appropriate school staff are made aware early enough to help and support children and young people in a way that means they feel safe and included.

Information will only be shared with the school by the police where it is identified that a young person was present, witnessed or was involved in a domestic abuse incident.

A nominated member of school staff, known as an Encompass Key Adult, has been trained to liaise with the police. They will be able to use information that has been shared with them, in confidence, to ensure that the school is able to make provision for possible difficulties experienced by children or their families. The Key Adults will keep this information confidential, and will only share it on a need to know basis, for instance, to teaching staff for the child or young person. It will not be shared it with other school students. The Key Adults at WLD are Mrs Ashton (Designated Safeguarding Lead) and Miss Wilcock (Deputy DSL).

You can find out more information by visiting the Operation Encompass website (click the link below) or by contacting Mrs Asthon at school.

https://www.operationencompass.org/

Operation ‘Encompass’ – early intervention letter

Online Child Abuse

Online Child Abuse is a continuing issue both nationally and locally. Lancashire Constabulary have a dedicated Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) at Police Headquarters, Hutton, Lancashire. Each force has a Victim ID Officer and there role within the force is to identify and safeguard victims of online child abuse. A victim is any child under 18 who has sent an indecent image of themselves, and once sent to another person the child is deemed to have lost control of that image. The first newsletter from the OCAIT is available to view or download here.

Guidance for Parents – Sexting

Sharing information online is now part of everyday life. Digital devices can capture, store and share personal information in an instant. We are all at risk of oversharing personal and private information but none more so than children. Children are at risk of sharing too much personal information with strangers and with other children. Most children use the internet to explore social and personal relationships safely, but it is all too easy to be put at risk.

More information about this topic is available to view https://files.schudio.com/parklandshighschool/files/Parents/Advice%20and%20Support/Gooseberry-Parent-Children-Sexting-and-Sexual-Imagery.pdf

For more general guidance on staying safe online please follow this link to the Lancashire Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB)

For a helpful guide to safer use of ‘smartphones’ follow this link..

Further support organisations for parents can be found below:

• Affected by Bereavement
• Educational Psychologist Service
• FIND Newsletter – for children with disabilities and their families
• Free School Meals Information
• Freedom of Information Act
• School Clothing Grant
• Debt advice https://wlda.org.uk/
• Foodbanks https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/media/916718/foodbanks-in-lancashire.pdf
• Housing Support https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/living-with-a-disability/living-with-learning-disabilities/housing/
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Issues

Stonewall’s Education For All campaign, launched in January 2005, helps tackle homophobia and homophobic bullying in schools and works with a wide coalition of groups. In addition Stonewall promotes new research on issues such as hate crime, lesbian health and homophobic bullying in schools.

Walton Le Dale High School actively promotes a positive and inclusive environment for everyone celebrating difference and diversity in everyday school life. As a school community we endeavour to promote the safety and wellbeing of all young people in our care. This includes lesbian, gay and bisexual pupils and those who experience homophobic bullying.

Sexual Abuse

• Sexual abuse (incest) – support for women CIS’terstel 02380338080  admin@cisters.org.uk
• RAPE CRISIS  tel 08088029999info@rapecrisis.org.uk   org.uk
• One in four – org.ukadvocacy service, counselling service and information for people who have experienced sexual abuse
• THE SURVIVORS TRUST    orguk network of support organisations
• TASC – trauma and abuse support centre – tasc@tasc-online.org.uktasc-online.org.uk – uk web-based resource fort survivors of child sexual abuse and for anyone involved in supporting them
• The International Centre: Researching child sexual exploitation, violence and trafficking
• PACE – Parents against sexual exploitation – helpline for parents worried about a child Tel 01132403040
• Survivors UK   webchat can be accessed at survivorsuk.orghelp@survivorsuk.org
• Sexual abuse – support for men. Mankind http://www.mankindcounselling.org.uk/ tel 01273911680
• Sexual abuse – support for non-abusive parents and carers of children who have been sexually abused. Mosac  tel 08009801958enquiries@mosac.org.uk   http://mosac.org.uk/

Advice and Support for Young people

School help and advice can be given by the Headteacher, Senior Leadership Team, all teaching/non-teaching staff.

Please do not keep any issues/problems you may have to yourself, we can find the right person to help you.

If you have any concerns in school (including issues of bullying), that you don’t feel you are able to share with your individual teachers, please email:

safeguarding@wldhigh.co.uk

The links included below are to sites with useful further information for those looking to find out more about aspects of this area.

Childnet International, who run the chatdanger website, is not responsible for the content of the links below.

Telephone helplines for children

Childline – 0800 1111, a free 24 hour helpline for children in the UK, www.childline.org.uk

To report to police

The Virtual Global Taskforce, www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com receives reports online just click the ‘Report Abuse’ option on the home page and follow the instructions.

In the UK, to report suspicious behaviour online towards a child, you can report directly to the police at www.ceop.gov.uk

Child Orientated Site

Childnet International www.childnet.com

Childline 08001111

NSPCC here  text 88858 Tel 080880050000

Kidsmart http://www.kidsmar.org.uk

Digizen http://www.digizen.org

Bullying

Beatbullying http://www.beatbullying.org

Cybermentors http://www.cybermentors.org

HAVOCA – help for adult victims of child abuse email friend@havoca.org

Bullying.org http://www.bullying.org

Kidscape http://www.kidscape.org.uk

Bullying Online http://www.bullying.co.uk

On bullying via mobile phone http://www.stoptextbully.com

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse (incest) – support for women CIS’ters  tel 02380338080  admin@cisters.org.uk

RAPE CRISIS  tel 08088029999  info@rapecrisis.org.uk   rapecrisis.org.uk

One in four – oneinfour.org.uk advocacy service, counselling service and information for people who have experienced sexual abuse

THE SURVIVORS TRUST    thesurvivorstrust.org  uk network of support organisations

TASC – trauma and abuse support centre – tasc@tasc-online.org.uk   tasc-online.org.uk – uk web-based resource fort survivors of child sexual abuse and for anyone involved in supporting them

The International Centre: Researching child sexual exploitation, violence and trafficking

PACE – Parents against sexual exploitation – helpline for parents worried about a child Tel 01132403040

Survivors UK   webchat can be accessed at www.survivorsuk.org  help@survivorsuk.org

Sexual abuse – support for men. Mankind http://www.mankindcounselling.org.uk/ tel 01273911680

Sexual abuse – support for non-abusive parents and carers of children who have been sexually abused. Mosac  tel 08009801958  enquiries@mosac.org.uk   mosac.org.uk

Stonewall Educational Resources

Stonewall’s Education For All campaign, launched in January 2005, helps tackle homophobia and homophobic bullying in schools and works with a wide coalition of groups. In addition Stonewall promotes new research on issues such as hate crime, lesbian health and homophobic bullying in schools.

Parklands actively promotes a positive and inclusive environment for everyone celebrating difference and diversity in everyday school life. As a school community we endeavour to promote the safety and wellbeing of all young people in our care. This includes lesbian, gay and bisexual pupils and those who experience homophobic bullying.

At Walton-le-Dale our safeguarding and pastoral team are trained to lead and coordinate the Early Help Process. Early Help offers a proactive, voluntary support package designed to support families as soon as problems arise, preventing issues from escalating into the need for statutory social care. It focuses on addressing needs early—such as parenting struggles, emotional wellbeing, or financial issues—through assessments and tailored support plans (Early Help Assessment/Early Help Plan) that prioritise family strengths.

Key aspects of Early Help include:

• Early Help Assessment (EHA): A voluntary tool to identify a family’s strengths and needs, resulting in a plan to tackle specific challenges.
• The Approach: It is strengths-based, often delivered through a “Team Around the Family” (TAF), which brings together professionals (schools, health, social services). The plan may be a single agency plan led just by school or we may involve other professionals who can enable us to access further support.
• Support Areas: Provides parenting support, emotional health assistance, and help with children with SEN or disabilities.
• Target Group: Families with children and young people (pre-birth up to 19+ if they have special needs).
• Access: Parents or professionals can initiate the process to get support at the earliest point, as explained on the Lancashire Safeguarding Partnership website.

For more about Early Help including a short video please follow this link:

https://lancashiresafeguardingpartnership.org.uk/p/safeguarding-children/early-help-support-for-families