Policies & Approach

As a school we have our own safeguarding and child protection policies:

• Malton School Child Protection Policy
• Malton School Child Protection Manual

The above policies are monitored and reviewed annually to ensure they remain compliant with national regulations as well as take into account any emerging issues in child protection and safeguarding.

Additionally, all staff in school also follow the procedures outlined in the following document:

• Safer Working Practices

Our policies are informed and guided by the following national policies which you can view below:

• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022
• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018
• North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership Practice Guidance

Governors

Our governing body ensure that our policies and procedures are reviewed at the appropriate intervals and work closely with both the Designated Safeguarding Lead and the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead on all matters relating to the safety and protection of children at Malton School.  The link governor for safeguarding is Annabelle Hoste (ah.gov@maltonschool.org)

Safer Recruitment

We follow safer recruitment practices which include ensuring there is at least one member of every interview panel who has completed a Safer Recruitment course.  We also ensure that all staff who are recruited into the school hold the necessary certification allowing them to work with young people.

Training

All staff receive the following training:

• New Starters: as part of their induction training all staff will have a training session with the DSL or DDSL.
• Annually: every year all staff, throughout the school are required to:
  • Participate in training on safeguarding and child protection at staff training days.
  • Ensure they are aware of any changes to Safer Working Practices, Keeping Children Safe in Education and our own Child Protection Policy.
  • Undertake follow-up training, including an Annual Certificate in Safeguarding for Staff run by The National College.

Additionally, the DSL and DDSL as well as pastoral staff will receive relevant and appropriate further training.

Allegations Against a Member of Staff

Anyone with a serious concern about any aspect of the School’s work, or a member of school staff should report those concerns to the Headteacher, Mr R Williams (rjw@maltonschool.org).

As a maintained school, we have also adopted North Yorkshire Council’s Whistleblowing Policy.  You can find a link to the NYC Policy here.

Supporting Your Child

We will do all we can to help keep your child safe and supported within school.  However, the system and support we offer works best when it is done in cooperation with others, including parents and carers.  There are a number of ways you can help us in our work and in so doing help support your child:

• You may find the following information produced by the Wellbeing in Mind Team helpful as a general introduction to mental and emotional health and wellbeing. It also includes tips and advice to help children and young people, who may be struggling with: low mood, anxiety, self-harm, self-esteem, stress and sleep.  You can access the information here.
• The NSPCC website has some very helpful information pages, including general advice on keeping your child safe as well as spotting the common signs of abuse and the different types of abuse children can be subject to. You can access their website here.
• If you have any concerns about your child’s general wellbeing, please speak to their Head of Year in the first instance.

Useful Links

The following organisations also provide information and resources you may find helpful:

• Barnardos: a charity supporting young people who have either been abused or are at risk of harm.
• The Base Barnardos LGBTQ Support: a safe space for LGBTQ young people aged 15-25 to meet and be part of a range of social activities.
• Childline: a free, confidential helpline for children and young people; the website also contains useful information and advice.
• CEOP (Child Exploitation & Online Protection): If you are worried about online abuse or the way someone has been communicating online, you can let CEOP know and get the support you need.
• MindEd Hub: a free educational resource offering advice on parenting and chidren’s mental health, created by parents and experts.
• NSPCC Report Abuse: advice and information including how and where to report abuse or neglect or what to do if you have any concerns or suspicions.
• NSPCC Report Remove Tool: a tool to help young people report and remove nude images and videos of themselves online.
• Samaritans: a free, confidential helpline to discuss any issues you may be facing or going through.
• The Go-To: an NHS North Yorkshire resource on wellbeing and mental health for young people and their parents / carers.
• ThisMayHelp: an NHS resource to help parents and carers who have concerns about their child’s (or another young person’s) mental health. It includes information, short films and additional resources on a wide range of subjects which have been put together with the help of parents and young people themselves.

External Agencies

We are very aware of the need to work with external agencies who can support us in our work and provide best advice and guidance to us.  As a result, we work closely with the following organisations:

• North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NYSCP). We follow NYSCP Practice Guidance, a framework for multi-agency working in child protection across North Yorkshire. You can find details of the Practice Guidance here.
• Operation Encompass: We work with Operation Encompass, a police and education early information safeguarding partnership, enabling schools to offer immediate support to children experiencing domestic abuse.  You can find more information about Operation Encompass here.
• Wellbeing in Mind Team: WiMT is a new Mental Health Support provider working across schools in North Yorkshire and has a base at Malton School.  The service aims to be preventative and support children and young people to build resilience and learn coping strategies to prevent the onset of poor mental health.
• Early Help: Early Help is run by NYCC and aims to to ensure children, young people and their families receive the right support at the right time to stop problems escalating.
• North Yorkshire Police
• Local community agencies eg. Ryedale District Council local community link team