We take the welfare and safeguarding of all of our students seriously at The Hollins
There are 2 Designated Safeguarding Leads;
Mrs Dougan (Deputy Headteacher)
and Miss Crosland (Pastoral Manager),
who ensure that all school staff are appropriately trained in safeguarding to be able to identify any concerns in our pupils, offer support as necessary, and pass on all relevant information to the safeguarding leads swiftly.
Recruitment
We take great care when recruiting new staff, to make certain that they have no convictions against children and all new teachers’ safeguarding knowledge is tested during their interview. At least one member of every interview panel is trained in Safer Recruitment.
Monitoring
We are proactive in providing all new pupils with a named person. This is someone who pupils can use for support, or speak to if they have any worries, however pupils are of course able to discuss any issues they may have with any member of staff with whom they feel comfortable. In addition to named people, the school uses a both a filtering system and a monitoring system to ensure that computer use is appropriate. Any concerns surrounding internet searches, images seen, or websites that pupils may try to access are flagged up immediately for the safeguarding leads to investigate.
Information Sharing
At The Hollins, one way we receive information of serious welfare and safeguarding issues is via a system called Encompass. Encompass enables the police and children’s social care to pass on information regarding safeguarding concerns of Hollins pupils. All such information is received by Mrs Dougan and Miss Crosland who ensure that any pupils who are affected are spoken to and given any additional support they may need.
Confidentiality
Information is received and shared on a strictly “need to know” basis and the privacy of our pupils and their families is respected.
Reporting
There are occasions when our pupils are at risk. If this is thought to be the case, the school acts quickly in making appropriate referrals to try to arrange the best support possible from the most appropriate place.
Families
If you have any issues you would like to discuss with our safeguarding leads, please do not hesitate to contact them. Equally, if you suspect a child may be being harmed, you are free to contact children’s social care, or to speak to Miss Crosland or Mrs Dougan who are both very experienced in the field of safeguarding and child protection.
Early Help at The Hollins
At The Hollins we recognise how challenging day to day family life can be. School plays a role in supporting families to address these difficulties through more focused pastoral support. This might include requesting support from an external agency. If you, as a family, are struggling, have any worries or concerns about your child, our “Early Help offer” can provide much needed support and advice. This may include concerns about behaviour, mental health or general wellbeing. Early help means providing support to our children and their families as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child’s life.
Please speak to us to discuss possible support needs. You can contact any member of staff you feel comfortable with to have this conversation, or if unsure, phone our pastoral manager Miss Crosland. She will be happy to talk to you.
What is an Early Help Assessment?
The Early Help Assessment is an intervention with a family to gather, explore and analyse information about all aspects of the child or young person and their family life. This will support us to identify areas where change will address and support the child’s needs and positively impact on them.
This is recorded on an Early Help Assessment form which includes the family’s Early Help Plan.
Working alongside families from a holistic, strength-based approach areas of support are first identified. This will help to prevent the situation getting worse and the need for more intensive and specialist intervention.
Following an Early Help Assessment, regular Team Around the Family (TAF) meetings are held to share updates and discuss any actions required to meet and support needs.
Policy
Please visit https://thehollins.com/information/policies/
