EARLY HELP

Our aim is to help pupils and families as early as possible when issues arise. Early Help Assessment is an approach not necessarily an action. It includes prevention education as well as intervention where necessary or appropriate. In some cases immediate urgent action might be necessary if a child or young person is at risk of immediate harm.

At North Nibley, our duty to keep children safe is our top priority.

We publish more detials on SAFEGUARDING HERE

We publish a page on Staying Safe Online HERE.

Our school offer of Early Help Assessment begins by making parents being aware that they can talk to school staff about any concerns that they have impacting on their family. We can then work with the family and other professionals as needed to draw up, for example, a My Plan or My Plan+ using Gloucesterhsire’s Graduated Pathway. This enables us to access support from our local Early Help Assessment Co-ordinator or Community Social worker as necessary.

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Further information

Appendix: Further information on current high-profile safeguarding issues

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) – signs of It is essential that staff are aware of FGM practices and the need to look for signs, symptoms and other indicators of FGM. FGM is sometimes known as ‘female genital cutting’ or ‘female circumcision.’ Communities tend to use local names referring to this practice, including ‘sunna’

What is FGM?

It involves procedures that intentionally alter/injure the female genital organs for nonmedical reasons.

4 types of procedure:

• Type 1 Clitoridectomy – partial/total removal of clitoris
• Type 2 Excision – partial/total removal of clitoris and labia minora
• Type 3 Infibulation entrance to vagina is narrowed by repositioning the inner/outer labia
• Type 4 all other procedures that may include: pricking, piercing, incising, cauterising and scraping the genital area.

Why is it carried out?

Belief that:

• FGM brings status/respect to the girl – social acceptance for marriage
• Preserves a girl’s virginity
• Part of being a woman / rite of passage
• Upholds family honour
• Cleanses and purifies the girl
• Gives a sense of belonging to the community
• Fulfils a religious requirement
• Perpetuates a custom/tradition
• Helps girls be clean / hygienic
• Is cosmetically desirable
• Mistakenly believed to make childbirth easier

Is FGM legal?

• FGM is internationally recognised as a violation of human rights of girls and women.
• It is illegal in most countries including the UK.

Circumstances and occurrences that may point to FGM happening:

• Child talking about getting ready for a special ceremony
• Family taking a long trip abroad
• Child’s family being from one of the ‘at risk’ communities for FGM (Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Sierra Leon, Egypt, Nigeria, Eritrea as well as non-African communities including Yemeni, Afghani, Kurdistan, Indonesia and Pakistan)
• Knowledge that the child’s sibling has undergone FGM
• Child talks about going abroad to be ‘cut’ or to prepare for marriage

A sign that may indicate a child has undergone FGM:

• Prolonged absence from school and other activities
• Behaviour change on return from a holiday abroad, such as being withdrawn and appearing subdued
• Bladder or menstrual problems
• Finding it difficult to sit still and looking uncomfortable
• Complaining about pain between the legs
• Mentioning something somebody did to them that they are not allowed to talk about
• Secretive behaviour, including isolating themselves from the group
• Reluctance to take part in physical activity
• Repeated urinal tract infection
• Disclosure

The ‘One Chance’ rule

As with Forced Marriage there is the ‘One Chance’ rule. It is essential that settings /schools/colleges take action without delay. Staff should activate local safeguarding procedures, using existing national and local protocols for multi-agency liaison with police and children’s social care.

Forced Marriage (FM)

This is an entirely separate issue from arranged marriage. It is a human rights abuse and falls within the Crown Prosecution Service definition of domestic violence. Young men and women can be at risk in affected ethnic groups. Whistle-blowing may come from younger siblings. Other indicators may be detected by changes in adolescent behaviours. We should never attempt to intervene directly as a school or through a third party. Schools should involve the police straight away.

Further information on Trafficking

Child trafficking is a form of child abuse where children are recruited and moved to be exploited, forced to work or sold. They are often subject to multiple forms of exploitation including: child sexual exploitation, benefit fraud, forced marriage, domestic servitude including cleaning, childcare and cooking, forced labour in agriculture or factories, criminal activity such as pickpocketing, begging, transporting drugs, working on cannabis farms, selling pirated DVDs , bag theft. Traffickers trick, force or persuade children to leave their homes and then move them to another location.

Trafficked children are often controlled with violence and threats and may be kept captive, resulting in long lasting and devastating effects on their mental and physical health. It is not easy to identify trafficked children, but you may notice unusual behaviour or events that just don’t add up.

Both boys and girls are victims of trafficking. Trafficked children may be from the UK or have been moved from another country. Poverty, war or discrimination can put children more at risk of trafficking. Traffickers may promise children education or respectable work, or persuade parents that their child can have a better future in another place. It can be very difficult to identify a child who has been trafficked, as they are deliberately hidden and isolated. They may be scared, or they may not realise that they are a victim or are being abused. While there may not be any obvious signs of distress or harm, a trafficked child is at risk and may experience physical abuse, emotional abuse and/or neglect. Many children are trafficked in to the UK from abroad, but children can also be trafficked from one part of the UK to another. Even a child being moved from one side of the street to a different address for a short period of time with the intent of exploitation would be identifiable as a trafficking crime. Any suspicion of trafficking must be reported to the LADO and the Police without delay.

Further information on Radicalisation (in line with the PREVENT DUTY)

Radicalisation refers to the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and forms of extremism leading to terrorism. To reduce the risk from terrorism we need not only to stop terrorist attacks but also to prevent people becoming terrorists. This is one objective of Prevent, part of CONTEST, the Government’s strategy for countering international terrorism. All the terrorist groups who pose a threat to us seek to radicalise and recruit people to their cause. The aim of Prevent is to stop people becoming or supporting terrorists, by challenging the spread of terrorist ideology, supporting vulnerable individuals, and working in key sectors and institutions.

Work to safeguard children and adults, providing early intervention to protect and divert people away from being drawn into terrorist activity, is at the heart of the Prevent strategy. Supporting vulnerable individuals requires clear frameworks – including guidance on how to identify vulnerability and assess risk, where to seek support and measures to ensure that we do not ever confuse prevention and early intervention with law enforcement.

Channel is a key element of the Prevent strategy. It is a multi-agency approach to protect people at risk from radicalisation. Channel uses existing collaboration between local authorities, statutory partners (such as the education and health sectors, social services, children’s and youth services and offender management services), the police and the local community to identify individuals at risk of being drawn into terrorism; assess the nature and extent of that risk; and develop the most appropriate support plan for the individuals concerned. Channel is about safeguarding children and adults from being drawn into committing terrorist-related activity. It is about early intervention to protect and divert people away from the risk they face before illegality occurs.

Indicators of vulnerability to radicalisation:

1. Radicalisation refers to the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and forms of extremism leading to terrorism.
2. Extremism is defined by the Government in the Prevent Strategy as: Vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also include in our definition of extremism calls for the death of members of our armed forces, whether in this country or overseas.
3. Extremism is defined by the Crown Prosecution Service as: The demonstration of unacceptable behaviour by using any means or medium to express views which: • Encourage, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs; • Seek to provoke others to terrorist acts;• Encourage other serious criminal activity or seek to provoke others to serious criminal acts; or• Foster hatred which might lead to inter_community violence in the UK.

4. There is no such thing as a “typical extremist”: those who become involved in extremist actions come from a range of backgrounds and experiences, and most individuals, even those who hold radical views, do not become involved in violent extremist activity.
5. Pupils may become susceptible to radicalisation through a range of social, personal and environmental factors – it is known that violent extremists exploit vulnerabilities in individuals to drive a wedge between them and their families and communities. It is vital that school staff are able to recognise those vulnerabilities.
6. Indicators of vulnerability include:
   • Identity Crisis – the student / pupil is distanced from their cultural / religious heritage and experiences discomfort about their place in society;
   • Personal Crisis – the student / pupil may be experiencing family tensions; a sense of isolation; and low self-esteem; they may have dissociated from their existing friendship group and become involved with a new and different group of friends; they may be searching for answers to questions about identity, faith and belonging;
   • Personal Circumstances – migration; local community tensions; and events affecting the student / pupil’s country or region of origin may contribute to a sense of grievance that is triggered by personal experience of racism or discrimination or aspects of Government policy;
   • Unmet Aspirations – the student / pupil may have perceptions of injustice; a feeling of failure; rejection of civic life;
   • Experiences of Criminality – which may include involvement with criminal groups, imprisonment, and poor resettlement / reintegration;
   • Special Educational Need – students / pupils may experience difficulties with social interaction, empathy with others, understanding the consequences of their actions and awareness of the motivations of others.
7. However, this list is not exhaustive, nor does it mean that all young people experiencing the above are at risk of radicalisation for the purposes of violent extremism.
8. More critical risk factors could include:
   • Being in contact with extremist recruiters;
   • Accessing violent extremist websites, especially those with a social networking element;
   • Possessing or accessing violent extremist literature;
   • Using extremist narratives and a global ideology to explain personal disadvantage;
   • Justifying the use of violence to solve societal issues;
   • Joining or seeking to join extremist organisations; and
   • Significant changes to appearance and / or behaviour;
   • Experiencing a high level of social isolation resulting in issues of identity crisis and / or personal crisis.

SAFEGUARDING STATEMENT:

THIS WEBPAGE IS PART OF OUR SUITE OF SAFEGAURDING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.

IT MUST BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FOLLOWING, MANY OF WHICH CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE:  www.northnibley.gloucs.sch.uk

Please ask if you cannot find the policy you require.

•             Acceptable Use of Technology & Social Media

•             Allegations Management

•             Anti-bullying, anti-hate and anti-radicalisation

•             Attendance

•             Behaviour

•             Child Protection & Safeguarding Procedures (including COVID-19 measures)

•             Children Missing Education

•             Children who go missing during the school day

•             Complaints

•             Confidentiality

•             Curriculum Policies – Computing and E-Safety

•             Curriculum Policies – Drug Education

•             Curriculum Policies – PSHE/Wellbeing

•             Curriculum Policies – PE

•             Curriculum Policies – Relationships and Sex Education

•             Curriculum Policies – Science

•             Curriculum Policies – Collective Worship

•             Educational visits

•             First Aid

•             Health and Safety

•             Intimate Care

•             Keeping Children Safe in Education (Latest version)

•             Medical Conditions and Support for those Unable to Attend School

•             Offers of Early Help Assessment

•             Physical Intervention

•             Remote Teaching and Learning Policy

•             Risk Assessments

•             Safer Recruitment, Staff Selection and Induction

•             Safer Working Practices

•             Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

•             Staff Code of Conduct & Staff Handbook

•             Volunteer Policy and Codes of Conduct

•             Whistleblowing

•             Working Together to Keep Children Safe (Latest version)

“The School will fully engage in multi-agency working, in line with statutory guidance as outlined in the latest versions of “Keeping Children Safe in Education” (KCSIE), “Working Together to Safeguard Children” (Working Together) and local arrangements for child safeguarding in Gloucestershire.  Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.”