Student Support and Safeguarding
Pastoral Care
We provide caring and responsive pastoral support which puts the needs of our pupils at its centre. We work in partnership with parents to help all pupils develop positive relationships and learn to cope with the issues that they face. Students build strong relationships with their tutor and College Achievement Leader. All students are part of a small vertical tutor group which belongs to one of four colleges. The College is very proud of its small and friendly community. Our aim is to encourage students to become confident, responsible and independent members of society.
Young Carers
Bassingbourn Village College recognises the important role young carers play within their families’ lives and the additional responsibilities this places upon them. We are committed to meeting the needs of young carers and young adult carers so that they can attend and enjoy school in the same way as other pupils and achieve their potential. From January 2023, the school census will include young carers for the first time. Schools will record whether a pupil is a young carer, and who identified them as such. The change will provide a much better picture of their number and has the potential to significantly increase awareness, identification and support.
Young carers are children and young people under 18 who provide or intend to provide care for another person who is ill, disabled, has a mental health condition or addiction problem. A young carer becomes vulnerable when their caring role risks impacting upon their emotional or physical wellbeing and their prospects in their education and life.
The school has designated Young Carers’ School Leads with responsibility for young carers and their families:
Young Carers’ Champion: Vicki Piggott
The school will only share information about young carers with professionals and agencies on a need to know basis in order to support pupils and their families.
The school actively seeks feedback and ideas from young carers and their families to shape and improve support.
The school has an effective referral system and strong partnership in place with Centre 33, the local young carers’ service, where a representative from Centre 33 assists in the running of the young carers group each Wednesday. The group provides young carers with mentoring support, a time to relax and unwind and a range of fun-packed activities which they are thoroughly engaging with.
SAFEGUARDING
Under the Education Act 2002 (section 175/157), schools must “make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children”.
We will endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued.
The school will therefore be alert to signs of abuse and neglect and will follow the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) procedures to ensure that children receive appropriate and effective support and protection.
Parents/carers should know that the law requires all school staff to pass on information which gives rise to a concern about a child’s welfare, including risk from neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse. The school should make parents/carers aware that records of welfare concerns may be kept about their child. They should be informed that school staff will seek, in general, to discuss any concerns with them including referrals to other agencies. However, in situations where the child is suspected to be at risk of harm, the law says that schools may take advice from other agencies without informing parents/carers.
In accordance with local Information Sharing protocols, we will ensure that information is shared securely and sensitively. Information will only be shared with other services where it is deemed necessary and proportionate to ensure that children and young people are safe and receive the right service.
Schools will seek advice from Social Care when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Occasionally, concerns are passed on which are later shown to be unfounded. Parents/carers will appreciate that the member of staff in the school with responsibility for child protection (known as the Designated Safeguarding Lead or Designated Person) was carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the law and acting in the best interests of all children.
Under Section 3 (5) of the Children Act 1989, schools or any person who has care of a child “may….do what is reasonable in all the circumstances of the case for the purpose of safeguarding or promoting the child’s welfare”. This means that on rare occasions, a school may need to “hold” a child in school whilst Social Care and the police investigate any concerns further.
* The word ‘school’ is used throughout but this would include all educational settings e.g. Academies, Pupil Referral Units, Further Education establishments and Independent schools.
If you have a concern you can also make a referral to Child’s Social Care.
If you are:
- concerned that a child may be suffering physical, sexual or emotional abuse or is being neglected,
- a child or young person and you are being abused or neglected,
- a parent or carer and you feel you are harming your child or are close to doing so
telephone 0345 045 5203 between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday. If it is outside office hours or at the weekend, call the First Response and Emergency Duty Team on 01733 234 724.
If you think you or the child is in immediate danger and needs urgent help, please call the police on 999.
USEFUL CONTACTS
Designated Safeguarding Lead: Ms V Larkins, Deputy Principal (also Prevent Lead) Email: vlarkins@bassingbournvc.org
Deputy Safeguard Leads: Mrs Sadler and Mrs Turner
Email: csadler@bassingbournvc.org
Mrs Murfett, SENCO Email: senco@bassingbournvc.org
Young Carers’ Champion: Mrs V Piggott
Email: vpiggott@bassingbournvc.org
Our Safeguarding Policy including prevention of radicalisation can be found on the Policies page of website.
External Contacts
Wellbeing and Support contacts
ChatHealth – CLICK HERE TO WATCH NOW ChatHealth Cambs – School Promo Pack
ChatHealth is a secure NHS approved text messaging service that is run by the school nursing team in the Cambridgeshire Healthy Child Programme. From 9.30am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday ChatHealth has experienced clinicians online waiting to answer and deal with any messages from young people. If you’re 13-19 years old, text 07480635443 if you need advice or help with emotional health, relationships, bullying, alcohol, self harm, healthy eating, drugs, smoking.
Any messages outside this time frame receive and automated response letting young people know when they will receive a reply or who to contact to get immediate help
Three Apps Parents Should Know About Parents may be interested in reading this information regarding social media apps that has been sent to us by the Local Authority’s Safeguarding Team. The 3 apps are Yubo, Monkey and Musical.ly.
School nursing team: Tel: 0300 029 5050, Email: ccs.cambs.hcp.schoolnursingdutydesk@nhs.net , Email Website: www.cambscommunityservices.nhs.uk
Carers Trust Young Carers Policy and Development Officer: Tania Bingham
4 Meadow Park, Meadow Lane, St Ives PE27 4LG
Email: care@carerstrustcambridgeshire.org
Tel: 0345 241 0954 or 01480 499090. Mobile: 07720 343401
www.carerstrustcambridgeshire.org
www.keep-your-head.com
Twitter: @CarersTrust @YoungerCarers
Cambridgeshire County Council Young Carers’ Assessor: Maya Kalinowska
Young Carers’ Assessment Team, Amundsen House, Compass Point Business Park
18 Stocks Bridge Way, St Ives, PE27 5JL
Email: youngcarers@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Tel: 01480 372798 or 01480 727964
Website:www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/info/20076/children_and_families_practitioners_and_providers_information/370/providing_children_and_families_services/9
Total Voice. A new advocacy service for adults, carers, and children and young people who are looked after or are in need. The service can support with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, autism, mental ill-health, sensory impairments, social of health care needs and NHS health complaints.
Find out more at http://www.totalvoicecp.org
Useful Websites For Parents
http://www.childnet.com/
https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/
https://www.internetmatters.org/
https://ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/
https://www.iwf.org.uk/
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
http://parentinfo.org/articles/all
https://www.childline.org.uk/toolbox/calm-zone/
Kooth www.kooth.com
Children and young people in Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire can now get free online emotional and mental health support using a website called kooth.com. If you are aged between 10 and 25 and registered with a Cambridgeshire or Hertfordshire GP surgery, you can sign up, choose an avatar (an online character) to represent you anonymously and have an online chat with a counsellor or therapist.
Advice and support for parents
Advice from the NHS
Support services for young people
01708 765200
SupportLine provides a confidential telephone helpline offering emotional support to any individual on any issue. The Helpline is primarily a preventative service and aims to support people before they reach the point of crisis. It is particularly aimed at those who are socially isolated, vulnerable, at risk groups and victims of any form of abuse. SupportLine is a member of the Helplines Association. SupportLine also provides support by email and post.
Private online counselling
Core Purpose:
To know all our students and treat them as individuals. To provide a wide variety of opportunities and experiences through a personalised curriculum and support. To ensure rapid and sustained progress within a kind, caring and close family environment. To nurture individuals to have high aspirations, a love of learning and to become confident, responsible and independent members of society prepared for life and work in the 21st century.
SAFEGUARDING NEWSLETTER
Please see below the first of our termly Safeguarding newsletters.
Safeguarding Newsletter 1
DOMESTIC ABUSE HELPLINES AND SUPPORT
As reported in the press, there has been a significant rise in cases of Domestic Abuse during the Covid19 outbreak. There are a number of additional support provisions for families affected by this. The PDF downloads from Chums and Cambridge Women’s Aid provide useful advice and contact details: CHUMS-Duty-Line-2020-1 (1)
The National Domestic Abuse Helpline continues to operate 24/7 on 0808 2000 247. There is a form you can complete online and they will call you back at a safe time https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/Contact-us
Women’s Aid online chat: https://chat.womensaid.org.uk/
Men’s Advice line, for male victims: https://mensadviceline.org.uk/
Domestic Violence (Male) Advice and Enquiry Line: 0808 801 0327
Men Reaching Out Email: menreachingout1@gmail.com
Locally, Outreach Services are still available too:
Cambridge City/East Cambs/South Cambs 01223 361214
Fenland/Hunts/Peterborough 07787 255821
For support around sexual violence – National Rape Crisis is still available and they also have online chat https://rapecrisis.org.uk/
The Elms Sexual Assault Referral Centre: https://www.theelmssarc.org/
Tel: 0800 193 5434 (24 hour)
Bright Sky is a free to download mobile app, launched in partnership with the Vodafone Foundation, providing support and information to anyone who may be in an abusive relationship or those concerned about someone they know.
https://www.hestia.org/brightsky
And for victims the police advise to phone on 999 if it is an emergency, and if unable to speak at that time, press 55 after the automated message. The call will then be transferred to your local police and callers will be given further instructions
Breaking Barriers
The Ormiston Families project Breaking Barriers, which supports children who have a parent or other close family member in prison, are still able to provide support using remote intervention practices.
To access support, please follow the link below.
https://www.ormiston.org/what-we-do/working-with-families-affected-by-offending/breaking-barriers/