Safeguarding
My name is Anna Hopley and I am the Safeguarding and Welfare Officer at Over Hall Community School. I am here to help families with issues that are not necessarily seen as educational but could have a significant impact on children and their learning. These could be things such as:
School Issues
Behaviour
Family and Parenting
Housing and Debt management
Food Vouchers
Medical
TAF Lead
General advice
I might be able to offer support directly, or may be able to direct you towards other organisations or professionals that can help you. It is also possible for me to accompany you to meetings.
If you are having any concerns or require any support or assistance please do not hesitate in contacting me at the school via telephone 01606 663650 or via email ahopley@overhall.cheshire.sch.uk
Mrs Anna Hopley
Safeguarding & Welfare Officer
Safeguarding
At Over Hall Community School we want all our children to feel safe and secure so that they can grow, thrive and achieve their best.
We believe that keeping children safe is the responsibility of everybody.
We teach the children that we are a ‘Listening and Supportive School’ and that we will always listen carefully to them. We regularly ask our children if they feel safe at school and receive a resounding yes and work together on any areas for improvement.
We also teach the children that we are a ‘Telling School’. Bullies rely on people standing by and keeping quiet, we encourage our children to tell a trusted adult so that we can work together to keep everyone safe. We deliver key messages through our One Decision part of the curriculum and also key focusses throughout the year.
If you have any concerns about the safety or well-being of a child in our school, please talk to one of our Safeguarding Leads.
Mrs Anna Hopley - Safeguarding Lead and welfare
Mrs Claire Edgeley - Deputy Safeguarding Lead and Headteacher
Mrs Laura Ackerley- Deputy Safeguarding Lead and SENDcO
Mrs Kath Shephard - Safeguarding Trustee
All staff members receive appropriate Safeguarding training on a regular basis. This training is delivered by Anna Hopley, Safeguarding and Welfare, so it is part of all staff members' induction and tailored to our school.
For our whole school staff PREVENT training, we use the home office portal
Prevent duty training: Learn how to support people susceptible to radicalisation | Prevent duty training (support-people-vulnerable-to-radicalisation.service.gov.uk) This ensures that we extend a duty of care to all pupils to prevent them being drawn into extremist behaviour and is part of our safeguarding remit.
For further information please see: http://www.educateagainsthate.com
which is a very useful website for parents and teachers
Please see the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding policy for further information or ask any of our Safeguarding Leads – remember we are here to help!
Below is a list of numbers you can call for help and advice for a range of issues:
IART (integrated access and referral) 0300 123 7047 Option 1 for concerns about a child Option 2 for domestic abuse service
Child Line – 0800 1111
NSPCC (anonymous referral) - 0808 800 5000
Starting well (school nurses and health visitors) 01606555285
Muir Housing – 0300 1231222
Weaver Vale Housing Trust -01606813300
Police (non-emergency ) - 101
RASASC – Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre - 01925 221546 or 01244 907710
Domestic Violence (Women’s Aid) 0808 2000 247 or 0117 944 44 11
Salvation Army – 01606 552168
ManKind Initiative - 01823 334244
West Cheshire homes- West Cheshire Homes Scheme (housingjigsaw.co.uk)
E-SAFETY
TOP TIPS:
How can I make my connected home more secure?
There things you can do to help make your connected home safer for your child:
- Do your research:Research different products online and read reviews. This is a great way to find out more about a product including age restrictions and credibility, as well as hearing directly from other parents.
- Read the manual:Read the manual provided by the manufacturers. Information should be given about the privacy of the device, how it connects to the internet, and information about any app which may need to be downloaded in order to use the device.
- Set up parental controls:Make use of the parental controls available on your home broadband and any internet enabled device in your home. You can find out more about how to use parental controls by visiting your broadband provider’s website.
- Use safe search:Enable the ‘SafeSearch’ function on your connected device and web search engines. This will allow you to limit the material your child can see when online. It is important to understand that no parental control or ‘SafeSearch’ function is 100% effective. This cannot be used alone to protect your child from accessing age-inappropriate material.
- Change the default password:When you buy a connected device or toy, change the default password. Use a strong password that cannot easily be guessed and do not share this with others.
- Set your Bluetooth to ‘undiscoverable’:Many connected devices are Bluetooth enabled. This means they are able to connect to nearby devices without having to connect to the internet. If the device has Bluetooth, set this to ‘undiscoverable’ so your child doesn’t share data or pair with an unknown device.
- Review and/or delete audio files:Some connected devices or toys work by listening to your child’s voice commands, so these devices usually record and keep these audio files to work properly. Refer to the manual and find out how to review and/or delete audio files. If there’s a microphone on your child’s connected device, you can turn on the ‘mute’ button. This will stop the device from recording and storing audio files.
- Talk to your child:Include connected devices in your online safety conversations, reinforcing the message that if your child sees or hears anything that makes them feel worried, they can speak to you or another adult they trust. Read further information on starting the conversation about online safety.
- Supervise your child:If your child is primary school aged, supervise them when they are online or using a connected device. You should keep the connected devices your child uses in communal areas of the home such as in the kitchen or living room.
Useful links to help you
Gaming: what parents need to know
Some information that you might find helpful -
TAF - Team Around the Family guide for parents and carers.
CAMHS - The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service out of hours advice line
CAMHS have launched a new out-of-hours advice line for people living in the Cheshire and Wirral area. The advice line is open to everyone, (children, young people, relatives, teachers, other professionals), and allows people to talk to a mental health professional if they are concerned or would like advice about a child or young person’s mental health.
You can call the Advice Line on 01244 397644: 5-10pm (Mon-Fri) and 12 – 8pm (Saturday and Sunday)