The School Attendance, Exclusions and Community Learning Team includes Education Safeguarding and the role of the Lead Safeguarding Officer for Schools/Colleges which covers Hoyle Nursery, Schools, Colleges and Alternative Providers across the Bury landscape.
The Lead Officer for Safeguarding Schools/Colleges provides information, advice and guidance to schools/colleges (including Children’s Centres and extended services within schools) in dealing with safeguarding issues and ensuring that they are meeting their statutory duties by:
- Assisting schools in making an effective contribution to planning co-ordinated services to meet the needs of children for safeguarding including involvement in the Bury Safeguarding Children's Partnership (BSCP) and its sub-groups.
- Forming positive relationships with DSLs and holding DSL forums every half term,inviting multi-agency partnerships to provide IAG and support, as well as sharing good practice.• Providing Safeguarding and Child Protection training and DSL training.
- Link school/college staff with the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO),Named Senior Officers, Senior Managers and staff of all BSCP constituent agencies; relevant BSCP subgroup(s); staff of Children’s Services; Police, Elected Members voluntary organisations, service users, families and carers.
- Providing support and guidance, partnership working with other agencies,casework, legal issues and complaints.
- To develop/strengthen links between Schools/Colleges, Social Care, Education and other partner agencies ensuring relevant information is shared taking into consideration data sharing policies to best safeguard children and young people.
- To provide support and assistance to the Local Authority Designated Officer(LADO) in respect of in managing allegations/low level concerns with regards to professionals who come into contact with children and young people in schools/colleges/APs.
- In order to address city-wide safeguarding needs effectively, the team takes asignificant and active role on behalf of the Leeds Education sector on the following multi-agency panels and groups: Channel Panel; Multi Agency Child Exploitation (MACE); Domestic Abuse Forum; Local Authority Designated Officer(LADO) Forum; Vulnerable Children's Groups; and independent review panels as required e.g. Local Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (previously known as Serious Case Reviews) and Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP).
- The team works closely with Ofsted, The DfE, Safer Recruitment Consortium and CAPE - Child Protection in Education.• This close working takes place to ensure that up to date, high quality safeguarding advice, support and quality assurance is available to schools and other educational settings in Bury.
Quality assurance
The team quality assures safeguarding policies and arrangements in education settings and ensure compliance of safeguarding arrangements with local protocols. The Education Safeguarding team use the learning from the returns to inform the LSCP of the quality of safeguarding practice in schools and education settings.
In addition, we offer schools and other education settings a safeguarding audit. These audits can provide evidence for inspection purposes through an excellent high support and high challenge approach. Additionally, if any safeguarding issues are identified through an external review, the team may insist on carrying out a safeguarding audit.
Senior leadership support :
The team provide support with managing allegations against staff and attendance at Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) strategy meetings.
LADO - LOCAL AUTHORITY DESIGNATED OFFICER:
If you have concerns about the behaviour/conduct of a staff member working with children including volunteers/contractors please follow your School / College Whistle blowing Procedures,please liaise with your headteacher, Chair of Governors / Trustee or the LADO - Mark Gay Telephone: 0161-253-6168 Mobile: 07583-877-250.
A reminder about the four thresholds for LADO criteria:That someone who works with children may have:
- Behaved in a way that has harmed, or may have harmed a child
- Possibly committed a criminal offence against children, or related to a child
- Behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they may pose a risk to children
- Behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicates they may be unsuitable to work with children
EARLY HELP: Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 (with an update in February 2024) statutory guidance promotes and re-emphasis's the need to support children and families at the earliest opportunity. Providing Early Help is more effective in promoting the welfare of children than reacting later. Early Help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child’s life, from the foundation years through to the teenage years. Our Early Help Strategy sets out our approach in Bury and our overarching commitment and strategic aim to respond earlier to the needs of children and their families to prevent the need for higher level statutory interventions.
EARLY HELP HUBS:
Bury East Locality Team (including Tottington and Ramsbottom) Telephone: 0161-253-5200 Whitefield Locality Team (including Prestwich) Telephone: 0161-253-5200
Radcliffe Locality Team Telephone: 0161-253 7465/7468
MULTI-AGENCY SAFEGUARDING HUB:
The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) service is a single point of access in Bury for all safeguarding concerns across all service areas for children and adults with support needs. The MASH consists of representatives from the Bury Council's adult safeguarding and Children's Social Care Departments working alongside the Police, Health,Education, Early Help, Children's Youth Justice Service, Early Help Officers, CAMHS,Mental Health Support Team and MASH Education.
Social workers within the (MASH) undertake initial screening /safeguarding checks to determine the level of need or safeguard. This is in line with the Children's Act 1989 and 2004, Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) and Bury Council's Continuum of Need and Thresholds Guidance. This is including information sharing, information gathering, risk assessing and analysis and decision making.
MASH - Contact the Bury Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub - 0161-253-5811 during office hours - 8:45am - 5:00pm childwellbeing@bury.gov.uk
EDT - Contact the Emergency Duty Team - 0161- 253-6606 outside of working hours childwellbeing@bury.gov.uk
MASH form:
online form on the Bury Council website
Emergency:
If a child is in immediate danger, you should contact the Emergency Services - 999 or Greater Manchester Police - 0161 872 5050.
Not an emergency:
If there is no immediate danger, or you need advice or information, you can either telephone the MASH on 0161 253 5678 (outside normal office hours 0161 253 6606) or complete the online form on the Bury Council website
If a child is in immediate danger, you should contact the Police on 999. If you require the Police for a non urgent matter please dial 101.
As part of the Education Safeguarding Service, our team ensure that support is designed to make sure all children have access to education and that any barriers to learning are identified and removed. We are also able to help children and families identify and engage with support, where it is needed.
Education Safeguarding offers a range of high-quality services to support schools/colleges/academy trusts and Alternative Providers in meeting their statutory duties and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Backed by a team of experts, we ensure that all schools/colleges, trust leaders, staff, governors, and trustees have the tools they need to effectively safeguard every child and young person and to maintain a strong safeguarding culture within their setting