Safeguarding - Torquay Academy

Listen

The Safeguarding Team are here to listen to and help not only the students at Torquay Academy but their families as well. We work closely with agencies accessing support and resources.

We live in a rapidly changing world. Our young people face challenges and dangers from the Internet and social media that, as adults, we find hard to understand and often not even aware of. We work to inform, educate and protect your children.

Please do not hesitate to contact the team if you require any further information. There is nothing more important to us than safeguarding and protecting the students at Torquay Academy.

To e-mail the Child Protection Team at Torquay Academy please click on this link – cp@tqacademy.co.uk

It is also possible to contact Mr Margetts or the Chair of Governors directly via the school.

Child friendly safeguarding policy

CPOMS

CPOMS is a safeguarding, wellbeing, and pastoral management software system that allows Torquay Academy to track incidents, record the actions taken and monitor progress.

The platform provides secure recording of child information, creating a chronological history around each student.

Access to CPOMS is controlled. All information is stored securely in CPOMS.

Information sharing between agencies supporting young people:

A lot of work has been done within the Local Authority since September 2014 to develop cooperation between various agencies working to support children and young people in the Bay. Schools are now supported by the Torbay Education Safeguarding Service (TESS) and the CAMHS Primary Mental Health Workers based in schools. Working closely with Social Care and other partners such as the police and health, this support is helping us to ensure we can support our pupils when there are additional needs, and ultimately improve outcomes for them.

In that context, we have been asked by TESS to put out the information in the first paragraph below and by CAMHS to circulate the second.

Information from the Police and Social Care:

“Torbay Education Safeguarding Service is a newly developed service working in partnership with schools to promote the welfare of children and young people, and to ensure they are safe from harm.

As part of their work they will receive information from partner agencies, such as the police and social care. If it is considered in the interest of the child or young person, this information will be shared with the school.

If information is shared, this will be in accordance with the key principles of the Data Protection Act and be on a need to know basis, and will only occur to help schools protect and promote the welfare of your son or daughter. When there is any sharing of information, schools should discuss this with you to enable a partnership approach to meeting the needs of your son or daughter.

If you have any questions about the service please ask your school, or telephone the Torbay Education Safeguarding Service 01803 393857.

There is also information on the CEOP website – https://www.ceop.police.uk/ and http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

Lucy Faithfull Foundation

Lucy Faithfull Foundation believes that child sexual abuse is preventable and that we can have a society where children are free from sexual abuse and exploitation. Our purpose is to safeguard children and young people from sexual abuse by preventing it and responding to it.

Please use this link to view a guidance pack for parents that has been put together: A guide for parents of children and young people who have got in trouble online

Operation Encompass

Operation Encompass is a Police and Education early intervention safeguarding partnership which supports children and young people exposed to domestic abuse. Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools before the start of the next school day when a child or young person has been involved or exposed to a domestic abuse incident the previous evening.

This knowledge, given to the school’s trained Key Adult allows the provision of immediate early intervention through overt or silent support, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child. Click on the link below for further information.

http://www.operationencompass.org/

For further information about Operation Encompass, please click here

Information from CAMHS:

“Torbay Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service has been commissioned to provide a school based Primary Mental Health Work team which will be working in partnership with schools to promote the welfare, emotional and mental health and wellbeing for children and young people. As part of our work we will receive information from school staff and partner agencies, such as the police and social care. If it is considered in the interest of the child or young person, this information will be shared with the school.

If you have any questions about the service please contact the school.”