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Safeguarding Roles and Responsibilities

Trustees

TB - accountable for setting academy level policy in relation to safeguarding children and young people in line with Trust and statutory requirements, including appointing a suitably trained designated safeguarding lead (DSL), and monitor the effectiveness of this (SoD)

TB - accountable and responsible for Nominating Lead Trustee for Safeguarding and SEND (SoD)

The Outcomes Committee has responsibility for the oversight of Trust processes relating to safeguarding: Oversight of safeguarding arrangements, including training and issues relating to the Prevent agenda (SoD)

Academy Community Councils

ACCs have no formal responsibility for ensuring effective safeguarding of children

They should familiarise themselves with safeguarding procedures and policies and always prioritise the safeguarding of children and young people, accepting that safeguarding is always everyone’s business (SoD)

CEO (delegated to trust strategic lead)

Responsible for: Setting trust-wide policy and guidance in relation to safeguarding children and young people in line with statutory requirements and monitor its effectiveness (SoD)

Consulted on: Setting academy level policy in relation to safeguarding children and young people in line with Trust and statutory requirements, including appointing a suitably trained designated safeguarding lead (DSL), and monitoring the effectiveness of this (SoD)

Setting the strategic vision for safeguarding across the trust

Line management of RSLs

Ensuring mechanisms are in place to ensure safeguarding is effective, including through internal and external evaluation

Oversight of safeguarding data and other information in order to plan a strategic response to identified priorities and/or themes.

Reporting to trustees on the effectiveness of safeguarding practice across the trust.

Regional Directors

Work closely with RSLs to understand the effectiveness of safeguarding in each school

Support RSLs in leading identified improvements, including through line management of headteachers

Engage with RSLs to develop their understanding of the wider context of each school and to support navigation of serious incidents, complaints and allegations

Contribute to safeguarding monitoring activities (particularly the SG&C review), and any necessary accountability follow up

Alongside HR, involvement in the quality assurance of allegation investigations, outcomes and reports when the LADO is involved

Regional Safeguarding Leads

Provide challenge to academies (D/DSLs and headteachers) and ensure they are held accountable for the quality of their safeguarding work

Carry out monitoring activities and formulate evaluations of practice

Provide guidance, advice, training and support (including supervision where appropriate) across the trust (including for headteachers, D/DSLs and central colleagues).

Contribute to the analysis of data to set priorities for improvement and development

Contribute to the development of trust wide policy in relation to safeguarding to ensure compliance with national guidance

Sharing information with various parties, including the strategic lead, regional directors, HR, headteachers, trust SLT, including in relation to serious incidents

Contribute to discussions and decision making in relation to allegations about staff and low level concerns

Contribute to compliance of SCR and safer recruitment practices

Maintain and develop own knowledge of safeguarding

HR Regional Managers

Ensure compliance with safer recruitment requirements, through all phases of recruitment

Ensure new colleagues understand their safeguarding responsibilities including through the induction process

Ensure an effective Code of Conduct is created and disseminated

Ensure recruiting managers are safer recruitment trained

Ensure an accurate and compliant Single Central Record is in place for all schools and for central colleagues

Monitor accuracy of Single Central Records in allocated schools

Deliver Safer Recruitment training (jointly with RSLs) and offer advice as required

Ensure all colleagues undertake mandatory safeguarding training

Take a lead role in supporting headteachers and investigating officers with allegations and low level concerns, ensuring thorough and legally compliant procedures

Support headteachers in liaising with external agencies, including the LADO, TRA and DBS, in relation to allegations

Contribute to staff wellbeing by providing support mechanisms for staff dealing with safeguarding incidents, including emotional wellbeing coaching.

Operations Manager & Regional IT Manager

Support and advise on the implementation of the filtering and monitoring software.

To report online-safety related issues that come to their attention to the DSL and our Trust’s Central IT team

Keep up to date with our Trust’s Online Safety Policy and technical information in order to effectively carry out their online safety role and to inform and update others as relevant

Liaise with relevant staff to see how the online-safety curriculum can complement the academy IT system and vice versa, and ensure no conflicts between educational messages and practice.

Work closely with the designated safeguarding lead academy Data Protection Ambassador to ensure that academy systems and networks reflect academy policy

Ensure the above stakeholders understand the consequences of existing services and of any changes to these systems (especially in terms of access to personal and sensitive records / data) and to systems such as YouTube mode, web filtering settings, sharing permissions for files on cloud platforms etc

Maintain up-to-date documentation of the academy’s online security and technical procedures

Manage the academy’s systems, networks and devices, according to a strict password policy, with systems in place for detection of misuse and malicious attack, with adequate protection, encryption and backup for data, including disaster recovery plans, and auditable access controls

Support the HT and DSL team as they review protections for pupils in the home and remote-learning procedures, rules and safeguards

Ensure appropriate arrangements are in place for keeping children safe when school facilities are hired out or leased

Executive Head Teachers

Contribute to the trust’s accountability framework, providing appropriate challenge and support to headteachers/heads of school to fulfill their safeguarding responsibilities.

Hold Headteachers and Heads of Schools accountable for the monitoring and evaluation of safeguarding practices (including ensuring that they are completing the agreed checks)

Headteachers & Heads of School (School Leader)

Headteachers and Heads of School (School Leader)

Responsible for ensuring effective mechanisms are in place to safeguard pupils and to appropriately handle child protection concerns.(including those emerging through IT monitoring and filtering). This will include appointing a properly trained designated safeguarding lead member of staff (SoD)

Responsible for setting academy level policy in relation to safeguarding children and young people in line with Trust and statutory requirements, including appointing a suitably trained designated safeguarding lead (DSL), and monitor the effectiveness of this (SoD)

Responsible for ensuring that Health and Safety regulations are followed including regular audits (SoD)

Responsible for implementing the Health and Safety Policy approved by Trust Board and undertake risk assessments in accordance with that policy (SoD)

Responsibility for ensuring all aspects of the academy’s work are compliant with statutory requirements in relation to safeguarding in its broadest sense, including through carrying out the agreed checks

Ensure safeguarding policies and procedures are adopted and followed by all adults

Ensure all adults in school are appropriately trained, including mandatory training specified by the trust (this responsibility can be delegated to the DSL but must be overseen by the HT)

Oversee and quality assure the work of the safeguarding team & DSL, including regularly reviewing patterns, trends and planning appropriate strategic actions

Monitor and evaluate all aspects of the school’s safeguarding work, including the curriculum, and use this to plan improvements

Ensure the safeguarding team has appropriate expertise and capacity to respond to levels of need

Ensure safeguarding team participate in planned/scheduled supervision

Ensure compliance of SCR and safer recruitment practices

Ensure allegations about members of staff are dealt with in accordance with statutory requirements and trust policy

Ensure the curriculum for safeguarding is well designed to respond to local and national risks

Ensure appropriate arrangements are in place for keeping children safe when school facilities are hired out or leased

DSL & DDSL

Operational day-to-day:

Effective management of safeguarding and child protection cases, including online safety (including monitoring and filtering) and early help provision

Provide training, support and advice to colleagues

Strategy meetings/discussions; inter-agency meetings

Contribute to the assessment of children

Liaise with attendance lead, behaviour lead, SENCo and mental health lead regarding potential safeguarding patterns and concerns.

Share relevant information with appropriate agencies and parties, inline with ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ statutory guidance

DSL only:

Must be a member of SLT, attending appropriate meetings

Make provision for the DDSLs’ supervision

Co-ordinate and quality assure the work of DDSLs

Gather and analyse information in relation to safeguarding, and use this to plan and implement necessary strategic improvements (including shaping the curriculum including online safety), and to ensure compliance with statutory requirements

Frontline Colleagues

Follow academy’s policy and procedures in respect to all aspects of safeguarding (including whistleblowing if necessary)

Maintain secure knowledge in relation to safeguarding policy and procedures, including through attending training as directed by the DSL/HT

Seek advice and support from DSL and/or headteacher as needed

Mental Health Lead

Maintain a secure up-to-date knowledge of mental health issues.

Lead and co-ordinate the academy’s approach to mental health, including the offer for whole cohorts and individual pupils, as well as parents and staff.

Liaise with attendance lead, behaviour lead, SENCo and DSL regarding potential mental health patterns and referrals.

Co-op Academy Penny Oaks

Co-op Academy Penny Oaks

Safeguarding Roles and Responsibilities