Safeguarding

At Halesowen College we’re passionate about safeguarding our students. We believe that we have a moral as well as a statutory duty to ensure that we safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk of harm in our care.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility and everyone who comes into contact with children and their families and carers has a role to play in safeguarding children. In order to fulfil this responsibility, all our professionals are trained to make sure that their approach is child-centered.

We commit to:

• Provide a safe environment for children, young people and adults at risk of harm to learn in
• Identify those who are suffering or are likely to suffer significant harm or who are at risk of radicalisation
• Take appropriate action to see that students are kept safe at College and also that disclosures of potential abuse occurring at home or elsewhere are reported appropriately
• Report allegations of modern slavery and/or human trafficking in accordance with guidance
• Have a system for identifying concerns in relation to abuse of adults at risk of harm and effective methods of responding to disclosures
• Refer concerns that a child, young person or adult at risk of significant harm or might be at risk of significant harm to the appropriate referral agencies
• Work effectively with others as required by ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ 2023
• Listen to the voice of a child and always act in the interest of the child
• Appoint a Designated Senior Person for child protection
• Ensure appropriate safeguarding responses for children who go missing from College
• Have safeguarding policies and procedures that are consistent with the local Safeguarding Children Board requirements, reviewed annually and made available to parents
• Take a zero-tolerance approach to child-on-child abuse, sexual violence and sexual harassment ensuring that when this is reported the victim is believed, kept safe and that the report is managed as required by Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024
• Identify and respond to mental health issues where there may also be a safeguarding concern in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024
• Educate our students to enable them to recognise safeguarding concerns to keep themselves and others safe 
• We are an ‘Operation Encompass’ college, this is a police and education early information safeguarding partnership, sharing of information enables appropriate support to be given, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.