The Governing Body of Olchfa responds to the objective of keeping children and young people safe by:

• creating and maintaining a safe learning environment for children and young people
• identifying where there are child wellbeing concerns and taking action to address them, where appropriate, in partnership with other agencies
• ensuring that children are listened to if they are expressing concerns
• the development of children’s understanding, awareness and resilience through the curriculum

The Governing Body recognises that achieving this objective requires a system designed to:

• prevent unsuitable people from working with children and young people
• promote safe practice and challenge poor and unsafe practice
• identify incidents in which there are grounds for concern about a child’s welfare, and initiate or take appropriate action to keep them safe
• contribute to effective partnership working between all those involved in providing services for children and young people

Governors and staff in Olchfa will work together with other agencies in order to achieve the above objective.

At Olchfa the health, safety and wellbeing of all children is of paramount importance. Parents send their children to school each day with the expectation that the school will provide a secure environment in which their children can flourish. The Governing Body and school staff, therefore, make every effort to ensure that this expectation becomes a reality. In order to do this, and acknowledging the scope of safeguarding, a wide range of measures and policies have been put in place.

Olchfa recognises the value of early intervention and prevention services in order to safeguard and promote the wellbeing of children. We are committed to working collaboratively with families and early intervention services. It is essential that regular communication with families is maintained to identify, as early as possible, when other services may be able to offer support. The Governing Body and school staff will work with families to make appropriate and timely referrals for early intervention services.