Safeguarding in Education & the Early Years
A core function of our service is to support the development of safeguarding practices within education provisions (0-25) across Halton.
Indeed, the role of schools in safeguarding children is set out clearly in HM Government guidance:
Each school & early years provision must have a Designated Safeguarding Lead to support the school/ provision and staff in safeguarding awareness and procedures. They should also have safeguarding policies.
Our service provides professional advice and support to senior leaders around Education Safeguarding. In addition to providing useful resources, model policies and professional advice and guidance, the key focus of the service is to ensure settings are fulfilling their statutory requirements in relation to safeguarding compliance. We work to achieve this via a combination of audit tools, working with senior leaders and sharing best practice.
Child Criminal Exploitation
What is Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)?
CCE stands for Child Criminal Exploitation. The NSPCC provide a very simple definition – ‘CCE is when a child is manipulated and coerced into committing crime’.
Child Criminal Exploitation, it is increasingly being recognised as a major factor behind crime in communities across Halton and the UK, while also simultaneously victimising vulnerable young people and leaving them at risk of harm.
CCE often occurs without the victim being aware that they are being exploited and involves young people being encouraged, cajoled or threatened to carry out crime for the benefit of others. In return they are offered friendship or peer acceptance, but also cigarettes , drugs (especially cannabis), alcohol or even food and accommodation.
Victims of CCE are often fearful of getting into trouble themselves – for the very actions they have been exploited into carrying out – so it can also be difficult to get these young people to come forward and speak out about their situation.
The crime could be anything – however, we will focus on when children are exploited to deal drugs on behalf of others, otherwise known as county lines.
What are ‘county lines’?
County lines is the police term for urban gangs supplying drugs to suburban areas and market and coastal towns using dedicated mobile phone lines or “deal lines”. It involves child criminal exploitation (CCE) as gangs use children and vulnerable people to move drugs and money. Gangs establish a base in the market location, typically by taking over the homes of local vulnerable adults by force or coercion in a practice referred to as ‘cuckooing’.
Further detail including strategy and tools for child exploitations can be sourced through All Age Exploitation – Halton Safeguarding Children Partnership
Missing
Going missing is a dangerous activity. A child or young person who goes missing just once faces the same immediate risks as those faced by a child or young person who regularly goes missing. However, children who go missing when they are young, and/or more frequently are more likely to face longer-term problems.
The Pan Cheshire Missing Children Protocol has been created to provide a joined up multi agency response to children and young people who are missing or have gone missing from home and care.
pan-cheshire-missing-from-home-protocol-2023-2024.pdf
Schools are represented on the HSCP by representatives from the primary, secondary and special school sectors as well a representation from the independent and further education sector; this important representation enables the Partnership to take into account schools’ perspectives when agreeing local priorities, strategies, policies and procedures; and when identifying training needs to develop the HSCP multi-agency training strategy and annual training plan.
It is vital to ensure that Halton’s schools and colleges can demonstrate that they are meeting key statutory duties and following guidance for safeguarding children and young people.
Section 175 of the 2002 Education Act requires local education authorities and the governing bodies of maintained schools and FE colleges to make arrangements to ensure that their functions are carried out with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Section 157 of the 2002 Education Act and the Independent School Regulations 2003 convey the same responsibilities on all other non-maintained settings.
Awaiting S175 doc
The role of your Safeguarding Children In Education (SCIE) Officer is to support you in your statutory duty to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements in school settings.
Should you need to contact please email james.jordan@halton.gov.uk
This audit is completed biennially by early years and childcare providers as part of Section 11 of the Children’s Act (2004). The audit is used by settings to monitor, review and evaluate their safeguarding policies and procedures, and ensure the maximum effectiveness of safeguarding in their care. Furthermore, the responses from Early Years practitioners and childminders completing this form assists in developing appropriate training and support for safeguarding and child protection.
This is what the Audit platform looks like.
The role of your Early Years Safeguarding Welfare Officer is to support you in your statutory duty to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
Should you need to contact please email early.years@halton.gov.uk
Operation Encompass is a police and education early information sharing partnership enabling schools, nurseries & preschools to offer immediate support for children and young people experiencing domestic abuse. Information is shared by the police with the trained Key Adult (DSL) prior to the start of the next working day after officers have attended a domestic abuse incident thus enabling appropriate support to be given, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.
Children experiencing domestic abuse are negatively impacted by this exposure; domestic abuse can lead to emotional, physical and psychological harm. Operation Encompass aims to mitigate this harm by enabling immediate support, making a child’s day better and giving them a better tomorrow.
Operation Encompass ensures there is a simple phone call or notification, to a trained member of staff, before a child arrives at the setting. The call or notification is triggered by police recently attending the child’s home or being involved in a domestic abuse incident, that the child has experienced.
Some children and young people have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).
If you think your child has special educational needs or a disability, speak to the professionals already working with your family, such as your health visitor, child’s teacher or GP. They can help you to get the support you may need.
What support is available?
Find out more about Halton’s SEND Local Offer – education, health and social care services and support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) from birth to 25.