The term safeguarding refers to promoting the welfare of children, young people and protected adults.

Safeguarding is much wider than Child Protection and it encompasses protecting from maltreatment, preventing impairment of their health or development, ensuring that they are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children, young people and protected adults to have the best outcome.

Child protection is part of this definition and refers to activities undertaken to prevent children suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm - this is often a reactive process. We have a distinctive approach to safeguarding in Scotland linked to GIRFEC, which promotes action to improve the wellbeing of every child and young person - these are proactive processes. Safeguarding is a golden thread that runs through the curriculum.

The aim is to support the development of learner’s knowledge, skills and resilience to keep themselves safe and protect themselves and to develop an understanding of the world so that they can respond to a range of issues and potential risky situations arising throughout their lives. As such, it permeates many features of the education experience including leadership, values, vision, the curriculum, learning and teaching, positive relationships, building learner resilience, etc.

The various sections of this website explores all we do at St Machar Academy to Get it Right and Safeguard every young person in our school community.

St Machar Academy has an over-arching Safeguarding Policy, which is updated on a regular basis to ensure we are always working within the context of local and national best-practice and legislation.