Safeguarding

What is Early Help?

Early Help is the support we give to children and families as soon as problems start. By giving  help quickly we can stop little problems becoming big problems which are harder to fix. 

We will help you put a plan together and then set up a Family Plan Review meeting. We will bring along other services who might be able to help you.

We work with families to help them get the most out of family life, be healthier, achieve, be safe, and enjoy their lives together.

A ‘My Family Plan’ is nothing to be worried about, it's just a conversation to work out how to stop small challenges becoming big challenges.

It'll cover things like:

• what's going well

• what you're worried about

• what changes you've tried to make in the past

• who offers you help and support

• how we (the school) can help you

We'll also talk to your children to understand how they're feeling and find out if there's anything they think they might want help with.

Some of the problems we help families with include:

• drug and alcohol issues

• domestic abuse

• mental health issues

• money and housing problems

• bereavement

• relationship problems

• children's health, development, behaviour, and progress at school

All families are entitled to Early Help support.  You can ask us for support yourself by contacting:

Mrs Kendra Lewis - Safeguarding Administrator

Phone: 01642 326262 Ext. 4345

Email: klewis@unitycityacademy.org

The Prevent Strategy is to assist our young people to become more resilient to the messages of violent extremists through creating an environment where all young people learn to understand others, value and appreciate diversity and develop skills to be able to debate and analyse effectively. Through the balanced curriculum we offer we will help young people learn and explore the values of different faiths and cultures. We are committed to working with the local partnerships working on preventing violent extremism. Staff will be supported should they make any disclosures in this regard and are reminded that they can make a disclosure through the group’s Whistleblowing Policy. Further information in regards to the governments Prevent Strategy can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-strategy-2011

Cleveland Police   Launched Operation Encompass in Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland on 1st October.  Operation Encompass was created so that by 9.00 a.m. on the next school day, a nominated person (Key Adult) will be informed that the child or young person has been involved in a domestic incident. This knowledge, given to schools through Operation Encompass, allows the provision of immediate early intervention through ‘silent’ or ‘overt’ support, depending upon the needs and wishes of the child. Further information in regards to the governments Operation Encompass Strategy can be found at https://www.operationencompass.org

Below is a link to a website which is a great place for parents to obtain accurate, high quality, accessible and impartial information, along with advice and guidance on services and activities in our local area for children, young people and families.   

http://fis.middlesbrough.gov.uk/kb5/middlesbrough/fsd/home.page

E-Safety is at the top of our agenda, but our approach is a positive one. We don’t try to stop students using interactive technologies, but put a huge amount of effort into ensuring that they know how to do so safely. We use materials prepared by the Child Exploitation and On-line Protection Agency (CEOP) and deliver E-Safety lessons to all students. We also offer E-Safety awareness raising information to parents and our partner primary schools. 

Advice for Students

Being online and using the internet is just like being in the real world – you can chat to people, play games and share pictures. But sometimes things happen which can make you upset. People may say nasty things to you which upset you, or you may see something that you don’t like. If this happens, you must remember that it’s not your fault. 

• ALWAYS TELL A TRUSTED ADULT straight away if you are upset or worried about something that has happened online

• Remember to SAVE ANY MESSAGES that have upset you so you can show them to the person you tell – they will be able to help, and they will be able to give  you good              advice about what else you can do.

• Never worry about getting in trouble – you aren't the one who has done anything wrong.

• If you don’t want to talk to a trusted adult, you may want to chat to someone else about how you feel.

• THERE4ME IS A SITE WHERE YOU CAN HAVE A PRIVATE ONE-TO-ONE CHAT with someone from the children’s charity NSPCC. You can also CALL CHILDLINE FREE ON 0800 1111. You can talk to someone in private and it won’t show up on your phone bill.

Personal Information

• Be careful what information you put on the internet and who can see it. Use a nickname online and privacy settings. This can help keep you safe.

• Don’t give out personal information such as email addresses, home or school addresses or mobile phone numbers to people you do not know.

• Only post photographs you would be happy with your parents/carers seeing and make sure they don’t show addresses. Photographs you post can be copied  and sent to other people meaning you are not in control of them.

• Don’t share your passwords and log in details as people could access your information without your permission.

Internet Safety

• Some sites include inappropriate content like pornography, violence, racism, sexism and gambling. It is not appropriate to access these sites.

• Some people on the internet are not who they say they are. Be careful who you chat to and make friends with on Social Networking sites like Facebook, Snap Chat or Instagram.

Abuse

•  If anyone online makes you worried or says things that make you feel uncomfortable tell an adult or click the ‘Report Abuse’ button (available on the  Academy’s website) and block them.

• Do not respond to upsetting messages and abuse online Keep the message and show it to an adult you trust.

• Abuse online is not acceptable and can cause distress. 

• Make a report to CEOP or to speak to one of their advisors, please click here.

Pornography and Sexting

• By sending images of this type you could be committing an offence. For further details, please click here.

Advice for Parents

 The Internet

Children access the Internet on computers, mobile phones, games consoles and music systems. They play games online with friends and strangers. They blog, chat, enter competitions, social network, email, watch TV online, download and upload information. They are creative at making music, making films and making web content. 

Staying Safe

You can make a huge difference if you talk to your child about how they use digital technologies, let them know you are there to guide them and pass on essential safety advice. Here are some do’s and don’ts:

• Do keep your computer in a place where everyone can use it.

• Do go online with your child so you can see what they are doing on the internet.

• Do remind them that everyone they meet online is a stranger even though they might seem like a friend.

• Do encourage your child never to meet up with someone they make friends with online. If they do then make sure they take along an adult you trust and to meet in a public place.

• Do explain that they shouldn’t accept emails or open files from people they don’t know. They may contain viruses, nasty messages or annoying links to things  you don’t want them to see.

• Do be aware that your child may as likely be a cyberbully as be a target of cyberbullying. Be alert to your child seeming upset after using the internet or their  mobile phone.

• Do talk to your child so they know they can come to you if they run into any problems. Your continued involvement is the best way of keeping your child safe.

• Do make clear what content and behaviour is acceptable check that sites are age appropriate.

• Do give your child the knowledge and skills to build up resilience to the things they find online, help them to play and learn safely.

• Do consider using filtering software and agree ground rules about what services you are happy for your child to use.

• Do know how to complain.

• Don’t allow them to give out personal information. That means full name, home or school address, telephone number or personal email or mobile number.

• Don’t allow your child to access inappropriate sites.