The Designated Staff for Safeguarding at The George Eliot School is Mrs Dee Stanton.

Safeguarding is about ensuring everyone is safe from harm – safe from bullying, safe from people who could abuse, safe from discrimination or harassment – and that we all feel safe in our environment.
Below you can find many resources related to safeguarding. Click on the file below to see more information about the safeguarding team at The George Eliot School.

School Contacts

Mrs Dee Stanton (Designated Safeguarding Lead)

dee.stanton@midlandat.co.uk

Miss Angela Ruston (Safeguarding Officer)

angela.ruston@midlandat.co.uk

Warwickshire MASH contacts

01926 414144

https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/childprotection

If you think a child is at immediate risk contact the police immediately on 101 or 999 as appropriate.

Safeguarding Team at The George Eliot School

Safeguarding Policy 2020

Safeguarding Policy Appendix - Covid 19

Keeping Children Safe in Education - January 2021 update

Pupil leaflet - Safeguarding and Wellbeing

Survival Guide - all local support for families

Managing Stress and Keeping Safe

Who can help me?

Who can help?

It is important to talk to someone you trust and who is in a position to help you. There are so many to choose from!

Parents or a family member
Counsellor – you can contact Mrs Sarah Sharkey, our school counsellor, using your student email account. Her email is sarah.sharkey@midlandat.co.uk
Your Form Tutor
Your Head of Year
Any other staff member you feel comfortable talking to
Our school safeguarding officer is Miss Ruston who you can contact using your school email account. Her email is angela.ruston@midlandat.co.uk
Doctor
If you or someone you know needs immediate help, either because you are not safe or you are hurt, call 999

Who else can help?

Papyrus Hopeline UK – 9am to 10pm weekdays or 2pm to 10pm weekends and bank holidays you can call 0800 068 4141 or text 07860 039967 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org to get support and practical advice on how to stay safe if you are having suicidal thoughts. The people who you speak to are specially trained and know how to best help you.

Childline – you can call 0800 1111, or go on their website(www.childline.org.uk) to speak to someone online, between 9am and midnight. They are there to talk to you about anything. No problem is too big or too small.

Runaway Helpline provides 24/7 help, information, support and options for young people thinking of running away or who have already done so. Their helpline and text number is 116000.

The Mix is a 24/7 text service for young people in a crisis wanting free and confidential information on issues such as sex, relationships, mental health, drink, drugs, crime and safety. Call the helpline on 0800 808 4994 or text THEMIX to 85258.

Samaritans – a safe place to talk any time you like day or night all year round – call them on 116123.

MeeToo App

Worried? Anxious? Confused? MeeToo makes it easy to talk about difficult things. It’s free, safe and anonymous.

“I actually didn’t realise how much better this app can make someone feel. I love being able to ask my own questions and just the experience of trying to help even one other person helps me to feel happier too”

MeeToo is a safe, anonymous app where you can share your worries and use your own experiences to help others. Student life is not always straightforward and sharing your feelings with someone else can really help. MeeToo is anonymous so you can talk about virtually anything, and because every post and reply is checked by a human before it goes live, it is completely safe and you are guaranteed to only get supportive replies. MeeToo is quick and easy to use and it is free to use. Once you’ve signed up add your school portal for even more anonymous support.

MeeToo can be downloaded from Google Play and Apple App Store. For more information visit www.meetoo.help

Watch this video for information.

https://vimeo.com/466177717

What is Abuse?

A person may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm or by failing to prevent harm.

It is more often a person known to them and not a stranger.

There are many different types of abuse that can occur, the main categories of abuse are:

Physical Abuse: Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child.

Emotional Abuse: Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child causing severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve telling the children that they are worthless or unloved or inadequate. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone.

Sexual Abuse: Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities whether or not the child is aware of what is happening.

Neglect: Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development.

What to do if you think a child is at risk of harm:

If you think your child or any other child may have been abused you can contact the children's social care office direct (MASH). You may also ring the school’s DSL or the Safeguarding Officer. All contact details are at the top of this page.

Warwickshire Safeguarding board:

www.warwickshire.gov.uk/wscb

NSPCC:

www.nspcc.org.uk

RISE

https://cwrise.com/rise (this is what used to be CAHMs)

FIS - Family Information Service

https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/fis

Prevention and supporting missing children and their families:

www.railwaychildren.org.uk/what-we-do/our-work-in-the-uk/street-level/
www.childline.org.uk/
safeatlast.org.uk/

Child Sexual Exploitation

Click Here to view a video relating to keeping children safe from the Child Exploitation and online protection Centre CEOP:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK5OeGeudBM&list=TLDfoJAWR8aXY

Anti-bullying (including cyber bullying):

Anti-bullying-Policy-Students - see the documents below
What-is-Bullying - - see the documents below
www.stoponlineabuse.org.uk/
Please report any bullying concerns directly to the school counsellor - sarah.sharkey@george-eliot.warwickshire.sch.uk

Anti Bullying Policy

What is Bullying