Poplar Adolescent Unit - Education Provision
Poplar Adolescent Unit - Education Provision
Safeguarding Leads
Steph Yates is the Designated Safeguarding Lead
Clare Varley is also a Designated Safeguarding Lead
Safeguarding leads can be contacted using the contact details on the 'get in touch' page. If you believe a child is at immediate risk of harm please contact the police on 999.
Safeguarding at Poplar Adolescent Unit
Here at Poplar, safeguarding and student welfare are of paramount importance and we will always put the safety and wellbeing of students first. This sometimes requires us to share information with other agencies such as police or medical professionals. Where we can, our first intention is always to consult and work with parents or carers to achieve the best outcome for the student. Sometimes circumstances exist that do not allow for that consultation and the school has to take independent action in order to ensure a young person is safeguarded.
What is safeguarding?
Safeguarding is protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of their health or development; ensuring that they grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best life chances and to enter adulthood successfully.
Some of the ways we safeguard students are as follows:
The school works with the Essex Safeguarding Children Board to ensure its practices and processes are in line with new legislation and initiatives around the safeguarding of young people. We also work closely with the ward as they have their own safeguarding team too
All staff are trained to recognise the signs of a child whose wellbeing is being compromised by physical or emotional abuse and/or neglect. They are also trained in how to manage disclosures from young people.
Two members of the school’s team, Steph Yates and Clare Varley, have a specific responsibility for safeguarding and have been trained to become Designated Lead and Deputy
All adults who work in school have been subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS), which means the school has checked to ensure that any adult working at Poplar is an appropriate person to work with children and young people. This will include a criminal records check.
The school ensures all its IT systems are secure and user histories are monitored.
A school safeguarding policy is reviewed and updated annually with the support of governors, who closely monitor the school's safeguarding actions.
Through PHSE and other sessions students are made aware of the risks associated with being on line and using social media; as well as what is a healthy relationship and appropriate behaviour.
Both adults and students also have access to electronic reporting methods to allow them to report any safeguarding or wellbeing concerns they have about themselves or others. Students are also introduced to websites which can also offer them some support e.g. CEOP
Further details of the school's safeguarding practices can be provided. If you have any concerns regarding the safeguarding of any young person, you can contact the school and ask to speak to the Designated Safeguarding Lead or Deputy.
Alternatively you can contact Poplar Ward.
Safeguarding and information sharing
All schools hold information on their students, which is held for internal use only and is not shared with 3rd parties. However, from time to time schools are obliged to share information with partner agencies such as the Police and Health and Social Care. Requests for information from these agencies happen very rarely, but where they do occur, we are duty bound to provide any information that is felt to be relevant and is in the best interest of a student’s wellbeing. Information is also shared between schools when a student moves between institutions. In our case, this may extend to the young person’s home school. In all instances student files are kept in a secure system accessed only by appropriate individuals.
For any queries please contact Steph Yates or Clare Varley on 01702 538138.
Advice for Parents/Carers