Safeguarding & Wellbeing for Families - King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls Academy

Safeguarding children and young people is central to everything we do at King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy. This section of the school’s website gives an overview of the policies, partnerships, programmes and mechanisms that are in place to safeguard the children and young people who attend King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy.

At King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy, we fully recognise our responsibility for safeguarding children and young people. It is difficult to accept, but every child can be hurt, put at risk of harm or abused, regardless of their age, gender, religion or ethnicity. That is why we do everything within our power to:

protect children from maltreatment;
prevent impairment of children’s health or development;
ensure that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care;
take action to enable all children and young people to secure the best outcomes.

To promote a safe environment for students, King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy employs a strict selection and recruitment policy which includes all statutory checks on staff and regular volunteers including Enhanced DBS (disclosure and barring service) checks.

The action we take at King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play and we recognise and take our part very seriously in, this. We ensure that we operate a child-centred safeguarding system. We recognise that children want to be respected; have their views heard; have stable relationships with their teachers, built on trust; and have consistent support for their individual needs.

All staff receive annual Child Protection and Safeguarding update training and are aware of the procedures for passing on concerns within the school. If any members of the school or local community have concerns about the welfare of a child in the school, please pass them on to the Academy Child Protection Team.

If you have any serious concerns about your child, another student or a member of staff at King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy please do not hesitate to contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), Mrs S Dennis, who will be able to provide you with the best advice and help using the appropriate degree of confidentiality.

A full guide is available below to view online or download: