Safeguarding & Child Protection

‘This school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of all our children and expects our staff and volunteers to share this commitment.’

For more information about how we shortlist following safer recruitment procedures, please visit our Staff Vacancies page. All volunteers we have in school are also required to undergo rigorous safeguarding checks and procedures prior to commencing a role in school.

What should you do if you have any concerns or queries around safeguarding?

Should you ever have any concerns or queries around safeguarding, please do not hesitate to contact one of the school’s Designated Safeguarding Leads:

Mrs Sowden,

Mrs Hodgson,

Mrs Collier-Trenchard

Our Child Protection Governor is:

Mrs Kathleen Alderson

Up to date information is regularly added to our school website under the safeguarding page. Please continue to visit our website regularly to ensure you receive up to date information.

For out of hours contact, please email the school office email: office@stjosephswetherby.com and mark your email FAO Designated Safeguarding Lead: Urgent.

Members of the public should call Children’s Social Work Services during office hours (9.00am – 5.00pm) on 0113 2224403.

If you think a child is immediate danger call the police on 999 out of office hours (evenings, weekends and bank holidays).

As a school we work with the police and support Operation Encompass. This gives the police the right to share incidents of domestic violence at home where our children have been present, with our Designated Safeguarding Leads in school.

Safety Advice and Important Information for Parents/Carers

Here you will find some key information to support parents with safeguarding families and children. For other information relating to supporting families, please click the link below.

Support For Parents

Keeping Your Child Safe Online

We know that all of our pupils have access to the internet, this is also within school too. The internet continually proves to be a wonderful tool both in and out of school, to keep in touch with family and friends, to support our young people with their learning and much more. However, our very first priority is that our children know how to stay safe online as well as aiding our parents/carers to support our pupils with this too. Please find a link below to the most up to date guidance on how to keep our children safe online. This has come from the Leeds Safeguarding Children’s Partnership. We hope you find this information useful and helpful in supporting your child/ren to stay safe online.

LSCP- Online Safety

At St Joseph’s, we regularly send out online safety newsletters. Please click the link below to read this newsletters.

Our Online Safety Newsletters

Prevent Duty

Below we have uploaded some online safety leaflets which contain advice for parents/carers on the Prevent Duty. One of the risks to young people online is from those looking to radicalise and draw them into extremism. Included is information about spotting the signs of radicalisation in young people and the help and support that is available.

Online safety advice about radicalisation for parents Online Safety Advice for Parents – Leeds Prevent

Below we have included a link to the revised Prevent Duty Guidance: for England and Wales (April 2021).

Gov.uk Guidance on the Prevent Duty 2021

County Lines

As part of our PSHE and keeping children safe education, we teach our children about potential dangers and how to keep themselves safe. We are also supporting our parents/carers with this and how to look out for signs and indicators. Please follow the link below to find out more about the potential risk of County Lines.

County Lines NCA County Lines and Cuckooing One Minute Guide

NSPCC Helpline

On 1st April 2021, The Department for Education has commissioned the NSPCC to establish a dedicated independent helpline for people who have experienced sexual abuse in educational setting.

The helpline went live on 1 April 2021, and will provide both children and adults who have experienced sexual abuse in schools with support and advice, including onward action such as contacting the police if they wish to. The helpline will also provide support to parents and professionals. Anyone who gets in touch through this dedicated helpline will also be signposted to other relevant support services available, including Childline, which provides ongoing support and counselling to children and young people.

The dedicated and confidential NSPCC helpline – Report Abuse in Education can be reached on 0800 136 663 or by email at help@nspcc.org.uk.

Domestic Violence

If you need any support in regards to domestic violence, there is a 24 hour helpline at the Leeds Domestic Violence Service. This helpline’s number is: 0113 246 0401. For more information about support for those suffering from domestic violence, please click the link below to see the Leeds Domestic Violence Service webpage.

Leeds Domestic Violence Service (LDVS) webpage

Click below for Leeds.gov.uk one minute guides about domestic violence.

One Minute Guide: Domestic Violence and Abuse Leeds.gov.uk – Support and Guidence for Domestic Abuse

School Closures

Should St Joseph’s need to close for any reason, such as an infection outbreak, please see the guidence used to support

GSWP Covid Addendum April 2020

One Minute Guides for Safeguarding

Click below for Leeds.gov.uk one minute guides about safeguarding. They have developed a library of ‘one minute guides’ that aim to provide straight-forward information about the different work they do and who is involved. The guides are for everyone to use and they’re regularly adding to them with new topics and information.

One Minute Safeguarding Guides

Safeguarding with the Curriculum

Although much of the teaching around safeguarding is through discrete lessons, our school ethos, curriculum and policies ensures that we integrate safeguarding into everything we do. We teach responsively to pupils, using contextual safeguarding and current affairs to address what we teach. Please visit our class webpages where you will see a snapshot of safeguarding within the curriculum in action.

Useful Information, Important Documents & Links

Here we continue to add useful information from the Education & Early Start Safeguarding Team and National Online Safety Team which may be of use to you.