Welcome to our Safeguarding Hub
At Bishop Walsh, safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to creating a safe, nurturing environment where every student feels supported, valued, and protected.
As the Lead Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), I work closely with a trained and dedicated team to ensure that all safeguarding practices follow national guidance and the Birmingham Children’s Trust.
What is Safeguarding?
Safeguarding means:
- Protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
- Preventing harm to children’s health or development
- Ensuring children grow up with safe and effective care
- Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes
It includes everything from child protection to online safety, wellbeing, and
making sure students have someone to turn to when things aren’t right.
We follow guidance from:
- Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE)
- Working Together to Safeguard Children
- Local Authority Safeguarding Children Partnership protocols
What We Do at School
At Bishop Walsh, we:
- Have a team of trained safeguarding staff, including a DSL and Deputy DSLs
- Deliver regular training to all staff, including safer recruitment
- Educate students on staying safe through our SAINT program including
assemblies, and enrichment activities
- Run a robust reporting and referral system
- Promote a strong culture of listening to children’s voices
- Have clear policies on behaviour, bullying, online safety, and mental health support
- Work with external agencies to support students and families when needed
Meet the Safeguarding Team
Lead DSL: Mr A Hamill
Deputy DSLs: Miss S Mannion
Safeguarding Governor: Mrs E Martin
You can contact us confidentially at safedsl@bishopwalsh.net
At Bishop Walsh we want every pupil to use their God given talents in order to learn, be safe, healthy, kind and caring. To enable us to do that we have support from local agencies in keeping with Keeping Children Safe in Education. This may mean we need to share information with these organisations and sometimes this might be before discussing the concern with parents/carers. Some of these organisations are listed below:
Our Early Help Offer
In Sutton Coldfield, the Early Help offer focuses on providing support to families at the earliest point of need, aiming to prevent problems from escalating and reducing the need for more intensive, statutory interventions. This support is often delivered by professionals in the community, such as teachers, health visitors, or family support workers. The goal is to empower families to build on their strengths, improve their well-being, and enhance their ability to manage challenges.
Compass Support is the lead agency working with Birmingham Children’s Trust
Compass are working with Community, voluntary and faith sectors, health, family support, social work, police, schools, further education, nurseries, children’s centres, health visitors and GPs to coordinate local help.
Our Community Connectors have an excellent knowledge of the local community; the services available, gaps in support, and the ‘needs’ of our children, young people and families.
Compass Support are committed to ensuring both families and professionals have the information and support they need to make lives and communities better.
Bishop Walsh work are proud to be part of the Erdington and Sutton Coldfield Police and Schools Panel which all work together to keep pupils safe in school but also within the wider community. With this partnership we also have a Schools Intervention and Prevention Officer assigned to our school who helps with speaking to pupils in assemblies and getting our message across on how to be safe outside of school.
Prevent
The Prevent strategy is a UK government program focused on stopping people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. It aims to safeguard individuals vulnerable to radicalization and prevent them from being drawn into terrorism, while also supporting those who have already engaged in terrorist activities to disengage and rehabilitate.
Operation Encompass
Operation Encompass is a police and education early intervention safeguarding partnership that focuses on supporting children and young people who have been exposed to domestic abuse. It involves police forces notifying a child’s school, specifically the Designated Safeguarding Lead, before the start of the next school day after attending an incident of domestic abuse where children are involved. This allows the school to provide immediate and appropriate support to the child.