Our safeguarding team
Everyone who works with children and young people has a responsibility for safeguarding and acting to ensure that they receive the right support at the right time.
Safeguarding legislation and government guidance says that safeguarding means:
- Protecting children from maltreatment.
- Preventing impairment of children’s mental and/or physical health or development.
- Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.
- Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcome.
- The ‘tell us‘ button is to be used if you have any concerns. This will notify members of the safeguarding team at John Smeaton Academy.
Mrs Brennan
Senior Assistant Principal, Designated Safeguarding Leader
Mrs Ripley
Safeguarding and Child
Protection Manager (DDSL)
Mr Boyd
Inclusion & Safeguarding Officer KS3
Miss Darcy
Attendance & Inclusion & Safeguarding Officer
Miss Ruddock
Pastoral Leader KS3
Mr Brandreth
Pastoral Leader KS4
MRS RAMPLING
Assistant Principal
MRS Waite
Assistant Principal
Miss HILL
Isolation Leader
Miss ALEXANDER
Attendance Manager
Miss Hoult
Community & Family Support Officer
Miss LAW
Director of Specialist Provision – Horizons
Mrs Forrow
Education & Health Care Plan Coordinator – Horizons
If you have any concerns about the safety, wellbeing or welfare of any students or families of students at John Smeaton Academy please ask to speak to one of these designated staff members above, who are available to offer support, advice and guidance with regards to care, support and guidance and any Child Protection concerns that you may have.
Local support for parents and families
At any given time up to 40% of adults and 50% of children (this rises to 80% with a SEND diagnosis) have difficulties with their sleep. Yet in a recent survey, almost 60% of adults felt there was a lack of support for sleep issues. Sleep problems can leave people feeling isolated and lonely.
The Sleep Charity free helpline is run by trained sleep advisors, many of whom are specialists in working with SEND. We can talk to young people directly, or parents (They also also talk to adults about their sleep issues).
The helpline is open 5 times a week, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday evenings 7-9pm, and Wednesday mornings 9-11am. The number is 03303 530 541.
Our Approach to safeguarding
John Smeaton Academy takes its role in safeguarding extremely seriously and our staff will do everything they can to protect students and children from harm. We acknowledge that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and all of our staff are trained to be vigilant and aware of the signs and indicators of abuse. The viewpoints and voice of students is of paramount importance to our academy and we will always listen to their wishes, thoughts and feelings, as well as identifying and supporting their needs. We will work alongside students to develop trusting, consistent and professional relationships. We advocate early help processes and, where possible, we will identify any difficulties or concerns early in order to act preventatively. We will always provide support and advice for families and parents/carers, whilst acting in the best interests of the student at all times. Safeguarding also includes ensuring we follow safe working practices and provide a secure learning environment for our students and staff.
John Smeaton Academy safeguards students by:
Useful Documentation & Links
TALKING TO YOUR CHILD ABOUT ONLINE HARM (UKRAINIAN VERSION)
Supporting Your Child During Coronavirus
This may help
The NHS England project manager, for the Quality Improvement Taskforce: Child and Young People Mental Health, learning development & autism (based in Leeds). The team is looking at improving children & young people’s inpatient mental health services. One of the projects the team have been working on has been to develop a number of short films, aimed at supporting parents and carers who may have concerns about their child’s mental health. The central principle is to promote awareness of support and resources that are already available, with the aim of preventing situations escalating into a crisis stage.
The team have commissioned a range of quality assured resources. In particular, there are 16 films, supported by high-profile celebrities, covering 6 different topic areas – including safety (both physical and online), eating disorders and self-harm. These are highly engaging films, which are accessible and created to provide relevant and practical support.
Place2be – parenting smart
We would like to share with you a FREE Place2Be Parenting Smart course, it is focused mainly on parents with children aged 4-11 however we have been advised by our Place2Be project manager some parents with children in Year 7 or Year 8 may find this useful. The only criteria is parents need to have one of their children in a Place2Be school. John Smeaton Academy is proud to be working in partnership with Place2Be, so if you have an older child attend John Smeaton Academy but have younger children at another school you can still access this course. It is free and will be online for 4 weeks. You can use this link to register.
Additionally, all parents can access the Place2Be website for general help, support, and advice at https://www.place2be.org.uk/family
Safeguarding contact list
| Agency | Contact details | Information provided |
|---|---|---|
| The Market Place |
Website: www.themarketplaceleeds.org.uk
Telephone: 0113 2461659 Due to the COVID-19 pandemic they have developed a telephone support service running between 12-6pm, 7 days a week for ages 11-25 years old. The support sessions offered up to 30 minutes. |
The Market Place offer support for young people aged between 11 to 25 years old. A drop in can be arranged, for support with mental well- being or help with dealing with anxiety and young people who are self-harming (An appointment can be reserved prior to attending). |
| Childline – provided by NSPCC
|
Website: www.childline.org.uk
Telephone: 0800 1111 Ask Sam – through a message board facility Text ‘Shout’ for support on 85258 Contact Childline with SignVideo for children with hearing disabilities. Sign Video lets you contact through a BSL interpreter anytime from Mon-Friday, 9am -8pm. Saturdays, 9am-1pm |
To access a counsellor, they are there to listen and support you with anything you’d like to talk about. Or you can have a 1-2- counselling chat online. You can discuss anything you like from a disclosure of pregnancy, being a victim of bullying, feeling low and struggling with sleep patterns; to mental health issues, or general low mood. |
| Kooth
|
Website: www.kooth.com
Visit kooth.com and sign up for the text based conversation with a qualified counsellor. Counsellors are available from 12 noon to 10pm on a weekday and 6pm to 10pm at weekends. |
Kooth is a service which provides support with well-being and resilience. Kooth is a web based confidential support service available to 11-18 year olds who are going through a hard time. Kooth provides a safe and secure means of accessing mental health and well-being support. This is designed specifically for young people. |
| Samaritans
|
Web: www.samaritans.org
Email: [email protected] Telephone: 116123 (24 hours a day, 365 days a year) |
Encourages children and adults to talk about their own mental health needs and provides top tips for managing mental health during crisis. |
Young Minds |
Website: www.youngminds.org.uk
Text ‘YM’ to: 85258 Parent Helpline: 0808-802-5544 |
Text YoungMinds Crisis Messenger, for free 24/7 support across the UK if you are experiencing a mental health crisis. It also provides support and guidance for parents/carers to help support their children with managing their mental health. |
| NHS
|
Web: www.nhs.uk
Go to: 111.nhs.uk Call 111 Accident and emergency at Leeds General Infirmary |
The NHS website offers a range of supportive material and resources from medical professionals. This includes audio narrations, for example, on managing stress, sleep patterns, coping strategies for managing anxiety. Advice can also be sought in terms of any medical issues which arise.
If a young person is at crisis point please take straight to Accident and Emergency at Leeds General Infirmary. |
| Cruse
|
Website: www.cruse.org.uk
Telephone: 08088081677 |
This is a service which offers support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone dies. They provide tips to help yourself, or as a parent; how you can support your child. There are video links which explain the grieving process so children/ adults understand each stage of grief. |
| Child Bereavement UK
|
Website: www.childbereavementuk.org
Helpline: 0800 02 888 40 Email: [email protected] Live chat is available via the website |
Child Bereavement UK work to provide support to families of children who have lost a loved one. |
| Domestic Violence
|
Website: www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk
24- hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 08082000247 |
The National Domestic and Abuse Helpline is for women and children who are exposed to domestic violence. This allows you the option to seek help, support and advice. In an emergency, please call 999. |
| Leeds Domestic Violence Service
|
Website: www.ldvs.uk
24- hour helpline: 0113 2460401 Email: [email protected] |
The Leeds Domestic Violence Service provide women and men with choices from a range of community based services, including temporary supported housing, IDVA(independent domestic violence advocate)support, community outreach support, a telephone helpline, drop-ins and support groups. |
| Duty and Advice | Website: www.leedsscp.org.uk
Telephone: 0113 3760336 |
For help and advice regarding the safeguarding of children. |
| Police
|
Website: www.westyorkshire.police
In a non-emergency: 101 In an emergency: 999 |
Use the police to seek for advice regarding an issue which is concerning about the young people. |
| Place2Be
|
Website: www.place2be.org.uk
Email: [email protected] Text ‘Shout’ for support on 85258 |
Well-being activities and ideas for families to complete. Counselling services. Place2Be works in partnership with Shout a 24/7 text messaging service to support anyone in crisis, anytime, anywhere. |
| Young Snowdrops
|
Young Snowdrops offers 1-1 support to girls 11-18yrs old who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing abuse in their relationships. |
| Online Safety | Contact Details | Information provided |
|---|---|---|
| NSPCC
|
Website: www.nspcc.org.uk
If you’re worried about a child, even if you’re unsure, contact our professional counsellors for help, advice and support. Telephone: 08088005000 Email: [email protected] Under 18 contact number: 08001111 |
This provides a useful resources for parents /carers on social networks, apps. This site also supports with online safety |
Thinkuknow |
Website: www.THINKUKNOW.co.uk |
This is an educational programme from NCA-CEOP, a UK organisation which protects children both online and offline for different age groups and supports parents. |
Childnet |
Website: www.childnet.com |
Childnet has produced a Parent and Carer Toolkit which is a collection of three resources designed to help you talk to your child about their online life, manage boundaries around family internet use and point you in the direction of where to get further help and support. |
| Prevent team | Website: www.leeds.gov.uk/prevent
Email: [email protected] Phone number : 0113 5350810 |
If parents feel that their child has been exposed or have any concerns about radicalisation, parents can also come direct to the Prevent team |
| The UK Safer Internet Centre
|
Website: www.saferinternet.org.uk |
Parents and carers can find online safety tips, advice and resources to help children and young people stay safe online. |
Stop Abuse Together |
Website: stopabusetogether.campaign.gov.uk
Email: [email protected] Phone: 0808 800 5000 |
Child sexual abuse is a reality for thousands of children across our country, with at least one in ten estimated to experience sexual abuse before they turn 16. We can all play a part in protecting children and getting them the right help. That’s why it’s important to know how to spot the potential signs of child sexual abuse and where to go for support. This website brings together advice and resources to help keep children safe.
|
Educate Against Hate |
Website: educateagainsthate.com/
Email: [email protected] Phone: 020 7340 7264 |
Educate Against Hate – New resource for parents and carers
New resource booklet has been published from the Government for parents and carers on Prevent the booklet provide advice and guidance to help you better understand Prevent and what you can do to protect your child from influences of extremism and/or radicalisation. You can find this booklet HERE |
Gender Space |
Website: https://www.genderspaceuk.com/
Email: [email protected] Phone: 07792 287864 |
Gender Space is an online support service available to 13–18-year-olds (up to 19th birthday), who are trans, non-binary and gender questioning. We also work with Parents/Carers separately if that is something that is appropriate for the people you work with. The sessions on offer are run by both Project Workers and Therapists and all sessions are therapeutically informed.
What is Gender Space |
| Supporting Your Teen on Social Media | Website: www.mediasmart.uk.com | As your teen steps into the digital world, knowing how to guide and support them can feel overwhelming. Media Smart, in partnership with TikTok, has created ‘Teens, Social Media and You’ a new film-led campaign with free resources to help parents and careers navigate discussion about online safety, digital wellbeing, and responsible social media use.
Download the free guide and watch the films today here |
