Safeguarding

Newtown Nursery School follows all guidance set out in the Keeping Children's Safe in Education policy, set by the Department of Education.

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024 Safeguarding Policy 

All staff receive Annual Safeguarding Training and receive a certificate for this. All governors receive Strategic Safeguarding and Prevent Training and this is added to their record on Governor Hub automatically.

Designated Safeguarding Leads

Whilst all staff have a responsibility to safeguard children, we have a dedicated team to follow up on any safeguarding concerns. These staff are all trained through Lancashire Authority.

Prevent

• Prevent is a national initiative to stop individuals from being drawn into terrorism.
• You should report concerns if someone appears vulnerable to radicalisation or is being influenced to support extremist views.
• In emergencies, call 999. For non-urgent support:
  Email: concern@lancashire.pnn.police.uk
  Local Prevent Team: 01772 413398
  Non-emergency police: 101
  Anti-terrorism hotline: 0800 789 321

Useful websites:

• Lancashire Constabulary

Early help

• Provided when social care is not immediately needed.
• Offered by schools, local services, or the Children and Family Wellbeing Service

The child in need plan

The social worker will arrange a family meeting, which includes you, your child and any other professionals that need to be involved. Everyone involved with your family agrees a Child in Need plan, which gives details of:

• what services will be provided
• how long the services are needed
• what we hope to achieve by providing the services
• the date the plan will be reviewed

Social Care Support

Children's social care support can provide help to children and their parents if the child:

• needs support with maintaining their health or development
• has a disability
• is in need of protection
• is fostered, adopted or lives in residential care

A social care professional can provide practical advice and information to help the family. They might: 

• do an assessment of your child’s and family’s needs
• provide immediate help 
• give you information about other support organisations that could help
• involve other professionals when assessing the help your child or you may need

Children's Social Care Support: 0300 123 6720

Children's Social Care Out of Hours: 0300 123 6722

If your child has Special Educational Needs or a Disability (SEND)

Disabled children are considered 'children in need' under the Children Act 1989.  If your child has a disability you are entitled to an assessment of need by children's services.  Your child's social care needs will be considered as part of a education, health and care needs assessment by the Inclusion Service and you may wish to ask for a social care assessment of your child's needs as part of this.

An assessment of your child should take into account your needs as a parent carer as well as the needs of your whole family.  However parent carers of disabled children also have a right to ask for a parent carer needs assessment which focuses on your needs as a parent carer.

More information about assessments of disabled children and their families is available on the SEND local offer or the website, Contact - the charity for families with disabled children.

Assessment and support

An assessment is a way of finding out about you and your family and to identify the support that you may need.

A social worker will complete an assessment. The assessment involves collecting information about your child and family.  We may ask other professionals who know you and your child well, for information about your child and family. This may include:

• teachers
• doctors 
• health visitors

After an assessment

The assessment needs to be carried out within 45 days from the point of referral.

The social worker will, with your help, agree a plan of action. This may be:

• providing some advice 
• recommending other services
• agreeing a plan of support 

Initial child protection conferences

When professionals have concerns about a child's safety an initial child protection conference (ICPC) is held to discuss how to ensure that children are kept safe.  An ICPC is a meeting where parents, carers, children and professionals who have worked with the family discuss the concerns and needs of the family.  The meeting will decide what type of plan the family needs, that is, a child in need plan or a child protection plan.   You can watch a series of videos that show you what happens, before, during and after an initial child protection conference.