Safeguarding
Safeguarding involves protecting children and young people from abuse, neglect and exploitation whether it is at home, in school, in the community or in online spaces. All members of staff working in any capacity in school receive training in safeguarding which is updated at least annually and our students can approach any adult in school to discuss something which is worrying them. We aim to take action to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge to ensure that all children have the best outcomes.
Our safeguarding team is led by Zoë Jestico (our school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead) and can be reached at safeguarding@dartfordgrammarschool.org.uk for non-urgent queries. Please call the switchboard and ask to be through to a member of the team with any queries that require immediate attention.
If you are worried about a child at a time when the school is closed, you should call children’s social services. The contact details for children who live in Kent is 03000 411 111 (or 03000 419 191 outside of office hours). For children who live outside of Kent, contact details for children’s social services can be found on the relevant local authority website. In an emergency always call 999.
Our policies on Safeguarding can be read here.
Getting support for your family
The Kent Early Help team offer a variety of services to support families when difficulties emerge to prevent problems becoming more serious. They aim to build on the strengths of families to help themselves and support them in taking action to meet children’s educational, social and emotional needs. Universal services can be accessed through your local family hub or a youth hub, such as the Bridge 4 Young people in Dartford. More specialist services can be arranged by an Early Help worker following a referral.
They can offer support if, for example:
- you are worried about your child's behaviour
- you are struggling to cope
- you are worried about your family finances
- your child is struggling to cope with bereavement · your child is being bullied
- your child refuses to go to school
- you or your child want to develop new friends and have new experiences
- you are having difficulties with family relationships
Our safeguarding team can make a referral on your behalf. You can also self-refer by contacting 03000 411 111. If you live outside of Kent, details of your local Early Help service can be obtained from our safeguarding team or from your local authority website.
Online safety
Online safety is a key safeguarding priority. All teachers complete specialist training in online safety which is updated annually. Our Year 7, 10 and 12 students complete an Online Safety Alliance course and online safety is a recurring theme in the PSHE Education programme of all year groups. We aim to equip young people with the skills they need to navigate the ever-changing online world safely and responsibly and the knowledge of how to get help when needed.
What harms could my child be exposed to online?
Online risks are broadly categorised into four areas: the four Cs of Content, Contact, Conduct and Commerce.
- Content: being exposed to illegal, inappropriate or harmful content. For example, pornography, fake news, racism, misogyny, self-harm, suicide, anti-Semitism, radicalisation and extremism.
- Contact: being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users. For example, peer to peer pressure, commercial advertising and adults posing as children or young adults with the intention to groom or exploit them for sexual, criminal, financial or other purposes.
- Conduct: personal online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm. For example, making, sending and receiving explicit images (including consensual and non-consensual sharing of nudes and semi-nudes and/or pornography), sharing other explicit images and online bullying.
- Commerce: risks such as online gambling, inappropriate advertising, phishing and or financial scams.
Key things for parents to consider – advice from Childnet
- 1. Ask your children to tell you about the sites they like to visit and what they enjoy doing online.
- 2. Ask them about how they stay safe online. What tips do they have for you, and where did they learn them? What is OK and not OK to share?
- 3. Ask them if they know where to go for help, where to find the safety advice, privacy settings and how to report or block on the services they use.
- 4. Encourage them to help. Perhaps they can show you how to do something better online or they might have a friend who would benefit from their help and support.
- 5. Think about how you use the internet as a family. What could you do to get more out of the internet together and further enjoy your lives online?
Information and support for parents
The following websites have up to date information for parents on the apps and games their children are using (and their age ratings) and how to use parental controls and privacy settings. Find out how to:
- · Use the content lock on your child’s smartphone.
- · Set parental controls on your home broadband.
- · Control app downloads and purchases.
- · Make sure the games console is safe and secure.
- · Use safety mode on YouTube and Google.
- · Use privacy settings on social media https://www.ceopeducation.co.uk/parents/ https://www.internetmatters.org/ https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/#guides
Parents and children can report any kind of harmful online content at reportharmfulcontent.com
Child criminal exploitation (including county lines and money muling)
Child Criminal Exploitation can happen to any child – class, financial background, ethnicity etc have no relevance in the recruitment of children by organised criminal gangs. The consequences are very serious – they may be at risk of violence from those who exploit them and at risk of a criminal prosecution.
Our students are taught about the risks in PSHE Education lessons and encouraged to come forward if they or a friend are approached. We have been supported by the Refocus Project in Dartford (www.refocusproject.org.uk) who have also given talks to parents.
Two common types of Child Criminal Exploitation are County Lines and Money Muling.
County Lines refers to organised criminal gangs in urban areas such as London transporting drugs and selling them in smaller towns and rural areas. These gangs groom children and vulnerable adults, usually with gifts, and then coerce them into transporting drugs for them.
Money muling (sometimes known as ‘squares’) is a type of money laundering. The ‘money mule’ (often a child or vulnerable adult) receives money in their bank account from a third party (an organised criminal gang) and transfers it to another account possibly in exchange for a small amount of money. Children can be targeted either in person or through social media with the promise of making ‘easy money’ and persuaded to disclose their bank account details for this purpose.
Signs that your child might be being exploited are:
- Going missing from home or school.
- Having new and expensive items like clothing.
- Having more than one phone (particularly an additional phone that is not a smart phone).
- Having train tickets to places you wouldn’t expect them to go.
- A change in behaviour and demeanour, eg being tired, underweight and having poor hygiene.
For further information and support we recommend:
https://www.stgilestrust.org.uk/support-us/keep-children-safe/help-for-parents-and-caregivers/ https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/get-help/help-services/exploitation-and-county-lines
Extremism and radicalisation
Extremism is defined as "the vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and respect and tolerance for different faiths and beliefs", whereas “radicalisation is the processes by which a person adopts extremist views or practices to the point of legitimising the use of violence. "
Under the Prevent Duty, schools are required to safeguard children by preventing them from being radicalised and drawn into terrorism. All teachers undertake training in Prevent which is updated annually. Our seven year IB curriculum is designed to encourage students to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right. We support our students in becoming discerning critical thinkers who are resilient to extremist views and radicalisation.
Radicalisation of young people often takes place online where extremists use social media and gaming platforms to spread their cause and recruit others. It’s important to be aware of your child’s online activity and use parental controls to protect them from seeing harmful content or being contacted by strangers who may want to groom them.
For further information and support, we recommend:
