Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Ms Kirsten Sullivan supported by two Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (DDSL) and team members.  Our Safeguarding Link Governor is Mark Chapman. We also have a school social worker, Andrew Musgrave.

Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. Safeguarding means:

• Protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
• Preventing harm to children's health or development
• Ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care.

What does Safeguarding cover?

Safeguarding covers numerous topics, many of which are interconnected, including:

• Bullying
• Children Missing from Education
• Peer-on-peer abuse
• Child Criminal and Sexual Exploitation
• Domestic violence
• Sexual abuse and harassment
• Mental health and wellbeing
• Self-harm
• Neglect
• Prevent (Preventing Violent Extremism)
• Substance Misuse
• Violence Against Women and Girls (including FGM)
• Online Safety

Who is responsible for Safeguarding?

Everyone has a responsibility to keep children and young people safe.

All organisations that come into contact with children must have specific safeguarding policies and procedures in place. This includes voluntary and community organisations, faith groups, private sector providers, as well as schools, hospitals and sports clubs.

Safeguarding at Fortismere

Fortismere takes its safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously. Our current Safeguarding & Child Protection policy and related safeguarding policies are all available in the Policies section of our website.

Students are able to talk to any member of staff about concerns they may have.  Posters are displayed around the school that show our Safeguarding and Child Protection Team, so students know where staff are located. Students and parents can also email:  safeguarding@fortismere.org.uk  at any time.                     

Online Safety is embedded within all aspects of school life at Fortismere - this Online Safety page and our Online Safety policy set out the school's approach.

In the sections further down this page we have assembled a range of information on safeguarding issues that may be helpful to the school community.  Please have a look at these resources and websites.

The staff and governing body of Fortismere are clear that we will not tolerate any form of sexual harassment and sexual violence. We will not allow our students to believe that sexual abuse of any kind is an inevitable feature of growing up, or of society itself.

We will continue to listen to the experiences of our students and staff to support us in creating a culture of equality and tolerance; one where we are all equipped to challenge harassment of any kind.

MULTI-AGENCY WORKING & HARINGEY Local authority

The school works closely with Haringey Local Authority to provide a coordinated response to promote children’s welfare and protect them from harm.  This includes involvement in Early Help and multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH) plans and meetings.

Haringey has recently published a guide for families and young people Information on a Child and Family Assessment on the assessments that may take place if your child is referred to MASH (the multi-agency safeguarding hub).  A MASH referral can sound daunting but the guide explains the processes involved and the types of information gathered and by whom.  The guide also has links to the Early Help support that is available to families in Haringey to ensure young people’s needs are met.

QUESTIONS ABOUT SAFEGUARDING

If you have any questions about safeguarding please feel free to contact safeguarding@fortismere.org.uk

 We think that the organisations below provide really useful information on this issue.

• Mind
• Self Harm UK
• Young Minds

The following is a presentation which was given to parents in 2020: How to support your child: Self Harm

This is an informative guide for parents from Papyrus, a charity working for the prevention of young suicide.

Richard Moore from the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust gave an informative presentation to a large audience of parents/carers on the topic of student mental health. The slides from his presentation can be found here

We held an event for parents/carers on communicating with teens.  Alison Havey and Deana Puccio, writers of the book Sex, Likes & Social Media: Talking To Our Teens In The Digital Age led the event. They have provided a useful information sheet which signposts to other resources which you may find useful.

Young Minds has a very useful website for young people and parents/carers. It offers a wealth of information, advice and ways to get further support.

Any questions on mental health and wellbeing can be directed to your child's form tutor, Head of Year or Pastoral Support Manager. Alternatively please contact Ms Ellie Jones who is our school's Mental Health Champion. 

The school provides a range of information on this topic in PSHE lessons and in the Pastoral Curriculum and assemblies. 

As part of our Sexual Relationships Education programme, we work with Safer London who have produced this leaflet highlighting issues around Child Sexual Exploitation.

The following link supports students in understanding the issue of Consent: www.consentiseverything.com/

These organisations offer further information and advice:

• Rape Crisis
• Citizens Advice
• NHS Sexual Health
• The Lighthouse

Haringey LA provides information and advice on Sexual Health for young people under the age of 25 - see the website here

We have all seen articles in the media about the risk to young people of radicalisation, extremism and how, in rare cases, that can lead to involvement in terrorism. We work closely with a range of agencies to keep abreast of the latest information and guidance on this complex issue. You may find these websites useful if you have any concerns or questions:

• http://www.preventtragedies.co.uk/
• http://educateagainsthate.com/
• Haringey's Leaflet on Radicalisation and Extremism
• Government Advice for Schools Carrying Out their Prevent Duty


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Here are some general documents that you may find helpful:

DfE Statutory Guidance on Keeping Children Safe in Education

Youth help sheet on Gangs

Government Guidance for Professionals What To Do if You're Worried a Child is being Abused

Government Guidance on Working Together to Safeguard Children

Young People's Version of Government Guidance on Working Together to Safeguard Children

Online safety for 11-18 year olds from CEOP This site offers advice on socialising online, online safety, getting support and sexual content online. CEOP is part of the National Crime Agency and is a trusted website for getting useful information and advice.

 

This is a link to a wide range of articles on various topics for parents/carers and students. Simply scroll down and click on any of the articles that interest you. The list is always being updated by Parent Zone and CEOP.

https://www.ceop.police.uk/Safety-Centre/

Students or parents who wish to report harmful content on the following issues they may see online can do so via the Report Harmful Content link

• Threats
• Impersonation 
• Bullying & Harassment 
• Self-harm or Suicide 
• Online Abuse 
• Violent Content
• Unwanted Sexual Advances 
• Pornographic Content 

This is a link to a PDF document on Young Person’s Guide to Working Together to Safeguard Children by the Office of the Children’s Rights Director.

Young Person’s guide to Safeguarding 

The school provides a range of information in PRE lessons on drugs and alcohol and the dangers associated with both. We are fortunate to have counsellors from Insight Platform (a drugs and alcohol charity) work with our students.  Insight hold parent sessions giving information on local drug trends and how to speak to your children about drugs and alcohol. The following links will hopefully support understanding on drugs and alcohol for both parents and students:

Insight Information Session Jan 2023

Insight Parent Information Session 2021

Talk to Frank

NHS Drug addiction information