The terms of the Children Act 1989 means that staff in schools have a duty to report any concerns that they may have that any child may be suffering significant harm, particularly as a consequence of possible abuse. 

It is a Department for Children, Schools & Families requirement that each school in the country nominates a senior member of staff who will have special responsibility for Child Protection.  In Sheffield, this member of staff, known as the Child Protection Liaison Teacher, has been in receipt of training in this area and can be trusted to deal with all these matters with professional confidentiality.  In this school those persons are Mrs H Weeks (Designated Safeguarding Lead) and Mr Dan Healey (Online Safety Officer).  

The school has a policy on Child Protection which has been agreed by the Governing Body (see policies below). As a school, we have close contacts with the School Health Service, CYPD Social Care and the Police, any or all of whom may become involved if abuse is suspected or alleged.

The school has a responsibility to collate basic information such as who has parental responsibility for a child, and to pass this information to the relevant agencies if so requested. 

In the event of an investigation into possible child abuse, the school has a duty to co-operate with the investigating agencies to the best of their ability to promote the welfare of the child. 

Whilst the school will always attempt to work in partnership with parents and try to ensure that parents are fully informed of, and participate in any action concerning their child, if there is a conflict of interest the welfare of the child must be the paramount consideration.

Should you wish to discuss Child Protection and the safety of your child, or indeed any other topic involving your child, please feel free to contact the school. 

The documents at the foot of this page are the Policies and Procedures 2021-22 from Safeguarding Sheffield Children (Safeguarding Sheffield Children - Safeguarding policy & procedure templates for Sheffield education settings), which is the guidance we follow.

Meadowhead policies below are marked with our name. Our related policies (for example attendance, behaviour, bullying, health and safety, equality and diversity) can be found by following the menu links on the right. 

Please visit their website for all aspects of Safeguarding Sheffield Children.

https://www.safeguardingsheffieldchildren.org/sscb

All their new documents are now in a format accessible to people who use screen readers i.e. Sept 20A (A=accessible)

The documents are in line with the new Keeping Children Safe in Education, DfE 2021 and other national and local guidance.