Issue 002: Friday 25th February
Keeping our community safe:
Safeguarding at Honywood School
Welcome the second edition of our monthly safeguarding newsletter. Each month we provide an update containing reminders about how we approach safeguarding at Honywood as well as useful links to support families out of school. If you have a question about safeguarding our hope is that our monthly bulletins will be able to provide the answer or at least some signposting to where you may get the answer. This month we focus on internet safety day (8th February) and keeping safe online as well as our usual signposting of useful links and contacts.
Need to Talk, share a concern or ask a question? Who can learners talk to at School? ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Learning Group Leader Cohort Leaders Pastoral Leaders Class teachers Learner Reception Learning Support Assistants Learner Wellbeing App on iPad
Mrs Nichols
Mrs Slaney
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Senior Leadership Team Mrs Nichols - Safeguarding Lead Mrs Slaney - Safeguarding Lead Mrs Brook - Deputy Safeguarding Lead Mr Caygill - Deputy Safeguarding Lead Mr Robertson - Attendance & Welfare Officer
Mrs Brook
Mr Caygill
Learner Information Please refer to the Honywood Wellbeing app on your school iPad, link below https://sites.google.com/honywoodschool.com/learnerwellbeing/home If you need Wellbeing & Mental Health support out of school, please contact: YOUNG MINDS - text YM to 85258, or https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help Kooth - your online mental wellbeing community https://www.kooth.com/ Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Service 0300 300 1600 to get in touch directly. For the out of hours crisis support, please call the general NELFT switchboard on 0300 555 1201 and ask for the EWMHS Crisis Support Service Childline 08001111 Weekly Bullying and Peer on Peer Abuse reporting form All learners and parents receive a weekly email link and reminder that if they have any concerns about the behaviour of any learners in school that could be considered bullying and/or peer on peer abuse, they may report it using the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeqPKQTTxpfBS8arLEYimPdpIyfObw_7P-yitTKhXMX S1LeBA/viewform If you have any questions about the form before completing it please feel free to email me scaygill@honywoodschool.com Similarly if you have any feedback regarding the structure/questions of this form please do share this too as the form could evolve over the coming weeks with any feedback shared.
Parents/Carers For support and information please contact: Essex Children and Families Hub 0345 603 7627 If a child is at immediate risk of harm call the Children & Families Hub and ask for the 'Priority Line', or call the Police - 0345 606 1212 or email: Emergency.DutyTeamOutOfHours@essex.gov.uk Useful General Resources Safeguarding Policy https://www.honywoodschool.com/attachments/download.asp?file=67&type=pdf KCSIE September 2021 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_d ata/file/1020050/KCSIE_2021_September_guidance.pdf Responding to Harmful Sexual Behaviours Policy https://www.honywoodschool.com/attachments/download.asp?file=116&type=pdf
The Essex Safeguarding Children Board website has resources for parents and carers as well as professionals to enable them to fully support children and parents. People can also follow the campaign on the ESCB Facebook page and Twitter account. Essex Brook is part of Brook, a leading Sexual Health and Wellbeing Charity for young people, with over 55 years’ experience. The 2 Johns specialise in delivering bespoke Child Sexual Exploitation Training to professionals, parents and children, with an aim to totally change the perception that everyone has of 'Stranger Danger'. The Children’s Society, whose CARE (Children At Risk of Exploitation) service works with children and young adults in Essex who are at risk of sexual and criminal exploitation, with partners Barnardo’s offering family support. The Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service brings together a range of children’s community services. Provided by Virgin Care in partnership with Barnardo’s on behalf of Essex County Council and the NHS. The Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit supports direct work with young people at risk of violence, provide training and development to those who are on the front line and raise awareness with the general public about the dangers of County Lines.
Family Wellbeing Bulletin - Online Safety Every month the Essex family wellbeing service publishes a Healthy Schools Bulletin for Families. This month's issue focuses on online safety. To access the links within the Essex Family Wellbeing monthly newsletter below please use the following link: https://essexfamilywellbeing.co.uk/
Safer Internet Day 8th Feb 22 Safer Internet Day is celebrated globally in February each year to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology for children and young people, and to inspire a national conversation about using technology responsibly, respectfully, critically, and creatively. The national website for this event contains some useful resources for a range of audiences including: Parents - https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers Children - https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/young-people And grandparents - https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/grandparents The internet is wonderful. It has transformed the way we live, work and interact forever. However, for all the good technology does for us there remains many risks. Just last week I had to support a family member who had been the victim of a complex phishing attack. Whilst fraud and financial crime is a big risk out there, more concerning is the risk our young people face when online. Risks out there include the following topics:
coerced-online-child-sexualabuse gaming misinformation online-bullying pornography sexting social-media Understanding how to use parental-controls is one way families can keep their children safe. Another way to protect children is to engage in the conversation. . Some key advice includes the following: ● ● ● ● ●
not using phones and mobile devices at the dinner table - talking as a family is very important for development keeping screens out of the bedroom at bedtime talking as a family about keeping safe online and about cyberbullying and what children should do if they are worried not using phones when crossing a road or doing any other activity that requires a person's full attention making sure children take regular breaks from screens by getting up and being active
It is worth reflecting on the impact our use of technology can have - adults as well as children. As a school that embraces technology it has always been our belief that educating about the risks is better than just taking action that can drive the behaviour associated with such risks underground and I would recommend that we all engage in the conversation. Schools across the country are constantly dealing with situations in school that began outside of school. Situations such as these would not happen if social media had not been misused by children operating out of earshot late at night. Whilst we do our best to educate everyone about how to behave online and through social media it is our collective responsibility to ensure our learners are safe in their use of technology in and out of school. Parents, do you know how your children are using their technology in the evenings? I have had a few conversations recently with parents about the difficulty in finding the right balance between trusting your children with the freedom to grow and monitoring their every move. In truth, there is no perfect solution as it is down to the individual. I have read several articles recently about how the leaders of the world’s top tech companies, those who produce the stuff we all use, are placing heavy restrictions on their own children’s use of technology - even completely banning access to certain things. It is as if they are well aware of the damaging effects to health that ungoverned use of the technology they have created can have.
eSafety Training The eSafety Training website by the group known as The 2 Johns is a great resource for parents and children. They offer bespoke Child Sexual Exploitation Training to professionals, parents and children, with an aim to totally change the perception that everyone has of 'Stranger Danger'. The website includes guidance on reporting or removing images online as well as highlighting concerns with Netflix’s Squid Game
Online Gaming and messaging
Online Safety Advice & Information for Parents
The following links are intended as a useful resource to find out about a number of issues that exist in the online world.
Childnet - online safety Childnet - Childnet
Educateagainsthate provides practical advice and support on protecting children from extremism and radicalisation Educate Against Hate - Prevent Radicalisation & Extremism
NSPCC Online Safety for Children - Tips & Guides Dedicated NSPCC helpline 0800 136 663. The helpline will provide both children and adults who are potential victims of sexual abuse in schools with the appropriate support and advice. This includes how to contact the police and report crimes if they wish. The helpline will also provide support to parents and professionals too. Dedicated helpline for victims of abuse in schools Use of social media for online radicalisation - How social media is used to encourage travel to Syria and Iraq. The use of social media for online radicalisation UK Council for Internet Safety UK Council for Internet Safety UK Safer Internet Centre UK Safer Internet Centre - Online Safety Tips, Advice and Resources Commonsensemedia provide independent reviews, age ratings, & other information about all types of media for children and their parents. Common Sense Media: Age-Based Media Reviews for Families Government advice about protecting children from specific online harms such as child sexual abuse, sexting, and cyberbullying. Coronavirus (COVID-19): support for parents and carers to keep children safe online Internet Matters provide age-specific online safety checklists, guides on how to set parental controls on a range of devices, and a host of practical tips to help children get the most out of their digital world. Information, Advice and Support to Keep Children Safe Online
Let’s Talk About It provides advice for parents and carers to keep children safe from online radicalisation. Staying Safe Online London Grid for Learning provides support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online. Home Page - London Grid for Learning Stopitnow resource from The Lucy Faithfull Foundation can be used by parents and carers who are concerned about someone’s behaviour, including children who may be displaying concerning sexual behaviour (not just about online). Stop It Now! UK and Ireland | Preventing child sexual abuse National Crime Agency/CEOP Thinkuknow provides support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online - https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/ Net-aware provides support for parents and carers from the NSPCC and O2, including a guide to social networks, apps and games - https://www.net-aware.org.uk/ Apps, games and social media sites reviews for parents Internet Watch Foundation The IWF is a not-for-profit organisation that works towards the global elimination of child sexual abuse images and videos online. We help to make the internet a safer place for children and adults across the world. https://talk.iwf.org.uk/ Parentzone provides help for parents and carers on how to keep their children safe online https://parentzone.org.uk/home Parent info from Parentzone and the National Crime Agency provides support and guidance for parents from leading experts and organisations - https://parentinfo.org/ Breck Foundation The Breck Foundation is a charity founded by Lorin LaFave after the tragic loss of her 14-year old son, Breck Bednar, in 2014, through online grooming. Breck was groomed while enjoying his passions of computing and gaming. We want to ensure that no child is harmed through grooming and exploitation while enjoying their time on the internet. Prevention through education is essential. About Us | Breck Foundation Internet browsing history checks Only Fans Explained
Under-18s who want nude pictures or videos of themselves removed from the internet can now report the images through an online tool. The service - from the Internet Watch Foundation and Childline - aims to help children who have been groomed, or whose partners have posted photos of them online. To access the Report Remove facility on the childline website please use the link below: Report Remove: Remove a nude image shared online
WhatsApp. WhatsApp is popular with many learners and many of them are members of different WhatsApp groups. It is important to remember that the freedom to use electronic devices such as phones, laptops and tablets comes with greater responsibilities for both children and parents. Please use the links below to make sure that you are aware of the age limits for different applications and how they are set to minimise the opportunity for inappropriate use. Does WhatsApp have any age restrictions? As of May 2018, WhatsApp’s minimum age of use is 16 years old if you live in the European Union, or a country that has adopted the GDPR, as the UK has. It was previously 13 and WhatsApp has not yet said what will happen to users between 13 and 16 who already held accounts under the old terms and conditions. By using WhatsApp, a user agrees to provide certain personal information such as their mobile phone number, billing and mobile device information. If WhatsApp learns that identifiable information of a child under 16 has been collected on the WhatsApp Site or WhatsApp Service, then WhatsApp may deactivate the account. Read the full article here: https://parentinfo.org/article/whatsapp-a-guide-for-parents-and-carers Fake Profiles
A very good video resource to watch with your children about the risks of sharing images and fake profiles on line - Fake profile, real love story: https://www.youtube.com
Twitch is a streaming service which is extremely popular among young people - link- Twitch - a guide for parents and carers Parents need to be aware of an increasingly popular application called Discord. Discord is a chat service specifically designed for gamers to connect with each other using either text, voice or video chat. Even if chat features are disabled within online games, Discord can be downloaded separately allowing conversation to take place outside the game being played. Most major games have a Discord channel associated with them. According to Essex police, private ‘channels’ are being created within Discord to target and groom some young people. Please talk to your children about the use of this app and how they may be vulnerable. Ensure that they understand that the people they may be talking to and forming friendships with, may not be who they claim to be. Parents guide to Discord: https://parentzone.org.uk/article/discord-everything-you-need-know-about-chat-service
CEOP. There is a button to CEOP on the school website: https://www.honywoodschool.com as well as a link under the Quick Links section. Wherever you see this logo you are able to directly report any concern.
CEOP helps young people who are being sexually abused or are worried that someone they’ve met is trying to abuse them. If you’ve met someone online, or face to face, and they are putting you under pressure to have sex, asking to share images or making you feel uncomfortable you should report to CEOP. This might be someone: ● ● ● ● ● ●
Making you have sex when you donʼt want to Chatting about sex online Asking you to meet up face to face if youʼve only met them online Asking you to do sexual things on camera Asking for sexual pictures of you Making you feel worried, anxious or unsafe
If this is happening to you, or you’re worried that it might be, you can report this to CEOP www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre
Mental Health Support Resources for Parents Exam Stress. The following link covers a wide-range of tips to keep students mentally healthy. Supporting Your Child during Exam Time (Young Minds) Exam Time & Exam Stress | Parents Guide To Support Young Minds https://youngminds.org.uk/ EWMHS. Emotional well being and mental health service have recently launched a new Instagram account to provide advice and support to young people experiencing mental health issues. Please encourage your children to follow the account where they will be able to access early intervention advice and support. https://www.instagram.com/ewmhs_nhs/
MindEd is a free educational resource on children and young people's mental health for all adults: https://www.minded.org.uk/ Safe and reliable advice about young people’s mental health, created by experts and parents together: https://www.mindedforfamilies.org.uk/young-people
NHS Mental Health Charities directory: Mental health charities and organisations Parent zone - 10 mental wellbeing apps for all the family: https://parentzone.org.uk/article/10-mental-wellbeing-apps-all-family Gov.uk COVID-19: guidance on supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing Headstogether - Changing the conversation on mental health: https://www.headstogether.org.uk The Mix - Essential support for under 25s: https://www.themix.org.uk/
Safeguarding Support Resources for Parents Safeguarding when learning to drive. We are aware that from time to time, concerns are raised by post-16 learners and their parents in Essex about inappropriate conduct of driving instructors. We have been given the following information to help to safeguard those accessing driving lessons: https://www.gov.uk/learn-to-drive-a-car https://www.gov.uk/find-driving-schools-and-lessons (all instructors on the list will have had a DBS check and passed all the qualification tests to become an instructor) https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-a-driving-instructor Parent zone - County Lines: https://parentinfo.org/article/county-lines-what-is-it-and-who-is-at-risk? Parent zone - Sleep Advice: https://parentzone.org.uk/article/how-sleep-easy-during-global-pandemic Parent line Family Support: Parentline family support and bullying helpline Domestic Abuse support: #ReachIn
Welfare Support Resources for Parents Essex Welfare Service (EWS). The EWS, a service to help vulnerable people in the community in need of support and unable to access it at this time: https://essexwelfareservice.org/ Parents are able to ‘self-refer’ if they are experiencing difficulties EWS Contact details: Phone: 0300 303 9988 Email: provide.essexwelfareservice@nhs.net Website: https://essexwelfareservice.org/
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 2pm Livewell Essex There is a real need to collectively find solutions that contribute towards wellbeing in order to reduce the cost to health and social care. The Livewell campaign is designed to engage communities, families and individuals and to provide information about all that is on offer in Essex to improve health and wellbeing. All 13 Essex Local Authorities and our partners have come together to collaborate on the health and wellbeing agenda and work towards achieving better health outcomes for people across Essex. Household Support Fund ECC has received funding from central government to support vulnerable families and adults this winter. There are a range of initiatives in place to ensure help with household food and utility bills, essential items and emergency situations are provided for. To find out more about how to access this support please follow the link for access points where parents, young adults and adults can be signposted to www.essex.gov.uk/money-debt-and-benefits/household-support-fund
Key Contacts in School Please see the key contact list below to support you to address any concerns. Leadership Team Mr Saunders Mrs Brook Mr Munro Mr Calver Mr Caygill Mrs Downes Mrs Hickford Miss McPhail Mr Smith Mr Williams
Headteacher Deputy Headteacher Deputy Headteacher Assistant Headteacher Assistant Headteacher Assistant Headteacher Assistant Headteacher Associate Assistant Head Associate Assistant Head Associate Assistant Head
jsaunders@honywoodschool.com jbrook@honywoodschool.com jmunro@honywoodschool.com dcalver@honywoodschool.com scaygill@honywoodschool.com pdownes@honywoodschool.com jhickford@honywoodschool.com amcphail@honywoodschool.com dsmith@honywoodschool.com jwilliams@honywoodschool.com
Safeguarding, welfare and support team Mrs Nichols Mrs Slaney Mr Robertson Mrs Loydall
Safeguarding Officer Safeguarding Officer Attendance Concerns Medical concerns
knichols@honywoodschool.com sslaney@honywoodschool.com crobertson@honywoodschool.com medical@honywoodschool.com
Cohort Leaders Cohort 7 Cohort 8 Cohort 9 Cohort 10 Cohort 11 SEND team
Mr Hall Ms Ward Ms Martin Mr Scott Mrs Reece
shall@honywoodschool.com tward@honywoodschool.com amartin@honywoodschool.com dscott@honywoodschool.com ereece@honywoodschool.com
Mrs Vaughan SENCO cvaughan@honywoodschool.com Mr Wood Deputy SENCO (Autism Hub)mwood@honywoodschool.com