Safeguarding
What is Safeguarding?
Safeguarding means the actions we take and the systems we have in place at Petersfield Infant School to promote the welfare of our children and to protect them from harm. We ensure that safeguarding permeates all aspects of our school life. There can be no issue of greater importance to our staff, governors and parents and carers, than the safety of our children.
We ensure that the following underpins everything we do:
- Protect our children and learners from maltreatment,
- Prevent impairment of our children’s and learners’ health or development,
- Ensure that our children and learners are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care,
- Undertake a role so as to enable those children and learners to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully
Who do I contact if I have a safeguarding concern about a child at Petersfield Infant School?
The school has a team of Designated Safeguarding Leads:
Mrs Hodgkinson – Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Amor, Mrs Downer and Mrs Turner – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Who else can I contact?
If you think a child or young person is at IMMEDIATE risk, you should treat this as an emergency and call 999 to report your concerns to the Police.
If you think a child is being abused or neglected, please contact the MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub). You can contact the MASH during office hours on the details below:
Tel: 0300 555 1381
The out of office hours (5pm – 8am weekdays) and 24-hour emergency number on weekends and bank holidays is 0300 555 1373
When you contact the MASH please give as much information as possible about the child you are concerned about. This will help the MASH decide the best way to respond to your concern. The information you give will be kept confidential. You can remain anonymous but it is helpful if you can give your name and details.
NSPCC whistle-blowing helpline – 0800 028 0285
All staff know how to report concerns and are aware of the signs of abuse and neglect. All concerns are always addressed/or investigated. The school works closely with other professionals because we understand that, in order to gain insights into children’s needs, a multi-agency approach is essential.