Safeguarding Review

BPSI safeguarding review

Schools have a key role in keeping children safe and promoting their welfare as part of the legal requirements of the Education Act 2002. The statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education' July 2015 provides a framework for schools to ensure compliance in their operating procedures.

Regular monitoring is important to ensure that your school or establishment has strong policies, procedures and mechanisms in place to fulfil these requirements that have kept pace with recent changes, including the Prevent duty; it will also help in preparing for safeguarding aspects of inspections by Ofsted or other relevant inspectorates.

BPSI is now able to support schools in this process through a Safeguarding Review.

This will provide an opportunity to evaluate your school's safeguarding and child protection systems to identify what is working well and any areas for further development or improvement. The review will typically include the following elements but can be tailored to specific requirements:

The management of safeguarding and child protection in your school
How does the leadership team create a positive culture where safeguarding has a high priority
Roles and responsibilities
The role of Designated Professionals
Policies and Procedures
How the Governing Body exercises its role
Recording systems
Training and Development
Safer Recruitment Practice
Safeguarding in the curriculum , including on line safety
Pupil voice
Partnership work
The wider environment

What does the review involve?

BPSI Safeguarding Advisers would visit the school by arrangement and spend time with the Leadership Team and other key members of staff reviewing aspects of safeguarding practice. This can include the school's Single Central Record as part of the review. Policies and procedures can also be reviewed as required.

What is the output?

A summary report is provided for the Head Teacher that identifies strengths as well as areas for development. Further work can be undertaken subject to request, for example, staff training, revised recording systems or policy updating

How much time is involved?

On average the time spent at schools has been approximately 3 hours and the preparation of the report will bring the total of BPSI hours to 6. However this is subject to individual requirements and where further work has been carried out, for example policy and procedure updating, then this will be added accordingly.

For further information and to book a BPSI Safeguarding Review, please contact Helen Elliott, BPSI Adviser, on helenelliott56@gmail.com.

Helen Elliott is an independent safeguarding and child protection trainer andconsultant. She has over 30 years experience as a practitioner and manager in children’s services and the Probation Service where she was a strategic lead in managing perpetrators of sexual and violent offenders. More recently, she was the Manager of Barnet Safeguarding Children Board and is therefore well placed to work with local schools. Helen has also contributed to national and London policy and procedures. She is involved in the Home Office Ending Gangs and Exploitation initiative as an accredited peer reviewer and is an approved WRAP (Prevent) facilitator. She also has recent experience as an associate lecturer on Early Childhood Studies and Postgraduate Social Work Degrees.

Helen has had a significant role developing and delivering training and support in safeguarding and child protection for partners, including schools and early years settings. She can provide consultancy and advice to help schools develop or review safeguarding practice, policy and procedures. This includes:

Child Protection and Safeguarding Training for schools (including INSET)
Home Office Accredited WRAP ( Prevent) workshops
Gangs and Serious Youth Violence Awareness
Safer Recruitment Training for Heads and Governors or others with recruitment responsibilities
Safeguarding audit and review
Support in developing safeguarding and CP policies