Safeguarding Information

Each year around 80 to 100 children die as a direct result of abuse or neglect

Some of these cases become widely-known when they attract the attentions of the Media but, even then, only when something has gone wrong that could have been prevented or some sort of scandal is involved. These cases are not typical but they are very important nevertheless, because they raise awareness and help change attitudes and policy.

At Penn Fields School we do everything we can to protect children whilst in our care whether or not they are within the school environment.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility and a culture that promotes safeguarding is embedded within the school. We adhere to the guidelines set out by the Department for Education and have created our own policies relating to Child Protection and Safeguarding. To read these you can click on each of the documents shown to the left.

The role of Penn Fields School in protecting your child from abuse

We have implemented a number of measures to help protect them:

There are staff who are trained to identify signs of abuse or neglect and know what to do if they, or someone else, are worried about a child
There is a Designated Safeguarding Lead - Jackie Callaghan
There are procedures for vetting staff before they are allowed to work with children
Our Child Protection and Safeguarding policy sets out the procedures to be followed if a teacher or other member of staff is accused of harming a child

Jackie Callaghan

DSL & Welfare Officer

Louise Birt

DDSL

ALL INCIDENTS SHOULD BE REPORTED TO:

Jackie Callaghan

IN HER ABSENCE INCIDENTS SHOULD BE REPORTED TO:

Louise Birt

You can telephone, email, or visit the school.

Do you feel worried a child you know may be in trouble or at risk of harm or abuse? Do you know or suspect something is wrong but don’t know how or who to tell? You can report it without saying who you are using our secure reporting service.

Report a concern

Child Protection and Pastoral Care at Penn Fields School

As well as having child protection procedures in place, we also teach your child how to protect themselves, so our Sex and Relationship Education along with our Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) lessons cover topics such as:

what constitutes ‘risky’ behaviour
recognising appropriate and inappropriate physical contact
how to deal with peer pressure and bullying

Dealing with Suspected Cases of Abuse

Staff will listen to and work closely with parents to make sure children feel safe and protected within our school environment. If we suspect a child is being abused or neglected we will report it to the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub which is part of Wolverhampton’s Social Care Services.

Once the specific authorities are notified, they will then decide the best way to proceed and the school’s role will be limited. Staff at Penn Fields School will not take part in any investigation, though they may be called upon to supply any information which may be deemed relevant. They may also be asked to provide additional support for the child.

Please remember that all staff at Penn Fields school have a duty of care to report a child protection concern to the Wolverhampton Social Care department. We act on behalf of all our children to keep them safe.

If you would like any further assistance or information on Safeguarding please visit the ‘Wolverhampton Safeguarding Together’ website.

Wolverhampton Safeguarding Together