Safeguarding
On this page, you will find the details of the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (DDSLs) and what to do if you ever have a safeguarding concern about your child or any other child here at HIAC.
The Academy is committed to the vital contribution all governors and staff can make to safeguarding children. We will strive to make sure that every student in the Academy feels secure, well cared for, and able to reach their full potential.
We will ensure all our own staff, other professionals, parents/carers and students work together to know the rules about keeping children safe. They will understand the importance of following procedures and listening to each other, especially when there are concerns about safety. The Government publishes statutory guidance for schools on keeping children safe in education settings. Please click here to read this guidance.
The Academy provides a wide range of learning opportunities to promote well-being and will develop programmes that enable young people to be informed about safeguarding issues that may arise. This will help them to understand how to keep safe and how to manage in difficult situations. We will also provide pastoral mentoring and support.
We have worked to develop close links with our Safer Schools Police Officer. They work on site with us at the Academy one day a week. They deliver sessions to our students on topics such as road safety and online safety. They also work alongside colleagues and are around at student breaks and lunchtimes. They also support in keeping our children safe after school and around the Academy; this enables them to develop healthy relationships with our students.
The Academy will work hard to reduce all the kinds of harm that children can suffer, including abuse, bullying, discrimination and avoidable injuries. Our prevention of bullying policy, including details of our strategy, is included in the document list at the bottom of this page. If you have any concerns at all about the safety or welfare of a child, please do not hesitate to contact us.
You can call the Academy on 0203 371 3002 or via safeguarding@harrisinvictus.org.uk
Our Safeguarding Team
|
Name |
|
Role |
|
Mr J. James |
|
Assistant Principal/ Designated Safeguarding Lead(DSL)/Prevent Lead |
|
Mr D. McKenzie |
|
Senior Pastoral Welfare Leader/ DDSL |
|
Ms M. Dullard |
|
Pastoral Welfare Leader/DDSL |
| Ms S. Hobbs |  |
Teacher of R.E./ DDSL |
| Members of the senior team are also DSL trained. | ||
Advice and further information
Urgent concern about a child - Local Authority Croydon - for out of hours emergencies
(Link above for Croydon info including out of hours: Emergency Duty Team (EDT) on 0208 726 6400. Press 5 for Children’s Services and listen to the message until you hear ‘If your call is an emergency, please wait and your call will be transferred’).
Out of school hours - If you have an urgent concern about a child that needs an immediate response, consider calling 999 and request the appropriate emergency service.
Please see below specific safeguarding concerns that could arise and some links to guide you.
Online Safety
Social networking is hugely popular. Many young people are sophisticated in the way they use social media apps and websites, tailoring their communication for different audiences, and accessing them from a range of devices including smartphones, tablets, and games consoles.
But social media, like all forms of public communication, comes with some risks. Not all of these risks turn into actual problems; and if children never face any risks, they never learn how to deal with them. By helping your child understand what the risks are, you can play a big part in preventing them from turning into problems.
Children Missing from Education
All children, regardless of their circumstances, are entitled to an efficient, full time education which is suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs they may have. Children missing education are children of compulsory school age who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school. Children missing education are at significant risk of underachieving, being victims of harm, exploitation or radicalisation, and becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) later in life.
At HIAC we work hard to ensure that all children are safe and happy in school and we follow all statutory guidelines; working alongside external agencies and the Local Authority so that no child gets left behind. All schools must inform their Local Authority of any student who fails to attend school regularly, or has been absent without the school’s permission for a continuous period of 10 school days or more, at such intervals as are agreed between the school and the local authority.
Mental Health Strategy Team (MHST)
Harris Invictus is the lead school for MHST, Wave 6. We see Mental Health and well being as being as important as Physical Heath and has such we work with “Off the Record” and “Croydon Drop in” to offer mental health support to our young people. We refer students with parental consent to the following different agencies to help support mental health:
 |
Off the Record Click on the logo |
 |
Croydon Drop in Click on the logo Also a new service from the 9th January 2023 - click here |
 |
Kooth - Online mental wellbeing support. Click on logo. |
| - In house counselling service | |
| - Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health (EWMH) service referrals (formally known as CAMHS) | |
| - Candle child referrals (bereavement) click for information | |
|
- Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence (SHSV) We take a whole school approach to sexual harassment and sexual violence. |
|
Female genital mutilation (FGM)
FGM is when a female's genitals are deliberately altered or removed for non-medical reasons. It's also known as 'female circumcision' or 'cutting’ but has many other names. It can have long lasting harmful consequences.
FGM is a form of child abuse. It's dangerous and a criminal offence in the UK. All professionals have a legal duty to report any possibility of a girl being at risk of FGM.
Please see click for advice and guidance.
Child sexual exploitation (CSE)
Is a type of sexual abuse. Often, when a child or young person is exploited, they're given things, like gifts, drugs, money, status and affection, in exchange for performing sexual activities. Children and young people are often tricked into believing they're in a loving and consensual relationship. This is called grooming. They may trust their abuser and not understand that they're being abused.
Children and young people can be trafficked into or within the UK to be sexually exploited. They're moved around the country and abused by being forced to take part in sexual activities, often with more than one person. Young people in gangs can also be sexually exploited.
Anybody can be a perpetrator of CSE, no matter their age, gender or race. The relationship could be framed as friendship, someone to look up to or romantic. Children and young people who are exploited may also be used to 'find' or coerce others to join groups.
Further information click here
Criminal exploitation – County Lines
Crimin
al exploitation is also known as ‘county lines’ and is when gangs and organised crime networks groom and exploit children to sell drugs. Often these children are made to travel across counties, and they use dedicated mobile phone ‘lines’ to supply drugs. If you need any further information or advice, please click on the logo.
Keep reading for further advice and links for parents and carers and for information on Counter Terrorism and the Prevent strategy
Childline
Advice l
ines for children (and parents/carers)
Get help and advice about a wide range of issues, call Childline on 0800 1111, talk to a counsellor online, send Childline an email or post on the message boards. www.childline.org.uk
SHARPS
School Help Advice Reporting Page System. We all work together at Harris Invictus to help with any problems you may have in or out of school.
If you wish to co
ntact us, Click here you don't have to leave your details if you don't want to.
Please take the time to look through the pages and if you feel that you can help to keep our school a safe, friendly and fun place to be you can get in touch using the link.
This is a CONFIDENTIAL way seek help and to stop YOU or a FRIEND or SOMEONE you have seen SUFFERING.
O2 NSPCC Advice Line
on 0808 800 5002 for advice on apps, sites, games and online 
safety.
Click the logo.
Thinkuknow
is the education programme from NCA-CEOP,
a UK o
rganisation which protects children both online and offline.
Click the logo
Government Advice: Child Safety Online:
A practical guide for parents and carers whose children are using social media, click on UK Council logo:
Internet Watch Foundation
How do
we work?
We search for, stop, remove and prevent child sexual abuse imagery online. Through our Hotline and Reporting portals we give 2.5 billion people a safe place to report suspected illegal pictures and videos.
By making the Internet a safer place, our work means that everyone who goes online has a smaller chance of accidentally stumbling on distressing images of child sexual abuse.
Advice for young people dealing with bullying. Including cyberbullying, friendships and 'frenemies'. Feeling better. Plus Advice for adults working with children. Click the logo
Honest Information about drugs. Need some friendly confidential advice? click the Frank log for information. Find out everything you need to know about drugs, their effects and the law. Talk to Frank for facts, support and advice on drugs and alcohol today
There are 3 Early help centres in Croydon which are all walk in centres and a number of helplines, all details can be found on the following website Click logo.
Counter Terrorism and the Prevent strategy
The Safer Croydon Partnership works with the security services and the community to try and reduce the risks presented by those from within our community who might engage in an act of extreme violence, endangering every person in Croydon as well as themselves.
Contacts and further information
If you have anything you wish to report, please note the following numbers:
- Always dial 999 in an emergency
For non-emergencies you can contact the police via
- Anti-terrorist hotline: 0800 789 321
You can also email Channel@croydon.gov.uk
All information received will be treated in the strictest confidence.
The Academy will work hard to reduce all the kinds of harm that children can suffer, including abuse, bullying, discrimination and avoidable injuries. If you have any concerns at all about the safety or welfare of a child please do not hesitate to contact us. you can call the Academy on 0203 371 3002 or via the following email address, safeguarding@harrisinvictus.org.uk
