We take our duty to protect young people and adults at risk very seriously, therefore we see Safeguarding as everyone’s responsibility.
We have a set of policies to safeguard students, who may be in need of protection, and to enable the College to meet its duties under the Children Act 1989, and Section 175 of the Education Act 2002. These are listed below. Our policies reflect Keeping children safe in education 2021 (gov.uk - PDF)
Staff are appropriately recruited and trained, and we will take immediate action should there be any serious welfare or safeguarding concerns.
If you have any concerns
If you have any concerns over a child protection issue or welfare concern, please contact the College’s Welfare and Safeguarding team on 01284 716 397 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We will handle all concerns in a sensitive manner.
Our designated safeguarding leads are:
Colin Shaw
Senior Designated Safeguarding Lead
Claire Battey
Designated Safeguarding Lead
Gary Jefferson
Designated Safeguarding Lead
Debbie Coomes
Designated Safeguarding Lead
Policies
Useful contacts
Childline
Childline.org.uk
Call free on 0800 1111
NSPCC
www.nspcc.org.uk
Samaritans: (Suicide prevention charity)
https://www.samaritans.org/
Customer first (Social Care for out of hours safeguarding concerns)
0808 800 4005
111 - NHS Non-emergency advice line
101 – Police Non-emergency Line
Papyrus Hopeline UK (Suicide prevention charity for young people)
0800 068 4141
Mind
www.mind.org.uk
Emotional Wellbeing Hub
0345 600 2090 (Monday - Friday 8am-7.30pm)
The source (information and advice for young people in Suffolk)
thesource.me.uk
Kooth (online counselling service)
www.kooth.com
Domestic abuse helpline
0808 2000 247
www.nationalahelpline.org.uk
Other resources
Supporting your child - self-harm
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Other useful resources in relation to self-harm
Videos
- #NoHarmDone | A Parent's Journey | My Child Self-Harms | YoungMinds - YouTube
- #NoHarmDone Things Can Change | Self-Harm | YoungMinds - YouTube
More useful links
- selfharm.co.uk
- Fact sheets | LifeSIGNS- here you can download and some fact sheets with information
- Parents Helpline - YoungMinds – helpline for parents
- Papyrus UK | Suicide Prevention Charity (papyrus-uk.org) – helpline 0800 068 4141
- The truth about self-harm | Mental Health Foundation- this is a free download. This is booklet about self-harm (this is not based on young people only)
- Understanding Self-harm - Suffolk Mind
- Self-harm - Healthy Suffolk - here you can find some detailed information about how to support and prevent self-harm that you might find useful such as prompts for positive conversation with a young person.
Spiking - top tips to stay safe
What does spiking mean?
To spike a drink means to put alcohol or drugs into someone's drink without their knowledge or permission. The aim may be to incapacitate someone enough to rob or sexually assault them, although sometimes it is just intended as a joke – a bad joke as it is very dangerous.
There is also some concern at the possibility that people are being ‘spiked’ by needles/syringes containing drugs. Although this is much less likely than drink spiking, many of the same tips for staying safe can protect you here too. Spiking is a criminal offence and venues should take steps to ensure they are safe places to be, but you still need to protect yourself, particularly if you feel unsafe.
Tips to stay safe
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Plan your night out, including your journey there and back.
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Make sure the venue you are going to is licensed – venues are required to take steps to ensure the safety of their customers
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When going to a pub, club or party avoid going alone. Friends can look out for one another.
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Stay aware of what’s going on around you and keep away from situations you don’t feel comfortable with.
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Think very carefully about whether you should leave a pub, club or party with someone you’ve just met.
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Make sure your mobile phone has plenty of charge in it before you leave home and keep your mobile safe.