Safeguarding Information
City Academy Bristol is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. It is our expectation that all staff, volunteers and members of the school community share this commitment.
The City Academy Safeguarding Team
Wider Safeguarding Team
Safeguarding Administrator – Vacancy – TBC
Online Safety Officer – Aaron Stewart
Attendance Officer Daisy Da Silva – [email protected]
Academy Council Chair and Safeguarding Governor Ruth Pickersgill
Reporting Concerns
Concerns about students
If you are concerned for the safety or wellbeing of a child at City Academy please contact the child’s Head of Year who have all received Advanced Practitioner Safeguarding training.
If for some reason you are unable to reach the student’s Head of Year, please contact:
Miss Jewson, DSL: 01179413800 ext 0303
Miss McClean DDSL: 01179413800 ext 0272
Miss Bunker DDSL: 01179413800 ext 0247
If you have concerns about the wellbeing of any child, you can also contact Bristol City Council’s First Response Team on 0117 903 6444. If it is out of hours you can contact the Emergency Duty Team on 01454 615 165.
Concerns about staff
Should you have any concerns in terms of safeguarding relating to the behaviour of a member of staff, you should immediately contact the designated person as above. If the allegation concerns these individuals, you should contact: Mr Benjamin Tucker, Principal. Should you feel that your concerns have not been dealt with appropriately by the school, the CLF or Chair of the Academy Council you should contact the Local Authority Designated Officer via First Response on 0117 903 6444.
Safeguarding Newsletter
Online Safety
At City Academy Bristol, we take the well-being and safety of our students extremely seriously. We aim to equip our students with the knowledge and skills to use information and be engaged in the online world safely and purposefully.
With online technologies playing an increasingly huge role in our lives we aim to provide a broad and balanced online education to ensure that our students can navigate the online world safely and positively. At CAB, online safety is not exclusive to ICT lessons. Students learn how to keep themselves safe through a broad range of curriculum and PSHE subjects as well as personalised individual and group online safety sessions. We also invite experts in their field to talk to the students and to do workshops around online safety.
The online safety magazines produced by Digital Families are available at reception and are given to all students. They are also included in an online safety pack for children entering Year 7. These packs have lots of useful information about how parents can keep up to date with the online world and how students can keep safe using social networking sites. We also hold online safety awareness sessions for parents during coffee mornings throughout the year.
We regularly review our practices and are working towards gaining the South West Grid for Learning 360 Degrees Safe E-Safety Mark which will recognise the work we do to help keep our students safe when they are online.
The online safety officer for the school is Aaron Stewart.
Mobile Apps
As you are aware there are always new apps popping up that we should be aware of, the following site has a useful guide to the most current apps being used and any concerns relating to them, worth a look to refresh your knowledge.
A Complete Guide to Potentially Dangerous Apps all Parents Should be Aware-of
Online Safety – Dark Web explained
Ever wondered what the Dark Web is and why people access it? Being aware of the Dark Web can help you have informed conversations and support a young person if you are concerned. The National Crime Agency has produced an excellent resource available here:
Think U Know – Dark Web explained
General Online Safety News
- COVID-19 Update to help parents we have some useful information on Apps your children may be using and how you can help keep them safe online when they are spending large amounts of time at home. As always we recommend that you talk to your child about what Apps they are using, especially as they may have downloaded some news ones since the Lockdown began.
- Ineqe Safeguarding Hub have developed some excellent information for parents and safety cards to help guide you through privacy settings for popular Apps including, House Party, Tik Tok and Instagram to name a few. You can find these cards and lots more useful tips here
https://ineqe.com/safeguarding-hub/
A NEW TOOL for under 18 year olds to REMOVE NUDE IMAGES shared online.
Good advice and support for young people about on why hate speech is dangerous and the conversations you can have around the subject.
Below are some useful websites for parents and students;
If something has happened online that has made you feel worried or unsafe you can report it to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection command (CEOP).
https://www.childnet.com/resources/supporting-young-people-online
available in 13 different languages including Arabic, English, Polish, Hindi, Somali, Spanish, Bengali, Hindi, French, Urdu, Turkish, Vietnamese and Welsh.
https://swgfl.org.uk/magazine/6-steps-to-understanding-snapchat/
https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/apps-guide/ an easy guide to all the latest apps
https://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/all-modules FREE online CPD course cyberbullying
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers
https://www.internetmatters.org/
https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/apps-social-media-online-safety-parental-awareness
Further Information
All CAB policies, including Child Protection and Safeguarding, can be found on the Policies Page
Further information can be found on HM Government’s website, around our duty of care for children
Working Together to Safeguard Children
This outlines the responsibility of all agencies, including schools, to work together to keep children safe.
- Arabic
- Bengali
- Cantonese
- Gujarati
- Mandarin
- Polish
- Portugese
- Punjabi
- Spanish
- Urdu
Working Together to Safeguard Children
GUIDE Young Persons Guide to Keeping Children Safe younger children
If you feel that a child is in immediate danger then you must call the police on 999.
Otherwise you can find help and support at;
- CHILDLINE (if you need to talk to someone confidentially about problems you are having or worries that you might have about other children) www.childline.org.uk 0800 1111
- NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO CHILDREN (NSPCC) (for expert advice about child protection) www.nspcc.org.uk 0808 800 5000
- CHILD EXPLOITATION AND ONLINE PROTECTION (CEOP) (provides useful advice about keeping children safe online) www.thinkuknow.co.uk
- ACTION FOR CHILDREN (provides help for vulnerable and neglected children, young people and families) www.actionforchildren.org.uk 0300 123 2112
- First Response (Bristol) 0117 9036444.
- First Point (South Gloucestershire) 01454 866000Free, safe and anonymous online support for young people https://www.kooth.com/
- https://parentzone.org.uk/advice/parent-guides
An information booklet for parents about extremism and radicalisation, produced by Educate Against Hate. https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/parents-protecting-children-extremism-2/
For more information regarding racism and inequality, or to report a hate crime, please visit https://www.sariweb.org.uk/
where you will find advice, information and guidance.For information and advice on what to do in the rare event of a firearms or weapons attack go to https://www.npcc.police.uk/NPCCBusinessAreas/WeaponAttacksStaySafe.aspx
Prevent
Prevent is about safeguarding people and communities from the threat of terrorism. Prevent is 1 of the 4 elements of CONTEST, the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
www.ltai.info/what-is-prevent/
Incidents of extremism and radicalisation are rare and as such when they do occur, make the news. As with all safeguarding issues, it is important to be vigilant, and not complacent, but also not to panic.
What is extremism and radicalisation?
Prevent defines extremism as: “vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also include in our definition of extremism calls for the death of members of our armed forces”
Radicalisation is defined by the UK Government within this context as “the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and extremist ideologies associated with terrorist groups.”
However…
We live in a wonderfully diverse world, with both differences and similarities to celebrate. Exploring religious and different social beliefs, in a peaceful and non-violent way, is part of growing up and should not be confused with something more sinister. The best way to PREVENT extremism and radicalisation is by open discussion and increased understanding of each other.
As a parent…
You know your child better than anybody else. Having open, honest conversations on a regular basis will allow your child to explore new ideas in a safe environment.
Talk to your child about their online viewing. Social media such as YouTube and Facebook can be used to groom children towards a certain point of view.
Discuss different points of view concerns topics in the news, modelling that there is always more than one point of view.
Encourage your child to take an active part in their local community. This could be part of a sports club, social group, volunteering. Getting out, meeting and talking to people around you helps to understand and become part of a community.
Tips for Parents – how to talk to children about extremism and radicalisation
As a school…
All staff have had Prevent training from an accredited Prevent trainer in school.
We have updated our safeguarding procedures to reflect statutory requirements in the Government’s Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015.
We have direct contact with the Local Prevent Officer and other external professionals to receive on-going support and two way communication.
Students are encouraged to discuss and explore issues during Learning Family Time, Assemblies and on Intensive Days.
If you have any concerns that someone you know may be at risk of radicalisation, please contact the local police on 101.
If your concern is of an URGENT nature please dial 999 or the Anti-Terrorist Hotline 0800 789 321.
If you have a concern about a student at City Academy Bristol please contact Miss Caroline Jewson.
Useful Contact Numbers for Parents
Are you a Parent or carer? Need FREE help or advice?
- a phone line to ask for advice
- information about parenting issues
- an activity to meet up and discuss practical ways to handle young people’s emotions and stresses
- 1 to 1 guidance
- support groups
- parenting courses
Bristol City Council’s Social Care and Health team will listen to you to help decide what kind of support is right for you and your family.
Contact them on 0117 903 6444.
The following services may help:
You can also find local support groups at:
- 1 Big Database
- Advice Network: free, independent advice across the South West
- Single Parent Action Network (SPAN)
- Off The Record
National organisations
You can get advice from:
- Action for children
- Advisory Centre for Education (ACE)
- Family Lives
- Fostering Network
- The Grandparents Association
- NSPCC
- Support for children and young people from Gov.uk
- thinkuknow Secondary Parents Helpsheet
Financial and legal advice:
- Child benefit information from Gov.uk
- Children’s Legal Centre
- Citizens Advice
- Family Mediation Council
- Family Rights Group (FRG)
- National Family Mediation (NFM)
- Talking money: Bristol debt advice centre
Support for drug and addiction issues:
Support for prisoners and their families:
Useful Contact Numbers for Students
Need to get help, advice or someone to talk to?
If it is an emergency call 999.
You may want to talk to a social worker about something that is worrying you. Social workers in Bristol can be contacted here – Concerned about a child?
The following links and organisations will be able to give you advice and support about anything that is worrying you.
Advice and Guidance during COVID 19 school closures
New support from Brook for students
ChildLine
You can contact ChildLine about anything, no problem is too big or too small. ChildLine can be contacted in four ways:
- Phone: 0808 800 5000
(24 Hours, calls are free and don’t show up on a BT or cable phone bill. Calls to ChildLine are currently free from all the existing networks – 3, BT Mobile, Fresh, O2, Orange, T Mobile, Virgin, Vodafone. Calls will not appear on any of these bills). - Email: You can email ChildLine about anything – no problem is too big or too small.
- 1-2-1 Chat (24 Hours): Online Chat with a ChildLine counsellor.
- Ask Sam: Sam will answer letters you send about anything and everything that is worrying you.
E-safety – Internet, mobiles…how to stay safe and happy:
- thinkuknow – advice, training and support on how to use the Internet and mobile phones safely, including advice on using Facebook and other social networking sites safely from CEOP.
Alcohol or Drugs:
- Adfam– For families and friends of alcohol and drug users – 020 7553 7640
- Alateen– for any teenager who is bothered by someone else’s drinking. They offer support and guidance and hold regular meetings – 020 7403 0888
- Alcohol Concern– 020 7264 0510
- Drinkline – 0345 320 202
- Talk About Alcohol– aims to give you the FACTS. What is alcohol? How does it affect young people? Which laws should you know about? Knowing the score will help you to make your own decisions about alcohol in the future.
- Drugscope– 020 7520 7550
- Release– Drug facts, bust card (information on what to do if arrested) contaminated drug alerts – 0845 4500 215
- FRANK– Information for anyone concerned about drugs
Bullying:
- Bullying– online
- Kidscape– Anti-Bullying charity, 08451 205 204 Helpline for parents and carers. If you are a child or young person contact Childline: 0808 800 5000
Domestic violence and abuse:
Domestic abuse is when one grown-up hurts or bullies another grown-up who is or was their partner, or who is in the same family. Domestic abuse can happen between people who are boyfriend and girlfriend or who are married. If this is happening in your family, remember that you are not alone. Domestic abuse happens in many families and there are people that can help you and your family. Everyone has the right to be and feel safe.
- SupportLine:
Telephone Helpline providing confidential emotional support to Children, Young People and Adults on any issue including domestic violence. Keeps details of other agencies, support groups and counsellors throughout the UK.
Phone: 01708 765200,
Email: [email protected] - The Hide Out– Women’s Aid have created this space to help children and young people to understand domestic abuse, and how to take positive action if it’s happening to you.
Sexuality and gender
- Gay and Lesbian Switchboard – 0117 942 0842
- Freedom Youth and Brook 12 to 15s– are run by Brook Bristol – For more information telephone 07900 730 415 or email [email protected].Freedom is Bristol’s longest running LGBTQ youth group for young people aged 15 to 19 years old. We meet every Tuesday night, 7pm – 9.30pm, in central Bristol. Freedom is a fun, safe, social space for LGBTQ young people to meet each other, discuss issues important to them and have their voices heard. Freedom is open to anyone that identifies as LGBTQ or is questioning their sexuality – no labels applied.
Brook 12 to 15s meets every Monday between 5pm and 6.30pm. It offers support with coming-out, fun activities and campaigns to get involved with and additional one-to-one support if needed. This group is also open to straight-identified young people if they are accompanying a friend that is LGBTQ. - Education Action Challenging Homophobia– 0808 1000 143
Other information
- Support Against Racial Incidents(SARI) – 0117 952 5652
- Relate for Young People– If you are aged 10-25 and your parents, step-parents or carers are separating or argue a lot, Relate can help. You can talk in private about your experiences and feelings with a Relate Counsellor – 0300 100 1234.
- Need somebody to talk to?Contact Kooth – Free, safe and anonymous online support for young people
- Off The RecordHub Sessions;
OTR’s Hubs are a safe and relaxed space you can simply drop into for a chat – no appointments needed. They are there for you to meet our team and discover more about what we offer. You’ll find they are a great place to learn about mental health and self-care too.
These sessions run every week throughout the year, but there are other Hubs that pop-up across Bristol and South Gloucestershire at different times. Keep an eye on this page, or sign up to the OTR E-Newsletter for the latest on when and where these are.
Mondays 4pm – 7pm @ 8-10 West Street, Old Market, Bristol, BS2 0BH
Wednesdays 3.30-5.30pm @ Armadillo, Station Road, Yate BS37 4FW
Saturdays 10am – 1pm @ 8-10 West Street, Old Market, Bristol, BS2 0BH
Remember not all telephone numbers are free to call. If it does not say ‘Freephone’ there may be a cost involved, also calls to freephone numbers from a mobile often cost.
