At Selworthy School, we are committed to the continuous safeguarding of our children and families and promote the ethos that:

Safeguarding is EVERYONE'S responsibility!

The purpose of our safeguarding policy is to provide clear guidance to staff, other community members and visiting professionals regarding the safeguarding of children and young people at Selworthy School.

At Selworthy we believe in progress, inclusion and entitlement and in order for this to be achieved all our pupils must feel safe and listened to. We believe in providing a secure environment for learning where our community of children and young people can thrive and develop to be their best selves.

We know that where children have been the victims of abuse, their life chances are seriously affected adversely and in the most serious cases can lead to serious harm and even death. We want to prevent this from happening.

The children and young people at Selworthy are more at risk because of their complex needs and disabilities, therefore we must be thoroughly vigilant. We have a range of support mechanisms both at the school and throughout Somerset, which we can deploy. Selworthy will make referrals to social care if we have concerns about a child’s welfare and safety.

Normally, parents and carers will be informed that we are making a referral; however, if we feel that the child is at serious risk of harm by letting the parent or carer know we are making a referral, then we will not inform them. In these cases, we will take advice from social care on the next steps.

Our Safeguarding Policy is updated annually, and is available here. 

The Safeguarding Team at Selworthy

If any members of the school or local community have concerns about the welfare of a child, they can pass it onto the Safeguarding Team here at the school.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead is Louisa Jessep. She is responsible for receiving and acting upon concerns about the safety and wellbeing of children. In her absence, the individuals below can also be contacted for support:

Trina Morgan (Learner Services Manager)

Holly Phillips (Headteacher, Selworthy)

Luke Kelly (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, Assistant Headteacher)

Danielle Parish (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, Assistant Headteacher)

Briannie Vincent (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, Assistant Headteacher)

The safeguarding governor is Angela Cook.

You can speak to the safeguarding team in person, phone the school and request a call back or email office@selworthy.oak.education with FAO Safeguarding Team in the title. 

If you are worried about a child or young person who could be in danger, please contact

• Children’s Social Care on 0300 123 2224
• by email at childrens@somerset.gov.uk
• or the police

You can contact the police directly by dialling 101 and they will discuss with Children’s Social Care what action should be taken. In an emergency always contact the police by dialling 999.

If you would like to speak to a social worker outside of office hours, please phone the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) on 0300 123 23 27.