Safeguarding

At Coleridge Community College we work tirelessly to ensure our students are safeguarded from harm. As a school we, and our staff, form part of the wider safeguarding system for children. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families and carers has a role to play in safeguarding children. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, we make sure our approach is child-centred. This means that we consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.

Safeguarding children is:

Protecting children from maltreatment
Preventing impairment of children’s health or development
Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

Roles and Responsibilities

All adults working with, or on behalf of, children have a responsibility to protect them and to provide a safe environment in which they can learn and achieve their full potential. However, there are key people within schools and the Local Authority who have specific responsibilities under child protection procedures. The names of those in our school with these specific responsibilities (the Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead) are below together with their contact details should you wish to raise a safeguarding concern:

Paul Baynes

Designated Safeguarding and Child Protection Lead

T: 01223 712559

E: paul.baynes@coleridgecc.org.uk

Mrs E Hickey

Deputy Safeguarding and Child Protection Lead

T: 01223 712559

E: eleanor.hickey@coleridgecc.org.uk

Getting Help

If you have safeguarding concerns whilst school is shut down please contact the Cambridgeshire Safeguarding and Child Protection team on 0345 045 5203 (8am-6pm Monday to Friday) or 01733 234 724 (out of hours), or contact the police on 999.

Alternatively, please see below a list of agencies who may be able to help.

Kooth – www.kooth.com

STEM4 – www.stem4.org.uk

Childline – www.childline.org.uk – 0800 1111

Mental Health Foundation – www.mentalhealth.org.uk

Beat Eating Disorder – www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk – 0808 801 0677

Stamp out Suicide – www.stampoutsuicide.co.uk/ – 07766808222

Cruse – www.cruse.org.uk – 0808 808 1677

Young Minds – www.youndminds.org.uk – 0808 8025544

XenZone – www.xenzone.com/ – 0845 330 7090

Samaritans – www.samaritans.org/ – 116 123

Yellow Door – www.yellow-door.net/ – 01223 328051

The Rainbow Flag Award

Coleridge Community College is dedicated to supporting our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ+) students and families. We are currently taking part in the Rainbow Flag Award which is a national quality assurance framework for schools which aims at making learning environments inclusive of and positive about LGBTQ+ young people and families. We hope to complete this award in January 2022.

Here are some useful links and resources for students and their families:

The Kite Trust: A charity based in Cambridgeshire which offers support for LGBTQ+ young people and their families. They offer one-to-one support, social groups and a monthly group for parents and carers. www.thekitetrust.org.uk/

Gendered Intelligence: Resources for young people, families and education settings for transgender inclusivity. http://genderedintelligence.co.uk/

Mermaids: A charity which supports transgender and gender questioning young people. They have a telephone helpline, a webchat and a text line for support. They offer support for young people up to age 19 and they offer a parents forum. https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/

Mindline: Telephone support for transgender, non-binary and gender questioning people. https://bristolmind.org.uk/help-and-counselling/mindline-transplus/

YoungMinds: A parent guide for supporting their child with gender identity issues. https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/a-z-guide/gender-identity/

Switchboard LGBT: A listening service for LGBTQ+ people. https://switchboard.lgbt/

If you would like to be be involved or get support for your child or yourself, please feel free to contact Mrs Hickey at Eleanor.Hickey@ColeridgeCC.org.uk.