The following definition is taken from the NSPCC website:

Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.

Safeguarding means:

• protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
• preventing harm to children’s health or development
• ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
• taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes.

Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focusses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.

At Beechview Academy, we work with a culture of assumption to ensure we monitor closely and take effective action in order to safeguard our pupils. We understand that disclosures can be stressful for all involved but as a school, we have a duty to always work with the child's best interest at heart and sometimes this means making difficult decisions. No decisions or actions are taken lightly and are always with parental consent where this is possible. Exceptions to this include when there is a concern that the discussion around a disclosure is deemed to pose a potential risk to the child.