Safeguarding
HAF Safeguarding Team
The Academy is committed to the vital contribution all Governors, teaching and non teaching staff make to safeguarding and the protection and welfare of our students.
Our students are provided with a strong pastoral system giving them the support and care they need to realise their potential, make rapid progress and achieve.
We aim to ensure that all child protection and welfare concerns or referrals are handled sensitively, professionally and in ways that support the specific needs of the individual student. Through providing a caring, safe and stimulating environment which promotes the social, physical and moral development of all our students, we aim to foster an atmosphere of trust, respect and security.
If you have any safeguarding concerns regarding one of our students please send an email to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
A copy of our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy can be found below, along with some links to relevant safeguarding and online safety videos from the NSPCC and Childline. The latest Government Keeping Children Safe in Education documents can be found by selecting this link or on the left.
| Designated Safeguarding & Prevent Lead: Ms. Altina Smith
Urgent Out-of-Hours Safeguarding Concerns:If you have any urgent safeguarding concerns outside of Academy hours, please contact: Bexley Local Authority Designated Officer (L.A.D.O): 0203 045 3436, or secure email LADO@bexley.gov.uk or Contact the Police on 999 in an emergency. |
Click here to read our latest Safeguarding Newsletter
HAF Safeguarding aims
The aims of our Safeguarding policy are Prevention, Protection and Support in line with Child Protection guidelines. The Academy safeguarding procedures ensures that we:
- Support our students' development in ways that foster security, confidence and independence.
- Raise the awareness and importance of recognising and reporting safeguarding, and of moral and professional responsibilities amongst all stakeholders including support and teaching staff, governors, students, visitors and parents.
- Provide high quality training and awareness campaigns for staff, and to ensure that the SLT/DSL/DDSLs undertake appropriate training (including biannual level 3 training and safer recruitment training).
- Provide a systematic means of monitoring all students, particularly those who are vulnerable or known to be ‘at risk’ of harm.
- Emphasise the need for excellent communication between staff, students, parents and external agencies (including the Police, PREVENT duty teams, Social Services, Youth Offending teams and other key agencies and workers involved in supporting our students and families).
- Develop, implement and review structured procedures within the Academy so that they are effective and can be understood and consistently followed by all members of the Academy community.
- Maintain vigilance and an ‘it could happen here’ attitude, and that we build a holistic picture of each child’s needs by paying attention to each factor or piece of information.
Reporting Concerns
Parents and members of the local community can contact the Safeguarding Team via the Academy telephone number 0208 304 4916
If you have a concern or need support for yourself or someone you know, and you wish to share it with our team, you can do so in confidence using our SHARP system.
Members of the public are also able to make direct referrals to Social Care. Please click here or find a document below with details of Children’s Services in our local area.
For safeguarding concerns about an adult, contact the person mentioned in the diagram below, depending on who the concern is about.
| If the allegation or concern is about: | Go to: |
| Principal: Mr Tom Street | Rebecca Hickey (Harris Federation) |
| A member of staff | Principal (Mr Tom Street) |
| A student at HAF | Designated Safeguarding Lead (Ms A. Smith) |
Counselling referrals
Here at HAF, we are lucky to have access to a fully trained BACP counsellor. Our counsellor offers sessions to students that are feeling troubled and/or stressed and give them an opportunity to talk about their difficulties within a relationship of agreed professional confidentiality. Students and/or parents can now make a referral by sending an email to counselling@harrisfalconwood.org.uk stating the reason for the referral. Please be mindful that there is a waiting list for counselling, and the counsellor may need to have a conversation with the referrer and/or your child before agreeing to sessions.
