The Department of Education, through Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfE 2023) and Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE 2024), places a duty on organisations to safeguard and promote the well-being of children and young people. At Cardinal Newman Catholic School we are fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our students.

On occasion, a student may disclose information of a sensitive nature to a member of staff.  When this happens, staff will listen and explain clearly and calmly to students that information about their safety may mean that other people have to be informed in order to support and safeguard them.  They cannot promise to keep such information confidential.

When a member of staff has any child protection or welfare concerns about a student, they have a duty to report these concerns to the designated teacher in the school. In dealing with such instances, we are legally required to follow the Coventry safeguarding Protocol and thresholds which may require us to involve the local social care office.

Cardinal Newman Catholic School takes its Safeguarding and Child Protection responsibilities very seriously. We work closely with the local authority and other appropriate external agencies to ensure the welfare of all our students. If you have any concerns about a child’s welfare, please contact a member of the Safeguarding team:

HOW TO REPORT SAFEGUARDING CONCERNS

If you have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering or at risk of serious harm AND may be in imminent danger, or a crime has been committed, then you should contact the police.  101 or 999 

IF OUT OF SCHOOL HOURS, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW TO COMPLETE A REFERRAL INTO MASH - Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub

URGENT - Report your concern to the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub  

Contact number: 02476788555         

E-mail: mash@coventry.gov.uk

Emergency Duty Team: 024 7683 2222

West Midlands Police Online Portal: https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/incident-report

 

 

If the Cardinal Newman Safeguarding Team are on site and during school hours

Michelle Goodwin (DSL) - Michelle.Goodwin@hccmac.co.uk

Deborah Galvin (DDSL) – Deborah.Galvin@hccmac.co.uk

Thomas Lowe (DDSL) – Thomas.Lowe@hccmac.co.uk

Emma O’Connor (Head Teacher) – Emma.OConnor@hccmac.co.uk

Our School Counsellor

Cardinal Newman School employs 1 full time counsellor, Dorrie Townend, to support students with their mental health and wellbeing. Dorrie holds a MA in Counselling and Psychotherapy for children, adolescents and families, and is a registered member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy). She has experience working therapeutically with children and young people in charity and educational settings.

 

What is Counselling?

Counselling provides the opportunity for students to explore and talk confidentially with a qualified counsellor about what is troubling them. The content of the sessions will be led by the individual's needs, but common themes are anxiety, self-harm, stress, relationships, change, loss, distressing and traumatic events.

Our specialist counsellor are trained to listen without judgement; supporting students using varying techniques and resources to help the young people manage their thoughts and feelings.

Counselling sessions are weekly for 50 minutes.

Confidentiality

A key feature of the counselling service is that information discussed within the session is treated confidentially. Counselling is a time when it is 'OK' to talk about worries and concerns without fear of them being discussed elsewhere. This includes not sharing the content of sessions with anyone else unless the young person requests or gives their consent for this to happen.

This practice is crucial for establishing trust and enables the young person to feel confident to speak openly and freely.

However, if the student is thought to be at risk of harm, it may be appropriate to seek help to keep them safe. The Counsellor will discuss safeguarding and confidential protocol with the young person before counselling commences.

Referrals

Referrals to Counsellors are made through the Head of Year, Safeguarding Team, and Leadership Team.

Sign Posting Booklet

If you need advice or support regarding any Mental Health worries or other concerns, please click on our Sign Posting Booklet.

• Sign Posting Booklet

Useful Links

• NSPCC - https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/
• Health for Teens - https://www.healthforteens.co.uk/?location=Coventry
• Horizon - https://www.coventry.gov.uk/horizonteam
• Positive Youth - https://positiveyouthfoundation.org/
• Parent Info - https://parentinfo.org/
• West Midlands Police - https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/
• Sexual Exploitation - https://www.seeme-hearme.org.uk/
• CEOP - https://www.ceop.police.uk/Safety-Centre/
• Think You Know - https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
• Crime Stoppers - https://crimestoppers-uk.org/
• Safer Recruitment - https://www.saferrecruitmentconsortium.org/
• Child Mental Health & Wellbeing - 10 Top Tips for Parents
• Parents' Mental Health & Wellbeing - 10 Top Tips for Parents

Support for parents and carers with online safet

• Thinkuknow: helping adults protect children from online harm
• Parent Info: help and advice for families in a digital world
• Internet Matters: helping parents keep their children safe online
• NSPCC: online safety
• London grid for learning (LGfL): online safety
• UK safer internet centre: Tips, advice, guides and resources to help keep your child safe online
• Childnet international: parents and carers toolkit
• Parentzone: experts in digital family life
• LGfL: parents - scare or prepare
• Thinkuknow: what to do if there’s a viral scare online

safeguarding parent/carer documentation

Please click the links below for useful information.