Safeguarding Children is Everybody's Responsibility

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as: 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; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Safeguarding is not just about protecting children from deliberate harm.  It relates to aspects of school life including:

• pupils’ health and safety
• the use of reasonable force
• meeting the needs of pupils with medical conditions
• providing first aid
• educational visits
• intimate care
• internet or e-safety
• appropriate arrangements to ensure school security, taking into account the local context

Are you concerned that a child is being abused or neglected?

If you are concerned about a child and you feel they are being abused, neglected or at risk of abuse/neglect, then you should consider making a safeguarding child referral.

Contact Blackburn with Darwen Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) for confidential advice and consultation. Monday to Friday 08.45-17.00 please call: 01254 666400

If you are calling outside these hours please contact our Emergency Duty Team on 01254 587547.

Additional information linked to Local Safeguarding Children Boards can be found at: 

You can also report your concerns online: NSPCC Website: www.nspcc.org.uk 

Or you can also speak to: NSPCC 0800 800 5000 or Childline 0800 1111

Operation Encompass is a police and education early information safeguarding partnership enabling educational settings to offer immediate support to children experiencing domestic abuse.

Operation Encompass ensures that there is a simple telephone call or electronic notification to a school’s trained Designated Safeguarding Lead /Officer (known as Key Adult) prior to the start of the next school day after an incident of police attending domestic abuse where there are children related to either of the adult parties involved. 

Information is shared with a school’s Key Adult (Designated Safeguarding Lead or Officer) prior to the start of the next school day after officers have attended a domestic abuse incident. This sharing of information enables appropriate support to be given, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.