Stort Valley Schools Trust (SVST) is committed to putting safeguarding at the heart of how we work as an organisation. Our commitment is to the children and young people we work with and also the staff in school, our volunteers, paid staff, trustees and everyone involved in SVST.  We are committed to being an organisation where safeguarding is a priority and all young people are protected from harm.

 

Safeguarding is defined in Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) as:

• protecting children from maltreatment

• preventing impairment of children’s health or development

• ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care

• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

Our Safeguarding Policy is the key document that defines how we do this. It sets out our legal responsibilities and how we will fulfil them. It also lays out the procedures we will follow. 

We have appointed a Safeguarding Lead and a Safeguarding Trustee to oversee safeguarding at SVST. These people review any safeguarding concerns on receiving them, and act as the contact if referrals are made to the Police or to Children's Services. 

Our Board of Trustees have overall responsibility for safeguarding at SVST. They ensure our policy meets legal requirements and good practice, and that our policy is fully implemented in our day-to-day work. We carry out all the appropriate checks for all staff and volunteers, including taking references and carrying out checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Any allegation or complaint against a member of SVST’s staff or a volunteer will be taken seriously. Complaints should be made to the Safeguarding Lead or Safeguarding Trustee, using the contacts on this page.

 

We train staff to recognise the signs of abuse and follow our policy for reporting any concerns, which includes reporting safeguarding concerns to the safeguarding lead in the school in which the incident arose.  This training is updated yearly.  We also train trustees who are overseeing our safeguarding.

Safeguarding is fundamental to good work with children and young people. It requires clear policies that are rigorously implemented and upheld. Ongoing training and transparency is crucial. We want SVST to be an example of the very best practice in this area for the sake of the children and young people we serve.

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You can view a copy of our Safeguarding Policy by clicking here. A copy of our online communications policy can be viewed here.

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If you have any questions or concerns about our safeguarding policy or practices, please email us via - enquiries@svst.org.uk 

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