Safeguarding and Child Protection

Safeguarding Statement – September 2023

The Rainbow Multi Academy Trust Safeguarding Statement should be read in conjunction with our Child Protection Policy 2022-23 and national statutory guidance such as (KCSIE 2023), Working to Safeguard Children (2018) and Prevent Duty. Please note that the 2023-24 Child Protection Policy is currently under consultation with ratification due on 10^th October 2023.

The health, safety and well-being of every child is our top priority. We expect all Trustees, Members, Executive leaders, Staff, Governors and Volunteers to share this commitment to safeguarding our children and young people.

As a trust we believe that:

• Children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind

 • We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them.

We recognise that:

• The welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take. All children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse

 • Some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues

 • Working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:

• Valuing, listening to and respecting them

• Having Designated Safeguarding Leads and a lead trustee for Safeguarding

• Adopting a rigorous quality assurance process to facilitate critical review of our safeguarding policies, procedures and working practices across all schools within the Rainbow Trust

 • Adopting child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers

 • Developing and implementing an effective online safety policy and related procedures including filtering & monitoring protocols

 • Providing effective management for staff and volunteers through support, training and quality assurance measures so that all staff and volunteers know about and follow our policies, procedures and behaviour codes confidently and competently

• Recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made

 • Recording, storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance

 • Sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children and their families via leaflets, posters, group work and one-to-one discussions

• Making sure that children, young people and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern

 • Using our safeguarding and child protection procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately

• Developing and implementing an effective attendance strategy, policy and related procedures whereby all staff remain vigilant and responsive to incidents of Children Absent in Education

• Using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately

• Creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we have a policy and procedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying that does arise

• Ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place

 • Ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance

• Building a safeguarding culture where staff and volunteers, children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns