Bristol's Safeguarding in Education Team

Team Contact Information

	safeguardingineducationteam@bristol.gov.uk
	0117 9222710 We continue to utilise hybrid working. Please use the direct numbers under Meet the Team.
	Click here to keep up to date with safeguarding information from the team.
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What we do

We support education settings around their policies, procedures and practice in promoting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in Bristol.

In addition to curating this website and developing resources for the workforce we offer the following services which are either universal to all settings or can be commissioned at a competitive rate.

Commissioned Services

The Safeguarding in Education Team can be commissioned to conduct reviews, training, and provide consultation on specific projects.

Please contact the team to find out more information and to check our availability.

All income generated by the team goes into the High Needs Block Fund. This is to support meeting the Local Authority's responsibilities for children and young people with SEND, set by the Children and Families Act 2014, and for those who need alternative provision (including hospital education).

If you are unsure of what service you require, please liaise with one of the School Safeguarding Advisors for advice.

Click here for more details and or book a service.

Universal Support

Much of our work reflects statutory duties set out in legislation and guidance imposed either on the Local Authority or the Local Safeguarding Partnership. The following services are available to all settings regardless of phase and type.

Advice and Guidance

The team are able to provide safeguarding advice and guidance around practice, policy and education related safeguarding issues.

If you need advice about whether to make a referral to children’s social care or provision of early help services, we recommend you liaise with the duty social worker at your Locality Families in Focus.

Duties under s.175 of the Education Act 2002.

The Local Authority has a legal duty to ensure that every setting (regardless of type/phase) within it's jurisdiction has effective safeguarding arrangements to promote the safety and welfare of learners.

Responding to practice concerns and complaints

The team may receive complaints and concerns from a variety of sources such as regulatory bodies (Ofsted, DfE, EFSA and ISC), professionals working in the Local Safeguarding Partnership, and the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).

The School Safeguarding Advisors will exercise the Local Authority's duties and support settings to demonstrate due diligence in being able to independently review and rectify deficits in practice that have identified to ensure that safeguarding is effective to protect learners.

S. 175 (Safeguarding) Audit

The team facilitate and support all education settings to complete an annual audit of their safeguarding practice to ensure that they are being compliant with statutory duties. Settings are provided with an action plan to develop practice.

Click here to access more information.

Duties under the Children Act 2004 (and Working Together to Safeguard Children).

Safeguarding information processing and coordination of support for the education workforce.

The team are data processors for the Bristol version of Operation Encompass. The Bristol Police Safeguarding Notification Scheme.

We expect every education setting to be signed up to receive Police Safeguarding Notifications to ensure that settings are able to take a trauma informed approach to behaviour. Click here to access more information.

The team also process and collect information (and make representation when possible) for the Daily Incident Review meetings and the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) on behalf of the education workforce.

Coordination of information gathering and support in responding to critical/major incidents, child deaths, and for statutory reviews (Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews, Safeguarding Adult Reviews and Domestic Homicides).

Maintaining the Education Workforces contact details.

The team maintain the safeguarding contacts for the education workforce in Bristol. Organisations are regularly prompted multiple times a year to share changes in contacts to support statutory work.

Information is shared with agencies to progress statutory processes to keep children safe.

To update your contacts please complete the appropriate survey here.

Cover for Child Protection Conferences during school holidays

In exceptional circumstances, where settings are unable to make representation, the Safeguarding in Education team can attend to ensure quorum. It is preferable and expected that someone who knows the family attends out of respect for the family's sensitive information shared, and respect for their right to a private life.

We respectfully ask that you review and complete this checklist.docx (71 KB) to ensure you have demonstrated due consideration, all requests should be made through the head teacher/principal.

Project work under the Local Safeguarding Partnership

The Safeguarding in Education Team often represent and support the operationalisation of city wide strategies from the Local Safeguarding Partnership. The team members often attend strategic working groups in Bristol that promote the safety and welfare of learners in Bristol.

There are often other is often under the governance of the Keeping Bristol Safe Partnership Education Reference Group. These often reflect priorities highlighted from the work undertaken under s.175 of the Education Act 2002.

Current working groups include:

Tackling Child on Child in education working group.
Learning from statutory reviews.
Responding to critical incidents.

Facilitation of professional networks and development of a communities of practice.

The team provide professional networks to Designated Safeguarding Leads (and their deputies) and for members of the governing body. These happen 3 times a year.

Other networks that are supported by the team include: