hello
welcome to
the safeguarding hub
your actions
Patrick - feedback from your engagement with Professor Firmin and the group you are part of.
Downloads
All other schools - short update following the action you had already take and progress with making the changes you are seeking in your local community as well as your school.
Downloads
Charter East Dulwich and Lyndhurst Primary - present on their contextual safeguarding work following focus groups
Downloads
Charter North Dulwich to report back on actions following their focus groups
Downloads
Read the briefing note (below) and consider how you might socialise knowledge of the child safeguarding practice reviews from the slides.
Downloads
the noticeboard
29/04/2025 Safeguarding summary of audits Spring 2025
These are the general points for improvement across all our schools from the spring term safeguarding audits. We will go over these in the DSL meetings so everyone is clear.
At school level these are the key elements to be working on
- Ensure that any CPOMS recording highlights school actions clearly, that those actions have been completed and that a note of when that action was completed and by whom is also noted
- Any minutes from social care, core groups, conferences etc are put onto CPOMS. If these are not forthcoming, then schools must ensure they are taking their own notes at these meetings, so there is a clear record of school actions.
- Ensure that your filtering and monitoring checks are done at least once this summer term - your IT managed service partner should be doing this with you (if not for you), it is literally just a spot check it is working.
At central level:
- We are centralising due diligence records for AP use. Thanks to DHJS for completing the paperwork for The Complete Works. If you are using AP currently, you should have due diligence paperwork. Please send over a copy to either Lucy or Gary so we can collate this resource. Please note you MUST still carry out your own due diligence checks over time, the paperwork collated will be a starting point.
- Once the positive handling national consultation has finished - the positive handling policy will be updated
- Confirm that 3rd party contractors provide safeguarding update training on a yearly basis.
For info: Having checked in with CPOMS directly, low level concerns about staff cannot be recorded unless we buy a separate module - you need to have your own, confidential, way of recording these issues.
Links & Downloads
Summer 2 Meeting: 9 July 2025
Links & Downloads
Summer 1 Meeting: 7 May 2025
Links & Downloads
Agenda 26 February (materials below)
1. Welcomes and Apologies
2. Training:
- This term should be focused on in-school training using the edu-care platform to meet the needs of your school.
- New starters as of Sept 24 - please ensure all new starters have now completed and registered their induction training. This will be checked by the HR team in Spring 2 as part of this is part of employment duties.
3. DSL - training 'I wanted them all to notice' . See attached summary in email. Please read the Child Safeguarding Practice Review introduced in the last meeting and come ready to discuss your reflections and the implications for the practice in your setting and next steps for the Trust.
4. Update on Contextual Safeguarding projects – come prepared to give an update on your CS projects. There will be a spotlight on North Dulwich and East Dulwich and short updates from everyone else.
5. Trust magazine and parenting sessions
6. AOB - health and safety and attendance links (if we have time)
Links & Downloads
Generative AI and data protection in schools - safeguarding 17/03/2025
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) and data protection in schools
At the end of March 2025, the DfE published updated guidance to help schools understand:
- how to protect personal data when using generative AI
- data protection legislation in relation to generative AI
- the risks and biases of AI to personal data
The generative AI tools you use must comply with data protection legislation and your school’s data protection notice.
To protect data when using generative AI tools, you should:
- seek advice from your data protection officer or IT lead
- check whether you are using an open or closed generative AI tool
- ensure there is no identifiable information included in what you put into open generative AI tools
- acknowledge or reference the use of generative AI in your work
- fact-check results to make sure the information is accurate
To read the guidance, go to: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/data-protection-in-schools/generative-artificial-intelligence-ai-and-data-protection-in-schools
Links & Downloads
Safeguarding Question of the week
Safeguarding question of the week 28/04/2025
This week's question is about responding to incidences of harmful sexual behaviour between pupils
How should staff respond if they witness or are made aware of harmful sexual behaviour between pupils, even if the pupils involved say it was just a joke?
Even when pupils describe inappropriate sexualised comments, gestures, or physical actions as “banter” or “a joke,” staff must not dismiss or downplay the behaviour.
These incidents could be signs of harmful sexual behaviour (HSB), and must be treated seriously, following school safeguarding procedures.
Staff should:
- Respond calmly and sensitively.
- Reassure the child that they were right to speak up.
- Record factually what was said or observed (no interpretation).
- Report to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) immediately.
It’s essential that schools create a culture where children understand boundaries and that all inappropriate behaviour is challenged consistently.
Safeguarding Question of the Week 21/04/25
As we start the new and final term of the academic year:
What is one thing we could change as a school this term to strengthen our safeguarding culture; and what might that look like?
For example, one practical starting point could be:
Introduce regular safeguarding-focused reflective prompts into team meetings, briefings, and staff communications.
For example:
- “What’s one thing you’ve noticed this week that made you pause, even slightly, about a child’s wellbeing?”
- “Is there a student or situation you’re holding in mind at the moment?”
- “How are we modelling safe, trusted adult behaviours today?”
Other examples might include:
Refresh the displays of safeguarding information around school so that it stands out and doesn’t just become ‘wallpaper’
Be ready to ask a ‘professionally-curious’ question like:
- I’ve noticed you’ve seemed a bit different lately — is there anything going on that you want to talk about?
- Who do you talk to when things feel tough — is there someone in or out of school?
Safeguarding question of the week 31/03/2025
If a child tells you something concerning about another pupil but asks you to ‘promise not to tell,’ how should you handle it?
Answer: Even if the child is sharing a concern about someone else, you should never promise to keep it a secret. The fact that the concern is about another child does slightly shift the emphasis, but not the core principles. You might say: “Thank you for telling me. I can’t promise to keep it a secret, because I might need to share it with someone who can help. But I’ll only tell the people who need to know.”
Key points:
- Reassure the child that they’ve done the right thing by speaking up.
- Avoid pressing for more information or asking leading questions.
- Be clear that your role is to help keep everyone safe—not to keep secrets.
- Record what was said accurately (which will include noting the exact words the young person used) and report it to your Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) - don't wait!
- Whether the concern is about themselves or another pupil, your role is always to listen, reassure, and report.
Safeguarding question of the week 24/03/2025
This comes from an article authored by The Council of International Schools (1 May 2024)
What are Deep Fakes?
A deepfake is an image, video, audio file, or GIF that has been manipulated by a computer to use someone’s face, body or voice artificially. This could be done with or without the subject’s consent.
- Research from UNICEF in 2021 found that one in five girls and one in thirteen boys globally have been sexually exploited or abused by the age of 18, with technology featuring in almost all cases.
- Recent years have seen a rapid increase in the number of “deep fake” images on the web, growing from roughly 14,000 to 145,000 from 2019 to 2021.
- According to a Sentinel report, the majority of “deep fake” (96%) non-consensual pornographic images, 90% of which were targeted at women.
Recent (2023) international examples of how AI generated deep fakes are a safeguarding issue:
- El Pais reported a story from Spain where dozens of girls reported their deep-faked AI-generated nude photos being circulated in their community.
- Teenage boys at a high school in New Jersey targeted their female peers in the same way,
- A school in Rio de Janeiro, reported students creating and sharing deepfake pornographic images of around 20 of their classmates.
- A teacher in Texas was targeted by a student who digitally created fake revealing photos of her, then shared the explicit images online.
- High school students in New York City made a deepfake video of their Principal shouting racist slurs and threatening students of color.
Safeguarding question of the week 17/03/2025
This week's question is in the theme of Generative AI - it is designed to be a talking point in a briefing or staff meetingWhat do these terms means in the context of AI, and why might each of these ideas pose a risk to children and young people?
- Deep fake (see page 8 of the report)
- Hallucination (see page 7 blue box)
- Anthropomorphism (see page 13 of the report)
These words have been taken from the NSPCC report 'Viewing generative AI and children's safety in the round' (January 2025)
