Useful Links

Useful Links & Guidance

Please click here to view a newsletter with information and advice on Anxiety, details about the Safer Schools App and some additional helpful links for parents/carers.

Report Abuse – click the button!

CEOP is a law enforcement agency and is here to help keep children and young people safe from sexual abuse and grooming online. We help thousands of children and young people every year who have been in a similar situation to you.

We are here to help and give you advice, and you can make a report directly to us if something has happened online which has made you feel unsafe, scared or worried. This might be from someone you know in real life, or someone you have only ever met online.

If you make a report to us it will be read by one of our Child Protection Advisors who will get in contact with you on the phone number or email address that you give to us to make sure that you are safe. They will also discuss with you what will happen next. Please try not to worry, you have done nothing wrong and we will do all we can to help you.

Safeguarding is a term which is broader than “child protection” and relates to the actions taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.

External Websites

  • http://parentinfo.org/ Parent Info provides high quality information to parents and carers across a wide range of subject matter, from difficult topics about sex, relationships and the internet or body image and peer pressure to broader parenting topics like “how much sleep do teenagers need?”
  • https://ceop.police.uk/ The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) works across the UK tackling child sex abuse and providing advice for parents, young people and  children about internet safety and online safety.

School Nurse Services (Chat Health): ChatHealth, a confidential text messaging service that enables children and young people (11 year olds plus) to contact their local Public Health nursing (school nursing) team and is available on 07480 635486

Kooth: Free, safe and anonymous online support for young people (11-19 years plus) available at all times www.kooth.com and includes accessing online counselling support (Monday – Friday: noon – 10pm Saturday – Sunday 6pm – 10pm)

Beam Drop in-service (anyone under 19): All face-to-face services have been cancelled; updates will be placed on Twitter @beamsandwell

Health For Teens Website: For general health advice www.healthforteens.co.uk

DECCA: Sandwell Drug and Alcohol Services are still available as and when needed. Please phone 0121 5692201 or email [email protected]

Brook (Sexual Health Support: 11 years old plus): They will contact young people directly to discuss the appropriate mode of support for their personal circumstance.

Childline: Website is still operating www.childline.org.uk and the counselling service is still available; please call 0800 1111

Papyrus (Youth Suicide Prevention charity): Still operating. Please call 0800 0684141 or email [email protected]

Teen Sleep Hub: Teen Sleep Hub is a one stop shop for all you need to know about sleep. If you’re looking for advice on how to sleep better, would like tips on tweaking your routine or help to understand the science behind your sleep patterns, you’ll find it here.

The Sleep Charity: We understand how difficult life can be when your child has a sleep issue. Our aim is to support families to get a better night’s sleep by offering workshops, clinics and written materials. We use a behavioural approach to sleep and work in partnership with families, we know that you are the expert on your child.

Staying safe this summer: Click here to download our advice for students PowerPoint presentation  Staying Safe this Summer [pptx, 901 KB]

Hollie Guard App: Hollie Guard turns your smartphone into a personal safety device. More information about the app and how to downloaded it can be found at www.hollieguard.com

Notice for students – SHARP system: Please be mindful that over the summer break this service is not monitored as frequently as it would be in school and therefore your request for help may not be picked up immediately. If you are after some advice and it cannot wait until you come back in September please call Childline free of charge 0800 11 11 or speak with an adult you trust.

Summer Activities – Advice for Parents: For many of you the summer can be a time when you book your children into summer camps, activity days and child-care settings. It is important you feel comfortable with the staff who are taking responsibility for your child’s safety.

Some of the questions you could ask include:

  • Have staff and volunteers undertaken DBS checks? How recent were the checks?
  • Will any adults besides the instructor be present at the venue while my child is there? If so, will they be there on a regular basis?
  • What training have staff had?
  • May I have a copy of your child protection policy?
  • Who is your designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and what training have they had? How recent was this training?
  • My child has Special Educational Needs and / or a disability (SEND). What steps will you take to accommodate this?
  • My child needs help with: using the toilet; changing; feeding; their medication, etc. How will these personal care needs be addressed?
  • How are you securely storing the information you hold on my child? Who has access to it and are you giving it to anyone else?
  • Is my child allowed to access the internet unsupervised?
  • Do you have filtering and monitoring systems in place? What are they?
In addition to the questions to ask, some obvious signs might exist to indicate all is not well with the provider. There are:
  • Staff are not DBS checked
  • No child protection policy
  • Signs of abuse on other children who attend the setting, for example, unexplained bruises
  • Provider unable to name a designated safeguarding lead
  • The designated safeguarding lead has not had relevant training
  • If the OOSS allows children access to the internet, no filtering or monitoring systems in place
  • Dangerous physical environment e.g. loose wires, damp, no fire escape, no first aid kit
  • No designated first aider
  • No parental consent form or requirement for emergency contact details
  • Other adults coming into the out-of-school setting who are not staff members / a lack of clarity on the roles of different adults in the setting
  • No health and safety policy
  • No fire escape plan

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