Contextual Safeguarding
Wed 16 Jul 2025
Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.
Contextual safeguarding recognises that as young people grow and develop, they are influenced by a whole range of environments and people outside of their family. For example, in school, in the local community, in their peer groups or online. Children and young people may encounter risk in any of these environments. Sometimes, the different contexts are interrelated, meaning that children and young people may encounter multiple risks. Contextual safeguarding examines how we can best understand these risks, engage with children, and help keep them safe.
The main local safeguarding risks for our children are identified by the academy as:
Domestic abuse is any type of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between people who are or who have been in a relationship. Domestic abuse always has an impact on children. Being exposed to domestic abuse in childhood is child abuse. Children may experience domestic abuse directly or indirectly.
Neglect is not meeting a child’s basic physical and psychological needs. It is a form of child abuse that canhave serious and long-lasting impacts on a child’s life.
Mental health and mental illness are part of a spectrum, just as physical health and illness are. Good mental health allows us to cope with life’s ups and downs, to feel in control of our lives and to ask for help from others when we need support.
Your safeguarding team are here to support you:
DSL: Mrs Rachael Skirrow
Deputy DSL: Mrs Rebecca Hewitt; Mr Nathan Fozzard