'If children feel safe, they can take risks, ask questions, make mistakes, learn to trust, share their feelings, and grow.' 

Alfie Kohn 

Designated Safeguarding Lead :  Emily McMillen (Headteacher)

Alternate Safeguarding Leads: Bex Starman (Deputy Headteacher) , Carrie Fisher (Family Support Worker), Marie Compton (SENDCo)

Designated Looked After Children Teacher- Marie Compton

Safeguarding Governor: Lee Stevens 

At Heartwood we have a strong culture of safeguarding in our school. 

This means that we have effective arrangements to:

• Always act in the best interests of children, pupils and students to protect them online and offline.
• Identify children, pupils and students who may need early help, and who are at risk of harm or have been harmed.
• This can include, but is not limited to, neglect, abuse (including by their peers), grooming or exploitation.  
• Secure the help that children, pupils and students need, and if required, referring in a timely way to those who have the expertise to help manage safe recruitment and allegations about adults who may be a risk to children, pupils, students and vulnerable adults.

Carrie Fisher

Family Support Worker

Just a little bit about who I am. I started here at Heartwood 13 years ago as an MSA and from that moment I was invested in the school and the wider community. I have since had many different roles across the school, this has enabled me to build strong and positive relationships with the children, which has been and continues to be an honour. My role as Family Support Worker now allows me to support not only our children but our families too. 

I myself was a single parent of 4 children, this came with many challenges. I could go on!! Although I am qualified to do my job, I feel life experience has best supported me in this role. If you feel that you need support for your child, yourself or your family please feel free to pop along for a cuppa and a chat (no formalities.) There is no judgement in my office. Just a safe space to be heard. I will support you the best I can and be able to signpost you to the support that is needed.

Please feel free to call the office or email familysupport@heartwood.norfolk.sch.uk if you feel I could help or support you.

Carrie

Introducing our Family Support Worker

 Carrie is available to support families with:

• behaviour at home
• mental health of children and parents
• finances
• routines and boundaries at home
• positive relationships 
• recovering from domestic violence 
• sign posting for support 
• a listening ear

Please contact her through her email familysupport@heartwood.norfolk.sch.uk

Domestic Violence

Domestic abuse goes beyond violent behaviour and physical abuse. It also includes any type of sexual, psychological and financial abuse and is about a range of coercive and controlling behaviours. It also includes ‘honour based violence’, female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriages. Domestic abuse can happen in any relationship – regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or social class or income.

If you are being forced to change your behaviour because you are scared of your partner or your family member's reaction, it's likely that you are being abused.

If you need any support or advice please contact the school or follow the links below: 

Operation Encompass

At Heartwood CE VC Primary and Nursery School we are working in partnership with Norfolk Constabulary and Norfolk Children’s Services to identify and provide appropriate support to pupils who have experienced domestic violence in their household; this scheme is called Operation Encompass.

 In order to achieve this, Norfolk Children’s Advice and Duty Service will share police information of all domestic incidents where one of our pupils has been present with the Designated Safeguarding Lead(s). On receipt of any information, the Designated Safeguarding Lead will decide on the appropriate support the child requires, this could be silent or overt. All information sharing and resulting actions will be undertaken in accordance with the ‘Norfolk Joint Agency Protocol for Domestic Abuse – Notifications to Schools’. We will record this information and store this information in accordance with the record keeping procedures outlined in this policy.