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Safeguarding Forum
The Trust's Safeguarding Forum exists to:
- Share best practice and ideas so that these can be disseminated across the Trust to improve safeguarding practice across our schools
- Support those with a Lead Safeguarding role in school: staff, Trustees and local governors
- Offer learning opportunities within a peer to peer environment
The forum is made up of safeguarding leads from the schools and meets three times per year during term time.
Our safeguarding commitment
The Everyone’s Invited campaign has rightly served to focus our minds on the need to continue to work together to protect children.
We, at EMAT, believe that schools play a crucial role in teaching pupils about sex and relationships, equality and diversity and modern citizenship as well as preparing them for the modern world. This is enacted through each school’s culture, its curriculum, and all policies. We aim to give all pupils and staff a voice to enable them to act in a protective manner towards themselves and others. This includes developing a robust whistleblowing culture as well as fostering a culture of integrity and mutual respect.
We recognise that we have the responsibility of tackling sexual violence and harassment, instilling values in our stakeholders and encourage all to be driven by their strong moral compass. Like so much of education, our work must complement that undertaken by parents and carers so that young people receive a consistent message, and they can go about their lives free from harassment and abuse.
All of our schools will continue to engage with their stakeholders, listen to their concerns and signpost necessary support and provision within and beyond its schools. We ask that anyone who has experienced such behaviour, or who is suffering because of it, to report it to an appropriate adult either in the school or within the EMAT team so they can be supported, and steps can be taken to address the issue.
A dedicated NSPCC helpline is now available to support anyone who has experienced sexual abuse in educational settings or has concerns about someone or the issues raised. The dedicated NSPCC helpline number is 0800 136 663 or by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk.
Staff members can also seek support from Employee’s Assist on 08000 305 182.
If you are troubled about possible wrongdoing at work, please don’t keep it to yourself. Our Whistleblowing Policy is there to reassure you that it is safe and acceptable to speak up and to enable you to raise any concern you may have at an early stage and in the right way. If you feel unable to raise the matter with your manager, for whatever reason, please raise the matter with:
- EMAT Head of Governance & Compliance – Monica Juan – monica.juan@emat.uk
- EMAT Senior Workforce Planning & HRBP – Ruhena Mahmood – ruhena.mahmood@emat.uk
If you are unsure about raising a concern you can get free and independent advice from Protect helpline on 020 3117 2520 or by emailing whistle@protect-advice.org.uk.
