Early Help

At Harnham Infant School we fully recognise our responsibilities for safeguarding the welfare of children. It is our priority to keep your children safe. We will therefore:

Make sure our school is a place where children feel safe, are encouraged to talk, and are listened to.
Make sure children know that there are adults in the school who they can talk to if they are worried.
Help children to develop the skills they need to recognise and stay safe from abuse (including online abuse).

All our staff are trained in safeguarding, are DBS checked and aware of the school and statutory protocols that must be followed. We believe that child protection and safeguarding incidents could happen anywhere including at school and online, and all staff should be alert to possible concerns being raised.

If you have concerns that a child may be at risk of serious harm, contact The Front Door (Children and Families Helpdesk) on 0300 456 0108 (9am-5pm).

In an emergency, where a child may be at risk of immediate harm, call the Police on 999.

Our Safeguarding Team

If you have a concern about your own children or those of others at the school, please contact the school office and ask for a Designated Safeguarding Lead. These are your points of contact in relation to any safeguarding and child protection issues.

Early Help

Do you need more help?

Where can you get help?

WE are here to help YOU

Please contact requestforsupport@harnham-inf.wilts.sch.uk

Harnham Infant School is committed to providing Early Help to children and young people. Our priority is to focus on the needs and listen to the views of the child.

“Early help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child’s life, from the foundation years through to the teenage years” (Keeping Children Safe in Education, Sept 2022)

“Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families and carers has a role to play in safeguarding children. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all professionals should make sure their approach is child-centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.” (Keeping Children Safe in Education, Sept 2022)

The diagram below details the multiple channels we use to listen, assess, plan, manage and act as necessary to offer Early Help and prevent children in our care coming to harm.

“Effective safeguarding is achieved by putting children at the centre of the system and by every individual and agency playing their full part… This child centred approach is fundamental to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every child… Whatever the form of abuse or neglect, practitioners should put the needs of children first when determining what action to take.” (Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2018)

If you have a genuine concerns about your own children or those of others at the school, please contact the school office and ask for a Designated Safeguarding Lead.

If you think a child is in immediate danger, call the police on 999.

Do you have any concerns about online safety? See our Online Safety Page for more information.

Please access this website should you need any support related to domestic abuse:

https://enough.campaign.gov.uk/get-support

Support for Children

Mental Health Support

On Your Mind signposts children and young people in Wiltshire to sources of support for good mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Childline provides 1:1 counslling sessions for children in addition to message boards, campaigns and tools to support children who may feel worried or unsafe. Calls to Childline are free and confidential 0800 1111

Young Minds is charity that supports children and young people's mental health. The website provides young people with tools and guidance to look after their mental health

Download the Wiltshire Mental Health and Wellbeing Support Services list

Drugs

Ask Frank is a website that helps you find out everything you might want to know about drugs (and some stuff you don’t). You can talk to Frank on 0300 123 6600 or email here

Child Sexual Exploitation

Face up 2 it is a website that explains child sexual exploitation. This could include being forced or tricked into doing something sexual, sometimes receiving something in return like love, affection, money, drugs or alcohol. Call or text 116 000 #SaySomething

Support for young carers

What being a young carer means?

A young carer is anyone aged 5-16 who cares, unpaid, for a family member or friend.

A young carer looks after or helps to look after someone who has an illness, learning or physical disability, a mental health illness or misuse of drugs or alcohol. It might be your mum or dad, grandparent, brother or sister or a close relative or friend.

A young carer usually takes on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult. This means doing things like cooking, cleaning, shopping, giving medication or just talking and helping when the person you care about is feeling sad.

Caring roles can look very different, you might be doing different things than mentioned above, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t a young carer.

How can you get help and support?

Looking after someone can sometimes take up a lot of time and it can sometimes be very difficult to cope with everything. Going to school, meeting up with friends and doing the things you enjoy can sometimes be hard to fit in.

If you think you might be a young carer, or you’re not too sure, and feel you need additional help and support, talk to someone you trust like your teacher at school or your doctor. They will be able to refer you to Wiltshire Council’s Young Carer team for a young carers’ assessment which will look at the support that could be offered to you and your family.

What is a young carer assessment?

An assessment is when an adult from the young carers team at Wiltshire council, gets to know you to understand the things you are dealing with and the impact of your caring role to see if you need some help.

Young people and parents can now self-refer for a young carer assessment. To do this, call 0300 456 0108 or email MASH@wiltshire.gov.uk.

To find out if you are a young carer, take the Carer Support Wiltshire quick quiz.

Visit Carer Support Wiltshire for lots of useful information to help you understand what caring is all about and how you can get help and support.

Early Help Leaflet

Early Help

If you have a genuine concerns about your own children or those of others at the school, please contact the school office and ask for a Designated Safeguarding Lead.

If you think a child is in immediate danger, call the police on 999.

Do you have any concerns about online safety? See our Online Safety Page for more information.

​

Please access this website should you need any support related to domestic abuse:

https://enough.campaign.gov.uk/get-support

Support for Children

Mental Health Support

On Your Mind signposts children and young people in Wiltshire to sources of support for good mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Childline provides 1:1 counslling sessions for children in addition to message boards, campaigns and tools to support children who may feel worried or unsafe. Calls to Childline are free and confidential 0800 1111

Young Minds is charity that supports children and young people's mental health. The website provides young people with tools and guidance to look after their mental health

Download the Wiltshire Mental Health and Wellbeing Support Services list

Drugs

Ask Frank is a website that helps you find out everything you might want to know about drugs (and some stuff you don’t). You can talk to Frank on 0300 123 6600 or email here

Child Sexual Exploitation

Face up 2 it is a website that explains child sexual exploitation. This could include being forced or tricked into doing something sexual, sometimes receiving something in return like love, affection, money, drugs or alcohol. Call or text 116 000 #SaySomething

Support for young carers

What being a young carer means?

A young carer is anyone aged 5-16 who cares, unpaid, for a family member or friend.

A young carer looks after or helps to look after someone who has an illness, learning or physical disability, a mental health illness or misuse of drugs or alcohol. It might be your mum or dad, grandparent, brother or sister or a close relative or friend.

A young carer usually takes on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult. This means doing things like cooking, cleaning, shopping, giving medication or just talking and helping when the person you care about is feeling sad.

Caring roles can look very different, you might be doing different things than mentioned above, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t a young carer.

How can you get help and support?

Looking after someone can sometimes take up a lot of time and it can sometimes be very difficult to cope with everything. Going to school, meeting up with friends and doing the things you enjoy can sometimes be hard to fit in.

What is a young carer assessment?

An assessment is when an adult from the young carers team at Wiltshire council, gets to know you to understand the things you are dealing with and the impact of your caring role to see if you need some help.

Young people and parents can now self-refer for a young carer assessment. To do this, call 0300 456 0108 or email MASH@wiltshire.gov.uk.

To find out if you are a young carer, take the Carer Support Wiltshire quick quiz.

Visit Carer Support Wiltshire for lots of useful information to help you understand what caring is all about and how you can get help and support.