Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership
Helping to keep children and young people safe in Derby and Derbyshire
Schools and Colleges
This page has information and guidance to help schools, colleges and education providers in their vital work to keep children safe.
Safeguarding updates for schools and colleges
Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (DDSCP) facilitates an email safeguarding update service for Derby and Derbyshire schools which are sent to the settings dedicated safeguarding email address. The service has been set up to help education establishments keep up to date with local and national safeguarding developments.
If your school or college is not receiving safeguarding updates, please email ddscp@derby.gov.uk.
Derby and Derbyshire education subgroups
The education subgroups are responsible for working on behalf of the Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership to promote good safeguarding practice and keeping children safe across the education sector. Membership is made up of schools and college representatives, who meet on a quarterly basis with input from the DDSCP team and staff from partner agencies.
If you would like more information about the education subgroups, please see the DDSCP governance arrangements outlined on our accountability webpage. Anyone interested in joining in with the work of the subgroups, should email ddscp@derby.gov.uk.
Resources developed by the education subgroups
To support schools and colleges in their safeguarding practice the education subgroups have developed the following:
DDSCP template safeguarding/child protection policy for education providers (July 2023) for use by Derby and Derbyshire schools and colleges – this template must be amended to reflect the individual education setting.
Safeguarding children audit tool for schools and colleges for the academic year 2023-24, developed for Derby and Derbyshire schools and colleges to support them complete their annual safeguarding audit and planning. It also helps schools and colleges provide evidence of their safeguarding processes and practice for Ofsted inspection.
The audit tool is sent directly to schools and colleges and can be requested by email, ddscp@derby.gov.uk.
Safeguarding training for schools and colleges
The DDSCP provides general and specialist courses to help build staff skills, knowledge, values and confidence when working with children, young people and families. For further information on DDSCP learning and development opportunities please see here.
Key information and resources for schools and colleges
The DDSCP has published safeguarding information and resources on a range of topic areas, including allegations against staff, volunteers and carers, which may assist education settings. These are listed here.
Local arrangements to safeguard and protect children are outlined in the DDSCP multi-agency safeguarding children procedures. Key documents for schools and colleges include:
* Safeguarding Briefing for School Age Children - sets out key learning areas from case reviews about the lived experiences of nine school age children and their siblings to help all professionals in their day-to-day practice.
* Access to Schools by Professionals from Other Agencies - to support schools in their roles and responsibilities in respect of providing access to children for assessment and the checks required on professional visitors to schools.
* Vulnerability of children not in school guidance - providing key information, guindace and legislation used when considering the welfare of children ot in school. The guidance helps promote access to the right support needed, the responsibilities of all schools, Local Authorities, and partner agencies.
* Derby and Derbyshire Education Providers Domestic Abuse Notifications - Stopping Domestic Abuse Together (SDAT) guidance - a guide for schools and colleges about SDAT, the local version of a national initiative called Operation Encompass.
Other relevant DDSCP briefing notes:
* Learning from Reviews: Neurodiversity and Radicalisation
* Updates to Domestic Abuse (SDAT) notifications to schools
* Low Level Concerns about Staff
* Harmful Online Challenges and Hoaxes
* Learning from Audit: Neglect
* Learning from Audit: Domestic Abuse
Other sites providing key information and resources to local schools and colleges include:
* Derbyshire schoolsnet - keeping children safe in education
* Derby schools' information portal
* Derbyshire services for schools
Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership includes:
