Safeguarding

We take our duty to protect young people and adults at risk very seriously, therefore we see Safeguarding as everyone’s responsibility.

We have a set of policies to safeguard students, who may be in need of protection, and to enable the College to meet its duties under the Children Act 1989, and Section 175 of the Education Act 2002. These are listed below. Our policies reflect Keeping children safe in education 2024 (gov.uk - PDF)

Staff are appropriately recruited and trained, and we will take immediate action should there be any serious welfare or safeguarding concerns. 

If you have any concerns

If you have any concerns over a child protection issue or welfare concern, please contact the College’s Welfare and Safeguarding team on 01284 636 501 or email lisa.bragg@easterneducationgroup.ac.uk. We will handle all concerns in a sensitive manner.

Our designated safeguarding leads are:

Stuart Small

Senior Designated Safeguarding Lead

Stuart Small

Lisa Bragg

Alternative Safeguarding Lead

Headshot 4

Cathy Durrant

Alternative Safeguarding Lead

Cathy Durrant - Designated Safeguarding Lead

Claire Battey

Alternative Safeguarding Lead

Claire Battey

Kate Brown

Alternative Safeguarding Lead

Kate Brown

Cathy Austin

Alternative Safeguarding Lead

Catherine Austin

Useful contacts

Childline
Childline.org.uk
Call free on 0800 1111

NSPCC
www.nspcc.org.uk

Samaritans: (Suicide prevention charity)
https://www.samaritans.org/

Customer first (Social Care for out of hours safeguarding concerns)
0808 800 4005

111 - NHS Non-emergency advice line
101 – Police Non-emergency Line

Papyrus Hopeline UK (Suicide prevention charity for young people)
0800 068 4141
 
Mind
www.mind.org.uk
 
Emotional Wellbeing Hub
0345 600 2090 (Monday - Friday 8am-7.30pm)

The source (information and advice for young people in Suffolk)
thesource.me.uk
 
Kooth (online counselling service)
www.kooth.com
 
Domestic abuse helpline
0808 2000 247
www.nationalahelpline.org.uk

OK Rehab

https://www.okrehab.org/

Safeguarding Policies

Our Trustee Safeguarding Link is Julia Wakelam.

Julia wakelam

If you have any concerns over a child protection issue, please contact the College’s Senior Designated Safeguarding person on 01284 636 501 We will handle all concerns in a sensitive manner.

Please find information on internet safety and how to keep children safe online: http://www.internetmatters.org/

Suffolk Safeguarding Partnership 

Talking about suicide - a guide for college staff

THC Vaping - Parent/Guardian Resource

County Lines

County lines 1

What is County Lines?

"County lines is the supply of class A drugs (primarily crack cocaine and heroin) from an urban hub into smaller towns or county locations. This is facilitated by a group who may not necessarily be affiliated as a gang, but who have developed networks across geographical boundaries to access and exploit existing drugs markets in these areas."

County Lines, Violence, Exploitation and Drug Supply, National Crime Agency, 2017

The Line is the telephone number used to order the drugs.

The children used in County Lines to move and sell the drugs are being Criminally Exploited by others.

Signs of exploitation are:

  • Presenting with physical injuries and or refusal to seek/receive medical treatment
  • In possession of large amounts of unexplained money
  • Expressing aggressive or intimidating views towards other groups of young people (some of whom may have been friends in the past)
  • Multiple mobile phones/frequent change of phone number
  • Frequently missing or missing for periods of time
  • New clothes/trainers
  • Travelling around a lot – train tickets/seen in taxis regularly/being seen in cars (often hire cars), possibly with unknown adults, on a regular basis
  • Associating with peers who are involved/suspected to be involved in gang related activity
  • Refuses/scared to enter certain areas
  • Drug related or violent offending involving weapons
  • Sibling involvement

Look closer (poster) - Exploited young people don’t always look and act vulnerableCounty Lines - advice for parents

Knife Crime - advice for parents

Spot the signs of criminal exploitation
County lines and child criminal exploitation 
Keep it moving - are you being the change 

The Slang Dictionary

This slang dictionary seeks to support parents, carers and professionals to better understand the language young people may be using and support them to safeguard young people.

If you have concerns

  • Call 999 - if there is immediate danger to someone, crime is in progress, you need police help immediately, someone is using violence or threatening violence, serious damage is or could be caused to property, a potential criminal has been disturbed or stopped
  • Call 101 - to report a crime that has already happened, seek crime prevention advice or make the police aware of any policing issues in your area.
  • Online reporting form on police website to include reporting non-urgent crimes including making the police aware of any policing issues in your area. www.suffolk.police.uk/contact-us/report-something
  • Customer First - for emergency safeguarding concerns, call 03456 066 167.
  • Suffolk Constabulary - A – Z of crime prevention advice | Gangs, Information and Advice - for parents, young people, further help (links to other agencies) and leaving a gang.
  • Crime Stoppers  0800 555 111 anonymous 24/7 phone number, that people can call to pass on information about crime; alternatively people can send information anonymously via the Giving Information Form. You don't have to give your name or any of your personal details. Calls are not traced, IP addresses are not tracked crimestoppers-uk.org
  • fearless.org -  www.fearless.org/en - use our secure online form to give us any information about crime 100% anonymously. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - 365 days a year.
  • Missing People SafeCall service - Missing People is the only charity in the UK which is dedicated to bringing missing children and adults back together with their families - www.missingpeople.org.uk | SafeCall Phone: 020 8392 5710 | SafeCall Email: SafeCall@missingpeople.org.uk  | 24/7 Helpline: 116 000 | 24/7 Helpline Email: 116000@missingpeople.org.uk
  • Suffolk Safeguarding Children Board - Gang's criminal exploitation and county lines
  • The Children’s Society - if you're a parent worried about your child being criminally exploited, you can read our guidance.
  • NSPCC - email help@nspcc.org.uk or call 0808 800 5000
  • Family Lives - confidential helpline: 0808 800 2222
  • The Parent Hub on Suffolk County Council's website, is a source of parenting advice and support for parents and carers to help with their child's development. For more information please visit www.suffolk.gov.uk