Safeguarding / FGM / CSE

Safeguarding at Torpoint Community College

Torpoint Community College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.  We are committed to providing a secure environment for students, where young people feel safe and are kept safe.  All adults at TCC recognise that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility irrespective of the role they undertake or whether their role has direct contact or responsibility for children or not.

In order to comply with the duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, Torpoint Community College has adopted consistent, fair and thorough employment practices and processes to ensure that those recruited are suitable to work within the College.

Safer Recruitment is an integral part of our Safeguarding procedures, forming an important foundation for our emphasis on Safeguarding across the College.

The College subscribes to and promotes The Counter Terrorism and Security Act, which received Royal Assent on 12 February 2015.   This Act placed a duty on specified authorities, including schools and Colleges, to have regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism (“the Prevent Duty”).

For more information regarding Safeguarding at Torpoint Community College please refer to the below policies which can be found by clicking here.

  • Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy
  • Preventing Extremism and Radicalisation Protocol at TCC
  • Health and Well Being Policy at TCC
  • Promotion of Values at TCC

NSPCC

Our New helpline for people who have experienced sexual harassment or abuse in education

We’re launching a dedicated helpline for children and young people who have experienced sexual harassment or abuse at school, and for worried adults and professionals that need support and guidance.

Our new NSPCC helpline, Report Abuse in Education, will launch on 1 April. Working with the Department for Education (DfE), who have commissioned us on this initiative, we will run the bespoke helpline to provide appropriate support and advice to victims of abuse and harassment, and concerned adults, including onward action such as contacting the police if they wish to.

This dedicated helpline will offer support to:

  • all children and young people making current and non-recent disclosures of sexual harassment or abuse on school grounds within school time, and incidents linked to school in any capacity
  • any children or young people who want to talk about being involved or witnessing any incidents
  • any adults who have experienced non-recent abuse
  • parents and carers who have any concerns about their own or other children
  • professionals who work in schools and need support in this or related issues.

Anyone who gets in touch through this dedicated helpline will also be signposted to other relevant support services available, including Childline – which provides ongoing support and counselling to children and young people.

The Report Abuse in Education helpline comes after a high number of anonymous testimonials were submitted to the Everyone’s Invited website, documenting abuse in all types of schools, colleges, and universities.

We will also continue to respond to the needs of children, schools, and others affected through our other services, including our e-learning, training courses, and consultancy for schools. Our work looks to prevent child abuse and make sure children have the support they need.

We will continue our policy and lobbying work to ensure that the introduction of compulsory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in schools delivers change. We want the Government to invest in high-quality training and support so teachers are confident and equipped to deliver RSHE lessons in their classrooms. We will also continue to advocate for a whole-school approach to tackling abuse where school communities challenge damaging norms and unhealthy attitudes about sexual behaviour so all schools are safe places for young people.

Young people and adults can contact the NSPCC helpline, Report Abuse in Education on 0800 136 663 or email help@nspcc.org.uk

Female Genital Mutilation

(FGM) – defined as all procedures which involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia and/or injury to the female organs, whether for cultural or any other non-therapeutic reasons. At this College we believe that all our students should be kept safe from harm. Female genital mutilation affects girls particularly from North African countries, including Egypt, Sudan, Somalia and Sierra Leone. Although our College has few children from these backgrounds and considers girls in our College safe from FGM, we will continue to review our policy annually.

For further information please click the buttons below.

Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)

CSE involves exploitative situations, contexts and relationships where young people (or a third person) receives ‘something’ (e.g. food, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, affection, gifts or money) as a result of performing, and/or others performing on them, sexual activities. At the College we aim to raise students’ awareness through assemblies for all year groups and within the PSHE programme. Staff also receive specific training to alert them to the possible signs.

For further information please click the button below.