Our Policies
Our Safeguarding policy, Anti-Bullying policy and Online Safety policy can be found on our Policies, Procedures, and Reports Page.
Camphill Wakefield adopts the policies and procedures recommended by Wakefield Safeguarding Children Board. The purpose of the Safeguarding Policy is to provide a secure framework for the workforce in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of those children and adults who attend our college. This policy applies to all staff members and volunteers working at Camphill Wakefield. We have a duty of care to all students involved in studying, working or living in Camphill Wakefield. We recognise the vulnerability of students placed at Camphill Wakefield and the rights of all students to protection from emotional, physical and sexual abuse, neglect and exploitation by others, including other students. Through adhering to student protection guidelines Camphill Wakefield ensure the safety and protection of all students placed within here.
Safeguarding Policy principles:
- Welfare of the child is paramount; actions will be taken in the child’s best interests.
- All learners, regardless of age, gender, ability, culture, race, language, religion or sexual identity, have equal rights to protection.
- All staff have an equal responsibility to identify learners who may benefit from early help and to act on any suspicion or allegation that may suggest a child is at risk of harm.
- There is a culture of vigilance, transparency, openness and, if needed, challenge with regards to maintaining high standards in safeguarding.
- Learners and staff involved in child protection issues will receive appropriate support.
Safeguarding Policy aims:
- To provide all staff with the necessary information to enable them to meet their child protection responsibilities.
- To ensure consistent good practice.
- To demonstrate the Camphill Wakefield College’s commitment with regard to child protection to learners, parents, carers and other partners.
- To contribute to the Camphill Wakefield College’s safeguarding portfolio.
Online Safety Policy:
Online safety is becoming an increasing concern as technology becomes more integrated into daily life. Mobile phones, tablets, and computers are sources of fun, entertainment, and education; however, we know that some adults and young people use these technologies to harm others or for their own gratification. Staff must also recognise risks linked to misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories, as well as the safeguarding risks of generative AI in education. These may impact decision-making, wellbeing, and online safety, particularly for vulnerable SEND learners. Potential risks can be grouped into four categories:
- Content: being exposed to illegal, inappropriate, or harmful content, for example: pornography, fake news, racism, misogyny, self-harm, suicide, anti-Semitism, radicalisation, and extremism.
- Contact: being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users; for example, peer to peer pressure, commercial advertising and adults posing as children or young adults with the intention to groom or exploit them for sexual, criminal, financial or other purposes.
- Conduct: online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm; for example, making, sending and receiving explicit images (e.g. consensual and nonconsensual sharing of nudes and semi-nudes and/or pornography, sharing other explicit images and online bullying, and
- Commerce: risks such as online gambling, inappropriate advertising, phishing and or financial scams.
Our online safety policy outlines the strategies we have implemented to keep our young people and adults safe online, including filters and monitoring.
Prevent Policy:
The Prevent Policy of Camphill Wakefield outlines the institution’s commitment to providing a safe and nurturing environment by complying with the Government’s Prevent strategy. Our policy, aligned with the safeguarding procedures, aims to protect students and staff from the risks of extremism and radicalisation. The policy includes strategies for early intervention, promoting British values, staff training, and collaboration with external agencies to ensure a cohesive approach to preventing extremist activities. Prevent is about safeguarding people and communities from the threat of terrorism.
Prevent is one strand of the Government’s Counter Terrorist Strategy “Contest” which includes four strands:
- Protect – To strengthen protection against a terrorist attack.
- Prepare – To mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack.
- Pursue – To stop terrorist attacks.
- Prevent – Prevent people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
Early intervention is at the heart of “Prevent” in diverting people away from being drawn into terrorist or extreme activity. “Prevent” happens before any criminal activity takes place. It is about recognising, supporting and protecting people who might be susceptible to extremist views and radicalisation.
Operation Encompass:
Camphill Wakefield works in partnership with Operation Encompass, which allows education providers to offer immediate support to children who have experienced domestic abuse. Operation Encompass is an information-sharing partnership between police and education providers, whereby police report an incident of domestic abuse to a child’s school or college before the start of the next school or college day.
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 recognises children who experience domestic abuse as victims in their own right. On 24 May 2024, the Victims and Prisoners Act made Operation Encompass a legal requirement—placing a statutory obligation on police forces to share notifications with schools and educational settings. Participation in Operation Encompass helps us to provide the most appropriate support when it is needed most.
Operation Encompass notifications ensure that key staff members are trained to utilise the information that has been shared, in confidence, and to ensure that we are able to provide immediate holistic support for children or their families, who have been involved in or witnessed a domestic abuse incident.
