At Great Baddow High School, we believe that if a student is to thrive and be successful, they must first feel safe and secure. We take our safeguarding responsibilities very seriously, and are proud of the care and support we offer all members of our community.

‘A culture of safeguarding is rooted in the school ethos.’ – Ofsted 2022

The Safeguarding Team works closely with Pastoral staff, ‘in house’ services and with external agencies to ensure specialist support is available to young people and their parents / guardians.

Read more about our commitment to eSafety and how we support students and our staff to stay safe online here. 

Who are the Safeguarding Team?

The school has a dedicated email address for parents and students to email any concerns they have in relation to harmful sexual behaviours or other safeguarding matters. The emails will be responded to within 48 hours by a member of the school’s Safeguarding Team. The email account does not replace the methods of communication and support we currently have in place but is designed to provide an additional avenue for raising concerns.

Please also note that this is not a 24-hour helpline and will only be monitored during school operating hours. In the event of an emergency an appropriate adult or the police should be contacted. The support groups listed below may also be of use.

The email address is listen@gbhs.co.uk

Young Carers

At Great Baddow High School, we are aware that some of our students are young carers. A young carer is someone under 18 who is caring unpaid for a family member who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or addiction problems. They often take on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult. Research suggests there are at least 700,000 young carers in the UK, but many do not realise they are a young carer.

We know that young carers may need a little extra support to enjoy and do well at school. At Great Baddow High School, we are committed to ensuring that all students who are young carers are identified and supported effectively.

As Great Baddow High School’s Young Carers’ Lead, I work in conjunction with the safeguarding and pastoral teams and have responsibility for ensuring all young carers are able to enjoy school and make good progress.

Any information that is given to us will be treated sensitively and no information will be shared without your knowledge.

If you think your child might be a young carer or could be affected by any of the issues we’ve highlighted, please contact us via email youngcarers@gbhs.co.uk.

Sophie Whitelaw - Family Support Worker

Sian FIeld - Designated Safegarding Lead

In an Emergency

If you are worried about the safety of a child, you should contact the police on 999 or 101, depending on the urgency. 

OR

Call 111 Option 2 for Mental Health

Essex Social Care:

Contact Social Care for urgent and immediate concerns for the safety and welfare of a child or young person, you can contact Essex Social Care. Telephone: 0345 603 7627 (office hours) 0345 606 1212 (out of office hours).

If you have an urgent concern about a child’s mental health, please contact the Crisis Team. Freephone 0800 953 0222 (Monday - Friday Between 0900-1700) 

Or

Call NELFT Mental Health Direct: 0800 995 1000 (Out of Hours / Weekend or Bank Holidays) 

In an emergency if urgent help is required please contact 999.

Links to helpful websites:

Emotional Wellbeing

	Southend, Essex and Thurrock (SET) CAMHS | NELFT NHS Foundation Trust	Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service - Therapeutic support for young people’s mental health
	youngminds.org.uk	Advice and information on Child & Adolescent Mental Health
	papyrus-uk.org	Advice and support with suicide prevention
	www.kooth.com	Young Person’s Advice, online counselling
	www.childline.org.uk	Expert advice and guidance
	www.calmharm.co.uk	App to support students who are self harming or struggling with anxiety
	https://www.annafreud.org/on-my-mind/self-care/	Strategies for self care and wellbeing
	www.togetherall.com	A safe community to support mental health for students aged 16+

Family Support

	https://chelmsford.foodbank.org.uk/	Chelmsford Foodbank
	https://essexfamilywellbeing.co.uk/	Chelmsford Child and Family Wellbeing Service
	www.familylives.org 0808 800 2222	Advice, guidance and support for families
	https://www.childrenssocietyeast.org.uk	Community support for Children and Families