Safeguarding
Whole School Safeguarding Policy
Even when school is closed, the concern we have for our pupils is not diminished.
If you have any worries regarding the safeguarding (safety and well-being) of English Martyrs’ pupils please contact us using the following email address: safeguarding@englishmartyrs.medway.sch.uk.
If you have concerns about children in the community who do not attend EMRCP, please go to the Medway Safeguarding Partnership Board where you can report a concern online: https://www.medwayscp.org.uk/mscb/info/5/mscb-1/34/worried-child.
You can also contact Social Care directly on 01634 334 466. Should government policy or our own circumstances change and safeguarding arrangements alter, I will of course let you know.
Deciding when to share (or withhold) information
Safeguarding trumps data protection
As a school, we have powers to share, hold and use information for the purpose of:
- Identifying and tackling all forms of abuse and neglect
- Promoting children’s welfare, including their educational outcomes
UK data protection laws do not prevent or limit the sharing of information to keep children safe. UK data protection laws do require information to be shared appropriately, in line with data protection principles.
Information can be shared with the appropriate people if there is the belief that doing so is likely to support the safeguarding and protection of a child.
For example, information can be shared:
- To help identify patterns of behaviour for a child at risk of going missing, or who has gone missing
- With external agencies when there are concerns about multiple children associated with the same location or situation, to help build a bigger picture
Information should not be shared if it may harm a child or put them at risk of harm.
This is further explained in Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2024 and Working Together to Safeguard Children.