Natasha Davey-Diop, Education Safeguarding Lead - Introduction
I’m delighted to have started my new role as Education Safeguarding Lead in School Effectiveness. Safeguarding has long been a specialist subject and passion of mine, and, of course, has been a running theme throughout my career in education. I hope to be able to support our schools to ensure our collective, continued and consistent improvement of our safeguarding practices across Cornwall.
The focus of the role will be collaborative partnership work with schools with an aim to ensuring consistency across Cornwall and to keep our children as safe as possible. The role will evolve over time, and we will be listening to you to understand what schools need in order to support a county-wide safeguarding culture.
Functions of the role will include:
- Regular safeguarding updates to schools on key themes arising from national and local intelligence;
- Safeguarding advice and guidance to schools both generally and as a direct response to complaints and concerns;
- Safeguarding reviews and audits as and when deemed appropriate;
- A review of the county safeguarding training offer;
- The launch of a schools safeguarding network with access to shared resources, good policy and practice, as well as publications and updates – launch in Autumn 2021.
The Children’s Safeguarding Practice Review Panel has released their second annual report. Key themes for schools include more intensive work with families who are reluctant to engage and information sharing, among others. Read the Executive Summary here.
For training, visit the OSCP website, where you will find the most up to date training on offer. Please look out, in particular, for the Learning Lessons Working – Domestic Violence and Developmental Trauma, and the Exploitation and County Lines workshops, both of which are newly added and are a current national safeguarding focus.
Difficult Discussions, Easy Songs – a project founded by Anu Omedeyi is a fun and engaging way to discuss sensitive safeguarding issues, particularly around racism. Click on the link to hear her talking to Sophia Coles, Associate in the Farrer & Co Race Equality Taskforce within the Safeguarding Unit Talking about race with young people.
Please contact me for any safeguarding advice, but also be aware, that the LADO service remains the point of contact for allegations of abuse against a member of staff LADO@cornwall.gov.uk