At Melbourne Junior School, all staff are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We have in place a robust child protection and safeguarding policy and all Staff, Governors and Volunteers have a clear understanding regarding abuse and neglect in all forms, including how to identify, respond and report.

The school has a Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy which can be found on this page.  We use this policy to guide our actions and to ensure that we are keeping children safe by following agreed procedures.  

There may also be times when adults are concerned about children in the community.  Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility so please do act on your concerns. You can contact:

Derbyshire County Council's Child Protection department on 01629 533190 or The NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.

If you have a concern about the safety of any Melbourne Junior School child, you can also contact our school safeguarding team.  During school hours, a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) will always be on-site or contactable by phone.

Early Help

Early Help is the identification of, and response to, emerging problems for children, young people and their families. It is a way of working that supports families, children and young people to overcome difficulties and build their resilience so that problems do not escalate. Supporting children and families to thrive, live and engage happily in their communities.

Effective delivery of Early Help is based on a clear understanding of local needs and appreciation of local conditions influencing the lives of children, young people and their families. Schools and locally based professionals contribute to the development of a rich local Early Help offer; working across domains of health, education, community safety and the voluntary sector.

Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership has developed policies, procedures and guidance to support all professionals to provide Early Help. This includes the Early Help Assessment (EHA) and Team Around the Family (TAF) processes.  They provide support for schools to initiate their Early Help work; Early Help advisors and youth and community engagement workers can provide local support to connect with community based services.

If a child’s needs require a more targeted support package, then schools can complete the online request for support form with Starting Point. This request will be triaged and a decision will be made on how best to support the child and family.

Teams across the county focus on:

• 0-5 year olds including a children's centre offer helping families with bonding and attachment during pregnancy and infancy, development milestones including speech and language and school readiness.
• Family and youth support, providing parenting support in groups or at home and targeted youth groups in community settings.

Melbourne Junior School uses Children First Derby, to support families in need of early help support.

Please contact Miss Martin at the school if you would like more information. 

Our Safeguarding Governor is: Ms Jackie Edwards