Safeguarding

We have a team of staff available to talk to you when you are feeling like you need to talk to someone. You can call our emergency numbers below or any of the additional agencies in the next section.

Mr R Evans 07762323340 (Out of hours)

School time 01443 436171

We are all safeguarding officers and are here to help. Please do not worry, we will always be on hand to offer assistance. 

There will be times when we all experience low points. 

Remember, its ok not to feel ok; by that we mean that in order to start feeling better, you have to understand what it is that makes you feel low.

If you can, write down what makes you feel low and discuss it with someone from your family or ask if you can speak to someone from school. 

The most important thing to stress here is that you are not alone, we are here and so too are lots of agencies. If you don't want to talk to someone you know, use the links here to help.

If you do not want to speak to a member of staff, you could try speaking to one of the following agencies:

Childline - 08001111

Childnet International - www.childnet.com

Samaritans - 116 123

If you feel you need to share something with a family member and you need to get a bit of advice and suport, read the assistance steps below to help. Whenever you feel ready, these tips might help you start the conversation:

• Find a method of communication that feels right for you. This might be a face-to-face conversation, or you might find it easier to talk on the phone or write down how you feel in a letter.
• Find a suitable time and place. There may not be a 'good' time, but it can help if you're somewhere quiet and comfortable, and are unlikely to be disturbed for a while.
• Practice what you want to say. You could do this in your head or make some notes. Phrases such as "I've not been feeling like myself lately" or "I'm finding it hard to cope at the moment" might provide a starting point.
• Offer them relevant information and examples. If you've found a useful description in a book or online, or seen someone on television or in a film saying something that feels right to you, you could use this to help explain what you're experiencing.
• Be honest and open. It can sometimes feel uncomfortable sharing something so personal, but explaining how your feelings are affecting your life may help others to understand.

It is important to take care of yourself and to always try and feel good about yourself. The information below outlines some strategies to help:

Mindful resources:

https://positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-for-children-kids-activities/

How are you today?

www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk

If you are in a situation where have a friend that you know is in danger or at risk, you must contact either school staff, notify your parents or contact the Police directly by dialling 999.

If your friend tells you that they do not want assistance or does not want to share anything with you, please do share with a member of staff. The only way they will be able to get help is by you helping put. If you are unsure, please call one of the safeguarding officers or see your head of school in school.

Sometimes we can have concerns in relation to one of our family members. If it is in relation to the person that looks after you and you feel worried about them, come and speak to a member of staff in school. If it is in the holidays, please give a member of the safeguarding team a call.

If you are concerned about a sibling, speak to your parents or a trusted family member. 

The Department for Education has commissioned the NSPCC to establish a dedicated independent helpline for people who have experienced abuse in education across the UK. The Report Abuse in Education helpline comes after a high number of anonymous testimonials were submitted to the Everyone’s Invited website, documenting abuse in all types of schools, colleges, and universities.

The helpline went live on 1 April 2021, and will provide both children and adults who have experienced sexual abuse in schools across the UK with support and advice, including onward action such as contacting the police if they wish to. The helpline will also provide support to parents and professionals. Anyone who gets in touch through this dedicated helpline will also be signposted to other relevant support services available, including Childline, which provides ongoing support and counselling to children and young people.

The dedicated and confidential NSPCC helpline – Report Abuse in Education can be reached on 0800 136 663 or by email at help@nspcc.org.uk.

During the past year, RCT been working with a range of partners as part of the Stopping Abuse Action Group established by the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales. You can find out more about this work here. 

As part of the work, RCT have developed a new information leaflet to provide information and support for older people experiencing abuse, or those who may be at risk.

The leaflet provides information to help people recognise the signs of abuse and the different forms it can take, what people can do if they are concerned about someone else, and where they can go for help and support. 

Please click here to access the leaflet.

A panic attack can happen at any time or place, and because it can happen quite quickly, it might feel unexpected. Because a panic attack is an intense feeling of fear and anxiety, it often happens if you are feeling very anxious about something happening in your life, or you have experienced something difficult or stressful. 

Can you think of what these night be? 

Write down your ideas, use these to reflect on what you can do to ensure you are not in a situation where these anxieties/fears can be overcome.

If you are happy to share these thoughts with a friend.

How to help:

If you are worried about having a panic attack at school speak to a teacher or a member of staff. They can work with you to help you with things like finding a safe space to take some time out if you are feeling anxious or panicked.

Sometime, some people find it difficult to cope with situations. If you self-harm, you might be dealing with lots of intense thoughts and feelings and hurting yourself feels like the only way to let those feelings out.

Talking about how you’re feeling with someone you trust can feel like a relief.  This person could be a friend, family member, teacher, school counsellor/nurse, or youth worker. 

Think about who you feel safe with and how you would feel most comfortable communicating, whether it’s face to face, over the phone, by text or email. Tell someone, speak to someone you trust.

If a friend share this with you, tell someone who you trust so that they can help the situation.

It’s understandable if you’re worried no one will understand you, or that people might judge you. But don’t worry, there are lots of trained people at Ysgol Nantgwyn and outside of school who do understand and really care.  Professional support can make a massive difference. It’s ok to ask for help when you need it. We all need help sometimes, it doesn’t make you weak - in fact reaching out takes bravery and strength.

Please see the sources of help tab below.

Sometimes people feel  so down that they can’t see a way out, those people  are not alone. Lots of people have felt like this and – with help – managed to get through it. However bad a person can feel, there is a lot of help out there. The following 3 organisations are targeted at young people. Please use the sources for help and assistance - they will never turn someone away.

Alternatively, you can share your thoughts or feelings with staff at Ysgol Nantgwyn. See the safeguarding posters for the key staff to contact.

Around 1 in 25 children have experienced the death of a parent, brother or sister. Around 1 in 16 has been bereaved of a friend and many more are affected by the death of someone else close. These figures suggest that there may be at least one child in every class whose life has been affected by bereavement.

Why is it important for us to understand about the effects of bereavement?

The death of someone close affects many aspects of life, sometimes for a very long time. Grief is often revisited over a life-span and can be experienced and expressed in new ways, particularly at times of further change or loss.

Losing someone or something we love and feel close to is extremely difficult and painful. Grief is our natural emotional response to this loss, and it is a process rather than an event.

Your child, as well as you and other family members, may be grieving because of:

• the death of someone in the family, like a parent, grandparent or sibling
• the death of a friend, or someone they knew at school
• the death of someone by suicide
• an illness, such as cancer or dementia, of someone they are close to
• the loss of a relationship, like someone moving away or no longer being a regular part of their life

The following resources are excellent resources for parents and pupils when experiencing bereavement.

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/children-and-young-adults/advice-for-parents/children-and-bereavement

https://www.ysgolnantgwyn.co.uk/wellbeing/

https://www.youngminds.org.uk/

Home - Cruse Bereavement Support

Winston's Wish - giving hope to grieving children (winstonswish.org)

Child Bereavement UK

Younger children do not understand the finality of death. They may ask questions which reflect their concern for the physical well-being of the dead person e.g. “who looks after them?” “Are they warm?” Children’s understanding of language at this age is very literal. Care must be taken that explanations do not cause further confusion or distress. Avoid euphemisms such as ‘gone to sleep’, ‘gone away’, ‘lost’; use terms such as dead and death. It may feel uncomfortable using these terms but it is less confusing for the child.

Children around this age gradually begin to realise that death is final and that the person will not be coming back. They are however still resistant to thinking about death as a possibility for themselves. They will benefit from having their questions answered honestly.

An adolescent’s understanding of death is likely to be similar to that of an adult. Adolescents who are already emotionally vulnerable may find the experience of bereavement particularly difficult to cope with. The death of a parent may involve the teenager in extra responsibilities, which bring additional concerns as well as the need to cope with grief and loss. They may feel that they need to be strong for the rest of the family and may be unable to grieve until they feel others are stronger.

Grief has no set timescale, and it is normal to feel a whole range of emotions after a loss. Sometimes, however, a young person may feel they are struggling to cope over a much longer period of time.

Your child may need professional support if, over a prolonged period, they are:

• feeling depressed or anxious
• withdrawing from family, friends and activities
• struggling to sleep
• refusing to go to school
• turning to less healthy coping mechanisms such as self harm
• talking regularly about wanting to join the person who has died
• experiencing suicidal thoughts
• acting like a much younger child
• not believing that the person has died

We have professional counselling available on site in the form of eye-to-eye counselling. Please see the eye-to-eye page for more information.

It can be extremely difficult when you lose someone you knew. Whether you’ve lost a family member, a friend, or a pet, you may feel a whole range of emotions. Grief is an emotional response to this loss, and is a process rather than an event. It may affect how you feel physically, mentally and socially.

You might be grieving because of:

• the death of a family member, like a parent, grandparent or sibling
• the death of a friend, or someone you knew at school
• the death of someone by suicide
• a change in a relationship
• an illness of someone close to you, like cancer or dementia
• the loss of a relationship, like someone moving away or no longer being in your life regularly
• the loss or death of a pet animal

Whoever you have lost, you need time and space to grieve and come to terms with their death.

We all grieve differently:

Our Activists share their experiences of grief:

There’s no right or wrong way to grieve. You might feel angry, sad or depressed, or even guilty or relieved. You might be numb and not feel anything. The way you grieve might be influenced by your culture, beliefs, or how your family and community understand loss. How you react might be different to how other people around you react. You might not feel anything for a while, and may experience delayed grief. There might be some occasions when you are expecting it, like when you experience one of many ‘firsts’, such as your first Christmas without that person. Or these feelings might catch you unaware sometimes. Grief can come up at any time.

This section is in place to support and reach anyone in a position who may be at an increased risk of domestic violence, sexual violence and coercive control. This includes family, friends and service providers, also volunteers. As a school, we are supporting the help and support campaign Live Fear Free.

There are a number of ways to contact the Live Fear Free helpline for help and support – by telephone 0808 8010800, also live chat, text or email, visit our website for information.    

To find out more visit: https://gov.wales/live-fear-free/staying-safe-during-coronavirus-emergency   

Please find a link to a Welsh Government publication linked to child abuse investigations for parents.

Please find a link to the Welsh Government publication -  Keeping learners safe.

There is also a shortened version available here.