This article was sent to safeguarding professionals on our mailing list on 06/08/2024. 

We know that you will all be aware of the terrible events that took place in Southport. Our thoughts are with the children and families along with everyone else involved in or affected by this tragedy.

The riots and disorder from far-right protestors across the country and in our communities that have followed has compounded the existing traumas experienced. We stand against all forms of hate towards any community and stand in solidarity with those who have been affected. 

The latest information from Avon and Somerset Police can be found on their Avon and Somerset website and on Bristol City Council Website Demonstration disruption (bristol.gov.uk)

The Local Safeguarding Partners want to ensure that education settings and all partners supporting our children are supported during this difficult time. Although it is the holidays, many of you are still open and supporting your children and families. We want to thank the our partners for their efforts to ensure our children and young people are having positive and enjoyable experiences over the holidays.

We hope the following can be supportive in you being able to act and or access support/guidance:

• Children and families directly affected by events.
• Contextual Safeguarding
• Information Sharing
• Media and Press
• Emotional Wellbeing
• Prevent and Channel
• Further Guidance

Children and Families directly affected by events:

If you have any intelligence that a child and or family have been directly involved in either victimisation and or criminal acts, then please follow your normal safeguarding procedures.

• If you think a child is at immediate risk of harm call 999.
• If a crime has been committed, please share information via 101.

• If you think a child and family are suffering and or likely to suffer significant harm please contact First Response  - Make a referral to First Response for professionals (bristol.gov.uk).
• If you require further advice and guidance then please contact your locality Families in Focus Teams-
• We are mindful that some families from the global majority have been targeted due to their ethnic origins and immigration status. Please do consider signposting families who have been directly impacted due to their protected characteristics to community support:
• SARI - Stand Against Racism & Inequality (saricharity.org.uk)
• Support services for refugees and asylum seekers in Bristol | Voscur

Please also see the section on emotional wellbeing for those who may have resonated with the tragic events in Southport.

Contextual safeguarding:

We know that some your settings either directly or indirectly may be vulnerable to the impact of criminal acts and disorder.

• Please do ensure that you are appropriately risk assessing any live activities that are occurring over the next few weeks to ensure appropriate level of safety has been considered for events to continue.
• Consider reasonable adjustments for colleagues who feel unsafe triggered by recent events.
• If you need further support and assistance – please liaise with the safeguardingineducationteam@bristol.gov.uk where we can assess and support as required.

Information sharing

Education professionals and those working with children and young people are privileged in having positive relationships with their communities and are likely to be made aware of any planned events. You are likely to hear of intelligence of harm that have already taken place.

• Please ensure that you report both intelligence of events and or known crime to the police via 101. Or complete an online form - Contact us | Police.uk (www.police.uk).
• Consider promoting Independent UK charity taking crime information anonymously | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org) and  Fearless: Anonymous Reporting for a Safer Community | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org) (for young people ) to help them make anonymous referrals.
• The police will share with relevant stakeholders such as the Local Authority teams and other community sectors as required.

 Media and press

• If you are approached by the press the DfE have provided the following which maybe helpful

• The events will likely elicit strong emotions and provoke our personal values. Please remember professionals also have a responsibility to remain politically impartial, you may want to remind colleagues of your setting’s code conduct.
• It is important to try and manage your social media accounts and prevent further speculation of potential crimes.

Emotional wellbeing

It is likely that children, families, and member of your setting’s community are affected in different ways and processing a range of different feelings and emotions.

• Remind parents and carers of how they can access support through your teams.
• Here are a couple of resources that you may want to share in supporting children and families:

• looking_after_your_child_following_trauma_-_a_guide_for_parents.pdf (bristolsafeguardingineducation.org)
• After the event (bristolsafeguardingineducation.org)

• Remind staff affected of support through your respective employee assistance programmes – if you don’t have one promote Education Support helpline - free and confidential emotional support for teachers and education staff.
• Consider signposting staff to other aspects of Education Support  - Wellbeing services for schools, colleges and universities (educationsupport.org.uk).
• Look after yourselves. Do consider the above for yourselves as well as others.
• The safeguardingineducationteam@bristol.gov.uk are available for further support and guidance if you require it.

Prevent and Channel

We are mindful that events are likely for you to question the need to act under Prevent. Be minded that some of the activities covered in the media are criminal. These should be reported as a crime via 101.

Please do take this as an opportunity to refresh yourself and staff’s knowledge around how and when to act.

• The government training courses are designed, and are appropriate for, staff working in sectors covered by the Prevent duty. Prevent duty training: Learn how to support people susceptible to radicalisation | Prevent duty training (support-people-susceptible-to-radicalisation.service.gov.uk).
• Act for Education e-learning for all staff, including non-staff working across education settings can be found here: ACT for Education | ProtectUK
• ProtectUK, Counter Terrorism Policing’s counter terrorism and security online platform, offering advice and guidance to businesses and the public to help keep them safe from terrorism can be found here: ProtectUK | Home 
• The Safeguarding in Education Team’s September Training Materials will cover aspects of this for you to consider a whole setting approach. Please ensure that you have signed up to our mailing list and or check our website for this where it will be published before the start of the new academic year.
• In the meantime, if you need further advice and guidance please contact the safeguardingineducationteam@bristol.gov.uk

 Further guidance

• After-school clubs, community activities and tuition: safeguarding guidance for providers - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Protective security and preparedness for the education sector (publishing.service.gov.uk) 
• Emergency planning and response for education, childcare, and children’s social care settings - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

We thank you for your ongoing commitment and support to our children, families, and communities during this difficult time.