Parental Support
During these difficult times you might need to access the support of people beyond your family, even if you have never needed this before. In this period of national crisis, we want to ensure you are safe and have access to such support. To this end, we have collated some information for you below. Please do use if necessary, and remember that our school is still available for advice.
If you have any safeguarding concerns, please be aware that you can still contact any of the designated safeguarding leads. Our contact details are shown below:
Indie King-Mand (Designated Safeguarding Lead) - Iking-mand@bestacademies.org.uk
Tracy Smyth (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead) - tsmyth@bestacademies.org.uk
Will Fleckney (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead) - wfleckney@bestacademies.org.uk
cyber safety
Due to the current situation that we find ourselves in, your child may be accessing the Internet more than usual for the purposes of completing schoolwork and for socialising. To help support you in ensuring your child uses the Internet safely and wisely, please refer to the list of very useful websites that provide excellent information, guidance, support and resources on Internet safety. Also included are two examples of child friendly search engines, which decrease the chances of your child being exposed to inappropriate content. We hope you find the sites listed and the information they provide useful and supportive.
Parent Info
Parent Info is a free service for schools. Here you'll find a collection of articles, tips, expert advice and resources designed to help parents keep up with what their children are doing online.
Website: www.parentinfo.org
Child Safety Online: A practical guide for parents and carers whose children are using social media
Website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-safety-online-a-practical-guide-for-parents-and-carers/child-safety-online-a-practical-guide-for-parents-and-carers-whose-children-are-using-social-media
Childnet International
The UK's safer internet centre
Website: www.childnet.com/
Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP)
Website: www.ceop.police.uk
Internet Watch Foundation
Website: www.iwf.org.uk
Safe4Me
Child Centered Policy. An initiative from colleagues in West Mercia who have produced a range of materials aimed to promote self-help and signpost support for families and young people around cyberbullying.
Child Centered Policy
Thinkuknow
Website: www.thinkuknow.co.uk
Internet Matters
Website: http://www.internetmatters.org/
Child Line
Website: http://www.childline.org.uk/
Anti-Bullying Alliance
Website: http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/
Cyber Smile
Website: http://www.cybersmile.org
Parents Protect
Website: http://www.parentsprotect.co.uk/
Safer Internet
Website: http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/
NSPCC
Website: http://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/
Swiggle
Website: http://swiggle.org.uk/
IWF
Website: https://www.iwf.org.uk/
Kids Search
Website: http://www.kids-search.com/
Parent Zone
Tackle
young carers support
wellbeing & support resources
Corona Crisis Survival Kit for Men under Pressure
Crisis Support Luton Beds
Click here for Crisis Support information
Rights of Women
Website: https://rightsofwomen.org.uk/
SafeLives
For supporting young people
Click here for help and information
The Noah Company - Staying well during isolation
Mental and physical strategies to manage anxiety and stress.
Click here for information and using online website or application courses.
Bedfordshire Domestic Abuse Partnership
Parent Zone - Parent Advice
https://parentzone.org.uk/advice/parent-guides
The National Sleep Helpline 03303 530 541
The National Sleep Helpline helps anyone with sleep issues including adults, parents and young people. The helpline is available from 7pm and 9pm, Sunday to Thursday on 03303 530 541.
Poor sleep can affect anyone and it can be a major stress for parents whose own sleep can be impaired by their children's difficulties getting to sleep, staying asleep or staying in their own bed, leading to greater stress.
Having a sleep issue is surprisingly common. At any given time this affects up to 40% of adults and 50% of children (this rises to 80% with a SEND diagnosis). These problems are typically persistent and do not resolve themselves without intervention.
The helpline have created a set of leaflets and posters which you can download here: https://6282.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/The+National+Sleep+Helpline+Posters+and+Leaflets+Nov+2021.zip
Operation Encompass
Operation Encompass is a police and education early information safeguarding partnership enabling schools to offer immediate support to children experiencing domestic abuse. Operation Encompass ensures that there is a simple telephone call or notification to a school’s trained Designated Safeguarding Lead /Officer (known as key Adult) prior to the start of the next school day after an incident of police attended domestic abuse where there are children related to either of the adult parties involved.
Information is shared with a school’s Key Adult (Designated Safeguarding Lead or Officer) prior to the start of the next school day after officers have attended a domestic abuse incident. This sharing of information enables appropriate support to be given, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.
Children are negatively impacted by experiencing domestic abuse and without early intervention and support this negative impact can last through a child’s life course. Domestic abuse can impact upon social, psychological, physical, emotional and behavioural outcomes with an often negative impact upon a child’s academic success. Experiencing domestic abuse has been identified as an Adverse Childhood Experience.
Operation Encompass aims, by directly connecting police and schools, to secure better outcomes for children , to enable schools to better understand the impact living with domestic abuse has upon children, to help schools to better understand a child’s lived experience and to therefore be able to support and nurture each child , making a child’s day better and giving them a better tomorrow.
Pix Brook Academy has signed up to Operation Encompass as part of its ongoing commitment to safeguarding and child protection.