Safeguarding

At Eltham Hill School, safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do. Our dedicated safeguarding team works closely with students, parents, and external agencies to ensure the safety and well-being of every child. We provide a range of mental health support services, including access to our inclusion team, in-school counselling, and referrals to specialist services. If you have any safeguarding concerns, please contact our team via our team e-mail: safeguarding@elthamhill.com

Your child’s safety and well-being are our top priorities. 

Safeguarding Team

If you are contacting Eltham Hill School to communicate any safeguarding issues, please use the following email address: safeguarding@elthamhill.com

This will ensure that the matter is dealt with as soon as possible by our safeguarding team. 

Our safeguarding team is as follows:

Wellbeing practitioners

We have two dedicated wellbeing practitioners who run a programme of interventions for young people who are in need of support. They offer tailored support and personalised interventions ranging from support for Children in Care, bereavement club, Young Carers support and one to one sessions for a range of needs. Please do contact the team directly if you feel your daughter would benefit from support in school.

Multi agency work

As part of our child protection and safeguarding procedures, the safeguarding team and other professionals work closely and liaise daily with a number of agencies to develop and strengthen our pupils' wellbeing at home, at school and in the community.

Eltham Hill School works with a number of external agencies, including:

• Children’s Social Care
• Family and Adolescent Support Services (FaASS)
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
• Mental Health in Schools Team (MHST)
• In school counselling
• Wellbeing practitioners
• Greenwich Time To Talk
• Drug and substance misuse support (DUST)
• NSPCC
• METRO
• Charlton Athletic
• RBG Integration and Inclusion team
• NHS- in school nurse
• The Virtual School 
• Police

Our school is part of Operation Encompass - a project run jointly between schools and the Metropolitan Police. The police will make a confidential report to the school’s Safeguarding team when a young person has been exposed to or involved in a domestic violence at home. The safeguarding team is then able to make provision for possible difficulties experienced by children, or their families, who have been involved/exposed to a domestic violence incident. We are keen to offer the best possible support to our students and believe that this project is beneficial to all those involved.

Where else can you or your child seek support?

Recommended partners/websites:

• Kooth: https://www.kooth.com/ provides online counselling support (phone-based) for young people of various ages, dependant on borough. 

• Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich Mind: Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich Mind (blgmind.org.uk) provide free counselling to Greenwich residents who are age 18+; this counselling is generic. Greenwich has a Queer Space group that runs once a month. Lewisham and Bromley offer peer support, advocacy, support services etc.
• Cassel Centre:  http://casselcentre.btck.co.uk/ provide counselling and therapeutic support to adults, young people and children who are Lewisham residents.  Based in Lewisham. Cassel Associates | Low Cost Counselling Psychotherapy | South London | England
• Papyrus: Papyrus UK Suicide Prevention | Prevention of Young Suicide (papyrus-uk.org) We provide confidential support and advice to young people struggling with thoughts of suicide, and anyone worried about a young person through our helpline, HOPELINE247
• Young Minds: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/ Supporting young people with their mental health
• SHOUT: Text SHOUT to 85258 for urgent mental health support
• NHS 111: for support with your mental health- just select the mental health option
• Samaritans: call 116 123 or e-mail jo@samaritans.org for emotional support or for people struggling to cope or at risk of suicide. (24 hours a day)

Support numbers

Suicide Prevention

• Papyrus HOPEline: 0800 068 4141 or text 07786209697
• Samaritans: 116 123
• CALM (campaign against living miserably): 0808 802 5858

Mental Health Crisis/Support

• SANEline 0800 0234 650
• Mind: 0300 123 3393
• Young Minds: 0808 802 5544
• Muslim Youth Helpline: 0808 808 2008

LGBTQ+

• LGBT Helpline Switchboard: 0300 330 0630

Emergency Accommodation

• Shelter: 0808 800 4444

Rape/Sexual Assault

• South London Rape Crisis: 0808 802 9999

Child Abuse

• Childline (24/7): 0800 1111
• NSPCC (24/7): 0808 800 5000

Domestic Abuse

• Domestic Abuse National Helpline: 0808 2000 247

Bereavement Support

• Cruise: 0808 808 1677

Carers

• Carers UK Advice Line: 0808 808 7777

Meditation apps:

• Headspace
• Balance
• Calm (30 days free subscription)
• Stop, Breathe, Think
• Insight Timer App