Operation Encompass
Headstart School is part of a jointly run operation between the Police and Schools, known as Operation Encompass. Operation Encompass directly connects the police with schools to ensure support for children living with domestic abuse in their homes when there has been a Police attended incident of Domestic Abuse. Rapid provision of support within the school environment means children are better safeguarded against the short-, medium- and long-term effects of domestic abuse.
Operation Encompass has been set-up to help schools provide support to children who have been present, exposed to or involved in any domestic abuse incident. We know that children can be significantly physically or emotionally harmed when they witness or are involved, directly or indirectly, with any domestic abuse incident.
When a police officer attends a domestic abuse incident where a child or young person has been in the house or exposed to the abuse, the officer will obtain full details of the incident. This will include, if the child or young person is of school age, information relating to the school they attend. The School will be notified of the name of the pupil that was present at the incident. No further information about the incident is shared.
Encompass has been created to highlight this situation. It is the implementation of key partnership working between the police and schools. The aim of sharing information with local schools is to allow ‘Key Adults’ the opportunity of engaging with the child and to provide access to support that allows them to remain in a safe but secure familiar environment. This will enable us to support the pupil and their family should that be required. We always strive to offer the best support possible to all our pupils and we believe this will be extremely beneficial for all those involved.
The purpose and procedures in Operation Encompass have been shared with all parents and governors. Further information can be found by clicking on the following link: https://www.operationencompass.org
Have you received an Operation Encompass call about a child in your school, or are you concerned about a child or children in your school who are experiencing domestic abuse?
At Headstart School our Key Adult is Dawn Hartland (Deputy Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead).