Keeping children safe is the most important thing we do in school. Everyone has a part to play in keeping children safe from harm and abuse and we take this responsibility very seriously.

We have clear and comprehensive policies and procedures in place to safeguard children and for reporting concerns, if and when they arise. Our staff are trained in child protection procedures and know what to do if they are worried about a child. We follow very careful procedures to carry out checks on any adult working with children in our school.

As part of our Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, we use the ‘Stay Safe’ programme, which develops children’s ability to recognise, resist and report risk situations or abusive encounters. In an age-appropriate way, we teach children to identify unsafe or upsetting situations, including some simple rules to help them avoid abuse. Children also learn to respect and value the rights of others and the language and skills they need to seek help if they feel unsafe.

In Ireland, all registered teachers are ‘mandated persons’ under the Children First Act 2015. This means that they have a legal obligation to report child protection concerns at or above a defined threshold to Tusla – Child and Family Agency. These mandated persons must also assist Tusla, on request, in its assessment of child protection concerns about children who have been the subject of a mandated report.

You can read more about Tusla’s guidelines and the Children First Act here.

If you have concerns or questions about our safeguarding practices, you can speak to our Designated Liaison Person, our Principal, Eadaoin Kelly. The Deputy Designated Liaison Person is the Deputy Principal, Brid Brophy.

You can read a copy of our Child Safeguarding Statement below: