HAVERING VOICE PROJECT
Working together
Working Together to Safeguard Children: Havering Council Initiates Groundbreaking Child Safeguarding Pilot
First of its kind partnership will enable schools and children in the borough to anonymously identify and report areas of concern, helping to inform community interventions which enhance safety and wellbeing.
The London Borough of Havering, in partnership with HES (the council’s education branch), has launched a trailblazing child safeguarding initiative in collaboration with The Student Voice. This first of its kind partnership aims to bolster the safety and wellbeing of children throughout the borough, in the effort to foster collaboration among young people, schools, and local authority services.
The pilot program will provide students from over 20 local schools with access to The Student Voice platform designed to allow students to anonymously and confidentially report areas of concern. This initiative empowers children and young people to identify and report locations where they feel unsafe, contributing crucial data to inform community interventions.
Through this innovative platform, Havering aims to improve the areas safety by pinpointing areas in need of attention and intervention. Schools will benefit from enhanced safeguarding support, enabling them to address issues directly with students and their families, providing necessary assistance as needed.
The Student Voice, already successfully implemented in schools nationwide, offers an intuitive system where students can map out areas of concern within their school grounds and surrounding neighbourhoods of Havering. This includes routes to school, ensuring that any issues arising during their journey to and from school can be effectively addressed. Additionally, the platform features a diagram of a family home, allowing children to confidentially report any domestic concerns. The tool is tailored for both primary and secondary-aged students, with carefully thought-out age-appropriate design.
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Launching in the 2024-25 academic year, the project will begin with introductory sessions for teachers across the borough to familiarise them with the platform. Following this, students will be introduced to The Student Voice platform and asked specific questions relating to their experience as a student and young person in Havering.
Voices from the Community
“Having dealt with many incidents which have included speaking with children about their lived experiences in the local area, I feel strongly that a programme which enables us to have a better understanding of contextual safeguarding is used in our local schools. Empowering students to be able to alert adults to where they feel unsafe as well as work alongside community groups will hopefully create a safer area for our children.”
Trudy Spillane, Principal at Drapers’ Maylands
“We welcome the opportunity to work with HES and The Student Voice. The Borough takes the welfare of children incredibly seriously, and we want to support all schools within Havering and the children they serve to be as safe as possible – whether in school, at home, or out in the local area.
“This project will give the borough invaluable information and data directly from our local community which will help us to continually make enhancements to the area. We look forward to working with The Student Voice over the coming year to gather these insights and make meaningful change.
“This project will also improve collaboration with partners and support multi-agency working to help, protect and promote the welfare of children as set out in the Government’s ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ guidance.”
Councillor Oscar Ford, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People
“It’s incredibly exciting to kick this partnership off with HES and the London Borough of Havering. This project places a spotlight on the importance of seeking to understand the lives of our young people through empowering their voices. Since its inception, The Student Voice has helped produced better outcomes for young people, from intercepting bullying and serious mental health issues, to identifying drug dealing hotspots, and areas of harm in local communities.”
Stephen Willoughby, CEO & Co-Founder of The Student Voice
Looking ahead in Havering
This pioneering initiative marks a significant step towards enhancing the framework of Working Together to Safeguarding Children (2023). By leveraging technology and community collaboration, the borough aims to create a safer, more supportive community for its young residents. See more information on the Havering Council website.
