Our school is participating in Operation Encompass - a unique Police and Education early intervention safeguarding partnership which ensures that a child's school is informed, prior to the start of the next school day, that there has been an incident of Domestic Abuse to which the child or young person has been exposed, and which might then have an impact on them in school the following day.

Operation Encompass has been created to address such situations that create a safeguarding risk to young people. It is the implementation of key partnership working between the police and schools/ colleges. The aim of sharing information with local schools/ colleges 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.  

The purpose of Operation Encompass is to safeguard and support children and young people who have been involved in or witness to a domestic abuse, vulnerable child or missing incident. 

Each school/college is informed of all such incidents, not just those where an offence can be identified or those which are graded as high risk. The partnership recognises that all domestic abuse, vulnerable child and missing incidents can be harmful to children and young people.

Following the report of a domestic abuse, vulnerable child or missing incident, by

9.00am on the next school/ college day the school’s Key Adult will be informed of the child or young person’s involvement. This knowledge, given to educational establishments through Operation Encompass, allows the provision of immediate early intervention through silent or overt support dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child/ young person. This information will be shared throughout the year, including holidays and weekends. Information will only be shared with the school/ college by the police where it is identified that a young person was present, witnessed or was involved. 

A nominated member of staff, known as a Key Adult, has been trained to liaise with the police. At All Saints’ Catholic High School our Key Adult is Mrs Hannah Laverty.  They will be able to use information that has been shared with them, in confidence, to ensure that the school makes provision for possible difficulties experienced by children or their families. The Key Adults will keep this information confidential and will only share it on a need-to-know basis, for instance, to teaching staff for the child or young person. It will not be shared with other school students.

This national initiative has been implemented across the whole of the Lancashire Police area.  If you would like some more information about it, you can view it online at www.operationencompass.org.

The purpose and procedures in Operation Encompass have been shared with all parents and governors, is detailed as part of the school’s Safeguarding Policy and published on our school website.