Operation Encompass is a partnership between police and schools and Pickering Community Junior School has signed up to this scheme. 

One of the principles of Operation Encompass is that all incidents of domestic abuse are shared with schools, not just those where an offence can be identified. Every school appoints a trained Key Adult  – the Key Adult is the person who receives information about police attended Domestic Abuse incidents. In our school, the Key Adults are Mrs De Barr, Mrs Hall and Mrs Mintoft.

The Key Adults will be notified prior to the start of the next school day that the police have attended an incident of domestic abuse. This timely information sharing enables appropriate support to be provided for that child so that all interactions, from when the child first arrives at the school gates, are of a positive nature.

The Key Adults must be trained as a Designated or Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and have completed the Operation Encompass online Key Adult training.

This training:

• creates an awareness of Operation Encompass throughout a school 
• informs the participant about key facts concerning Domestic Abuse 
• explains how Operation Encompass mitigates the effects of domestic abuse on children and explains its broader consequent benefits.
• explains to school staff how to communicate the school’s Operation Encompass participation to the broader school community and stakeholders, for example by placing information on the school’s website, in its prospectus, and by sending the joint police/school letter to parents.

Operation Encompass is an integral component in child safeguarding and protection policies and, as such, should be cited in the school’s Safeguarding and Child Protection policies. Participation in Operation Encompass mandates a secure record-keeping trail, which may be electronic or paper based. Within Operation Encompass all records are managed at Child Protection level with the highest level of security and confidentiality, and in full accordance with GDPR. These records are held by police and schools only. Operation Encompass does not hold the records and never has access to these records.