Safeguarding Governance: How Every Board Member Shares Responsibility

Governors are a key part of the effective safeguarding process for any school.

But often, as volunteers, governors do not have a complete understanding of the role, and matters can become operational as opposed to strategic. It's imperative that an effective safeguarding strategy is in place and reinforced by key staff members, such as the headteacher, governors and DSL, but what does this mean practically?

During the session we will be covering the following:

• Safeguarding fundamentals for governing bodies
• Considering overlapping responsibilities of governing board members
• Top tips for providing strategic challenge to ensure a strong safeguarding culture

Joanne Bocko 

Joanne has a wide range of safeguarding experience which allows her to understand the differences between schools and the challenges they face. Starting as a primary school teacher, her compassion for those in need led to a move to Police Staff and eventually working in the cybercrime team supporting schools and students with online safety issues. She headed up campaigns for online offences and appeared on the BBC and Radio One newsbeat. Her passion for schools brought her to the Local Authority, where, as a Safeguarding in Education Officer, she provided training and support to all schools in her county. Her motto is ‘if it will make life easier and better for schools, I will do it!’