At Thornton Dale CofE Primary School we are working in partnership with the Metropolitan Police and Children's Services to identify and provide appropriate support to pupils who have experience domestic incidents; this scheme is called Operation Encompass. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 identifies children who experience domestic abuse as victims of domestic abuse in their own right. We are keen to offer the best support possible to all our pupils and we believe this will be extremely beneficial for all those involved.

The purpose of Operation Encompass is to safeguard and support children and young people who have been involved in, or witness to a domestic incident. Domestic abuse impacts on children in a number of ways. Children are at increased risk of physical injury during an incident, either by accident or because they attempt to intervene. Even when not directly injured, children are greatly distressed by witnessing the physical and emotional suffering of a parent. To find out more about what is considered to be a domestic incident please take a look at the guidance from the Metropolitan Police on their website: Advice about domestic abuse | Metropolitan Police. 

Operation Encompass has been created to highlight this situation. It is the implementation of key partnership working between the police and schools. The aim of sharing information with local schools is to allow key adults i.e. Designated Safeguarding Lead or Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead 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.