We are part of Operation Encompass.
Operation Encompass is a national police and education early intervention safeguarding partnership which supports children who experience Domestic Abuse. It is in place in every police force in England and Wales, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar.
Children were recognised as victims of domestic abuse in their own right in the 2021 Domestic Abuse Act. Operation Encompass means that the local police force will notify the Early Years and Childcare Service about all police attended Domestic incidents where children under the age of 5 are known to be, whether they are present at the time or not.
Police notifications are sent to the EYCS throughout the day, so as a setting we may receive a phone call at any point during operating hours. If the child is known to us, the Early Years and Childcare Adviser will contact our DSL/DDSL and inform them there has been a police attended incident. This notification informs us about the general context of the incident and includes the Voice of the Child. We are aware that as a result of this notification, we must do nothing that puts the child/ren or the non-abusing adult at risk.
Our role is to provide support to the child/ren if needed, and to the family if they choose to voluntarily share information about the incident with us. If, as a result of the phone call, we have concerns regarding the safety or welfare of the child/ren, we will follow our procedures for escalating and reporting concerns to MASH, and the child’s allocated social worker if they have one.