Operation Encompass
Operation Encompass directly connects the police with schools to secure better outcomes for children who are subject to, or experience, police-attended incidents of domestic abuse. Operation Encompass aims to mitigate this harm by enabling immediate support, making a child's day better and giving them a better tomorrow. Rapid provision of support within the school environment means children are better safeguarded against the short-, medium- and long-term effects of domestic abuse.
Operation Encompass is a police and education early information sharing partnership enabling schools to offer immediate support for children and young people experiencing domestic abuse. Information is shared by the police with a school's trained Key Adult Designated Safeguarding Lead prior to the start of the next school day after officers have attended a domestic abuse incident thus enabling appropriate support to be given, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.
Children experiencing domestic abuse are negatively impacted by this exposure; domestic abuse has been identified as an Adverse Childhood Experience and can lead to emotional, physical and psychological harm..
Operation Encompass believes that children are victims of domestic abuse in their own right and should be acknowledged as such.
Hertfordshire Constabulary has been running a similar system on an informal basis for some time. However, this new joint approach between police and Hertfordshire County Council’s Children’s Services formalises this work meaning information will always be shared in a timely way.
Operation Encompass is a charitable organisation set up in 2011 by David and Elizabeth Carney-Haworth OBE – a police officer and school head teacher respectively.
Notifications are sent to schools on the following working day of an incident, before 8.30am in the highest risk cases.
Schools are not involved in the evidence-gathering process for any subsequent police investigation. Their role is purely about supporting the child.
Read more about Operation Encompass here: https://www.operationencompass.org/