NWRC staff are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment where students feel safe.
Our students receive effective pastoral and safeguarding care, guidance and support.
We share the belief that safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility and foster this culture across the College. The College has a dedicated safeguarding team that promotes awareness of safeguarding issues and is always available to provide support to students, families and staff.
The College strives to offer the very best education and training and recognises the importance of integrated safeguarding and support services as part of the student experience to enable students to achieve positive outcomes.
In line with statutory safeguarding guidance, the College has a designated safeguarding team. This group of colleagues work closely together to provide effective safeguarding and pastoral support interventions for all students at NWRC.
Your Safeguarding Team
Download a copy of our Meet the Safeguarding Team flyer.
Download a copy of our Safeguarding Leaflet here.
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Gillian Moss
Adult Safeguarding Champion -
Shannon Doherty
Safeguarding Officer -
Joseph McCarthy
Deputy Safeguarding Officer -
Majella Doherty
Deputy Safeguarding Officer -
Fiona McCallion
Deputy Safeguarding Officer
What is Safeguarding?
Safeguarding is the action taken to promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults to protect them from harm. At NWRC all staff are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment where students feel safe and receive effective pastoral and safeguarding care, guidance and support.
We share the belief that safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility and foster this culture across the College. The College has a dedicated safeguarding team that promotes awareness of safeguarding issues and is always available to provide support to students, families and staff.
Our staff are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment where students feel safe and receive effective pastoral and safeguarding care, guidance and support. We have a dedicated safeguarding team that promotes awareness of safeguarding issues and is always available to provide support to students, families and staff.
In line with statutory safeguarding guidance, the college has a designated safeguarding team. We offer a listening ear, support and advice with issues such as abuse, bereavement, mental health issues, unplanned pregnancy, homelessness, relationship breakdown, gender change and or any concern a student may have during their time at college.
If you would like to arrange an appointment with our safeguarding team, please call 028 7127 8709.
How can we help?
The College strives to offer the very best education and training and recognises the importance of integrated safeguarding and support services as part of the student experience to enable students to achieve positive outcomes.
The Safeguarding team can offer a listening ear, support and advice with issues such as abuse, bereavement, mental health issue, unplanned pregnancy, homelessness, gambling, relationship breakdown, alcohol or drug addiction, gender change, or any other concern a student may have during their time at college.
Criminal Convictions
NWRC actively promotes equality of opportunity for all and welcomes enrolments from students with criminal convictions. However, in order to manage any risk, you must tell us about any unspent convictions you have. You should do this by declaring on the colleges enrolment form. Certain courses require you to consider spent as well as unspent criminal convictions. In such instances, you must disclose all past offenses as it may impact on your career progression.
As part of the application procedure a Safeguarding Assessment process is mandatory for all students that have disclosed previous and or pending convictions. The College would like to confirm that engagement in this process does not automatically restrict a student from securing a place within the College. Applicants that disclose a criminal history will be required to complete a Safeguarding Student Criminal Offence(s) Disclosure Form. All students applying for a course that requires work placement in regulated activity will be required to complete an Enhanced Access NI check. The College is committed to processing Criminal Record Checks in accordance with the Access NI Code of Practise which is available on the Access NI website or alternatively a copy can be requested from Student Services at the College. It is important to note however that the conditions of a student’s offer are subject to the satisfactory checks and assessment having been complete in line with the NWRC Policy on the Disclosure of Criminal History available online www.nwrc.ac.uk/policies.
If previous convictions are not disclosed at the point of admission and the College learns or is notified retrospectively this may result in a student being required to leave the course. Depending on the course, there may be occasions whereby a current/previous conviction may preclude a student from engaging on a particular course. When this is apparent, the College shall discuss this with the student in full and alternative options and alternative courses of academic study will be provided via the College Career’s Academy. Contact Information: Email careers@nwrc.ac.uk; Telephone 02871 276111.
Who do I contact?
In line with statutory safeguarding guidance, the College has a designated safeguarding team. This group of colleagues work closely together to provide effective safeguarding and pastoral support interventions for all students at the College.
If College staff or students have any concerns about a student they should contact the Safeguarding Officer:
Shannon Doherty
Tel: 028 7127 8709
Email: shannon.doherty@nwrc.ac.uk
Joseph McCarthy (Deputy Safeguarding Officer)
Tel: 028 7127 6096
Email: joseph.mccarthy@nwrc.ac.uk
Student Counselling
North West Regional College provides a student counselling service which is available to all of our students who may be experiencing personal or college related problems. NWRC works in partnership with Inspire Counselling service to provide a confidential and freephone service to all of our students.
Inspire counselling is a 24 hour service which is a dedicated number for NWRC students. Inspire counselling service gives students the opportunity to deal with emotional issues, and help students find coping strategies by talking with a trained counsellor. Counselling is a safe place, away from your daily life, where you are able to talk and begin to explore issues that are causing you difficulty.
NWRC also works in partnership with Inspire to provide the Inspire Student Support Hub which provides the right help right now, giving students instant access to a range of information, guidance, and screening that is tailored specifically to help care for students individual wellbeing needs.
The Hub will help students create a bespoke wellbeing care-plan, as well as giving guidance on appropriate support and intervention through guided self-assessment.
Freephone 0808 175 3561
Scan here to access the Student Support Hub. NWRC Inspire Poster
Work Placement
All students going on work placement into regulated activity will be required to complete an Enhanced Access NI check. The College is committed to processing Criminal Record Checks in accordance with the Access NI Code of Practise which is available on the Access NI website or alternatively a copy can be requested from Student Services at the College.
For more information, please contact our Safeguarding Officer on 028 7127 8709.
Operation Encompass
What is Operation Encompass?
Operation Encompass is a partnership between the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Education Authority, Schools, Health and Social Care Trusts and local colleges. It is aimed at supporting children and young people under the age of 18 who are impacted by domestic violence in the home.
Operation Encompass started in England ten years ago and has now been introduced via legislation to Northern Ireland¹. It is a very simple idea, but one that will help us to support and protect vulnerable children and young people. When the Police attend an incident of domestic violence where one of our learners (who are under the age of 18) is present, they will inform the College’s Designated Officer for Safeguarding at the start of the next working day. This information is shared in strict confidence and college staff are only told on a need-to-know basis.
Following a notification from the police, our Safeguarding staff will provide immediate support to any learner who has been impacted by domestic abuse. We know that when children and young people do witness domestic abuse at home, this is a highly traumatic experience for them. By taking part in Operation Encompass, we can provide tailored and compassionate support to our learners, in line with our ethos. This builds on our existing commitment to safeguarding.
Operation Encompass recognises children as unseen victims of domestic abuse. It recognises the impact of the trauma that children experience from seeing, overhearing or coming back into a house where there has been a domestic abuse incident.
For more information please contact our Safeguarding Officer :
Shannon Doherty - 02871278709 - Shannon.doherty@nwrc.ac.uk
Alternatively you can read more about Operation Encompass at www.operationencompass.org
