Operation Encompass is a police and education early information safeguarding partnership enabling schools to offer immediate support to children experiencing domestic abuse.
Operation Encompass ensures that there is a simple notification to a school’s trained Designated Safeguarding Lead /Officer (known as key Adult) prior to the start of the next school day after an incident of police attended domestic abuse where there are children related to either of the adult parties involved.
Information is shared with a school’s Key Adult (Designated Safeguarding Lead or Officer) prior to the start of the next school day after officers have attended a domestic abuse incident. This sharing of information enables appropriate support to be given, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.
For further information visit the website
Access the free Key Adult Training
Download posters for your school
Update school contact details held by Operation Encompass via email
Operation Encompass Letter for Headteachers March 2022
Dear Head Teacher, Dedicated Safeguarding Lead,
In November 2022 Devon and Cornwall Police will be moving to a new IT system called Niche.
With this move we will no longer use ViSTs (Vulnerability Indicator Screening Tools) to record vulnerability concerns for children and adults at risk but will move to the Niche product called the Public Protection Notice (PPN). ViSTs currently contain the information about domestic abuse incidents that we share with schools under Operation Encompass.
From November when an officer attends a domestic abuse incident and completes a PPN for a child they will be able select a school from an email address list. The system will then send an automatic notification to that school (or multiple schools where there are siblings at different locations). The notification will be an email which will contain a password protected PDF document containing the information. A further email will then be sent to the same email address containing the password. The information within the message is intended for the Head teacher, Dedicated Safeguarding Lead or Key Adult for their initial consideration and dissemination as appropriate.
What do we need from schools?
We require each school to provide a suitable email address. This will need to be a generic and secure email that is routinely monitored but by appropriate persons only. The preferred option is for a Head@email or a DSL@email to be provided, rather than an individual person’s name to minimise change if an individual is absent from work or no longer in role.
A specific piece of software will need to be installed which is needed to open the encrypted emails. The software is called 7-Zip, it is free software. A step-by-step guide for downloading the software and then opening the encrypted emails has been developed, which will be provided to schools once their email has been set up.
Please can you advise of the email you wish to be used for the new process by sending details to: encompassadmin@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk
I would be grateful if you could include contact details of your current DSL or Safeguarding lead (phone and email) so we can further correspond about testing and the 7-Zip download and application. We would be grateful for the email address as soon as possible, but will certainly need it before the end of the summer term to ensure ample time for testing.
Many thanks for your cooperation in this matter,
James Stock
Detective Chief Inspector James Stock
Email Requirements for Operation Encompass Factsheet
Creating your new unique Operation Encompass email – Further Clarification to questions raised
Q: What type of email address is suitable?
The email that you provide to us must fulfil the requirements below:
- Operation Encompass information shared by the police to schools must only be accessed by dedicated Safeguarding Leads and their Deputies (the people known as Key Adults)
- All of these staff must have either attended one of the 2017 Operation Encompass face to face briefings or undertaken the free Home Office funded Operation Encompass CPD registered Online Training Online Key Adult Training: Operation Encompass
- All DSLs and their deputies should be able to access this one email on an at least daily basis prior to the start of the school day to check whether there are any notifications for the school.
- It cannot be a named individual’s email (this also addresses the risk of someone moving school and the notifications not being opened as the email address has become redundant)
- We cannot accept multiple emails for a school as the IT system cannot send notifications through to more than one email address at each school.
- No other school staff should have access to this email as the content is confidential safeguarding information.
Q: What is the 7 Zip software that we need?
- The 7-zip software is a requirement by Devon and Cornwall police IT in order for the emails to be opened. The email will be encrypted and the software is required to open this particular email.
- This 7-zip software is free to download and easy to use.
- We are developing a video to assist you in how to download and use the software and this will be sent out to you nearer to the “go live” date of November 2022.
Any correspondence or questions please send to: encompassadmin@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk
Operation Encompass Example Email