Parent Information | Childcare

Safeguarding Policy

The Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy and Procedures covers:

Underpinning legislation.
Definitions of safeguarding / child protection.
Safeguarding / child protection statement.
Thresholds of need.
Signs and symptoms of abuse.
Ofsted reporting requirements.
Action to be taken if there is a safeguarding concern about a child.
Action to be taken if a child makes a safeguarding disclosure.
Action to be taken if an allegation is made against the provider or a staff / family member.
Mobile phone and camera policy.
Supporting vulnerable children.
Whistleblowing.
Attendance monitoring.
The Prevent Duty.
Online safety.
Record keeping and ICO registration.
Partnership working.
Sharing the policy with staff and parents.
Additional safeguarding information.
Designated safeguarding lead signature.

Appendices cover:

Local Authority threshold of need.
Definitions and symptoms of abuse.
Reporting to Ofsted.
Contact details and noticeboard poster.
Recording disclosures.
Ofsted parent poster.
Additional policies.
Additional safeguarding information.
Covid-19 addendum.
Staff addendum.

Underpinning Legislation

This policy demonstrates my commitment to child protection and compliance with underpinning safeguarding legislation. The main pieces of legislation and guidance underpinning this policy include:

**The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS, 2021).

**The Childcare Register.

**Working together to safeguard children.

**What to do if you are worried a child is being abused.

**Ofsted’s guidance to inspecting safeguarding in the early years.

**Information sharing guidance.

**Keeping children safe in education.

**Prevent Duty guidance for England and Wales.

**The Equality Act 2010.

**Disqualification under the Childcare Act.

**General Data Protection Regulation and UK data protection legislation.

**United Nations Rights of the Child.

Further legislation and non-statutory safeguarding and child protection guidance may also be accessed.

Definitions of safeguarding / child protection

**Safeguarding means protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of children at risk, enabling them to live safely, free from abuse and neglect.

**Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm.

Safeguarding / child protection statement

EYFS requirement 3.2 states: ‘Providers must take all necessary steps to keep children safe and well.’

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone in contact with children and their families has a role to play in safeguarding. My role as a childminder is to comply with the statutory requirements in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS, 2021) and the Childcare Registers and to protect the children in my care.

Some of the ways we fulfill this responsibility are to keep this policy up-to-date through annual reviews. We ensure awareness of changes to child protection threats and complete regular safeguarding training. Every child at KC Day Care has a named key person and the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) works closely with the Local Authority Safeguarding Partners and follows their advice in relation to child protection and safeguarding concerns.

We aim to ensure that all children, regardless of age, gender, ability, culture, race, language, religion or sexual identity, are treated with equal respect and have equal rights to protection.

Thresholds Of Need

Please click here to view the thresholds of need from my Local Safeguarding Partners.

If a child lives in a different Local Authority, I will retain reporting information for them and follow the procedures provided by that Local Authority.

Signs & Symptoms Of Abuse

I am aware of the 4 main types of abuse – physical, emotional, neglect and sexual. I have attached the latest information about the 4 types of abuse, defined in the statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’, to this policy.

I have also included guidance on the symptoms of abuse and changes to children’s behavior which might indicate abuse and a short explanation of the different types of abuse to which I am alert in my setting and the local community. Please click here to read more.

Ofsted Reporting Requirements

Please click here to view the reporting guidance from the Ofsted document ‘Early Years Providers: non-compliance action’.

I am aware of the requirement to report changes to Ofsted in relation to disqualification (all providers) and disqualification by association (childminders only).

Action Taken In The Event Of Concern

Children need to feel secure in a safe environment. I am alert to safeguarding concerns in the setting or at home. For example, I will record if a child arrives at the setting with injuries and notify the Local Authority Safeguarding Partners if the injuries are unexplained; I am aware that marks on a non-mobile baby or child are unlikely to be accidental and must be reported; I recognise the risks to children from sexual abuse such as female genital mutilation which is illegal and must be reported to the police (non-emergency number).

If I suspect there is a child protection issue, I will take appropriate steps to support the child and record concerns, following advice from my Local Authority, using appropriate documentation when required. Concerns will be reported immediately to the Safeguarding Children Partners.

Please click here to view contact details of safeguarding partners and other responsible bodies.

Action to be taken if a child makes a safeguarding disclosure

Every child has a named key person who they can approach if they are worried or in difficulty. If a child makes a disclosure related to safeguarding, I will record exactly what was said and report the disclosure to parents and, if relevant, to the relevant agency.

I recognise that where a child’s behaviour changes suddenly or over a period of time and / or a child displays behaviour that worries me, this might be a sign of possible abuse or trauma.

I have received training from the Local Authority on how to receive children’s disclosures.

The Local Authority states that I would normally speak to parents about disclosures – however, I must not speak to parents if I think the discussion might make home life worse for the child or if the disclosure relates to suspected sexual abuse, induced / fabricated illness or FGM.

Action to be taken if a safeguarding allegation is made against me or a family member / staff

If a child or parent makes an allegation against me (the childminder), my family, visitors or, if relevant, staff in the setting, their comments will be recorded and a report will be made to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) who will take over the investigation. Ofsted and other agencies will also be informed and may conduct their own investigation.

Mobile phone and camera policy

Staff use mobile phones and cameras in the setting to communicate with parents and to make phone calls in emergencies; photos of children are shared with parents to support children’s home learning; some photos are printed for children’s files or to display in the setting. Parental permission is requested from parents in relation to sharing group photographs, to comply with data protection legislation.

Smart watches are not used to monitor emails, phone calls etc during working hours.

Visitors are not left unsupervised and do not use mobile phones or cameras when near the children.

I am aware that safeguarding legislation has made up skirting (taking photos up skirts) a reportable offence.

Supporting vulnerable children

I am aware that children with special educational needs and / or disabilities (SEND) are especially vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Where appropriate, I aim to work closely with parents and other agencies / professionals involved in the child’s care.

Whistleblowing

I am aware of the requirement to disclose information if the intention is to keep children safe. Whistleblowing might cover, for example, raising concerns about poor staff practice including disqualification notifications; concerns about inappropriate comments, excessive one-to-one attention beyond the normal or inappropriate sharing of images by a colleague or manager; if I observe poor practice while on an outing; if I am worried about a child in any context.

Practitioners and parents should report concerns to the Local Authority Safeguarding Partners.

Attendance monitoring

While attendance in early years settings is not statutory, I encourage regular attendance to ensure children gain the most benefit from their time here. If a child was expected and not brought by parents, I must consider that the absence may be linked to safeguarding reasons – for example, a parent has had an accident or died at home, or a child has an injury which parents are hiding from me. The requirement to monitor children’s attendance is also linked to female genital mutilation (FGM) and the Prevent Duty.

The Prevent Duty

I am aware of the risks of children being radicalised or exposed to extremism in their family or online. If I am concerned a child is being radicalised or exposed to extremism, I will raise it with the relevant agency within the Local Authority Safeguarding Partners.

To comply with the Prevent Duty requirements, I am required to actively promote British values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance and share information with parents.

Online safety

There are many benefits to children using technology in the setting. However, the internet can be a dangerous place. I aim to keep children safe online by their monitoring online use and encouraging children to be open about what they are doing online. Children are taught how to stay safe online in age-appropriate ways and any computers, tablets or other internet accessible resources are secure. Information about online safety is shared with parents. I am aware of the latest cyber-crime guidance in the EYFS 2021.

Record keeping and ICO registration

The Local Authority requires me to pass safeguarding / child protection records on to the next setting and complete a record transfer letter. Until this time, records (paper and online) are stored as securely as possible and confidentially. I have a clear desk policy when there are visitors in the setting. I am registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) and my registration is renewed annually.

Partnership working

Data protection legislation is not a barrier to information sharing in a safeguarding / child protection context. I aim to work in partnership with other agencies and / or professionals, to ensure procedures are suitable to identify, assess and support children.

Sharing this policy with parents

Parents are partners in the setting and this policy is shared to help them understand my obligations regarding child protection and safeguarding. External sources of guidance are also signposted for parents and I am available in the setting to answer parent questions.

This policy and the appendices shall be provided in writing and shared with parents to comply with the Childcare Register requirements.

An Ofsted parent poster displaying Ofsted contact details is also displayed within the setting and can also be viewed by clicking here.

Additional policies are also shared with parents to support my safeguarding commitment and can be read in the setting or provided by email on request.

Additional safeguarding information

Further safeguarding definitions and information is available upon request.

Policy review date: this policy will be updated annually and as required.

Policy updates

05.2020 – a Covid-19 addendum was added to the Safeguarding Policy – appendix 9.

06.2021 – staff documentation updated (to be used as relevant) – appendix 10.

04.2021 – training was accessed to update safeguarding / child protection knowledge.

09.2021 – the Policy was updated to include information from the revised EYFS 2021.

03.2023 – appendices 2 and 8 were reviewed and updated to reflect latest safeguarding information; paragraph 3 ‘signs and symptoms of abuse’ on page 3 was updated to state that additional information has been added to appendix 2.