Safeguarding
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) –
Imogen Godfrey (owner/Manager)
Safeguarding Deputies -
Christine Martin (owner/Manager)
Carol Richardson (Leader)
Sarah Adams (Deputy Leader)
(One of these members of staff will be on site at all times and meet as a team every week, or more if required, to discuss any concerns)
Our statement
Every child has rights “without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child’s or his or her parent’s or legal guardian’s race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status” (Article 2 UNCRC 1992 ).
The general principles are set out as:
Non-discrimination (Article 2)
Best interest of the child (Article 3)
Right to life survival and development (Article 6)
Right to be heard (Article 12)
We have an embedded approach to safeguarding within our preschool. We work with children, parents, external agencies and the community to ensure the welfare and safety of our children and to give them the very best start in life. The mental health and physical wellbeing of our children and adults is at the centre of our practice and the responsibility for this lies with all of us through our own actions guided by our policies and procedures.
Our abiding ethos is -
the child’s needs are paramount
share appropriate information in a timely way.
always discuss all concerns about a child with the safeguarding team
Safeguarding practice
Staff are asked to complete the Introduction to Safeguarding course with the Central Bedfordshire Academy and to then complete a minimum of one online course each year related to the requirements at preschool. Monthly emails and termly supervisions will keep staff updated of courses.
Staff must also complete, as soon as is feasible:
- Paediatric First Aid
- Prevent training
- Food Hygiene Level 2
- Working Together and DSL training for DSLs
Recruiting and selecting of staff and volunteers requires ensuring all necessary safety checks are made by our setting, no staff member is left alone with children until they are cleared, and visitors are never left alone with children. Please see Safer Recruitment and Induction Policy and Visitors Policy.
Discussing and sharing safeguarding at preschool
Below are the planned opportunities to discuss safeguarding with staff or feedback information, however, it is made clear to staff that they can and should contact any member of the safeguarding team at any time to report a concern:
- daily morning briefings
- supervisions
- INSETs & Twilights
- monthly staff email
- annual in house first aid top up
Legal Framework and legislation for staff to read:
- Keeping children safe in education – part one (2022) this is mandatory
- What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused (2015)
- Working together to safeguard children (2023)
Staff are also encouraged to read: Children’s Play and Leisure – promoting a balanced approach HSE
A summary of the key legislation is available from nspcc.org.uk/learning.
Safeguarding in the setting
Children have the right to be treated with respect and to be safe from any abuse in whatever form. These are the ways in which we safeguard children and their families and promote their welfare in preschool:
Create an environment to encourage children to develop a positive self-image and resilience by having a ‘have a go’ approach, giving praise and encouragement for trying not just achieving, using positive language, valuing and showing interest in children’s cultural capital.
Set expectations that violence and harassment of any kind will not be tolerated by anyone, children must understand rules and boundaries of the setting, staff are asked not to shout at children unless there is imminent danger, tone of voice should be considered and rules are clear that no child should be manhandled, staff will not tolerate any abuse from families and should treat everyone with professionalism and respect, we have reporting procedures in place for any concerns.
Support children to have a good understanding of consent and healthy relationships by asking for their permission in an appropriate manner before providing intimate or personal care, staff will build safe and strong bonds with children and their families, staff should model good relationships in their words, actions and attitudes.
Encourage and support children to develop a sense of independence and autonomy in a way that is appropriate to their age and stage of development, by challenging them and encouraging them to try, without reproach for failure and by using positive reinforcement.
Provide immediate support for victims of abuse by supporting families and staff, fostering a culture that ensures they understand that they can come to us with any worries or issues and that we will make it our priority to offer assistance ourselves in the first instance and, if needed, find additional support outside of the setting and do this without unnecessary delay.
Assuring children that their voice will be heard, valued and respected, allowing them to make choices and to contribute to the setting and their own development, similarly with parents and staff, it is important we hear their voices, that concerns are listened to and opinions and contributions are valued, that if concerns are raised that we share information with other agencies as appropriate and in a timely manner.
Reporting
Should anyone suffer a serious injury OFSTED should be notified within 14 days via the online form.
Please click the link to see which incidents need reporting:
Challenge and escalation
Staff are made aware that is their duty to challenge a safeguarding decision if they disagree, staff can then escalate their concern if they still feel a child is at risk. Please see our Escalation Policy for more information. Our Escalation flow chart is in the Child Protection folder.
Assessment and Threshold guidence
(Checklists and criteria for various concerns can be found in the Chronologies folder in preschool). Also to be considered when assessing risk to a child is the GCP2 (Graded Care Profile) toolkit, information for practitioners for this can be found here.
Levels of need and risk
Level 1 Universal services
Children’s needs at this level are met by universally accessible service e.g. schools, colleges, early years settings, health visiting, children’s centres. Children at this level do not need to be referred to Early Help or Children’s Social Care.
Level 2: Children & young people with additional needs – Early Help.
Level 3: Children & young people with complex needs – Children in Need.
Level 4: Children and young people with urgent, and immediate or other high priority needs.
Vulnerabilities and resilience factors
It is important to consider all vulnerabilities alongside the resilience factors when considering a child or families needs or concerns.
All children are vulnerable and some are more vulnerable than others due to various contributing factors:
- lack of language or difficulty with communication
- SEND
- impact of previous experience
- home life
- levels of dependency
This list is not exhaustive.
As a team we discuss the vulnerabilities and needs we see in our individual children and staff are aware of how these differences can make a child particularly vulnerable to:
- abuse and neglect
- restricted development
- a lack of access to opportunities
- overexposure to inappropriate age-related themes
We keep a cohort list that is discussed regularly that highlights those children or families that may need additional support or access to Early Help due to various factors e.g. parental split, Covid born etc
A (non exhaustive) list of resilience factors which should be considered-
Individual factors:
good communication skills
humour
religious faith
capacity to reflect
intelligence
a talent or skill that is allowed to develop
Family factors:
at least one supportive relationship in close family
affection
clear boundary setting
support for education
family acknowledge difficulties and are cooperating with services to help them
acknowledgement and understanding of the child’s additional needs or disability
Community factors:
a wide support network, e.g. extended family
positive friendships
a supportive relationship with an adult outside the family
access to sport and leisure activities
a good standard of living
a good school with academic and non-academic opportunities
good housing
Early Help including BRIF referrals
Our role with Early Help is to -
identify children and families who would benefit from early help
speak with the family involved to see if they are receptive to support
undertake an assessment of the need for early help
provide targeted early help services to address the assessed needs of a child and their family which focuses on activity to improve the outcomes for the child
sometimes it is more appropriate to make a BRIF referral for the family which is a less in depth and sometimes quicker solution for immediate impact
Sarah is our expert in Early Help within the safeguarding team, and has a good relationship with Natalie Good from CBC Early Help team.
Strategies in place to provide a safe and secure environment for all children
We believe that making strong safe relationships with children and their families makes spotting signs that may indicate a need for intervention or support easier e.g. subtle changes in behaviour or appearance
We have links with many other agencies, they, together with Early help and the BRIF panel assist us in supporting our families
Staff and visitors are required to adopt child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct
Staff, visitors and parents are made aware of who our Safeguarding leads are
Recording, storing and using of information professionally and securely, is in line with GDPR and the ICO
Putting the child and their family at the centre of any concerns and using our child protection and safeguarding procedures to share these concerns and relevant information with agencies, with permission to get help and support (permission will be bypassed if we deem the child to be in immediate threat of harm)
Sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children and their families either during coffee mornings through information sent out (FB, emails etc) or with children through activities and in play
Making sure that children and their families know where or who to go to for help if they have a concern
Using our policy and procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately
Creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and using our policy and procedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying should it arise
Ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place
Ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures, e.g. keeping gates and doors locked when not in use, doing regular safety checks of the building and resources, keeping staff well versed in our risk assessments and asking for their contributions
The safeguarding team meets once a week (unless additional meetings are needed) to discuss any current safeguarding concerns, a chronology of these are kept as a record of actions etc. staff are updated appropriately
Information regarding safeguarding is shared when children attend another setting or they move to school or another setting, this is handled with care and consent, we also ask shared settings if there are any safeguarding concerns
Parents are asked to inform us on the day, or in advance, if their child is not coming in, by email or phone call, if they do not let us know, as part of our safeguarding practice, we will phone them.
Anyone who has concerns about a child’s welfare should make a referral to local authority children’s social care and should do so immediately if there is a concern that the child is suffering significant harm or is likely to do so, in the case of imminent danger, call the police. Practitioners who make a referral should always follow up their concerns if they are not satisfied with the response.
Ultimately we continue to build a safeguarding culture where staff and volunteers, children and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns as well as important information that can impact a child or their family’s wellbeing.
The Safeguarding Board priorities for Central Bedfordshire at the time of writing are -
Neglect
Mental Health, Emotional Wellbeing & Resilience
Contextual Safeguarding & Exploitation
Violence Against Girls and Women
We are aware that the impact of Covid has been huge on our preschool community: for the children, the families and our own staff. We are committed to working with parents and staff to help alleviate the difficulties they now face and continue to seek ways to support everyone.
Clophill Preschool has a clear commitment to protecting children and promoting welfare. Should anyone believe that this policy is not being upheld, it is their duty to bring the matter to the attention of the preschool managers at the earliest opportunity.
Useful Contact Numbers
Ofsted 0300 123 1231
Central Bedfordshire Council 0300 300 8000
Access & Referral (Children’s Services) 0300 300 8585
Mon – Thurs 8.45am – 5.20pm, Fri 8.45am – 4.20pm
Out of hours 0300 300 8123
Prevent Officer (Channel Panel) 0300 300 8585
Children’s Specialist Services
For enquiries to establish if a child is subject to a child protection plan 0300 300 8585
LADO To be notified in the event of a concern about a staff member
Local Authority Designated Officer 0300 300 8142
(also known in Central Bedfordshire as the Allegations Manager)
National Whistleblowing Advice Line 0800 028 0285
8am – 8pm Mon – Fri
Bedfordshire Police
North & Mid Bedfordshire 01234 841212
Luton & South Bedfordshire 01582 401212
If in immediate danger 999
Not in imminent danger 101
Other useful numbers
Early Help Support & Information 0300 300 8585
Fostering including Private Fostering 0300 300 8181
The Academy 0300 300 8131
NSPCC ChildLine - Help for children & young people 0800 1111
NSPCC - Help for adults concerned about a child 0808 800 5000
Feb 24