Littlebrook Nurseries

Safeguarding children

We aim to create a Nursery environment in which children are kept safe from abuse and any allegation of abuse is promptly and appropriately responded to. In order to achieve this we must implement an effective recruitment procedure, whether voluntary or paid, for all staff at Littlebrook. We will always obtain at least two recent references, confirm ID and complete a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) with all staff. All appointments will be subject to a probationary period and will not be confirmed unless the nursery is confident that the applicant can be safely trusted with children. All staff will be subject to a police check, receipt of two successful references, declaration of health and a declaration with regard to the 1989 children’s act.
The nursery will work in accordance with local authority guidelines, and maintain contact with Social Services and Ofsted. Any referrals will be made to the local authority designated officer (LADO) in addition to Social Services and Ofsted. We will take every measure to build up trusting and supportive relationships between families and staff. The care and safety of the child must always be paramount, the nursery will do all in its power to support and work with the child’s family.
Our nursery will work with children, parents, external agencies and the community to ensure the welfare and safety of children and to give them the very best start in life. Children have the right to be treated with respect and to be safe from any abuse in whatever form.

To this end we will:

create an environment to encourage children to develop a positive self-image
encourage children to develop a sense of independence and autonomy in a way that is appropriate to their age and stage of development
provide a safe and secure environment for all children
always listen to children.

Littlebrook Nursery has a clear commitment to safeguarding children and promoting welfare. Should anyone believe that this policy is not being upheld, it is their duty to report the matter to the attention of the nursery manager at the earliest opportunity.

The legal framework for this policy is based on:

Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (2006)

Practitioners have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Due to the many hours of care we are providing, staff will often be the first people to sense that there is a problem. They may well be the first people in whom children confide about abuse. The nursery has a duty to be aware that abuse does occur in our society. This statement lays out the procedures that will be followed if we have any reason to believe that a child in our care is subject to welfare issues including physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect.

Our prime responsibility is the welfare and well being of all children in our care. As such we believe we have a duty to the children, parents/carers and staff to act quickly and responsibly in any instance that may come to our attention. All staff will work as part of a multi-agency team where needed in the best interests of the child.

All staff will be familiar with their own responsibilities to act swiftly upon any suspicions or concerns they may have about any child or member of staff at the nursery. The nursery will follow the procedures set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB’s) Guidance and as such will seek advice on all steps taken subsequently. The nursery has a duty to report any suspicions around abuse to the local authority who have an obligation to investigate such matters.

Staff must not make comment either publicly or in private about a parent’s supposed or actual behaviour. Staff must raise any concerns initially with the manager. The manager will then discuss the matter with the registered person and appropriate action will be considered. Staff responsibilities do not include investigating the suspected abuse. However, the staff will keep accurate records of their observations, signed and dated, and of anything said to them by the child or others in connection with the suspected abuse. This information will be kept in a locked cabinet.

It is always important to listen to children. Strict confidentiality will be observed at all times. All our staff will receive training on the protection of children from abuse. It is the policy of the nursery to provide a secure and safe environment for all children. The nursery will therefore not allow an adult to be left alone with a child who has not received their enhanced CRB check clearance. As a nursery we will not be able to legally employ new staff unless they are ISA registered, (England and Wales). Further information is available at www.isa-gov.org.uk

Staff who do not have an up to date enhanced CRB check will not be allowed unsupervised access to a child and will not be allowed to change nappies (whether supervised or not) until an enhanced CRB returns clear. They will not be allowed access the child’s records, personal or development, and will not be allowed to take children’s photographs until these checks are returned clear.

All staff will have an enhanced CRB check and this will be updated on a regular basis to ensure the ongoing suitability of all staff caring for the children.

The nursery aims to:

ensure that children are never placed at risk while in the charge of nursery staff
ensure that confidentiality is maintained at all times
ensure that all staff are alert to the signs and understand what is meant by safeguarding and are aware of the different ways in which children can be harmed including by other children i.e. bullying.
ensure that all staff are familiar with safeguarding issues and procedures
ensure parents are fully aware of safeguarding policies and procedures when they register with the nursery and kept informed of all updates when they occur
regularly review and update this policy.

Children will be supported by offering reassurance, comfort and sensitive interactions. Activities will be devised according to individual circumstances to enable children to develop confidence within their peer group.

Parents and families will be treated with respect in a non-judgmental manner whilst investigations are carried out in the best interests of the child.

Contact telephone numbers:

Ofsted (0300 123 1231)
Local LSBC Unit (01895 277463)
Local authority social services (01895 0250111 / 01895 250053)

Types of abuse:

Physical abuse
Action will be taken under this heading if staff have reason to believe that there has been a physical injury to a child, including deliberate poisoning; where there is definite knowledge, or reasonable suspicion that the injury was inflicted or knowingly not prevented.

Procedure:

all signs of marks/injuries to a child, when they come into nursery, will be recorded as soon as noticed by a staff member
the incident will be discussed with the parent/carer at the earliest opportunity
such discussions will be recorded and the parent/carer will have access to such records
if there appear to be any queries regarding the injury, the Safeguarding Children’s Board in the local authority will be notified.

Sexual abuse
Action will be taken under this heading if the staff team have witnessed occasions where a child indicated sexual activity through words, play, drawing, had an excessive pre-occupation with sexual matters, or had an inappropriate knowledge of adult sexual behaviour.

Procedure:

the observed instances will be detailed in a confidential report
the observed instances will be reported to the nursery manager
the matter will be referred to the Safeguarding Children’s Board in the local authority.

Emotional abuse
Action will be taken under this heading if the staff team have reason to believe that there is a severe, adverse effect on the behaviour and emotional development of a child, caused by persistent or severe ill treatment or rejection.

Procedure:

the concern will be discussed with the parent/carer
such discussions will be recorded and the parent/carer will have access to such records
if there appear to be any queries regarding the circumstances, the matter will be referred to the Safeguarding Children’s Board in the local authority.

Neglect
Action will be taken under this heading if the staff team have reason to believe that there has been persistent or severe neglect of a child (for example, by exposure to any kind of danger, including cold and starvation) which results in serious impairment of the child's health or development, including failure to thrive.

Procedure:

the concern will be discussed with the parent/carer
such discussions will be recorded and the parent/carer will have access to such records
if there appear to be any queries regarding the circumstances the Safeguarding Children’s Board in the local authority will be notified.

Recording suspicions of abuse and disclosures:
Staff will make an objective record of any observation or disclosure and include:

child's name
child's address
age of the child and date of birth
date and time of the observation or the disclosure
exact words spoken by the child/injuries or marks seen
name of the person to whom the concern was reported, with date and time; and the names of any other person present at the time.
any discussion held with parent/carer.

These records are signed and dated and kept in a separate confidential file. All members of staff know the procedures for recording and reporting. It may be thought necessary that through discussion with all concerned the matter needs to be raised with the LSCB Local Safeguarding Board (LSB) local authority designated officer (LADO) and Ofsted.Staff involved may be asked to supply details of any information they have concerns with regard to a child. The nursery expects all members of staff to co-operate with the LSB and Ofsted and Social Services in any way necessary to ensure the safety of the children.

All staff will attend safeguarding training within and receive initial basic training during their induction period.

Staffing and volunteering
We have a named person within the nursery that co-ordinates safeguarding and welfare issues. The designated person undertakes specific training and accesses regular updates to developments within this field.

The named person regarding safeguarding at the nursery is:
Angela Clayton

we provide adequate and appropriate staffing resources to meet the needs of children

applicants for posts within the nursery are clearly informed that the positions are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Candidates are informed of the need to carry out checks before posts can be confirmed. Where applications are rejected because of information that has been disclosed, applicants have the right to know and to challenge incorrect information

all enhanced CRB checks will be updated in a regular basis to ensure the suitability of the adults caring for the children

we abide by Ofsted requirements in respect of references and police checks for staff and volunteers, to ensure that no disqualified person or unfit person works at the nursery or has access to the children

we ensure we receive at least two references BEFORE a new member of staff commences employment with us

all students will have enhanced CRB checks conducted on them before their placement starts

volunteers, including students, do not work unsupervised

we abide by the Protection of Children Act requirements in respect of any person who is dismissed from our employment, or resigns in circumstances that would otherwise have lead to dismissal for reasons of safeguarding children concern

we have procedures for recording the details of visitors to the nursery and take security steps to ensure that we have control over who comes into the nursery, so that no unauthorised person has unsupervised access to the children

all contractors / external workers will be CRB checked and the manager will request this before allowing them access to the nursery. All visitors / contractors will still be accompanied whilst on the premises, especially when in the areas the children use

the deployment of staff within the nursery allows for constant supervision. Where children need to spend time away from the rest of the group, the door will be left ajar.

Informing parents:
Parents are normally the first point of contact. If a suspicion of abuse is recorded, parents are informed at the same time as the report is made, except where the guidance of the LSB does not allow this. This will usually be the case where the parent is the likely abuser. In these cases the investigating officers will inform parents.

Confidentiality:
All suspicions and investigations are kept confidential and shared only with those who need to know. Any information is shared under the guidance of the LSB

Support to families:

the nursery takes every step in its power to build up trusting and supportive relations among families, staff and volunteers within the nursery
the nursery continues to welcome the child and the family whilst investigations are being made in relation to abuse in the home situation
confidential records kept on a child are shared with the child's parents or those who have parental responsibility for the child, only if appropriate under the guidance of the LSB
with the proviso that the care and safety of the child is paramount, we will do all in our power to support and work with the child's family.

Employees of the nursery:
If an allegation is made against a member of staff, Ofsted and Social Services and the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board will be informed and this will be investigated. This may result in the nursery disciplinary procedure being followed.

The incident will be dealt with by the manager/registered person:

a full investigation will be carried out to determine how this will be handled.
if the allegation could possibly interfere with the normal working of the nursery, the member of staff will be allocated to another area, after due consultation with all parties
the nursery reserves the right to suspend any member of staff on full pay during an investigation
all investigations/interviews will be documented and kept in a locked file
unfounded allegations will result in all rights being re-instated
founded allegations will be passed on to the relevant organisation (police) and will result in the termination of employment. Ofsted and Social Services will be notified immediately of this decision. Our Local Authority designated Officer (LADO) will be notified.Counselling will be available for any member of the nursery who is affected by an allegation, their colleagues in the nursery and the parents.