Name of Company
Toddlerz Day Nursery & Pre-school Nursery

Registered office
Crown Street 27
Kettering NN16 8QA

Contact details
Tel: 01536 218569
E-mail: enquiries@toddlerznursery.com

Regulatory Authority

Ofsted Registration No. EY482012

Memebers of the Pre-school Learning Alliance

Our Safeguarding Children Policy

Statement of Intent

Our nursery wants to work with children, parents and the community to ensure the safety of children and to give them the very best start in life.

Aims

Our aims are to:

• Create an environment in our nursery which encourages children to develop a positive self-image, regardless of race, language, religion, culture or home background;
• Help children to establish and sustain satisfying relationships within their families, with peers and with other adults;
• Encourage children to develop a sense of autonomy and independence;
• Enable children to have the self-confidence and vocabulary to resist inappropriate approaches; and
• Work with parents to build their understanding of and commitment to the welfare of all our children.
• To keep children safe during the COVID-19 19 pandemic following government guidelines.

The legal framework for this work is:

• The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act
• The Children Act 2014
• Human Rights Act 1998
• Data Protection Act 1984
• The Protection of Children Act 1999
• Working Together to Safeguard Children Act 2018
• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2020
• Childcare Act 2006
• Children and Social Work Act 2017

Liaison with our bodies

• We work within the Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership

• We notify the registration authority (Ofsted) of any incident or accident and any changes in our arrangements which affect the wellbeing of children.
• We have procedures for contacting the local authority on child protection issues, including maintaining a list of names, addresses and telephone numbers of social workers, to ensure that it is easy, in an emergency, for the nursery and social services to work well, together.
• Records of the local NSPCC contacts are also kept.
• If a report is to be made to the authorities, we act within the MASH guidance in deciding whether we must inform the child’s parents at the same time. If we feel that we are putting the child at more risk informing the parents of the referral then we will hold off. This will be added onto the referral and the reason will be stated.

Methods

Staffing and Volunteering

• Our named person (our member of staff who coordinates child protection issues is Mrs Shirley Chester)
• 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.
• 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.
• Volunteers do not work unsupervised.
• We abide by the Ofsted requirements in respect of any person who is dismissed from our employments, or resigns in circumstances that would otherwise have led to dismissal for reasons of child production concern.
• We have procedures for recording the details of visitors to the nursery.
• We 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.
• Safer recruitment.
• In house training.

Disciplinary Action

Where a member of staff or a volunteer is dismissed from the nursery or internally disciplined because of misconduct relating to a child, we notify Ofsted so that the name may be included on the List for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults.

Training

We seek out training opportunities for all adults involved in the nursery to ensure that they are able to recognise the signs and symptoms of possible physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect and so that they are aware of the local authority guidelines for making referrals.  We ensure that all staff know the procedures for reporting and recording their concerns in the nursery.

Planning

The layout of the room allows for constant supervision.  If a child needs time away from the rest of the group, an appropriate adult will find a suitable area.

Curriculum

• We introduce key elements of safeguarding into our foundation stage curriculum, so that children can develop understanding of why and how to keep safe.
• We create within the nursery a culture of value and respect for the individual.
• We ensure that this is carried out in a way that is appropriate for the ages and stages of our children.

Complaints

• We ensure that all parents know how to complain about staff or volunteer action within the nursery, which may include an allegation of abuse.
• We follow the guidance of the MASH team investigating any complaints that a member of staff or volunteer has abused a child which includes contacting Lado.
• We follow all the disclosure and recording procedures when investigating an allegation that a member of staff has abused a child as if it were an allegation of abuse by another person.
• Responding to suspicions of abuse.
• We acknowledge that abuse of children can take different forms – physical, emotional, sexual, peer on peer, child on child abuse and neglect.
• When children are suffering from physical, sexual or emotional abuse, this may be demonstrated through changes in their behaviour, or in their play.  Where such changes in behaviour occur, or where children’s play gives cause for concern, the nursery investigates.
• We allow investigation to be carried out with sensitivity.  The child protection officer (Mrs Shirley Chester) and /or Miss Stirmey will ensure that the staff member talking to the child does not influence the outcome either through the way they speak to children or ask questions of children.
• Children are never questioned alone
• Where a child shows signs and symptoms of ‘failure to thrive’ or neglect, we make appropriate referrals.
• Mrs Chester /Miss Stirmey keeps significant records of the child protection children and their back grounds. These are kept in a locked filing cabinet and are only accessed by herself and the manager.
• Confidentiality is always paramount to these cases and they are dealt with care and consideration to the child’s wellbeing and safety.

• Toddlerz nursery’s first priority is the children’s safety and wellbeing

Disclosures

Where a child makes a disclosure to a member of staff, that member of staff:

• Offers reassurance to the child;
• Listens to the child; and
• Gives reassurance that she/he will take action.
• The member off staff informs the designated safeguarding lead immediately.
• The disclosure is recorded signed and dated and given to the DSL
• No photocopies of the disclosure are made by a member of staff
• Staff members are to respect the confidentiality of the disclosure and they are to not to repeat it to anyone other than the DSL and deputy Manager.
• The member of staff does not question the child.

Recording suspicions of abuse and disclosures

Staff make a record of:

• The child’s name;
• The child’s address;
• The date of birth of the child
• The date and time of the observation or the disclosure;
• An objective record of the observation or disclosure;
• The exact words spoken by the child;
• The name of the person to whom the concern was reported, with time and date; and
• The names of any person present at the time.

These records are signed and dated and given to the DSL who then keeps it in a separate confidential file.

All members of staff know the procedures for recording and reporting.

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 local MASH team 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 the 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 NSCP

Support to families

• The nursery takes every step in its power to build up trusting and supportive relations among families, staff and volunteers in the group.
• 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 parent or those who have a parental responsibility for the child only if appropriate under the guidance of the NSCP
• With the provision that the care and safety of the child is paramount, we do all in our power to support and work with the child’s family.

Telephone Number: The Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) 0300 126 1000

Signed on behalf of the Nursery

Date

Created September 2014

Reviewed Annually