Safeguarding of Children
Child Protection Policy Statement
Moulton Pre-School is committed to creating and maintaining the safest possible environment for children and young people to be cared and educated in.
Moulton Pre-School believe that it is always unacceptable for a child or young person to experience abuse of any kind and we recognise our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children and young people, by a commitment to practice which protects them.
The purpose of this policy is to:
1. Provide protection for all the children and young people who are
in our care
2. Provide staff and volunteers with guidance on procedures they should
adopt in the event that they suspect a child or young person may be experiencing,
or be at risk of, harm
This policy applies to all staff, including senior managers, paid staff,
volunteers, sessional workers, agency staff, students or anyone working
on behalf of Moulton Pre-school
Our Safeguarding of Children Co-ordinator is: Gill Targett
We recognise that:
1. The welfare of the child/young person is paramount.
2. All children regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage,
religious belief, sexual orientation or identity have the right to
equal protecion from all types of harm or abuse and have the right
to freedom from abuse.
3. Working in partnership with children, young people, their parents,
carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.
4. All our staff and volunteers need to be carefully selected and accept
responsibility for helping to prevent the abuse of children in their
care.
We will endeavour to safeguard children and young people by:
1. Valuing them, listening to and respecting them.
2. Adopting child protection guidelines through procedures and a code
of conduct for staff and volunteers.
3. Responding quickly and appropriately to all suspicions or allegations
of abuse or issues relating to child welfare.
4. Providing parents/carers and children with the opportunities to voice
any concerns they may have.
5. Ensuring that access to confidential information is stored and managed
in accordance with National Guidance.
6. Recruiting staff and volunteers safely and ensuring that all necessary
checks are made.
7. Improving knowledge of children, parents/carers, staff and volunteers
by sharing information about child pretection and encouraging good practice.
8. Sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know,
and involving parents and children appropriately.
9. Providing effective management for all staff and volunteers through
supervision, support and appropriate safeguarding training.
We are also committed to ensuring that our child protection policy is
a living document with is reviewed and updated at least annually
Safeguarding of Children
Child Protection Policy statement
This document is based on the Government guidance “Working Together to Safeguard Children” (2006) and the Local Safeguarding Children Board policy and procedures.
Everyone within your Setting should be familiar with, and follow the procedures for, promoting and safeguarding the welfare of the children and know who to contact to express concerns about a child.
Everyone must remember that an allegation of child abuse or neglect may lead to a criminal investigation. Under no circumstances should anyone within the Setting begin to carry out an investigation into suspicions or concerns about a child. This is the role of the statutory services and any concerns or worries should be passed to your SoCCo (Safeguarding of Children Co-ordinator).
Identification of different categories of abuse
A child is considered to be abused, or at risk of abuse by parent or carers when the child’s basic needs are not being met either intentionally or non-intentionally. A child’s basic needs include:
physical care and protection from harm
love and security
praise and recognition
intellectual stimulation and development
A person may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm or by failing
to prevent harm.
There are four categories of abuse:
physical abuse
emotional abuse
sexual abuse
neglect
Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. This includes fabricating the symptoms of, or deliberately causing, harm to a child.
The signs of physical abuse may include:
bruising - it is important to note that most children will collect
cuts and bruises in their everyday life usually on the bony parts of
their body. An important indicator of physical abuse is where bruises
or injuries are unexplained or the explanation does not fit the injury
multiple bruises in clusters
multiple bruises of uniform shape
bruises that carry the imprint of an implement used, hand marks or
fingertips
although bruising is the most common injury in physical abuse, fatal
non-accidental head injury and non-accidental fractures can occur without
bruising
Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional ill-treatment of a child that may cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. Emotional abuse may also include developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed, causing children to feel frightened and/or exploited.
The physical signs of emotional abuse may include:
a failure to thrive or grow
sudden speech disorders
developmental delay either in terms of physical or emotional progress
Changes in behaviour which can also indicate emotional abuse include:
neurotic behaviour e.g. sulking, hair twisting, rocking, showing signs
of withdrawal
being unable to play
fear of making mistakes
self harm
fear of parent/carer being approached regarding their behaviour
Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to
take part in sexual activities whether or not the child is aware of what
is happening. The activities may involve physical contact including penetrative
or non-penetrative acts. They may include involving children in looking
at, or in the production, of pornographic material, or encouraging children
to behave in sexual inappropriate ways.
The physical signs of sexual abuse may include:
pain or itching in the genital/anal areas
bruising or bleeding near genital/anal areas
sexually transmitted disease
vaginal discharge or infection
stomach pains
discomfort when walking or sitting down
pregnancy
Changes in behaviour which can also indicate sexual abuse include:
sudden or unexplained changes in behaviour e.g. becoming aggressive
or withdrawn
fear of being left with a specific person or group of people
having nightmares
sexual knowledge which is beyond their age or development level
sexual drawings or language
bedwetting
eating problems such as over eating or anorexia
self harm or mutilation, sometimes leading to suicide attempts
saying they have secret they cannot tell anyone about
substance or drug abuse
suddenly having unexplained sources of money
unwilling or unable to make friendships (particularly in adolescence)
acting in a sexually explicit way towards adults or peers
using inappropriate vocabulary which may include words of a sexual
nature normally beyond their understanding.
Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development.
It may involve:
failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing
failing to protect a child from physical harm or danger
failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment
neglect of a childs basic emotional needs
failure to ensure satisfactory education
The physical signs of neglect may include:
constant hunger, sometimes stealing food from other children
constantly dirty or smell
loss of weight, or being constantly underweight
inappropriate dress for the conditions
Changes in behaviour which can also indicate neglect may include:
complaining of being tired all the time
not requesting medical assistance and/or failing to attend appointments
having few friends
mentioning their being left alone or unsupervised.
It is important to remember that many children and young people will exhibit some of the indicators at some time, and the presence of one or more should not be taken as proof that abuse is occurring.
Procedures to follow when responding to signs or suspicions of abuse
Refer to Flow Chart 1 ‘What to Do if You’re Concerned a Child is Being
Abused’ (See ‘Getting in Touch’ section of this pack)
If a member of staff or volunteer has reported concerns they have about a child, or about the behaviour of someone in the Setting, it is important that they are listened to an taken seriously.
The Setting needs to make sure that:
a written record is made of the observations or the information received.
This should be done with the named person (SoCCo)
the record is signed and dated
details are completed on the proforma Getting in Touch with the Social
Care Access Team (included in this Pack)
the Social Care Access Team is contacted and their advice and guidance
must always be followed
if a referral is made by telephone, it needs to be confirmed in writing
within 24 hours
Social Care should acknowledge the referral in 1 working day. If the Setting has not heard within 3 working days they should contact Social Care again.
Please refer to the Contact Telephone numbers sheet to contact details
Procedures to follow when responding to allegations of abuse against someone not working in the Setting
This may be against a parent, carer or anybody else in contact with the child and they procedures outlined on the previous page should be followed.
If the allegation is one of sexual abuse or the child is at risk, then the parents/carers should not be approached prior to contacting Social Care.
When speaking to parents/carers, the problem needs to be discussed, an agreement sought and the reason for making the referral explained. However, if the parents/carers do not agree the safety of the child is always paramount and sometimes the parent’s/carer’s wishes may need to be discounted.
Procedures to follow when responding to allegations of abuse against a member of staff
A ‘carer’ refers to any individuals who are or were formally or contractually entrusted with the care or control of a child outside of their immediate family members or family friends. They will invariably hold or will have held a DUTY OF CARE to the child.
The three categories of allegation are:
Child Protection; Criminal Investigation and Disciplinary Actions.
(For additional information see LSCB Manual of Procedures in Cheshire.)
At all times the child’s needs will be paramount.
All the information must be accurately recorded, dated, signed and kept in a secure place.
Where an allegation relating to a carer is made the SoCCo, owner or manager must be informed.
Any allegation should be reported immediately to the Social Care Access Team and their advice followed. They will provide advice as to whether the allegation is to be the subject of a multi agency investigation or dealt with internally.
Where a multi-agency investigation is undertaken, the Children Safeguarding Unit will co-ordinate the initial response and arrange a strategy meeting. They will normally inform the police and other agencies including Ofsted and SureStart Cheshire.
Social Care and the Police will jointly conduct any formal investigation. They will advise settings about the process and brief them on any issues. Investigations impact on all parties and by their nature they are complex and sensitive. The Social Care and Police will carry out enquiries as quickly as possible and will offer advice to all parties so as to minimise the anxiety and stress for children, parents, carers and settings.
The Setting should set up an initial support system for the employee
and identity a named contact for the employee. For additional information
refer to Child Protection - A guide to what may happen if an allegation
is made against a childcare worker (included in the ‘Leaflets’ section
of this Pack).
The suspension of a member of staff who is the subject of an allegation
is a decision for the employer. Where child protection or criminal allegations
are concerned the Children Safeguarding Unit will provide advice and
guidance, taking into consideration:
the risks presented to the child or other children
the risks presented to the staff member
the risks presented to the Setting
If the advice given is that the allegation should be dealt with internally a responsibly person should be identified to investigate any issues. This will normally be the owner/manager or SoCCo.
In such cases the Setting will need to consult with Ofsted and SureStart Cheshire to ensure that practice and professional issues are identified and addressed.
Enquiries should be dealt with in accordance with employment legislation and professional guidance.
On conclusion of the enquiry Settings must inform the Children Safeguarding Unit of the outcome.
Procedures to follow when responding to a child disclosing abuse - what to do and say
Communicate with the child in a way that is appropriate to their age,
understanding and preference. This is especially important for children
with disabilities and for children whose first language is not English.
When responding to a child making an allegation of abuse you must:
stay calm
listen carefully to what is said
find an appropriate early opportunity to explain that it is likely
that the information will need to be shared with others - do not promise
to keep secrets
allow the child to continue at his/her own pace.
ask questions for clarification only reassure the child that they have
done the right thing in telling you
tell them what you will do next and with whom the information will
be shared
record in writing what was said using the childs own words as soon
as possible - note the date, time, any names mentioned, to whom the information
was given and ensure that the record is signed and dated.
contact the Social Care Access Team - it is important to note that
the person who first encounters a case of alleged or suspected abuse
is not responsible for deciding whether or not abuse has occurred. That
is a task for the professional child protection agencies following a
referral to them of concern about a child
(See Recording and Information Sharing)
Please remember that a child who has suffered any form of abuse may need gentle support to manage their emotions and improve their well being.
Named Person - Safeguarding of Children’s Co-ordinator (SoCCo)
The name of the practitioner who has lead responsibility for safeguarding children (Safeguarding of Children Co-ordinator) is: Gill Targett.
Everyone in your Setting should know who this is and how to contact them.
Their roles and responsibilities are to:
provide information and advice on child protection within the Setting
co-ordinate action within the Setting and liaise with the appropriate
agencies
ensure that the child protection policy and procedures are implemented
and followed
review and update the Safeguarding policy and procedures as appropriate.
This should be carried out annually at the very least
be aware of the local statutory child protection network, the role
of the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and be familiar with
local child protection procedures.
know where to access the relevant contact numbers and addresses of
the statutory agencies inform the Childrens Services Access Team of relevant
concerns regarding individual children
ensure that appropriate information is available at the time of referral
and that the referral is confirmed in writing, within 48 hours
liaise with the agencies as appropriate
keep the relevant people within the Setting informed about any action
taken and any further action required
ensure records are maintained of the action taken
receive relevant up to date training and advise on the child protection
training needs of all staff
deal with the aftermath of an incident in the Setting and debrief staff
as appropriate.
Recording and information sharing
Record full information about the child at the first point of contact, including name(s), address(es), gender, date of birth, name(s) of person(s) with parental responsibility (for consent purposes) and primary carer(s) if different. This information must be kept up to date.
In all situations it is vitally important to record the details of an allegation or reported incident.
An accurate note should be made of:
date and time of the incident or disclosure
people who were involved
what was said or done and by whom
any action taken by the Setting
any further action e.g. suspension of a worker
names of persons reporting and to whom
The record should be clear and factual as it may be needed by child protection agencies. It should be stored securely and shared only with those who need to know about the incident or allegation.
All recordings should be completed immediately or at the earliest opportunity
and must not be left until the following or later days as this may contaminate
the information that may be used as evidence in any prospective court
proceedings
Confidentiality Policy
The legal principle that the ‘welfare of the child is paramount’ means
that the considerations of confidentiality which might apply to other
situations in the Setting, should not be allowed to over-ride the right
of children to be protected from harm. However, when an allegation has
been made and is being investigated, every effort should be undertaken
to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned.
It is NOT the role of the Setting to decide whether a child has been abused or not. However it is everybody’s responsibility to ensure that concerns are shared and appropriate action is taken.