Child Protection

Child Protection Policy

SEASHELLS

NURSERY

Community Centre

Albert Road

Eyemouth

TD14 5DE

Tel. 018907 52082

Email: seashellsnursery@hotmail.co.uk

www.seashellsnursery.jimdo.com

LAST UPDATED / REVIEWED ON	SIGNATURE
24^th September 2017	Miriam Lindsay
1^st February 2020	Miriam Lindsay

This policy was adopted at a meeting of:

(Insert name of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) Setting) ………………………….………………

On (date) ……………………….…..……………

Signed ………………………….……….. Designation ………………….…………………

Statement of Purpose

Within Seashells Nursery ELCC we are committed to improving the life chances of children in our care. We acknowledge that the child's welfare and wellbeing are paramount and that we have a duty of care to implement effective policies and procedures for safeguarding our children.

The following policy provides guidance for all staff at the setting and follows the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland/2014 (Scottish Government). For ease of reference we will use the term the guidance when referring to this document throughout the policy. The sole focus of this policy is the protection, safety and welfare of the child.

'Procedures and guidance cannot in themselves protect children; a competent, skilled and confident workforce, together with a vigilant public, can.’

(National Guidance for Protection of Children in Scotland 2014)

Throughout this guidance the term parents is used to include all main caregivers.

The Context for Child Protection

National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland/2014 (Scottish Government)

The national guidance sets out common standards for child protection services in Scotland making it clear how all agencies should work together, where appropriate, to respond to concerns early and effectively, ensuring that practice is consistent and of high quality.

It is supported by a suite of other policies (see Links to National Policy) and should be seen in the wider context of the Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) approach, The Early Years Framework (2009) and United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

It is supported by The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014.

'This guidance, first published in 2010, sets a national framework to help shape local practices and procedures. It aims to improve the way all professionals and organisations work together to give children the protection they need, quickly and effectively at the earliest possible stage. It also highlights the shared responsibility that our agencies and services have for protecting children and safeguarding their welfare.

Partnership working is at the heart of everything we do and plays a vital role in ensuring the protection of Scotland's children and young people.'

(Aileen Campbell, Minister for Children and Young People, foreword)

Responsibility

The guidance states that everyone in Scotland has a part to play in preventing the abuse and neglect of children.

It is the duty of all those involved in early years to safeguard the welfare and interests of the children. Child Protection is the responsibility of all who work with children and families and having a skilled and competent workforce, along with relevant guidance and procedures, ensures that children can be protected. Everyone working with children and their families, including all professionals, volunteers and members of the community, need to appreciate the important role that they play in being vigilant and providing robust support for child protection.

The ELC setting has a responsibility to recognise and actively consider potential risks to a child. Staff will be expected to identify and consider the child’s needs, share appropriate and relevant information and concerns with other agencies and work collaboratively with the family and other services to secure safer outcomes for the child.

In order to enable staff to fulfil their obligations Seashells Nursery will provide annual Child Protection awareness raising and training for all staff regardless of their role within the setting, through our affiliation with Scottish Borders Council.

The setting will ensure that there is a designated Child Protection Officer (CPO) – Miriam Lindsay, Nursery Manager, with overall responsibility for child protection. They will be responsible for ensuring all relevant procedures are followed when a child protection case arises.

Confidentiality will be protected, but where there is reasonable cause to believe that a child may be at risk or harm relevant, information will be shared with key partner agencies.

Staff will not investigate any concerns but will gather initial information and establish basic facts such as what happened, when, where and by whom.

All concerns should be shared without delay. Any concerns about risk to a child’s wellbeing will be shared with the child’s Named Person as soon as possible. Further information on the role of the named person can be found in the glossary section of the guidance (p186) and within The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. Where concerns about possible harm or abuse arise these should always be shared with the appropriate agency (normally social work or police).

Types of Abuse

Abuse and neglect is a form of maltreatment of a child. In a child protection context there are three different types of abuse that can be identified.

Physical abuse is the causing of physical harm to a child.

Emotional abuse is persistent emotional neglect or ill treatment of a child causing severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development.

Sexual abuse is any act that involves the child in any activity for the sexual gratification of another whether or not it is claimed that the child either consented or assented.

Child 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.

Further Information on Types of Abuse and Neglect can be found in the guidance p11-12 and appendix 1 of this policy.

Other indicators of risk that may affect some children include Domestic Abuse, Problem Alcohol Use and Parental Substance Misuse. For further information on these and other indicators of risk see the guidance p112-162.

Procedures

All staff have a role in relation to Child Protection and it is imperative that the appropriate procedures are followed in relation to Reporting, Recording and External Agency Recording. Staff need to understand their own role and the roles of other services when responding to concerns about a child.

Reporting

Staff must report any concerns they have about a child to the CPO within the setting – Miriam Lindsay, Deputy CPO Julie Windram. Information can be disclosed in a number of ways including:

A child indicates or discloses harm
A third party discloses the possibility of harm
You are concerned that a child is or may be being harmed
You have witnessed or heard something that causes you concern about a child’s safety.

You will not be asked or need to investigate any concerns of potential harm whether they are reported to you by another person or are identified and raised by you personally. If a staff member has child protection concerns about a child, these should be discussed with the CPO. All relevant information must be reported without delay and the CPO will decide subsequent action.

Initial information should be gathered and basic facts established that relate to that concern: what, where, when and by whom. This will include suspicions or indicators of significant harm (see appendix 1) and/or direct information of concern for a child. All information must be recorded on the Chronology Form (see appendix 2). The child protection report form (CPRF) (see appendix 3) may be completed depending on the circumstances and may be held in house or sent to external agencies as deemed appropriate. Further information on sharing concerns and initial information gathering can be found on p88 of the guidance.

Seashells Nursery adhere to Scottish Borders Council Child Abuse procedure, contact numbers can be found at the end of this document.

The use of mobile phones within nursery

The use of mobile phones for personal calls in the nursery is not acceptable. If someone has a genuine reason for requiring their phone to be accessible and switched on while at work permission should be given by the manager and arrangements put in place to cover the person whilst they respond to the call.

Staff understand that taking mobile calls while working with the children is a breach of service rules and could lead to disciplinary action; breach of rules could lead to claims of negligence if someone is hurt as a consequence of this; increase of insurance premiums; registration with SSSC could be affected.

To ensure good practice with mobile phones, a notice is displayed within the foyer to advise visitors that mobile phones are not allowed. Staff are required to switch their mobile off, or to put it on silent and place the phone within their handbag, which is then placed within a filing cabinet.

However it is important that staff, parent helpers or visitors have a place away from the children where they can take or make calls when they are not working or when suitable cover arrangements are in place, and understand that to safeguard the children within the nursery all mobile phones must be used away from the children in the office.

Register is taken by a staff member at the beginning of each session. The register is then signed by the staff member responsible. If any child is not present at nursery and no confirmation of absence has been received, then the staff member who took register will contact the parent/carer within the first 30 minutes of nursery to establish the reason for absence. This is then documented next to the absent child’s name, name of person contacted, relationship to the child, time, and when they will be back at nursery. Up to date contact numbers and emergency contacts are found in the child’s folder within the office. Parents/ carers must also be made aware that it is their responsibility to contact the nursery if the child is going to be absent, the reason and for how long. If staff have concerns about a child who is then absent from nursery, no notification of absence has been given and neither parent/ carer contact or emergency contacts are available then staff must inform the CPO (Miriam Lindsay) or the Deputy CPO (Julie Windram) who will then take actions to contact the Health Visitor or Children’s Services.

Recording

It is important to record all information about children and their families within the Child Protection Chronology (see appendix 2). This will ensure a record of all facts and procedures that have been followed as well as agencies that have been spoken to or consulted with as appropriate. When completing the CPRF form (see appendix 3) only facts have to be recorded including what has actually been said by a child or another person. The actual words used must be recorded as well as details of the time and place and any other relevant information.

External Agency Reporting

The CPO will make the decision as to when to report to external agencies with regard to reported concerns relating to the safety of a child and child protection. Staff may be required to cooperate and work with multi agency colleagues in responding to and supporting children and families who may be subject to ongoing child protection procedures and responses.

The process of responding to child protection concerns in diagrammatic form can be found on p85 of the guidance.

Monitoring of this Policy

It will be the responsibility of CPO Miriam Lindsay, Seashells Manager and Duputy CPO Julie Windram, Administrator to ensure that all staff, including new or temporary staff, are familiar with this policy and to monitor that it is being implemented. This will be achieved through both formal and informal observation of staff practice, regular review of the setting's Child Protection practices, procedures and paperwork and annual Child Protection training for all staff as a team.

The policy will be reviewed annually to ensure that it is relevant and up to date.

Appendices:

Appendix 1 – Indicators of Abuse

Appendix 2 – Child Protection Chronology

Appendix 3 – Child Protection Report Form

See also:

Nappy Changing Policy

Responsive Care Policy

Safe Recruitment Policy

Complaints Policy

Whistleblowing Policy

Staff Development Policy