Safeguarding policy

Introduction

St Luke’s Pre-school keeps the needs and best interests of children at the centre of everything we do. We aim to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in our care by;

  • Providing a safe learning environment that builds their confidence and self-esteem.
  • Providing a positive and preventative curriculum that teaches and supports young children.
  • Working in partnership with mothers, fathers and carers.
  • Working in an inclusive way that helps every child.
  • Working in an integrated way with other agencies that maximises opportunities.
  • Having up-to-date safeguarding policies, procedures and guidance.
  • Having well trained staff and management.

Definition of safeguarding

St Luke’s Pre-School adopts the definition of safeguarding used in the Children Act 2004 and Working Together to Safeguard Children (2010), which focuses on safeguarding and promoting children, including unborn children, and young people’s welfare and can be summarised as:

  • Protecting children from maltreatment.
  • Preventing impairment of children’s health or development.
  • Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care, and
  • Undertaking that role so as to enable those children to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully.

Our staff, students and volunteers may become aware of child protection concerns in the course of their work from a number of routes;

  • Raised by the child themselves,
  • Through direct activity and observation.
  • Alleged by others e.g. a member of the public contacting the setting or by a parental complaint.

The concern might relate to:

  • What is happening (or has happened) to a child outside the setting e.g. in their own family.
  • What is or may be happening (or happened in the past) to a child in our setting

The concerns may be about the behaviour of a:

  • Child, young person or adult in the community (for instance a relative or family friend).
  • Peer (for instance another child in our setting).
  • Member of staff, student or volunteer from our setting.
  • Member of staff, student or volunteer from another service/setting  received or attended by the child.

The concern may relate to actions or inaction (for instance insufficient response by a parent in response to illness or injury to a child) .

The concern may be about a current situation or past events.

The concern may involve allegations or disclosures of;

  • physical abuse.
  • physical neglect.
  • sexual abuse.
  • emotional abuse or neglect.
  • a combination of one or more of these categories.

Staff and volunteers may receive this information by one or more means, such as through observation, discussion, the review of child records or accident forms, a telephone call, a letter, an email.

Purpose of this document

The purpose of this document is to outline our policy for responding to concerns regarding the safeguarding and protection of children and young people aged less than 18 years, including unborn children. This policy combined with the associated procedures provides guidance to all staff, students and volunteers who may come across concerns of this nature within the context of their work with us. These include:

  • All members of our workforce, including early years practitioners and other staff;
  • Students on placement;
  • Volunteers;
  • Individuals, consultants and agencies contracted by our service

The policy seeks to promote effective multi-agency working in light of the Children Act 2004 and Working Together to Safeguard Children (2010).

The Child Protection Officer in this setting is:

Name: Pam Heath
Job title: Manager
Contact telephone number: 0114 2306034

The Deputy Child Protection Officer in this setting is;

Name: Rachel Allis
Job title: Business / Deputy Manager
Contact telephone number: 0114 2306034

In all cases talk to the Child Protection Officer or Deputy Child Protection Officer without delay:

The role of the Child Protection Officer

To enable the setting to meet the safeguarding responsibilities set out in this document, the Child Protection Officer’s responsibilities include;

  • Supervision, Support and Training   
  • Integrated Practice
  • Ensuring that the setting is meeting its legal and statutory requirements, in liaison with the registered person

How our setting will put this safeguarding policy into practice

By following the current South Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Boards’ Child Protection Procedures.

Share all relevant information with the respective statutory child protection agencies without delay.

Ensure all staff, students and volunteers working for our setting will have a good understanding of safeguarding and child protection concerns.

Identify risks to children, highlight them and seek to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to safeguard the children concerned.

We will ensure that all staff, students and volunteers and those who undertake work on our behalf, maintain a proper focus on safeguarding children and that this is reflected in both sound individual practice and our internal policies and guidance.

All staff, students and volunteers working with children must:

  • Give highest priority to children’s welfare
  • Ask for advice and support to act on safeguarding concerns and take appropriate action
  • Access relevant, up-to-date safeguarding and child protection training
  • Recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns relating to children
  • Respond appropriately to disclosure of abuse by a child
  • Respond appropriately to allegations against staff, other adults, and against themselves
  • Follow whistleblowing procedures to respond to concerns about potential wrongdoing in the setting
  • Act appropriately and understand safe practice in carrying out their duties
  • Be alert to the risks which abusers, or potential abusers, may pose
  • Be aware of the importance of the role of early years services in promoting the welfare of children
  • Contribute as necessary to all stages of the setting’s safeguarding and protection processes

St Luke’s Pre-School safeguarding procedures are set out in a separate document available in the policy document folder.

This policy will be reviewed annually.