Outline_Current_Legislation,_Guidelines,_Policies_and_Procedures_Within_Own_Uk_Home_Nation_Affecting_the_Safeguarding_of_Children_and_Young_People

Outline current legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures within own UK Home Nation affecting the safeguarding of children and young people The key pieces of legislation that support the safeguarding of children are the Children Act 1989, Children Act 2004 and the Childcare Act 2006. The Children Act 1989 set out principles to guide the work of local authorities and courts and also defined ‘significant harm’ and a child ‘in need’ of intervention. The Children Act 2004 provides the legal basis for children’s services set out in the Every Child Matters: Change for Children document. The statutory guidance on making arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children under section 11 of the Children Act 2004 sets out the key functions that our setting, has to achieve in carrying daily activities with the children so as to maximise their opportunities whilst minimising their risk. The Childcare Act 2006, however, is the first piece of legislation that is primarily concerned with Early Years and Childcare and introduces the early years foundation stage (EYFS) which supports settings in delivering high quality integrated early education. Our settings responsibility is the welfare and well-being of all the children in their care. In order to safeguard children we comply with the local protection procedures approved by the Surrey Safeguarding Children Board and ensure that all staff are appropriately trained and that procedures are put into practice. My manager liaises regularly with other childcare agencies, such as health visitors, the local SureStart centre, social services and Ofsted, in her role as Child Protection Liaison Officer (CPLO) to ensure that all staff are trained to recognise any signs of abuse and any concerns directed to the nursery school will then be treated with absolute confidentiality and sensitivity. Any concern is discussed with the child (appropriate to their age) and with the parents and we would hope to get their agreement in order to make a referral to social services via carrying out a Common Assessment Framework (CAF), unless it is felt the discussion would place the child at risk of harm. If, after this discussion there are still concerns then our CPLO would make a referral to the Children’s team and carry out a CAF without the consent of the parents. If a child discloses, or partially discloses, an issue which raises concerns this is immediately documented in the incident book. Any other concerns are also logged in the incident book in chronological order. Parental allegations made against a member of staff are reported to the Daily Manager in strict confidence, who will then pass the information on to the Child Protection Liaison Officer or the deputy CPLO. Alternatively, the parents/carers may contact the CPLO or deputy CPLO directly. Our setting has created a number of policies protecting the children’s welfare, such as the Parent Complaint Procedure, Lost Child Policy, Confidentiality Policy, Major incident policy, Staffing and Employment Policy and Using Photographic Images of Children Information and Consent Form. We also require the parents to sign a number of consent forms regarding outings. The CPLO is required to be trained to level 3 of the Surrey Safeguarding Children Board’s Child Protection Modules. The Deputy CPLO is required to be trained to level 2. All other staff are trained in the Early Years Safeguarding Children qualification and all have an enhanced CRB check. From July 2010 (and phased in over a 5year period) anyone working (or volunteering) with children or vulnerable adults will need to register with the Independant Safeguarding Authority (ISA) The ISA will collate information from a range of different sources including the Criminal Records Bureau and will be responsible for decision making with regard to the prevention of unsuitable people working with children or vulnerable groups. The CRB will process the registration applications to the ISA and will continue to monitor applicants against any new information that may come to light from a variety of sources, this is alongside the CRB’s recognised role as an organisation that provides employers with an up to date record of any criminal records that a potential employee may have. Our CPLO is kept up to date through information from the Early Years and Childcare Service e-bulletin, which is received on a monthly basis with any relevant updated information that a nursery school would require to work to. Ofsted inform our setting of any changes in phone numbers or contact details andour setting also subscribes to The Early Years Education magazine, which is published monthly and includes a wealth of information about all aspects of childcare. The teachernet and Every Child Matters sites are also accessed regularly so that any changes in policy can be closely monitored. Our CPLO also carrys out regular checks of the internet to make sure that my practice is always up to date. My managers have a very strong ethos about keeping all staff updated through training programmes and have privately trained all staff in First Aid, including the use of epi-pens, behaviour management to reinforce positive behaviour and to ensure that the same attitude is shared by everyone, and Fire Procedures. Our setting has been taking part in the two-year old pilot project, run by Early Years, over the last year, and have supported five children through the project. It enables children who have come from difficult backgrounds, or who have been placed on the Child Protection register to enjoy a place at nursery. The funding allows provision of extra resources for these children as well as some one-one time with them each week. The families are given information about the local SureStart centre, the courses they run and anything else that Early Years feels is appropriate. The nursery then becomes the liaison between all the agencies, with our CPLO taking the lead role. This is especially important for those children where outside agencies are already involved, such as social services, because it allows those agencies to view the child in a different surrounding to the norm. Our setting also keeps in regular contact with the local SureStart centre to ensure that our practices are kept up to date and that children from all backgrounds can enjoy the benefits that they bring to the local community. We have also invited visitors into the setting from ‘protective’ professions, such as the local policeman and a nurse from the great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. Overall, the welfare and well-being of the children is our primary concern as Early years practitioners and as such we strive to deliver the best we can to all the children in a safe and secure environment. 1.2. Explain child protection within the wider concept of safeguarding children and young people Child protection is a part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. It refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm. The Staying Safe Action Plan covers three main areas: universal safeguarding, involving work to keep all children and young people safe and to create safe environments for them; targeted safeguarding to reduce the risks of harm for vulnerable groups of children and young people; and responsive safeguarding, involving responding effectively when children are harmed. The Action plan is about more than just preventing accidents or stopping bullying. It covers the full span of the Every Child Matters ‘stay safe’ outcome – keeping children safe from neglect and abuse, accidents, bullying, crime and anti-social behaviour and providing a safe and stable home environment. Other important aspects of the plan are forced marriages and missing children Keeping children safe from accidents – The DCSF has contracted the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) to deliver a new £18m National Home Safety Equipment Scheme designed to help the most disadvantaged families reduce the risk of accidents in the home Crime and Bullying – Bullying can make the lives of victims a misery; it can undermine their confidence and self-esteem and can destroy their sense of security. Bullying can happen anywhere – not just in schools. For this reason, the Government has published Safe from Bullying, a suite of guidance and resources to help practitioners tackle bullying in: • FE colleges • play and leisure provision • youth activities • children's homes • extended services in and around schools • journeys around the community. These guidance documents set out how different local services can work together to prevent and respond to bullying. They are supported by guidance for LAs and other strategic leaders on reducing bullying in the community and a suite of training resources. Actively promoting their welfare in a healthy and safe environment - Wellbeing is defined by the five positive outcomes set out in the Children Act 2004. They are: • physical and mental health and emotional well-being • protection from harm and neglect • education, training and recreation • the contribution made by them to society • social and economic well-being it is important to safeguard the welfare of children because all children and young people have a basic right to build a positive future and this includes emotional, physical and mental health Good emotional well-being and mental health will enable the child to build positive relationships and cope with the ups and downs of life. It will help them to realise their own potential and have the opportunity to develop emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. There are three main influences on a child’s welfare, these are: 1. The child’s developmental needs • Health • education • emotional & behavioural development • identity • family and social relationships • social presentation • self -care skills 2. The capacity of the child’s parents or carers to parent: • basic care • ensuring safety • emotional warmth • stimulation • guidance and boundaries • stability 3. Family and environmental factors • family history and functioning • wider family • housing • employment • income • family’s social integration • community resources (From framework for the assessment of children in need and their families, Department of Health, Department of Education, Home Office 2000). It is not just parents who are responsible for the welfare of children and young people, As a professional in a child care setting the carer can use their knowledge, skills, and values to enhance the experience of children over a wide range of areas. Those skills can be used to: • recognise when a child or young person may not be achieving their developmental potential • recognise when a child’s health is impaired • identify appropriate sources of help for children and their families There are many skills that will help the child carer to fulfil their duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, For example, • children and young people will more readily relate to the carer if a trusting and respectful relationship can be built up with them • a carer should understand what is meant by safeguarding and know in what different ways children and young people can be harmed • a carer should understand the parents’ role in safeguarding and promoting children and young people's welfare and involve them accordingly • a carer should give careful thought regarding how to act to safeguard and promote a child or young person's welfare • a carer should know the signs of abuse and understand that the signs may be subtle and could be expressed in a variety of ways, including play, artwork, and in their relationships with other individuals • carers should ensure children or young people are given the opportunity to participate in decisions affecting them, as appropriate to their age and ability • carers should undertake assessments and be vigilant to unexplained changes in behaviour and signs of neglect or abuse • carers should observe, record, and report making a distinction between observation, facts, information gained from others and opinion, using the appropriate IT and language skills effectively • carers should be able to recognise when a child or young person is in danger or at risk of harm, and know what action to take to protect them • carers should develop appropriate professional relationships with children and young people • a carer should be able to evaluate objectively • a carer should have the confidence to challenge their own and others' practice • a carer should be confident in their ability to represent the child or young person and his or her rights Forced marriages - A forced marriage is a marriage conducted without the full consent of both parties and where duress is a factor. It is an entirely separate issue from arranged marriage, and the two should not be confused. In an arranged or assisted marriage, the families take a role in choosing and introducing the marriage partners, but the marriage is entered into freely by both people, without duress being a factor. In a forced marriage, this consent does not exist. Missing children - When there are outstanding concerns about children's safety, local agencies and professionals should bear in mind that a series of missed appointments may indicate that a family has moved out of the area or overseas. The same regard should be paid to the welfare of unborn children. Children's social care and the police should be notified immediately when such concerns arise Other ways in which we safeguard include Risk assessments, providing safe environment/resources inside and out Adhering to policy, procedure and legislation. i.e. Health and safety - fire drills, missing children. Keeping our training up to date. Encouraging learning and development. Assessment observation to identify addition support needs. (CAF) Working together making referrals.