Safeguarding

 Keeping Children Safe:

• We put the needs of the child first

• We help and support children as early as possible before issues escalate and become more damaging.

• Safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility and everyone at our setting is trained to act in a timely and coordinated manner to respond to any concerns about the welfare of a child in our care. 

The Early Years Foundation Stage sets the foundation of safeguarding measures for us to follow. They are based on four overarching principles, including:

• Children learn and develop best in an enabling environment

• Children are unique, learn constantly and can become resilient, capable, confident and self-assured

• Children learn and develop best in different ways and at different rates

• Children learn strength and independence from positive relationships.

Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

How do we protect children in our care?

Everyone at Stanway pre-school is given training and guidance to understand how to recognise the signs and symptoms that could indicate a child is being abused, but also how to respond and make child protection referrals. 

Keeping children safe in education - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)  Is the Guidance we follow.

The government guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) and What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused (2015) provides a national framework for all agencies working with children to join in partnership to safeguard  children effectively.

We consider this guidance and implement robust safeguarding policies and procedures for our setting, which outline how to respond to and record concerns about children and vulnerable adults.

We ensure our policies align with the safeguarding policies of our local children’s safeguarding board.

We make sure all staff and volunteers understand and can implement our policies and procedures through inductions, supervisions and regular training.

Our practitioners or volunteers, are trained to be alert to the signs and symptoms of abuse, know how to report safeguarding concerns, and how to escalate your concerns if necessary. 

How do we promote health and well being of our children?

An important component of safeguarding the children in our care is promoting good health and wellbeing.  High standards of hygiene and cleanliness help prevent the spread of infections and illnesses in our setting.

We have procedures for administering medication and supporting children with medical needs or who appear unwell during the day.

We identify any allergies when children first registers, we have procedures in place to prevent contact with allergenic substances, and make all families aware of items that we can have in the setting.

Healthy eating, ensuring fresh drinking water is accessible at all times and meeting first aid requirements are all embedded into our daily practice. 

Risk assessments

We carry out daily risk assessments across the building and garden to identify aspects of the setting that may cause a risk to the children or adults. We make sure the relevant actions are taken and updated when necessary. We also carry out risk assessments regularly on any new activity, resource or outings to ensure the children remain safe at all times.

We do not always eliminate risks to the children — children are given the opportunity to take appropriate risks as these may benefit their development and learning— but we always take ‘reasonable precautions’ and ensure that staff are trained and aware of their responsibilities. 

We have several policies in place covering all of our procedures to safeguard the children and vulnerable adults. Please see the policies tab to view any of our policies. 

Keeping Children safe online