Safeguarding Policy
“Wensum Valley Nursery School is committed to safeguarding and
promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff
and volunteers to share this commitment” – Children’s Workforce
Development Council 2009.
At Wensum Valley Nursery School, the welfare of your child is
paramount to us. It is our statutory duty to protect all children within
our care, (Section 40 Childcare Act 2006).
“Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined for the
purposes of this guidance as:
• protecting children from maltreatment;
• preventing impairment of children's health or development;
• ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the
provision of safe and effective care; and
• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes”
(From: Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015)
Therefore the purpose of this policy is to
 to ensure every child registered within our Nursery is safe and
protected from harm
 to ensure all those working within the setting, including students &
volunteers, have a clear understanding of the legal responsibility to
safeguard and promote the welfare of all children,
 to ensure parents/carers have a clear understanding of our legal
responsibilities relating to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of
all children,
 to prevent impairment of health or development
 to enable children to have optimum life chances and enter adulthood
successfully.
Updated June 2015
EYFS key themes and commitments
A Unique Child
1.3 Keeping safe
Positive
Enabling
Learning and
Relationships
Environments
Development
2.1 Respecting
3.4 The wider
4.4 Personal, social
each other
context
and emotional
2.2 Parents as
development
partners
This policy will give clear direction to staff, students, volunteers, visitors
and parents about the expected behaviour and our legal responsibility to
safeguard and promote the welfare of all at the Nursery.
Our Nursery fully recognises the contribution it can make to protect
children from harm and supporting and promoting the welfare of all children
at our Nursery.
The elements of our policy are: Prevention (ensuring we recruit suitable people safely and
appropriately)
 Child Protection
 Staff Training & Support.
Our Nursery will establish and maintain an ethos where our children feel
secure, are encouraged to talk, are listened to and are safe. Children will be
able to talk freely to any member of staff if they are worried or concerned
about something.
Throughout our curriculum we will provide activities and opportunities that
will equip our children with the skills they need to stay safe. This will also be
extended to include material that will encourage our children to develop
essential life skills.
At all times we will work in partnership and endeavour to establish effective
working relationships with parents, carers and colleagues from other
agencies.
Updated June 2015
This means we will always work to:
 Ensure our children grow up in circumstances consistent with the
provision of safe and effective care
 Protect our children from maltreatment
 Prevent impairment of our children’s health or development
 Maintain a culture where adults are encouraged to share concerns and
can follow whistle-blowing and child protection referral procedures
 Ensure all staff are well trained and knowledgeable about
safeguarding issues
 Informing and educating parents / carers of our legal responsibilities
relating to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children
 Undertake that role so as to enable our children to have optimum life
chances and enter adulthood successfully.
This policy has been written in accordance with the Norfolk
Safeguarding Children’s Board (NSCB) guidance and the Early Years
Foundation Stage (2008/2012/2014) requirements.
Confidentiality
We, as a Nursery, will ensure that those working in the Nursery, whether
paid or unpaid will
 Keep concerns regarding a child confidential and only share them with
those that need to know in order to protect children in line with the
referral process
 Always keep records secure and accessible only to those who need to
know in order to protect children
 Sign the safeguarding policy which includes the requirement for
confidentiality.
Roles & Responsibilities
All adults who come into contact with our children have a duty of care to
safeguard and promote their welfare. There is a legal duty placed upon us to
ensure that all adults who work with or on behalf of our children are
competent, confident and safe to do so.
Updated June 2015
Our Safeguarding Lead Practitioner (SLP) within the Nursery
is Pauline Rowley.
Our Deputy Safeguarding Lead Practitioners are Hayley
Battams.
Each year the Chair of the Management Committee is also appointed as a
Safeguarding Representative for the Committee. S/He will undertake the
necessary training required. This year’s chair is Helena Riches
All committee members are safely recruited to the role from the
parents of our children, by invitation to a yearly AGM and by them
undertaking a DBS check (to ensure suitability to serve) and signing a
confidentiality agreement.
Procedures
Through appropriate training, knowledge and experience, our SLP will liaise
with Children’s Services and other agencies where necessary, and make
referrals to Children’s Services. Our SLP’s will represent the Nursery at
Core group Meetings and will be responsible for ensuring that all staff
members and volunteers are aware of our policy and the procedures they
need to follow.
All visitors are required to record their details in our ‘visitor’s book’ and
must not have mobile phones or cameras on their person whilst on the
premises. They must be left in the office if with them. We also ensure that
no unauthorised person has unsupervised access to the children, e.g. only
members of staff allowed in toilet area with the children,
students/volunteers do not enter they must seek out a member of staff to
attend.
Training
Lead Practitioners will ensure all staff, students, volunteers and regular
visitors will receive appropriate Safeguarding & Child Protection information
during induction.
When a new employee joins the setting, they will be informed of our
safeguarding arrangements in place. They will be given a copy of our
safeguarding policy and told who the designated professionals are.
Updated June 2015
The induction programme for new staff will include basic safeguarding
information relating to signs and symptoms of abuse, how to manage and
record a disclosure from a child and issues of confidentiality.
All our staff are required to attend appropriate Safeguarding & Child
Protection Training in line with NSCB guidance as soon as possible after
appointment if a current qualification is not in place and to keep this
updated. The Designated Lead Practitioners will refresh their training every
3 years. All other staff will complete the one day SAFE training course also
every 3 years. This training will ensure they are aware of the 4 types of
Child Abuse – Physical, Emotional, Sexual and Neglect and the indicators
associated with them. Staff are all aware of their duty to observe, monitor,
record and refer, if required. Staff will also be aware of the “Threshold”
Guide and will use this as a guidance tool to identify the level of help a child
may need.
Parents/Carers
At all times we will work in partnership and endeavour to establish effective
working relationships with parents & carers.
All policies are available to staff, committee members and Parents. Everyone
is asked to read and agree to all policies by signing the relevant form.
Parents sign the registration form when their child joins the nursery. Staff
will sign to confirm they have read all policies at their induction upon joining
and when a policy has been updated. A change of circumstances form at
every supervision meeting, the committee sign a similar form yearly if they
serve for more than one year.
Partnerships work two ways and there is an expectation that parents/carers
will inform the Nursery of changes in home arrangements or circumstances
which may have a big impact on the child. A check on child
details/circumstances is sent home if a child attends the setting for more
than one year.
Equally we expect to be informed of existing injuries or accidents which
have occurred to the child outside of nursery. These injuries will be
recorded on our pre-existing injury sheets. If information is not
forthcoming, it will be sought from the parent/carer as soon as possible and
recorded. These are filed in the child’s registration file. It is the safety of
the child that is our paramount concern.
Updated June 2015
Conversely, we would expect parents/carers to also hold us accountable for
their child’s safety and question us if any concerns, injuries are raised.
Any injuries, accidents or incidents which occur at nursery are recorded in
the accident book, which the parent/carer will be asked to sign at the end of
the session.
3 Record books are kept at Nursery in order to aid us in protecting and
safeguarding the children and staff.
These are:
 Physical Injury – pre-existing injuries which have occurred prior to
Nursery are noted in here
 Physical Handling – If a member of staff has to physically remove a
child from a situation which may cause harm to them or another child,
these incidents will be recorded
 Intimate Care – This is our record of when a child was changed at
Nursery, by whom and what help was given e.g. nappy changing,
changing clothes after toilet accident or when dirty.
The record books are kept securely and are available to the staff only.
All observations will be kept confidential, i.e. if a child has a specific injury,
mark, bruise, or burn; if a child tells of a worrying incident; if someone else
speaks of their concerns about a child.
If there is a more general concern that has built up over a period of time,
there are several ways to proceed depending on the level of concern and
urgency of the situation.
We will continue to welcome a child and their family whilst investigations are
being made in relation to any abuse. We will follow any Child Protection Plan
as set by the child’s social care worker in relation to the setting’s designated
role and tasks in supporting the child and their family, subsequent to any
investigation.
Children may be able to speak for themselves and give an acceptable
explanation. We may speak to parents about our concerns. If we feel uneasy
about any explanations given then we will seek guidance from the relevant
authority.
Updated June 2015
What is abuse?
Abuse is forms of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse a child by
inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused
in a family or in an institutional or community setting, by those known to
them or, more rarely, by a stranger for example, via the internet. They may
be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.
Physical abuse
Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or
scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a
child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates
the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.
Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as
to 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. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express
their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or
how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate
expectations being imposed on children.
These may include interactions that are beyond the child’s developmental
capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and
learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction.
It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve
serious bullying (including cyber-bullying), causing children frequently to feel
frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some
level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child,
though it may occur alone.
Updated June 2015
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part
in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether
or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve
physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral
sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and
touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities,
such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images,
watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually
inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via
the internet). Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males.
Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.
Neglect
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. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of
maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent
or carer failing to:
 Provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from
home or abandonment)
 Protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger
 Ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate caregivers)
 Ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.
It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic
emotional needs.
If there is a case of suspected sexual abuse or fear of further harm could
come to the child, the parent/carer will not be told that Nursery has
contacted Children’s Services.
Safer Working Practice
All adults who come into contact with our children have a duty of care to
safeguard and promote their welfare. There is a legal duty placed upon us to
ensure that all adults who work with or on behalf of our children are
competent, confident and safe to do so.
Updated June 2015
We will undertake enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and
use any other means of ensuring we are recruiting and selecting the most
suitable people to work without children. We will use the recruitment and
selection process to deter and reject unsuitable candidates as demonstrated
in the Safeguarding handbook issued by Norfolk County Council.
Applicants for posts within the provision are clearly informed that the
positions are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
Candidates are informed of the need to carry out 'enhanced disclosure'
checks with the Criminal Records Bureau before posts can be confirmed.
We will not employ anyone until we have completed a DBS checks and
received references. Regular volunteers and students (over 16) will also be
DBS checked.
Any volunteers, helpers & students will never be left alone with the
children unless their suitability has been checked and a DBS certificate
is in place.
A member of staff will have an enhanced DBS check every 3 years to ensure
best practice, on rolling basis of 2 staff members per year. They will also be
asked to complete a questionnaire to disclose any convictions, cautions, court
orders or reprimands and warnings by them or someone who lives with them,
which may affect their continued suitability to work with children at
Supervision meetings. (1/2 termly basis).
Planning
The layout of the room allows for constant supervision. No child is left alone
with staff or volunteers in a one to one situation without being visible or in
earshot of others.
Curriculum
We introduce key elements of keeping children safe into our programme to
promote the personal, social and emotional development of all children, so
that they may grow to be strong, resilient and listened to and that they
develop an understanding of why and how to keep safe.
We create within the setting a culture of value and respect for the
individual, having positive regard for children’s heritage arising from their
colour, ethnicity, languages spoken at home, cultural and social background.
Updated June 2015
Personal Mobile Phones owned by Staff members and visitors are kept in
the office during Nursery hours. ‘No Mobile Phones’ signs are displayed
in the Nursery and parents are reminded to put away their mobile
phones before entering the premises. Digital Cameras will be used inside
and in the outside area only, unless on an outing. The cameras will be stored
in a locked filing cabinet when not in use. Further details can be found in our
E-Safety Policy.
Allegations against adults
All staff are encouraged to raise any issues or concerns regarding another
member of staff to the Supervisor. There may be times when they feel that
raising the matter would be disloyal to colleagues, managers or the
organisation. We have a Whistle-blowing policy which protects staff who
finds themselves in this position. It is always stressed to our staff that the
children’s safety is the most important issue here.
Our setting follows the Norfolk Safeguarding Children’s Board flowchart of
advice (this is displayed in our foyer) –
“Managing allegations and concerns about adults who work with children in a
group setting.” (Appendix C).
The Nursery will immediately contact our Local Authority Designated
Officer (LADO) on 01603 223473. The LADO will be responsible for any
investigation. We will also contact Ofsted.
If a member of staff or volunteer is accused of any form of child abuse,
s/he will be notified immediately and suspended (on full pay if applicable)
until the matter is resolved.
If a member of staff has been dismissed due to engaging in activities that
cause concern for the safeguarding of children, we will notify the Disclosure
and Baring Service (DBS) so that the individual can be identified and barred
from working with vulnerable groups in the future.
The Ofsted ‘Parents’ Poster is displayed at the Nursery and includes the up
to date telephone number and address of Ofsted should any parent wish to
contact them directly regarding a safeguarding issue.
Updated June 2015
Other relevant Policies
Safeguarding Children is much broader than Child Protection. It affects
everything we do at Nursery from how high the outside fence is to the use
of sun hats and sun cream, from the resources we buy for the children to
play with and use to our healthy eating leaflet and what we provide for
snacks each day.
Please refer to the attached chart (appendix A) and the following main
policies also regarding safeguarding:
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E-Safety
Confidentiality
Whistle-blowing
Staffing
Complaints
Health & Safety
Risk Assessment
Illness
Intimate Care
Lost Child
Late collection of a child
Fire Procedures
Emergency closures
Equal Opportunities
Special Educational Needs
Behaviour Management
Transition
Staff Code of Conduct
Gifts Policy
Key Legislation and guidance
The following is a list of the most recent legislation and guidance which has
informed this policy: Working Together to Safeguard Children (2015)
 What to do if you are Worried a Child is Being Abused (2015)
 Norfolk Safeguarding Children Board (NCSB) guidance
Updated June 2015
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Early Years Foundation Stage (2008/2012)
Children Act (1989 s47)
Protection of Children Act (1999)
Data Protection Act (1998)
The Children Act (Every Child Matters) (2004)
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (2006)
Safeguarding Procedures
Our setting follows the Norfolk Safeguarding Children’s Board flowchart of
advice – “What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused.” (displayed in
the foyer) (Appendix B)
An adult working in the Nursery may have a concern about the
safety/welfare of a child which can arise from: They have noticed a change in a child and a number of the possible
indicators of abuse have been observed
 The child has become withdrawn or is missing from the setting
regularly
 They have noticed some of the high risk factors within the family
 The child has spoken to them about abuse
 They have noticed an unexplained injury
If a child makes a disclosure, our member of staff: Will remain calm and reassure the child
 Will listen carefully and attentively
 Will tell the child that the information will be passed on if they tell
something that makes them think the child is unsafe
 Will not use leading questions
 Will record the date, time and will record the child’s own words as
accurately & as soon as possible
 Will pass the written information to the SLP without delay
 Will not interrogate the child or investigate the allegation
Any concerns regarding a child should be recorded in writing, including date
and time (on the Record of Concerns form kept in the accident book) and
given to the SLP without delay. The SLP will then decide on the appropriate
course of action based on the flowchart.
Updated June 2015
If there is an immediate risk of significant harm, a clear allegation of abuse
or serious concerns about a child’s welfare, then the matter will be
immediately referred to Children’s Services on 0344 800 8014. Verbal
referrals will then be followed up in writing within 24 hours on the NSCB1
form (a copy of this is available in our safeguarding folder in Nursery office
or online http://www.nscb.norfolk.gov.uk/forms.asp). These must be
forwarded to the MASH team at mash@norfolkgcsx.gov.uk or sent to Floor
5, Vantage House, Fishers Lane, Norwich NR2 1ET.
If there are concerns but a lack of information or uncertainly regarding a
referral, then guidance will be sought from the MASH team on 0344 800
8020 for a professional consultation.
There are 2 types of professional consultation. The first is where the SLP
rings to discuss and share information about an identified child. This
requires the Nursery to inform the family and gain consent BEFORE the call
is made.
The second is where the SLP may want to talk through situation/concerns
about a child but without sharing the child’s details. No consent for this is
required unless further action is felt necessary after the consultation. In
both cases however, if by telling the family it is felt that the child is put at
further risk of harm, a child protection referral should be made.
The SLP will always take the name and the contact details of who they speak
to on a consultation.
They will ask for a child protection or safeguarding children professional
consultation with a manager/advanced practitioner. The information will be
passed to an experienced social worker who will usually return the call within
24 hours. The professional consultation might result in a formal referral and
investigation or advice that supports continued work with the family without
a referral. A record of the consultation, together with a written record
from Children’s Services, will be kept on file.
Ongoing concerns about a child’s needs or the needs of a family who appear
to require support will initially be dealt with by referral to the parent to ask
for consent to initiate the Family Support Process (FSP). This is to enable all
parties involved with the family to share information at joint meetings. Any
uncertainty about this course of action should always be referred to
Children’s Services.
Updated June 2015
If there is any fundamental disagreement with the judgement of the
Safeguarding Lead Practitioner (SLP) or their deputy in relation to a
decision not to make a professional consultation or referral, staff must feel
able to refer the matter to the Children’s Services if they are worried
about a child. Individuals should take personal responsibility for following
the safeguarding policy, procedures and guidance as they judge it to apply in
the situation. It is their legal and moral duty.
All safeguarding information is kept in the office. Confidential matters
locked in the file box; the Safeguarding guidance folder is kept on the shelf
next to the desk.
Adopted and signed on behalf of Wensum Valley Nursery School Committee
by__________________________________ Registered Person.
Updated June 2015