Organisation/Theme:
Early Years
Executive lead for
safeguarding children:
Yvette Stanley
Name of person
completing form:
Allison Jones
Service Manager Early Years, Childcare and Children’s
Centres
Please complete this form and return by
Assessment and evidence of the safeguarding children situation and significant
activities in your organisation over the last 12 months
Assessment of safeguarding children situation:
 New Ofsted framework in place for childcare providers with increased focus on
early years providers suitability processes which includes safe recruitment and
evidence of on-going suitability
 Local assessment of some practice in PVI sector shows gaps in safeguarding
procedures, knowledge and practice
 National assessment (Ofsted) shows 74% of childminders and 81% of daycare
providers are good and above in early years inspections. Data shows a positive
overview for inspection outcomes in areas of deprivation (no variance for
childminders and +2% for daycare)
 Assessment at end of Early years Foundation Stage shows that children living in
the South Mitcham locality postcodes are the lowest achieving in the borough
and have the highest number of children in the lowest 20%
 Needs assessment (Children’s Centres) show children in east of the borough
continue to be disadvantaged and at risk of poorer outcomes
 Assessment of early years workforce shows on going requirement for CPD in
key areas including child development, identifying need and understanding
thresholds and referral pathways
Evidence
 National evidence shows impact of positive early years experience for developing
brain and wellbeing – parents, Children’s Centres and early years childcare/early
education are key in supporting early brain development.
 Performance data – Children’s Centres, EYFSP, 0-5s Supporting Families and
Ofsted grades inform priorities and service development
 Early Years Consultant and Children’s Centre monitoring visits show that there
are some gaps in implementation of good practice in line with local Improvement
Frameworks and OFSTED
 Q1 and Q2 data from LAN shows steady flow of children, with marginally fewer
identified from South Mitcham which needs further analysis
 Increased numbers of families using Children’s Centres from targeted areas and
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from targeted age groups, but further analysis of services by vulnerable groups
required
Staff/workforce developing confidence in supporting families with identified
needs, but on going support required
Specific support for childminders and day nurseries in relation to implementing
LADO procedures
Childcare staff developing increased and improved understanding of
safeguarding issues in relation to partnership working across multi agency
professionals (training evaluation)
2 year old funded places are taken up by children with a social worker (LA
discretionary priority)
Workforce proactive in engaging with the key agendas and engage with training,
support and advice and new initiatives
Significant Activities
Training:
Provision of safeguarding training for all Ofsted registered settings .
We have three main courses which are: Safeguarding for Leaders & Managers (covering safe recruitment, safeguarding
procedures, role of LADO, staff allegations and whistleblowing) Attendance 99
 Safeguarding Lead (covering referral routes into MASH, supporting families team
and CC LAN. Writing a CASA. Awareness of LBM procedure and Ofsted
requirements. Information sharing) Attendance 70
 Basic safeguarding / Introduction to child protection (4 types of abuse, toxic trio,
referral into MASH, early intervention referral routes, what to do if you are worried
about a child, working together to safeguard children) Attendance 368
2 x workshops for PVI settings in April 2013, informing them of the changes in relation
to MASH and CASA, and of the new children centre LANs (locality allocation networks)
Attendance 108
Support for the initial foster carer training and plans to provide further training for foster
carers around child development and supporting children’s learning in the home.
Settings delivering places for vulnerable two year olds are encouraged to complete an
accredited training course which includes a safeguarding module and working as part of
an integrated team. Attendance 40
Training to staff across children centres in relation to using the estart system safely and
in a manner which is in line with data protection and information sharing.
Attendance 20 (In response to evidence of staff not following correct procedures.)
Rollout of Five to Thrive training across Children’s Centre localities
Development of a workforce strategy for Children’s Centres and early years workforce
Access to services
2 year old funded education
Merton has included local discretionary places for vulnerable to two year olds who
currently have a child protection plan or child in need but do not meet the governments
eligibility criteria. This year introduced a process of targeted contact for all known
children to the local authority aged two to facilitate take up of places
LAC
Partnership work with the Virtual Schools team, supporting LAC children under statutory
school age, by visiting them in their PVI setting, maintained nursery and in the foster
home, to ensure that LAC children under 5 are well supported in their development.
Children’s Centre Locality Working
Locality Models of delivery
The borough has moved to a locality model of delivery , with a greater emphasis on
supporting families who have the most to gain from accessing early years services.
There are 3 localities delivering Children’s Centres services from 3 lead centres with 8
linked centres
Locality 1. Wimbledon and Morden (Newminster, Lower Morden, Avenue and Bridge)
Locality 2 North Mitcham and Collliers Wood (Church, Abbey, Lavender Steers
Mead/London Road
Locality 3 South Mitcham
Locality Allocation Networks
Development of locality models of delivery incorporating Locality Allocation Networks
(LAN’s) across the 3 children centre localities. The LAN provides a single referral
pathway for supporting families through use of CASA. The meeting is attended by
named Social Worker to give advice around thresholds and safe practice.
Embedding CASA and safe practice
Development of new Family Map and planning tool using CASA outcomes framework
with greater emphasis on gathering child’s view and engaging parents rolled out across
the CC services (includes 0-5s Supporting Families Team)
Setting up the new 0-5s family support service, to include social workers and family
support workers and CAMHS worker. Family Support Worker delivering service as part
of the IAPT programme
Setting up new case management, case audit, QA, management oversight and case
supervision across Children’s Centres
Monitoring Performance
All children’s centres are subject to a quarterly performance monitoring visit by the LA
which includes a rigorous safeguarding section. All centres undertake an annual
safeguarding audit and the performance monitoring includes investigation into the use of
the CASA process (appropriateness of referrals and the impact of intervention). Actions
identified are followed up in order to make change before the next visit.
Information sharing and data protection
Staff in children centres have been supported to devise clear procedures and protocols
around information sharing and data protection
Systems and processes have been developed to gather early years information as
requested via the MASH navigator
Improving the parenting programme offer
Delivery of evidenced based parenting programmes to include evidence based
Incredible Years across the ages of 0-6 delivered across localities with new
programmes for identified parents with children aged 0-1 year olds and toddlers.
Working with health
Partnership work with health to support delivery of 2 year development check and
targeted work and share data
Commissioned a review of Early Years and integrated services/health to inform future
commissioning and service development and clarity of integrated referral pathways
Delivery of the Family Nurse Partnership
Working with early years day care providers
Embed new Continuous Improvement Framework
Ensure safeguarding is prioritised/audited/monitored as part of terms and conditions of
funding
Staff allegations
We have worked with the LADO regarding allegations against staff, childminders and
volunteers.
We have devised new procedures around allegations against staff and notification of
serious accident or death in any setting registered with Ofsted.
Impact of activity:
Training
Over 500 staff and managers are now familiar with safeguarding procedure, and know
how to make a referral to the new MASH team. (post course evaluation)
70 staff have undertaken training in writing a CASA and understand the LBM well-being
model (rainbow). This has led to referrals coming in to the right place. (post course
evaluation)
40 childcare practitioners have completed the accredited course for working with 2 year
olds, evidence from post course evaluation indicates there is a greater understanding
and knowledge of safeguarding thresholds, process, protocols and procedures
Access to Services
Although early days, foster carers are reporting that they find the support from our team
very valuable, and as a result they feel more able to support children’s development and
learning in the home. (informal feedback)
This financial year 20 vulnerable two year olds have accessed a free early learning
place who have a CIP or are a CIN, emerging evidence of progress in prime areas of
learning and families taking up/accessing local Children’s Centre services (headcount,
CC performance monitoring)
Increased take up of services by vulnerable groups (performance management
Children’s Centres)
Improved outcomes for families accessing specific targeted services (Family Outcomes
Star)
Staff within children’s centres are clear about procedures and protocols regarding
information sharing and data protection (post course evaluation)
Staff Allegations
Managers have an improved understanding of the LADO process and there has been a
marked increase in the number of referrals coming in as a result. LADO referrals are of
a better quality in terms of information being provided
Settings are notifying us of serious accidents to children, which ensures we can deal
with the matter appropriately and liaise with MASH and Ofsted in a more co-ordinated
manner.
Challenges and priorities for the future
Priorities
To narrow the gap and raise attainment at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage
Continue to upskill staff and managers
Embed management oversight on case work, auditing and supervision
Embed new Family Map to evidence impact of intervention
Raise profile of LAN and ensure families are referred in accordance with identified need
To ensure that staff work effectively with families and children so that they are engaged
and have access to high quality child focussed services that improve outcomes over an
agreed period of time
To develop information sharing protocols with health to facilitate the swift and easy
access of child led data between the agencies
To develop clear pathways of support for Family Nursery partnership families and
children
To develop CPD opportunities across the workforce
Prioritise resources to settings/centres in greatest need of support and improvement
To ensure early years day care providers are equal partners in supporting children and
their families who are identified as in need
To ensure all eligible children are offered a 2 year old funded place
Challenges
To continue to support the improvement of early years day care across the PVI sector
provision and ensure OFSTED grades are improved/maintained
To continue to work with early years workforce to develop confidence and
understanding of working in an early help/intervention framework
Embed improved working practices and monitor/ quality assure the work
To narrow the gap and improve attainment at end of the Early Years Foundation Stage
Evidence impact of intervention
To ensure that the child’s voice and needs are the key focus of our work
To improve the take up of services by children aged 0 – 2 with a focus on improved take
up by vulnerable groups
To improve and increase the range of evidence based programmes within the network
of centres to meet the needs of very young babies and children
To develop referral pathways via midwifery