Early Years Safeguarding Briefing November 22nd 9.30-11.30

Ceri Mcateer – EY Safeguarding Advisercmcateer@swindon.gov.uk

Tel: 465740

This is an information sharing session and does not count as update

training

•Welcome• Housekeeping• Aim of the session: To provide

safeguarding updates and information to CP Leads and managers of settings.

Sarah Turner-School’s Safeguarding Adviser

• Disclosure and Barring Updates

Allegation made

• Contact the Early Years Safeguarding adviser (Ceri McAteer 46 5740) or the Local authority designated officer (Steph McQuade 466849 or Agnes Gault 466958)

• Information recorded about allegation and details about alleged victim and perpetrator

• Decision made by LADO

At the end of the process…….

• May be a criminal prosecution• No criminal prosecution but allegation is

found to be substantiated• Referral to Independent safeguarding

authority – barred list

1st December , 2012

• ISA and CRB merged to form a new body, the Disclosure and Barring service

2013• Launch of new online update service

Not everything is changing…..• If your organisation works with children / young people and a

member of staff is dismissed because they harmed a child, or you would have done so had they not left, you must refer this information to the ISA.

• An organisation which knowingly employs a barred individual to work with children in regulated activity will be breaking the law.

• A person will be breaking the law if they work or volunteer or try to work or volunteer and are barred from working with children and young people in regulated activity.

Major changes at a glance…• New definition of regulated activity• All staff employed directly by a setting /school

remain in regulated activity

• Others who are involved with a setting / school (volunteers, governors, contractors etc) will need to have their role in school assessed to establish whether they are in regulated activity or not.

• Settings /Managers should undertake a risk assessment on a case by case basis taking into account the following points:

• Will the volunteer be supervised by a person that is in regulated activity?

• Will the volunteer be supervised on a regular basis ie. daily and ongoing?

• Will the supervision be ‘reasonable’ in the circumstances to ensure the protection of children?

To make this decision you should consider:

•Ages of children, including whether their ages differ widely•Number of children the individual is working with•Whether or not other workers are helping to look after children•The nature of the work•How vulnerable the children are

• There will be no entitlement to do a barred list check on a volunteer who, because they are supervised, is not in regulated activity.

• It is discretionary to setting managers to undertake a CRB check however it is unlawful to undertake a barred list check.

Major changes cont’d

• Repeal of controlled activity• Repeal of registration• Repeal of additional information• Minimum age (16) at which someone can

apply for CRB check• More rigorous relevancy test prior to release

of information by the police

•EYFS Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements

Ofsted defines Safeguarding 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

• Enabling children to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully

In an attempt to emphasise the importance of safeguarding in the new EYFS document what were referred to previously as “Welfare requirements” are now referred to as “Safeguarding and Welfare requirements”

What are the Safeguarding reforms in the new EYFS

document?

• There are 7 identified

1. Child Protection• The new document includes examples of adult

behaviour which might suggest abuse or neglect of children in their care eg inappropriate sexual comments, excessive 1:1 attention and inappropriate sharing of images. (Plymouth Nursery worker – Vanessa George)

• If a member of staff suspects this they should respond appropriately to safeguard children in their care. Appropriate action would be to report concerns to CP lead unless that person is involved in the concerns and then report straight to the Local Authority Designated Officer .

2. Policies and Procedures

The new EYFS requires Safeguarding policies to include guidance on the use of mobile phones and cameras in the setting.This guidance has been introduced to avoid the misuse of photographs of children as in the case of Vanessa George in 2009.

3. Suitable People

• The requirement for providers to check the suitability of managers for employment are simplified.

• Previously Ofsted obtained CRB disclosures for managers but since September 2012 it has been the providers responsibility.

4. Staff qualifications, training, support and skills (supervision)

It is now a requirement that providers will give staff opportunities for coaching and training, mutual support, teamwork and confidential discussion of sensitive issues

5. Childminders

The importance of training for childminders has been strengthened, they are now required to complete training before they register with Ofsted.

6. Staff Child Ratios

There is a clarification of the circumstances in which there may be exceptions to the staff : child ratios for childminders caring for children of mixed ages.Exceptions are when a childminder is looking after their own or a sibling’s baby or when a 4/5 year old is minded after a school day or in a school holiday, they can be looked after with 3 other “young” children, however the total minded must not exceed 6 under the age of 8.

7. The safety and suitability of premises, environment and

equipment

The requirements in relation to risk assessment have been adjusted to clarify that it is for providers to judge whether a risk assessment needs to be recorded in writing

Useful Resource

• Oxfordshire County Council have produced a list of EYFS Safeguarding and Welfare MUST HAVES and SHOULD HAVES

• www.oxfordshire.gov.uk EYFS Welfare Requirements

General Updates• Risk assessments• Allegations• Individual pupil chronology• Setting disclosure/incident form• The Single Central Record Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in

Education (2007)

Websites• www.earlyyearschildcare.org

Websites• www.swcpp.org.uk

Websites• www.swindonlscb.org.uk

Sessions for CP Leads/Managers

Two new sessions running•“Training the Trainer” – Using NSPCC training materials to deliver Child Protection training to staff – Tuesday 22nd January 1.00-3.30pm•“New Child Protection Lead’s briefing”- Looking at the role of the Child Protection Lead - Tuesday 5th February 1.00-3.30pm

Comfort Break - Networking

Huw Ford – SBC IT Manager

• Appropriate use of mobile phones and digital photography

Evaluation Thank you for coming. I hope you

have found the session useful. Please fill out an evaluation form

before you leave.Reminder- Safeguarding reviews to

be returned by 14th December.