Children have the right to be protected from being hurt or mistreated in body and mind. It is part of our registration requirement that we have a policy to protect children. Unfortunately child abuse does take place. It is important that we are aware of this and understand that we have a responsibility towards the welfare of the children we care for and to try to protect them from harm or potential harm.
If your child has any marks or injuries we will discuss them with you and will also mention any concerns we have regarding the Childs behaviour. You must let us know if your child has had an accident or has any bruising or injuries before leaving your child with us. We may ask you to sign ‘an existing injury form‘, for our records.
Please let us know if any thing has happened at home or of any circumstances or situations which may be upsetting your child, for example a bereavement. This will help us to understand any changes in your child’s behaviour and help us to give the appropriate care.
The borough of Bexley expects us to report to them, any suspicions we may have that a child is being abused. This could be Physical Abuse, Sexual, Emotional or Neglect. If a situation arises where we are worried about the well being of a child in our care we are obligated to report this. If we have any cause for concern we will report this by following the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. We can let you see a copy of these procedures if you request this.
There are set procedures which have been approved by the Area Child Protection Committee which we must follow. The Children’s Act 1989 states that the Local Authority must investigate any reports that we may make. There are childminders, child protection guidelines we must follow as well as a document from the Department of Health “What to do if you are worried a child is being abused”. We keep up to date with child protection issues and relevant legislation by taking regular training courses and by reading relevant publications such as ‘Working together to safeguard children’. This helps us to be aware of the signs of abuse or neglect and what to do if we have a concern.
We may seek advice from support services regarding your child’s welfare if we are at all concerned. This may be due to one of the following reasons:
1. Your child’s behaviour has changed considerably
2. Your child is showing signs of neglect or we are concerned about their general wellbeing
3. Your child has unexplained marks to the body that could be a sign of abuse
4. Your child’s comments or actions have caused concern
This information will be kept confidential if it is clear that your child is not at risk. Child protection concerns that could identify a particular child are kept confidential and only shared with people who need to know this information.
If we are concerned that a child is at risk we will follow the Local Safeguarding Children Board’s procedures and we will call the local social services’ duty desk immediately. They will be able to make an assessment of the situation.
We will keep accurate accounts of any incidents and disclosures. Parents will be asked for an explanation if we feel the child will not be put at risk from doing this.
If a child gives us a disclosure of abuse we will adopt the following procedures:
1. We will listen carefully and encourage the child to talk.
2. We will not interrupt or prompt them.
3. We will not ask leading questions.
4. We will make sure that we listen carefully.
5. We will not ask the child to repeat the disclosure.
6. We will take what they say seriously and let them know that we have heard what they are saying.
7. We will accurately record anything the child has told us.
8. We will record the date and time of this disclosure
9. We will record who was present at the time of disclosure
10. We will tell the child what we need to do next in a way that is appropriate to their age and understanding
11. We will report this immediately
Whenever anything happens in our setting which gives us reason for concern we will always record full details of the child and incident. We will record details of any previous concerns as well as any communication with parents regarding the incident. Please be aware that as Childminders we are not able to deal with these situations ourselves, we need to pass on the responsibility.
Likewise, if there was to be a significant event in our setting that could affect the care and safety of the children we must notify Ofsted and show that we are able to meet the requirements of the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.
As registered childminders it is our responsibility that we do not put the children at risk of abuse. We do not use behaviour or language that could be considered inappropriate or abusive. We require written permission from parents to use camera’s and electronically store photographs. These are kept locked away and are not accessible to anyone apart from the childminders. They will never be shared inappropriately.
Children are not allowed to bring devices that can take photo’s or access the internet and will not be able to use the internet in our setting unless supervised.
If an allegation is made against us we will report this, following the Safeguarding Children Board procedures. We will also contact PACEY’S Information Line for advice and support. All parents would be notified if such a situation occurred. If you have any concerns about our setting or the way we care for your children you must take responsibility for following procedures... Please see our ‘complaints’ policy.
Bexley Child Protection Guidelines for childminders and the Department of Health document “What to do if you are worried a child is being abused” would be useful for you as parents to read as we should all be aware of child abuse and work together to protect our children.