Safeguarding Children Statement
As child minders it is our legal duty to protect all children, not just those who attend Little Acorns. We attend Safeguarding Training with refreshers every three years, Designated Safeguard Lead (DSL) Training, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Prevent and Child Exploitation Training. We keep this up to date with refreshers and reading of the key legislation and guidance, listed in this statement
We know what the signs and symptoms of the different kinds of abuse are. We know what the long term, lifelong effects are of abuse on the developing child, mentally, physically, emotionally, and cognitively. We know what to look for, and what to do about it. We understand where to go for advice, what to record and how to report concerns.
We keep up to date with child protection issues and relevant legislation by taking regular training courses and by reading relevant updates both SCC and Governmental, and by repeating refresher training every three years, or two years in the case of the Designated Safeguard Lead (DSL). This helps us remain aware of the signs of abuse or neglect and what to do if we have a concern.
We understand that child abuse can be physical – (resulting in visible marks, injuries, or bruising, unexplained, untreated, or patterned, often in soft parts of the body, including FGM), sexual - (including child sexual exploitation), emotional - (including the impact of domestic abuse on children who witness it), neglect- (where a child’s basic needs are not being met), or a mixture of these.
We keep up to date with child protection issues and relevant legislation by taking regular training courses and by reading relevant updates both SCC and Governmental, and by repeating refresher training every three years, or two years in the case of the Designated Safeguard Lead (DSL). This helps us remain aware of the signs of abuse or neglect and what to do if we have a concern.
We understand that child abuse can be physical – (resulting in visible marks, injuries, or bruising, unexplained, untreated, or patterned, often in soft parts of the body, including FGM), sexual - (including child sexual exploitation), emotional - (including the impact of domestic abuse on children who witness it), neglect- (where a child’s basic needs are not being met), or a mixture of these.
We know that some children can be at risk from Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or breast ironing, where there may be attempts made by adults, home or abroad, to unnecessarily, and painfully, cut, mark, change, injure or stunt the growth, physical appearance, or function of the body. Others may be at risk of Radicalisation or Criminal Exploitation, including criminal grooming and manipulation, and gang behaviour to deal and deliver drugs, otherwise known as County Lines.
We know that there are unacceptable practices both here and around the world which put vulnerable children in significant harm, such as FGM, breast ironing, forced marriage, and honour-based violence. We are aware of the signs of these practices and will be alert to the groups of children who could be at risk. Should we have any concerns that these practices have been used, or are about to be used, we will implement our safeguarding procedures without delay.
We know that there are unacceptable practices both here and around the world which put vulnerable children in significant harm, such as FGM, breast ironing, forced marriage, and honour-based violence. We are aware of the signs of these practices and will be alert to the groups of children who could be at risk. Should we have any concerns that these practices have been used, or are about to be used, we will implement our safeguarding procedures without delay.
We may be worried about children’s presentation, behaviour changes, something concerning that they may have shared, said, drawn or acted out, or unexplained marks or bruising. We know how to record these concerns, where to go to consult or ask for advice, and how to report our concerns in a timely fashion. We ensure that records are kept up to date of any concerns that we may have about the children in our care.
We understand that we have a Prevent Duty, and we are clear about the role that we play in safeguarding children from extremist influences and radicalisation to keep people and communities safe from the threat of terrorism or extremism, either violent or non-violent.
The Counter Terrorism and Security Act places a duty on Early Years settings to ‘have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’ (The Prevent Duty).
Prevent is one of the Governments counter-terrorism strategies (2011) it aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or being harmed by the extremist behaviour of others. We have both completed training in Prevent, and we keep this up to date alongside our safeguarding training. We are aware of the signs and indicators of extremism or radicalisation, what to look for and what to do about any concerns we have. We have had Channel Awareness Training having worked previously in education, and we understand how the referral process works, and the work of the Channel Panel
The Counter Terrorism and Security Act places a duty on Early Years settings to ‘have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’ (The Prevent Duty).
Prevent is one of the Governments counter-terrorism strategies (2011) it aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or being harmed by the extremist behaviour of others. We have both completed training in Prevent, and we keep this up to date alongside our safeguarding training. We are aware of the signs and indicators of extremism or radicalisation, what to look for and what to do about any concerns we have. We have had Channel Awareness Training having worked previously in education, and we understand how the referral process works, and the work of the Channel Panel
The Prevent strategy:
- Responds to the ideological challenge we face from terrorism and aspects of extremism, and the threat we face from those who promote these views.
- Provides practical help to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure they are given appropriate advice and support; and
- Works with a wide range of sectors (including education, criminal justice, faith, charities, online and health) where there are risks of radicalisation that need to be dealt with.
We understand our responsibility in identifying those who are vulnerable of being drawn into radicalisation or being exposed to harmful views, and those who may behave in a risky way by ‘grooming’ vulnerable people. We understand our role in channelling them towards specific counselling programmes through timely referral using the correct Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) anti-terrorism hotline, or by reporting online
We also know that early year’s children and their families from all backgrounds, faiths, and cultures, can play, live, and work happily alongside each other, by celebrating each other’s uniqueness and embracing the British Values that galvanise us, “Being Different and Belonging Together”. This will be nurtured through the personal, social, and emotional (PSE) provision that enables children to develop self-confidence, a positive sense of self, the ability to manage their feelings and behaviour and build positive relationships with their friends, parents, and other adults.
As childminders, we have a duty to keep ourselves up to date with legislation to safeguard the children in our setting in line with ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’. Our work with children and families is underpinned by the British Values guidance. (See our Different and Belonging Together document).
The Prevent Duty Guidance can be found online at www.gov.uk and searching childcare prevent duty.
The Prevent Duty Guidance can be found online at www.gov.uk and searching childcare prevent duty.
Key Legislation and Guidance:
- The Children Act 1989
- The Children Act 2004
- The Children Act 2006
- Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018
- Keeping Children Safe in Education 2020
- Statutory Framework for Early Years Foundation Stage 2017 (aligned with Working Together 2018)
- Statutory Framework for Early Years Foundation Stage 2021 (as from Sept 2021)
- The Prevent Duty: Departmental advice for schools and childcare providers 2015.
- The Prevent Duty guidance for England and Wales 2015
- Multi-agency statutory guidance on Female Genital Mutilation 2016.
- Child Sexual Exploitation 2017 (part of wider concern of Child Exploitation, now referred to as – CE).
- Information sharing: Advice for Practitioners providing safeguarding service 2018.
- Channel Duty Guidance: Protecting Vulnerable people from being drawn into terrorism 2015
- The Modern-day Slavery Act 2015
Date: August 2021
Signed: AOkane Date: 27.8.21
Signed: MOkane Date: 27.8.21
Signed: AOkane Date: 27.8.21
Signed: MOkane Date: 27.8.21