CHEEKY MONKEYZ

• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.
• The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2017
• Working together to safeguard children 2015.
• What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused 2015.
• Childcare Act 2006.
• Children Act 1989 and 2004.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, in relation to this policy is defined as:

• Protecting children from maltreatment.
• Preventing the impairment of children’s health or development.
• Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.
• Take action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

(Definition taken form the HM Government document ‘Working together to safeguard children’ 2015)

To safeguard children and promote their welfare we will;

• Create an environment to encourage children to develop a positive self-image.
• Provide positive role models and develop a safe culture where staff are confident to raise concerns about professional conduct.
• Encourage children to develop a sense of independence and autonomy in a way this is appropriate to their age and stage of development.
• Provide a safe and secure environment for all children,
• Always listen to children.
• Provide an environment where practitioners are confident to identify where children and families may need intervention and seek the help they need.
• Share information with other agencies as appropriate.

The nursery is aware that abuse does occur in our society and we are vigilant in identifying signs of abuse and reporting concerns. Our practitioners have a duty to protect and promote the welfare of children. Due to the many hours of care we are providing, staff may often be the first people to identify that there may be a problem. They may well be the first people in whom children confide information that may suggest abuse or to spot changes in a child’s behaviour which may indicate abuse.

Our prime responsibility is the welfare and well-being of each child in our care. As such we believe we have a duty to the children, parents and staff to act quickly and responsibly inn any instance that may come to our attention. This includes sharing information with any relevant agencies such as local authority services for children’s social care, health professionals or the police. All staff will work with other agencies including as part of a multi-agency team, where needed, in the best interests of the child.

The K8Z Cheeky Monkeyz nursery aims to:

• Keep the child at the centre of all we do.
• Ensure all staff are trained to understand the child protection and safeguarding policy and procedures, are alert to identify possible signs of abuse, understand what is meant by child protection and are aware of the different ways in which children can be harmed, including by other children through bullying or discriminatory behaviour.
• Ensure that all staff feel confident and supported to act in the best interest of the child, share information and seek the help that the child may need.
• Ensure that all staff are familiar and updated regularly with child protection training and procedures and kept informed of changes to local/national procedures.
• Make any referrals in a timely way, sharing relevant information as necessary in line with procedures set out by the Sefton Safeguarding Children’s board.
• Ensure that information is shared only with those people who need to know in order to protect the children and act in their best interest.
• Ensure that children are never placed at risk while in the charge of nursery staff
• Take any appropriate action relating to allegations of serious harem or abuse against any person working with children, or living or working on the nursery premises including reporting such allegations to Ofsted and other relevant authorities.
• Ensure parents are fully aware of child protection policies and procedures when they register with the nursery and are kept informed of all updates when they occur.
• Regularly review and update this policy with staff and parents where appropriate and make sure it complies with any legal requirements and any guidance or procedures issued by the Sefton Safeguarding Children Board.

We will support children by offering reassurance, comfort and sensitive interactions. We will devise activities according to individual circumstances to enable children to develop confidence and self-esteem within their peer group.

If we were concerned about a child and wanted to have a consultation with a duty social worker prior to making a referral through to Children’s Social Care, we will call:

• The Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) – Business Support Officers on 0151 934 4481/4013 and ask to be put through to the Duty Social Worker.

If we have a child protection concern we must complete an online referral. Due to maintenance to the Child Referral eform, a document version of the referral form can be downloaded, completed electronically (not scanned or handwritten) and attached to email before sending to socialcarecustomeraccessteam@sefton.gcsx.gov.uk.

In emergency situations ring Sefton Plus Customer Access Team on 0345 140 0845 and follow up the telephone call with an online e-referral.

For any out of hours advice/ emergencies (Mon – Thurs from 5.30pm, Fri from 4pm and weekends) please contact Sefton’s Emergency Duty Team on 0151 934 3555.

If we think a child is in immediate danger we would call the Police.

Abuse and neglect are forms of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by harming them, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused within a family, institution, or community setting by those known to them or a stranger. This could be an adult or adults, another child or children.

The signs and indicators listed below may not necessarily indicate that a child has been abused, but will help us to recognise that something may be wrong, especially if a child shows a number of these symptoms or any of them to a marked degree.

Indicators of child abuse

These may include:

• Significant changes in children’s behaviour.
• Deterioration in children’s general well-being.
• Unexplained bruising, marks or signs of possible abuse or neglect.
• Children’s comments which give cause for concern.
• Any reasons to suspect neglect or abuse outside the setting, for example in the child’s home or that a girl may have been subjected to (or is at risk of) female genital mutilation.
• Inappropriate behaviour displayed by other members of staff, or any other person working with the children, for example: inappropriate sexual comments; excessive one-to-one attention beyond the requirements of their usual role and responsibilities; or inappropriate sharing of images.

Some of the following signs might be indicators of abuse or neglect:

• Children whose behaviour changes – they may become aggressive, challenging, disruptive, withdrawn or clingy, or they might have difficulty sleeping or start wetting the bed;
• Children with clothes which are ill-fitting and/or dirty;
• Children with consistently poor hygiene;
• Children who make strong efforts to avoid specific family members or friends, without an obvious reason;
• Children who don’t want to change clothes in front of others or participate in physical activities;
• Children who are having problems at school, for example, a sudden lack of concentration and learning or they appear to be tired and hungry;
• Children who talk about being left home alone, with inappropriate carers or with strangers;
• Children who reach developmental milestones, such as learning to speak or walk, late, with no medical reason;
• Children who are regularly missing from school or education;
• Children who are reluctant to go home after school;
• Children with poor school attendance and punctuality, or who are consistently late being picked up;
• Parents who are dismissive and non-responsive to practitioners’ concerns;
• Parents who collect their children from school when drunk, or under the influence of drugs;
• Children who drink alcohol regularly from an early age;
• Children who are concerned for younger siblings without explaining why;
• Children who talk about running away; and
• Children who shy away from being touched or flinch at sudden movements.

Physical abuse

Physical abuse is deliberately physically hurting a child. It might take a variety of different forms, including hitting, pinching, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning or suffocating a child.

Physical abuse can happen in any family, but children may be more at risk if their parents have problems with drugs, alcohol and mental health or if they live in a home where domestic abuse happens. Babies and disabled children also have a higher risk of suffering physical abuse.

Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child. Physical abuse can also occur outside of the family environment.

Some of the following signs may be indicators of physical abuse:

• Children with frequent injuries;
• Children with unexplained or unusual fractures or broken bones; and
• Children with unexplained:
  • bruises or cuts;
  • burns or scalds;
  • or bite marks.

Emotional abuse

Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child. It is also sometimes called psychological abuse and it can have severe and persistent adverse effects on a child’s emotional development.

Although the effects of emotional abuse might take a long time to be recognisable, practitioners will be in a position to observe it, for example, in the way that a parent interacts with their child. Emotional abuse may involve deliberately telling a child that they are worthless, or unloved and inadequate. It may include not giving a child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate.

Emotional abuse may involve serious bullying – including online bullying through social networks, online games or mobile phones – by a child’s peers.

Some of the following signs may be indicators of emotional abuse:

• Children who are excessively withdrawn, fearful, or anxious about doing something wrong;
• Parents or carers who withdraw their attention from their child, giving the child the ‘cold shoulder’; Parents or carers blaming their problems on their child; and
• Parents or carers who humiliate their child, for example, by name-calling or making negative comparisons.

Sexual abuse and exploitation

Sexual abuse is any sexual activity with a child. You should be aware that many children and young people who are victims of sexual abuse do not recognise themselves as such. A child may not understand what is happening and may not even understand that it is wrong. Sexual abuse can have a long-term impact on mental health.

Sexual abuse 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 clothing. It may include non-contact activities, such as involving children in the production of sexual images, forcing children to look at sexual images or watch 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 commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

Some of the following signs may be indicators of sexual abuse:

• Children who display knowledge or interest in sexual acts inappropriate to their age;
• Children who use sexual language or have sexual knowledge that you wouldn’t expect them to have;
• Children who ask others to behave sexually or play sexual games; and
• Children with physical sexual health problems, including soreness in the genital and anal areas, sexually transmitted infections or underage pregnancy.

Child sexual exploitation is a form of sexual abuse where children are sexually exploited for money, power or status. It can involve violent, humiliating and degrading sexual assaults. In some cases, young people are persuaded or forced into exchanging sexual activity for money, drugs, gifts, affection or status. Consent cannot be given, even where a child may believe they are voluntarily engaging in sexual activity with the person who is exploiting them.

Child sexual exploitation doesn’t always involve physical contact and can happen online. A significant number of children who are victims of sexual exploitation go missing from home, care and education at some point.

Some of the following signs may be indicators of sexual exploitation:

• Children who appear with unexplained gifts or new possessions;
• Children who associate with other young people involved in exploitation;
• Children who have older boyfriends or girlfriends;
• Children who suffer from sexually transmitted infections or become pregnant;
• Children who suffer from changes in emotional well-being;
• Children who misuse drugs and alcohol;
• Children who go missing for periods of time or regularly come home late; and
• Children who regularly miss school or education or don’t take part in education.

Neglect

Neglect is a pattern of failing to provide for a child’s basic needs, whether it be adequate food, clothing, hygiene, supervision or shelter. It is likely to result in the serious impairment of a child’s health or development.

Children who are neglected often also suffer from other types of abuse. It is important that practitioners remain alert and do not miss opportunities to take timely action. However, while you may be concerned about a child, neglect is not always straightforward to identify.

Neglect may occur if a parent becomes physically or mentally unable to care for a child. A parent may also have an addiction to alcohol or drugs, which could impair their ability to keep a child safe or result in them prioritising buying drugs, or alcohol, over food, clothing or warmth for the child. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal drug or alcohol abuse.

Some of the following signs may be indicators of neglect:

• Children who are living in a home that is indisputably dirty or unsafe;
• Children who are left hungry or dirty;
• Children who are left without adequate clothing, e.g. not having a winter coat;
• Children who are living in dangerous conditions, i.e. around drugs, alcohol or violence;
• Children who are often angry, aggressive or self-harm;
• Children who fail to receive basic health care; and
• Parents who fail to seek medical treatment when their children are ill or are injured.

Fabricated Illness

The use of terminology to describe the fabrication or induction of illness in a child has been the subject of considerable debate between professionals. These differences in the use of terminology may result in a loss of focus on the welfare of the child.

If, as a result of a carer’s behaviour, there is concern that the child is or is likely to suffer significant harm, this guidance should be followed. The key issue is not what term to use to describe this type of abuse, but the impact of fabricated or induced illness on the child’s health and development, and consideration of how best to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare.

There are three main ways of the carer fabricating or inducing illness in a child. These are not mutually exclusive and include:

• Fabrication of signs and symptoms. This may include fabrication of past medical history;
• Fabrication of signs and symptoms and falsification of hospital charts and records, and specimens of bodily fluids. This may also include falsification of letters and documents;
• Induction of illness by a variety of means.

The following list is of behaviours exhibited by carers which can be associated with fabricating or inducing illness in a child. This list is not exhaustive and should be interpreted with an awareness of cultural behaviours and practices which can be mistakenly construed as abnormal behaviours:

• Deliberately inducing symptoms in children by administering medication or other substances, by means of intentional transient airways obstruction or by interfering with the child’s body so as to cause physical signs;
• interfering with treatments by over dosing with medication, not administering them or interfering with medical equipment such as infusion lines;
• Claiming the child has symptoms which are unverifiable unless observed directly, such as pain, frequency of passing urine, vomiting or fits. These claims result in unnecessary investigations and treatments which may cause secondary physical problems;
• Exaggerating symptoms which are unverifiable unless observed directly, causing professionals to undertake investigations and treatments which may be invasive, are unnecessary and therefore are harmful and possibly dangerous; z obtaining specialist treatments or equipment for children who do not require them;
• Alleging psychological illness in a child.

Female Genital Mutilation

FGM is a criminal offence – it is child abuse and a form of violence against women and girls, and therefore should be treated as such. Cases should be dealt with as part of existing structures, policies and procedures on child protection and adult safeguarding. There are, however, particular characteristics of FGM that front-line professionals should be aware of to ensure that they can provide appropriate protection and support to those affected.

The following principles should be adopted by all agencies in relation to identifying and responding to those at risk of, or who have undergone FGM, and their parent(s) or guardians:

The safety and welfare of the child is paramount;

• All agencies should act in the interests of the rights of the child, as stated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989);
• FGM is illegal in the UK
• FGM is an extremely harmful practice – responding to it cannot be left to personal choice;
• accessible, high quality and sensitive health, education, police, social care and voluntary sector services must underpin all interventions;
• as FGM is often an embedded social norm, engagement with families and communities plays an important role in contributing to ending it; and
• all decisions or plans should be based on high quality assessments (in accordance with Working Together to Safeguard Children (2015)Statutory guidance in England.

In order for childcare providers to fulfil the Prevent duty, it is essential that staff are able to identify children who may be vulnerable to radicalisation, and know what to do when they are identified. Protecting children from the risk of radicalisation should be seen as part of childcare providers’ wider safeguarding duties, and is similar in nature to protecting children from other harms (e.g. drugs, gangs, neglect, sexual exploitation), whether these come from within their family or are the product of outside influences.  Childcare providers can also build pupils’ resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British values and enabling them to challenge extremist views.

Even very young children may be vulnerable to radicalisation by others, whether in the family or outside, and display concerning behaviour. The Prevent duty does not require teachers or childcare providers to carry out unnecessary intrusion into family life but as with any other safeguarding risk, they must take action when they observe behaviour of concern.

General safeguarding principles apply to keeping children safe from the risk of radicalisation as set out in the relevant statutory guidance.  Childcare providers should understand when it is appropriate to make a referral to the Channel programme. Channel is a programme which focuses on providing support at an early stage to people who are identified as being vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism all staff at the nursery have been trained on Chanel Awareness. Before commencing employment all staff at K8Z Cheeky Monkeys complete Prevent Duty Training (Channel Awareness) online.

If a member of staff in the Nursery has a concern about a particular child/family they should follow the Nursery’s normal safeguarding procedures, including discussing with the Designated Safeguarding Person, and where deemed necessary, with children’s social care (MASH team).

• You can also contact your local police force or dial 101 (the non-emergency number). They can talk to you in confidence about your concerns and help you gain access to support and advice.
• The Department for Education has dedicated a telephone helpline (020 7340 7264) to enable staff to raise concerns relating to extremism directly.
• Concerns can also be raised by email to counter.extremism@education.gsi.gov.uk.
• Please note that the helpline is not intended for use in emergency situations, such as a child being at immediate risk of harm or a security incident, in which case the normal emergency procedures should be followed.

The internet is amazing. Children can play, learn, create and connect – opening up a whole world of exciting possibilities. But with the digital world changing all the time, we need to make sure your child’s staying safe.  Staff have been trained on E-Safety and will ensure all children are safe when accessing computers within the nursery.

If a child reports, following a conversation you have initiated or otherwise, that they are being abused and neglected, you should listen to them, take their allegation seriously, and reassure them that you will take action to keep them safe. At all times, you should explain to the child the action that you are taking. It is important to maintain confidentiality, but you should not promise that you won’t tell anyone, as you may need to do so in order to protect the child.

• All signs of marks/injuries to a child, when they come into nursery or occur during the time at the nursery, will be recorded as soon as noticed by a member of staff.
• The incident will be discussed with the parent at the earliest opportunity, where felt appropriate.
• Such discussions will be recorded and the parents will have access to such records.
• Any concerns should be discussed with the Nursery Manager/DSP/DDSP/Room Leader/Registered Person.
• If there appears to be any queries regarding the injury, Sefton’s Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) will be notified in line with procedures set out by Sefton’s Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB)
• All staff have access to and comply with the whistleblowing policy which will enable them to share any concerns that may arise about their colleagues behaviour and or to escalate any safeguarding concerns themselves.
• All staff will receive regular supervision meetings where opportunities will be made available to discuss any issues relating to individual children, child protections an any needs for further support.
• The deployment of staff within the nursery allows for constant supervision and support. Where children need to spend time away from the rest of the group, the door will be left ajar or other safeguards will be put into action to ensure the safety of the child and the adult.

Parents are normally the first point of contact.  If a suspicion of abuse is recorded, parents are informed at the same time as the report is made, except where the guidance of the LSCB/MASH team/Police does not allow this.  This will usually be the case where the parent or family member is the likely abuser, or where a child may be endangered by this disclosure.  In these cases the investigating officers will inform parents.

All suspicions, enquiries and external investigations are kept confidential and shared only with those who need to know.  Any information is shared in line with guidance from the LSCB.

The nursery takes every step in its power to build up trusting and supportive relations among families, staff, students and volunteers within the nursery.

The nursery continues to welcome the child and the family whilst enquiries are being made in relation to abuse in the home situation.  Parents and families will be treated with respect in a non-judgemental manner whilst any external investigations are carried out in the best interests of the child.

Confidential records kept on a child are shared with the child’s parents or those who have parental responsibility for the child, only if appropriate in line with guidance of the LSCB with the proviso that the care and safety of the child is paramount.  We will do all in our power to support and work with the child’s family.

All staff will attend child protection training and receive initial basic child protection training during their induction period. This will include the procedures for spotting signs and behaviours of abuse and abusers/potential abusers, recording and reporting concerns and creating a safe and secure environment for the children in the nursery. During induction staff will be given contact details for DO (Local Authority designated officer), the local authority children’s services team, the local safeguarding children board (LSCB) and Ofsted to enable them to report any safeguarding concerns, independently, if they feel it necessary to do so.

We have a named person within the nursery who takes lead responsibility for safeguarding and co-ordinates child protection and welfare issues, known as the Designated Safeguarding Person (DSP). The nursery DSP liaises with the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and the local authority children’s social care team, undertakes specific training, including a child protection training course, and receives regular updates to developments within this field.  The Designated Safeguarding Person (DSP) at the nursery is Katie Forster.

• We provide adequate and appropriate staffing resources to meet the needs of all children.
• Applicants for posts within the nursery are clearly informed that the positions are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Candidates are informed of the need to carry out checks before posts can be confirmed. Where applications are rejected because of information that has been disclosed, applicants have the right to know and challenge incorrect information.
• We give staff members, Volunteers and students regular opportunities to declare changes that may affect their suitability to care for the children. This includes information about their health, medication or about changes in their home life such as whether anyone thy live with in a household has committed offence or been involved in an incident that means they are disqualified from working with children.
• This information is also stated within every member of staff’s contract.
• We request DBS checks on a bi-annual basis/or we use the DBS update service to re-check staff’s criminal history and suitability to work with children.
• We abide by the requirements of the EYFS and any Ofsted guidance in respect to obtaining references and suitability checks for staff, students, and volunteers, to ensure that all staff, students and volunteers working in the setting are suitable to do so.
• We ensure we receive at least two written references BEFORE a new member of staff commences employment with us.
• All students will have enhanced DBS checks conducted on them before their placement starts.
• Volunteers, including students, do not work unsupervised.
• We abide by the requirements of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and the Childcare Act 2006 in respect of any person who is disqualified from providing childcare, is dismissed from our employment, or resigns in circumstances that would otherwise have led to dismissal for reasons of child protection concern.
• We have procedures for recording the details of visitors to the nursery and take security steps to ensure that we have control over who comes into the nursery, so that no unauthorised person has unsupervised access to the children.
• All visitors/contractors will be supervised whilst on the premises, especially when in the areas the children use.

If an allegation is made against a member of staff, student or volunteer or any other person who lives or works on the nursery premises regardless of whether the allegation relates to the nursery premises or elsewhere, we will follow the procedure below. 

The allegation should be reported to the senior manager on duty. If this person is the subject of the allegation, then this should be reported to the DSP instead. 

The Designated Officer for the Local Authority (DO), Ofsted and the LSCB will then be informed immediately in order for this to be investigated by the appropriate bodies promptly:

• The DO will be informed immediately for advice and guidance.The setting will then follow the advice and guidance from the DO.
• A full investigation will be carried out by the appropriate professionals (DO, Ofsted, LSCB) to determine how this will be handled.
• The nursery will follow all instructions from the DO, Ofsted, LSCB and ask all staff members to do the same and co-operate where required.
• Support will be provided to all those involved in an allegation throughout the external investigation in line with DO support and advice.
• The nursery reserves the right to suspend any member of staff during an investigation.
• All enquiries/external investigations/interviews will be documented and kept in a locked file for access by the relevant authorities.
• Unfounded allegations will result in all rights being re-instated.
• Founded allegations will be passed onto the relevant organisations including the local authority children’s social care team and where an offence is believed to have been committed, the police, and will result in termination of employment. Ofsted will be notified immediately of this decision.
• All records will be kept until the person reaches normal retirement age or for 21 years and 3 months if that is longer. This will ensure accurate information is available for references and future DBS checks and avoids any unnecessary re-investigation.
• The nursery retains the right to dismiss any member of staff in connection with founded allegations following an enquiry.
• Counselling will be available for any member of the nursery who is affected by an allegation, their colleagues in the nursery and the parents.

This policy was reviewed March 2020 and will be reviewed in March 2021.