Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and Procedures
Barn Lodge Childcare Ltd

 Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) - Keely Finch and Tammy Durling

Our first responsibility and priority is towards the children in our care. If we have any cause for concern we will report it to the relevant body, following the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. 
The local procedures that we hold are available for parents to see on request. 
We understand that child abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional, neglect or a mixture of these, and we are aware of the signs and symptoms of these. This also includes FGM, upskirting, cyber crime (online safety)  and Prevent of Duty (the risk of children being radicalised or exposed to extremism)

Procedure 
We keep up to date with child protection issues and relevant legislation by taking regular training courses and by reading relevant updated publications. 
We check the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures website run by The Education People. We receive alerts when their procedures are updated.
We follow the procedures outlined in our confidentiality policy. 
We work together with parents to make sure the care of their child is consistent – please refer to our Working with Parents policy.
Children will only be released from our care to the parent/carer or to someone named and authorised by them. A password might be used to confirm identity if the person collecting the child is not previously known to us.
Parents must notify us of any concerns they have about their child and any accidents, incidents or injuries affecting the child, which we will record and ask parents to sign.

Unless we believe that it would put the child at risk of further harm, we will discuss concerns with a child’s parent if we notice:

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 or parents’ comments which give cause for concern, including expressing extremist views.
	•	any reasons to suspect neglect or abuse outside the setting, for example in the child’s home. and/or inappropriate behaviour, inappropriate sexual comments, or inappropriate sharing of images.

If a child tells us that they or another child is being abused, We will:

Show that we have heard what they are saying, and that we take their allegations seriously.
Encourage the child to talk, but we will not prompt them or ask them leading questions. We will not interrupt when a child is recalling significant events and will not make a child repeat their account.
Explain what actions we must take, in a way that is appropriate to the age and understanding of the child.
Record what we have been told using exact words where possible.
Make a note of the date, time, place and people who were present at the discussion.
We will call the local social services’ duty desk for advice and an assessment of the situation.
We will follow this phone call up with a letter to the Duty team within 48 hours. We will record the concern and all contact with Children’s Services thereafter. 

We must notify Ofsted of any allegations of abuse that are alleged to have taken place while the child is in our care, including any allegations against any members of staff or any member of the Finch family living at Barn Lodge.
If an allegation is made against a member of staff, family or child in our setting we will report it to Ofsted and social services, following the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. We will also contact Pacey’s Information Line on 0845 880 0044 for advice and support.
 
In all instances We will record:
the child’s full name and address
the date and time of the record
factual details of the concern, for example bruising, what the child said, who was present
details of any previous concerns
details of any explanations from the parents
any action taken such as speaking to parents.
It is not our responsibility to attempt to investigate the situation.

Child Absences - In the event that a child does not attend as expected we will contact parents/carers in a timely manner, normally within an hour of their expected arrival, to make sure everything is okay. If we are unable to contact you, we will contact the emergency contacts detailed on the registration form.
If we are still unable to contact anyone, we will implement our safeguarding procedures. These may include sending a member of staff to the registered address for the child, contacting the local police and ask them to undertake a welfare check at the registered address and contacting children’s services to report out concerns.We will regularly monitor children’s attendance patterns and trends. Where we have repeated absences without notification, and we have concerns we will make a referral to local children’s social care and may also ask the police to undertake a welfare check. For further details please see our Attendance Policy.
Whistleblowing- We are aware of the requirement to disclose information if the intention is to keep children safe. If our staff or parents have worries, are concerned about our safeguarding practices they can speak to one of our DSL at Barn Lodge or call our local safeguarding board and Ofsted. For further information please see our Whistleblowing Policy.

Safeguarding Training - All staff receive safeguarding. Training is designed for staff caring for 0 – 5 year olds and is appropriate to the age of the children being cared for. In addition to this training our Designated Safeguarding Leads receive further training to fulfil their roles and enable them to effectively implement policies and procedures. Training is renewed every two years. For further details see our Safeguarding Training Policy.

Nappy and Toilet Care - Intimate care is an important, necessary, and essential aspect of the care we provide throughout the day. This may include nappy-changing, supporting children with toileting, changing clothes, administering first aid, and providing cuddles and physical reassurance. We are committed to providing a safe, respectful, and hygienic environment for all children, that ensures children are treated with dignity and maintains their privacy. For further details please see our Intimate Care Policy

Safe Eating - Mealtimes and snack times for babies and children can be a high-risk environment for choking incidents and allergic reactions. Babies and young children will be seated safely in a highchair or appropriately sized low chair while eating. We provide a designated eating space where distractions are minimised.
Children are always within sight and hearing of a member of staff whilst eating, Ensuring they face forwards so to prevent choking and prevent food sharing to avoid unexpected allergic reactions. For further details see our Healthy Eating Policy.

Paediatric First Aid - All staff hold a current and valid Paediatric First Aid Certificate which complies with Ofsted and EYFS requirements.

Safe Recruitment 
     -          When we recruit staff our procedure to check the suitability of new recruits is as follows:
	•	Make checks to confirm their identity
	•	Obtain two references before employment commences
	•	Obtain a DBS through Ofsted 
	•	Ensure that their safeguarding training meets the criteria in Annex C of the EYFS and is in date. I will also provide them with support, advice, and guidance on an ongoing basis, and on any specific safeguarding issue as required.
	•	Ensure that assistants disclose any convictions, cautions, court orders, reprimands and warnings that may affect their suitability to work with children (whether received before or during their employment at our setting). For Further details please see our Safe Recruitment Policy

The use of mobile phones, cameras, CCTV
We understand that mobile phones are an everyday part of life for parents and childminders and with that in mind have laid out my procedure for their use: 
We will ensure our mobile phone is fully charged and with us at all times in case of emergencies
We have the facility to take photographs on our Barn Lodge mobile phone and we seek your permission to take any photographs of your child to record activities and share their progress with you. 
Any photographs taken will be deleted after either emailing/messaging to you or printed for use within our setting (if permission has been signed)
We will not publish any photographs of your child on any social networking sites or share with any other person without your permission.
If your child has a mobile phone or camera that they wish to bring into the setting please let us know, so that we can work together to ensure the safety of all children in attendance. 
We have a CCTV camera on our front gate that records 20 second clips of any movement in the area and will therefore pick up parents entering and leaving the setting. These images delete automatically after 24 hours.
We use an Alexa device within our playrooms to play childrens music. There is parental controls on the Alexa to ensure children can not access in appropriate content.

We have registered with the Information Commissioners Office as a data controller- See our GDPR Policy

Parents Name_________________________________Parents Signature ____________________________ Date_____________________

Useful telephone numbers
LADO Team
Kent Safeguarding Children Board
Kent Childrens Social Services Central Duty Out of Hours ( Front Door Service)	03000 41 08 88
03000 41 22 84
03000 41 11 11	
Local police station	01622 690690	
Ofsted 	0300 123 4666

NSPCC child protection helpline – 24-hour helpline for people worried about a child 	0808 800 5000	

DSL Name	Parents Name	
DSL Signature	Parents Signature	
Date	Date