What does the term 'Safeguarding' mean?
Specifically, safeguarding means: protecting children from abuse and maltreatment, preventing harm to children’s health or development, ensuring that children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care and taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best possible outcomes.

Child Protection: This is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.

Tiny Stars Safeguarding Policy applies to all who are associated with the setting including the on-site team,(at all levels and grades), the Board of Directors, volunteers, students, temporary staff or any person attending on-site at any time. Tiny Stars is committed to our duty to keep children and young people safe in all aspects of our practice.

 

The purpose of our Safeguarding Policy is to achieve a nurturing and caring environment where children can have fun and be safe. Our vision is to give every child the best start in life. This is achieved by supporting the delivery of the highest standards of quality childcare and an integral part of parents'/carers' support network.

How is Tiny Stars' Safeguarding Policy applied?

1. All those who work within our setting are thoroughly screened, DBS checked and asked to take a trial shift with us before being recruited to work within the setting

2. Upon being appointed, new team members complete an induction which includes a section on safeguarding. Employees must familiarise themselves regularly with this Policy (especially in the event of an amendment) and understand the Safeguarding Policy and appendices. Tiny Stars employees are regularly trained to keep their knowledge current 

• All Designated Safeguarding Leads complete DSL training every two years

• All team members complete a full day Safeguarding Course every 3 years with a refresher in between
 

We expect all team members, including those not working directly with children, to be alert and responsive to all aspects of safeguarding and to act in the event of concerns. The Speak Up line may be used anonymously if required.

 

Operational policy Safeguarding Appendices

A - The Four Main Types of Abuse and some overarching Signs, Symptoms and Indicators of Abuse

B - Disclosure

C - Grooming

D - Indirect abuse

E - Female Genital Mutilation

F - Breast ironing

G - Radicalisation

H - Fabricated or Induced illness or injury

I - Child Trafficking & Modern Slavery

J - County Lines

K – Information Sharing and Busy Bees paperwork

L - Information Sharing and Busy Bees paperwork

L - Suitability to Staff M - Responding to Allegations of Abuse

N - How to help children who may be particularly vulnerable?

O - How to help children keep themselves safe?

P - Safeguarding flowchart

Q - Staff allegation flowchart

R - Record of concern form

S - Initial Safeguarding Report Form

T - Notifiable Incident Timeline

U - Chronology

V - Roles and Responsibilities Poster Legal Framework

 

This policy is based on but is not limited to, the law and guidance detailed below. These laws and guidance seek to protect children and dictate how to best keep them safe and healthy • Children Act 1989 • United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1991 • Human Rights Act 1988 • Sexual Offences Act 2003 • Data Protection Act 2018 • General Data Protection Regulation 2018 • Children Act 2004 (incorporating Every Child Matters 2003) • Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 • Equality Act 2010 • Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 • Children and Families Act 2014 • Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2015 • Information Sharing: Advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers; HM Government 2018 • Working Together to Safeguard children: a guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; HM Government 2018 • Information Sharing Advice for Safeguarding Practitioners; HM Government 2015 • The Prevent Duty Guidance 2019 • Female Genital Mutilation Act as amended by the Serious Crime Act 2015 • Defining child vulnerability: Definitions, frameworks and groups Technical Paper 2 in Children’s Commissioner project on vulnerable children 2017 • Keeping Children Safe in Education; 2019 • Early Years Foundation Stage 2017; Department for Education • Early Years Inspection Handbook 2019; Ofsted • Inspecting safeguarding in early years 2019; Ofsted • All Wales Child Protection Procedures 2019 • Section 175 of Education Act 2002 • Common Law Duty of Care • Children and Families Act 2014 • The Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 •The Children’s Rights Framework • The Rights of children and young persons (Wales) measure 2011 • The Gender - Based violence, Domestic Abuse and sexual Violence (Wales) • National Minimum standards • Wales Regulations • Curriculum for Wales - Foundation phase Framework 2015 As Safeguarding children is so broad, it’s impossible to address all elements within one Policy. Therefore, please ensure you read this Policy in conjunction with the following Busy Bees Policies and Procedures: • SEND Policy • Equality of Opportunity Policy • HR Policies relating to suitable recruitment & codes of conduct • DSL Job Description Operational policy Busy Bees Safeguarding • Court Supervision Flow Chart • Anti-bullying Policy • Complaints Policy • Speak Up Policy • Data Protection Policy Safeguarding statement We understand and adhere to the following principles: • The welfare of the child is paramount (Children Act 1989), whilst we intend to work in partnership with parents and families, we will prioritise the child at all times • Working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers, extended families and external agencies is essential in promoting welfare and safety • All children have a right to equal protection from all types of harm and/or abuse, regardless of age, ability, special educational need, race, religion, sexual orientation or identity (or that of their parents), residency status or any other characteristic • Some children are particularly vulnerable because of their current life circumstances or previous life experience, or that of their parents • Some children are additionally vulnerable due to a special educational need or communication need, including those with English as an additional language, or their level of dependency. The criteria for those considered vulnerable is not exhaustive and Busy Bees acknowledges our responsibility to consider each child and young person’s vulnerability on an individual basis • Sharing information with outside agencies, such as those in the medical profession, second settings and social care services, when appropriate, is key to ensuring a meaningful approach to safeguarding To ensure safety of children and young people, we will: • Promote an inclusive culture where every child matter’s • Listen to the children in your care • Value and respect their views, opinions, beliefs, values and behaviours • Appoint a Company Safeguarding Lead • Appoint a Designated Safeguarding Lead in each centre, as well as a sufficient amount of Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads to ensure DSL attendance in each centre • Operate a confidential Speak Up telephone line that all staff can access • Obtain a clear complaints procedure • Adopt child protection and safeguarding practices through Procedures and Policies for all staff, students and volunteers • Understand the reporting criteria for all types of child abuse, as well as additional reporting responsibilities for particular types of child abuse. Please ensure that your staff team are aware of such reporting responsibilities • Develop and implement a clear structure of Safeguarding referral • Provide effective management for staff, students and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures • Ensure safer recruitment for all staff, students and volunteers • Obtain safe and secure storage of information • Share information about safeguarding, child protection and good practice with children, their families, staff, students and volunteers, via our website, posters, Policies and Procedures, and one-to-one discussions • Use our Safeguarding procedures to share concerns and relevant information with external agencies and, where appropriate, involve parents and carers • Use our procedures to manage and report any allegations against staff and volunteers • Create and maintain a culture of Equal Opportunity and manage this via our policies and procedures, in the event of discrimination or bullying • Create and maintain a culture which promotes the difference between professional and personal relationships to ensure that the two do not become blurred • Ensure that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, students, staff and volunteers by applying compliance measure in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance Operational policy Identifying risks to the safety and welfare of children Risks may arise from many different sources and can be categorised in a number of different ways. Here we have outlined some of the potential risks to be aware of: • Someone that the child knows and who is in close physical proximity • Remote and occasionally anonymous (the internet – especially for older children) • Other children through bullying or it may come from adults, including early year’s educators or other professionals. We are committed to reviewing our Policy and Procedure annually or immediately in the event of changes to law, guidance or good practice. This policy was last reviewed on: 5.02.2020 Signed: D.Billings Name: Deena Billings