At High Hopes Day Nursery School we work with children, parents, external
agencies and the community to ensure the welfare and safety of children and to give them the very best start in life. Children have the right to be treated with respect, be helped to thrive and to be safe from any abuse in whatever form.
We support the children within our care, protect them from maltreatment and have robust procedures in place to prevent the impairment of children’s health and development. In our setting we strive to protect children from the risk of radicalisation and we promote acceptance and tolerance of other beliefs and cultures (please refer to our inclusion and equality policy for further information). Safeguarding is a much
wider subject than the elements covered within this single policy, therefore this document should be used in conjunction with the nursery’s other policies and procedures.
Legal framework and definition of safeguarding• Children Act 1989 and 2004
• Childcare Act 2006
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
• The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2017
• Working together to safeguard children 2015 (updated 2017)
• Keeping children safe in education 2016
• What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused 2015
• Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015.
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
• Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
(Definition taken from the HM Government document ‘Working together to safeguard
children 2015).
Policy intention
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
• Support staff to notice the softer signs of abuse and know what action to take
• Encourage children to develop a sense of independence and autonomy in a way that is appropriate to their age and stage of development
• Provide a safe and secure environment for all children
• Promote tolerance and acceptance of different beliefs, cultures and
communities
• Help children to understand how they can influence and participate in
decision-making and how to promote British values through play, discussion and role modelling
• 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 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 in 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 in the best interest of the child, including as part of a multi-agency team, where needed.
The nursery aims to:
• Keep the child at the centre of all we do
• Ensure staff are trained right from induction to understand the child protection and safeguarding policy and procedures, are alert to identify possible signs of abuse (including the signs known as softer 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
• Be aware of the increased vulnerability of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and other vulnerable or isolated families and children
• Ensure staff understand how to recognise early indicators of potential
radicalisation and terrorism threats and act on them appropriately in line with national and local procedures
• 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, including thorough annual safeguarding newsletters and updates
• Make any child protection referrals in a timely way, sharing relevant
information as necessary in line with procedures set out by the Leicester
Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB)
• Make any referrals relating to extremism to the police (or the Government
helpline) in a timely way, sharing relevant information as appropriate
• Ensure that information is shared only with those people who need to know in order to protect the child and act in their best interest
• Keep the setting safe online using appropriate filters, checks and safeguards, monitoring access at all times
• Ensure that children are never placed at risk while in the charge of nursery staff
• Identify changes in staff behaviour and act on these as per the Staff
Behaviour Policy
• Take any appropriate action relating to allegations of serious harm 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 Leicester 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 and support them to learn how to keep themselves safe.
Contact telephone numbers
Local authority children’s social care team Beverley Czyz [0116 454 4581]
Local authority Designated Officer (LADO) Jude Atkinson [0116 454 2440]
Ofsted
Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) [0116 454 6520]
Non-emergency police 101
Government helpline for extremism concerns 020 7340 7264
Types of abuse and particular procedures followed
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.
What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused (advice for practitioners) 2015.
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
• Failure to thrive and meet developmental milestones
• Fearful or withdrawn tendencies
• Unexplained injuries to a child or conflicting reports from parents or staff
• Repeated injuries
• Unaddressed illnesses or injuries
• Significant changes to behaviour patterns.
Softer signs of abuse as defined by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
(NICE) include:
• Low self-esteem
• Wetting and soiling
• Recurrent nightmares
• Aggressive behaviour
• Withdrawing communication
• Habitual body rocking
• Indiscriminate contact or affection seeking
• Over-friendliness towards strangers
• Excessive clinginess
• Persistently seeking attention.
We are aware that peer on peer abuse does take place, so we include children in our policies when we talk about potential abusers. This may take the form of bullying, physically hurting another child, emotional abuse, or sexual abuse. We will report this in the same way as we do for adults abusing children, and will take advice from the appropriate bodies on this area.
Physical abuse
Action needs to be taken if staff have reason to believe that there has been a
physical injury to a child, including deliberate poisoning, where there is definite knowledge or reasonable suspicion that the injury was inflicted or knowingly not prevented. These symptoms may include bruising or injuries in an area that is not usual for a child, e.g. fleshy parts of the arms and legs, back, wrists, ankles and face.
Many children will have cuts and grazes from normal childhood injuries. These should also be logged and discussed with the nursery manager or room leader. Children and babies may be abused physically through shaking or throwing. Other injuries may include burns or scalds. These are not usual childhood injuries and should always be logged and discussed with the nursery manager.
Female genital mutilation
This type of physical abuse is practised as a cultural ritual by certain ethnic groups and there is now more awareness of its prevalence in some communities in England including its effect on the child and any other siblings involved. This procedure may be carried out shortly after birth and during childhood as well as adolescence, just before marriage or during a woman’s first pregnancy and varies widely according to the community . Symptoms may include bleeding, painful areas, acute urinary
retention, urinary infection, wound infection, septicaemia, incontinence, vaginal and pelvic infections with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder as well as physiological concerns. If you have concerns about a child relating to this area, you should contact children’s social care team in the same way as other types of physical abuse. There is a mandatory duty to report to police any case where an act of female genital mutilation appears to have been carried out on a girl under the age of 18, we will ensure this is followed in our setting.
Fabricated illness
This is also a type of physical abuse. This is where a child is presented with an illness that is fabricated by the adult carer. The carer may seek out unnecessary medical treatment or investigation. The signs may include a carer exaggerating a real illness or symptoms, complete fabrication of symptoms or inducing physical illness, e.g. through poisoning, starvation, inappropriate diet. This may also be presented through false allegations of abuse or encouraging the child to appear disabled or ill to obtain unnecessary treatment or specialist support.
Sexual abuse
Action needs be taken if the staff member has witnessed an occasion(s) where a child indicated sexual activity through words, play, drawing, had an excessive preoccupation with sexual matters or had an inappropriate knowledge of adult sexual behaviour or language. This may include acting out sexual activity on dolls/toys or in the role play area with their peers, drawing pictures that are inappropriate for a child, talking about sexual activities or using sexual language or words. The child may become worried when their clothes are removed, e.g. for nappy changes. The physical symptoms may include genital trauma, discharge and bruises between
the legs or signs of a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Emotional symptoms could include a distinct change in a child’s behaviour. They may be withdrawn or overly extroverted and outgoing. They may withdraw away from a particular adult and become distressed if they reach out for them, but they may also be particularly clingy to a potential abuser so all symptoms and signs should be looked at together and assessed as a whole.
If a child starts to talk openly to an adult about abuse they may be experiencing the procedure below will be followed:
Procedure:
• The adult should reassure the child and listen without interrupting if the child wishes to talk
• The observed instances will be detailed in a confidential report
• The observed instances will be reported to the nursery manager or DSCO
• The matter will be referred to the local authority children’s social care team
(see reporting procedures).
Child sexual exploitation (CSE)
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015 (2017 updated version) defines CSE as “…a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if
the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.” We will be aware of the possibility of CSE and the signs and symptoms this may manifest as. If we have concerns we will follow the same procedures as for other concerns and we will record and refer as appropriate.
Emotional abuse
Action should be taken if the staff member has reason to believe that there is a severe, adverse effect on the behaviour and emotional development of a child, caused by persistent or severe ill treatment or rejection.
This may include extremes of discipline where a child is shouted at or put down on a consistent basis, lack of emotional attachment by a parent, or it may include parents or carers placing inappropriate age or developmental expectations upon them. Emotional abuse may also be imposed through the child witnessing domestic abuse and alcohol and drug misuse by adults caring for them. The child is likely to show extremes of emotion with this type of abuse. This may include shying away from an adult who is abusing them, becoming withdrawn, aggressive or clingy in order to receive their love and attention. This type of abuse is harder to identify as the child is not likely to show any physical signs.
Neglect
Action should be taken if the staff member has reason to believe that there has been any type of neglect of a child (for example, by exposure to any kind of danger, including cold, starvation or failure to seek medical treatment, when required, on behalf of the child), which results in serious impairment of the child’s health or development, including failure to thrive.
Signs may include a child persistently arriving at nursery unwashed or unkempt, wearing clothes that are too small (especially shoes that may restrict the child’s growth or hurt them), arriving at nursery in the same nappy they went home in or a child having an illness or identified special educational need or disability that is not being addressed by the parent. A child may also be persistently hungry if a parent is withholding food or not providing enough for a child’s needs.
Neglect may also be shown through emotional signs, e.g. a child may not be
receiving the attention they need at home and may crave love and support at nursery. They may be clingy and emotional. In addition, neglect may occur through pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse.
Reporting Procedures
All staff have a responsibility to report safeguarding concerns and suspicions of abuse. These concerns will be discussed with the designated safeguarding coordinator (DCSO) as soon as possible
.• Staff will report their concerns to the DCSO – Jag Soni – (in the absence of
the DCSO they will be reported to the Deputy DCSO – Nirav Soni)
• Any signs of marks/injuries to a child or information a child has given will be recorded and stored securely
• If appropriate, the incident will be discussed with the parent/carer, such
discussions will be recorded and the parent will have access to these records on request
• If there are queries/concerns regarding the injury/information given then the following procedures will take place:
The designated safeguarding lead will:
• Contact the local authority children’s social care team to report concerns and seek advice (if it is believed a child is in immediate danger we will contact the police)
• Inform Ofsted
• Record the information and action taken relating to the concern raised
• Speak to the parents (unless advised not do so by LA children’s social car
team)
• The designated safeguarding lead will follow up action taken by the LA social children’s care team if they have not contacted the setting within the
timeframe set out in Working Together to Safeguarding Children (2015).
Keeping children safe is our highest priority and if, for whatever reason, staff do not feel able to report concerns to the DCSO or deputy DCSO they should call the Local Authority Children’s social care team or the NSPCC and report their concerns anonymously.
These contact numbers are displayed: (0116) 454 6520
Recording Suspicions of Abuse and Disclosures
Staff should make an objective record of any observation or disclosure, supported by the nursery manager or Designated Safeguarding Co-ordinator2 (DSCO). This record should include:
• Child’s name
• Child’s address
• Age of the child and date of birth
• Date and time of the observation or the disclosure
• Exact words spoken by the child
• Exact position and type of any injuries or marks seen
• Exact observation of any incident including any concern was reported, with
date and time; and the names of any other person present at the time
• Any discussion held with the parent(s) (where deemed appropriate).
These records should be signed by the person reporting this and the
manager/DSCO/*supervisor, dated and kept in a separate confidential file.
If a child starts to talk to an adult about potential abuse it is important not to promise the child complete confidentiality. This promise cannot be kept. It is vital that the child is allowed to talk openly and disclosure is not forced or words put into the child’s mouth. As soon as possible after the disclosure details must be logged accurately. It may be thought necessary that through discussion with all concerned the matter needs to be raised with the local authority children’s social care team and Ofsted.
Staff involved may be asked to supply details of any information/concerns they have with regard to a child. The nursery expects all members of staff to co-operate with the local authority children’s social care, police, and Ofsted in any way necessary to ensure the safety of the children.
Staff must not make any comments either publicly or in private about the supposed or actual behaviour of a parent or member of staff.
Informing parents
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/ local authority children’s social care 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.
Confidentiality
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.
Support to families
The nursery takes every step in its power to build up trusting and supportive relations among families, staff, students and volunteers within the nursery.
2 Referred to in the EYFS as a lead practitioner
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-judgmental manner whilst any external investigations are carried out in the best interest 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. Allegations against adults working or volunteering with children
Allegations
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 thesubject of the allegation then this should be reported to the *owner/registered person/DSCO/*deputy manager instead.
The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), Ofsted and the LSCB will then be informed immediately in order for this to be investigated by the appropriate bodies promptly:
• The LADO will be informed immediately for advice and guidance
• If as an individual you feel this will not be taken seriously or are worried about the allegation getting back to the person in question, or the allegation is about the DSCO, then it is your duty to inform the LADO yourself directly
• A full investigation will be carried out by the appropriate professionals (LADO, Ofsted, LSCB) to determine how this will be handled
• The nursery will follow all instructions from the LADO, 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 LADO 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 reinstated
• Founded allegations will be passed on to 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 the termination of employment. Ofsted will be notified immediately of this decision. The nursery will also notify the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to ensure their records are updated
• All records will be kept until the person reaches normal retirement age or for 21 years and 3 months years if that is longer. This will ensure accurate
information is available for references and future DBS checks and avoids any unnecessary reinvestigation
• The nursery retains the right to dismiss any member of staff in connection
with founded allegations following an inquiry
• Counselling will be available for any member of the nursery who is affected by an allegation, their colleagues in the nursery and the parents.
Monitoring children’s attendance
As part of our requirements under the statutory framework and guidance documents we are required to monitor children’s attendance patterns to ensure they are consistent and no cause for concern.
Parents should please inform the nursery prior to their children taking holidays or days off, and all sickness should be called into the nursery on the day so the nursery management are able to account for a child’s absence. This should not stop parents taking precious time with their children, but enables children’s attendance to be logged so we know the child is safe.
Looked after children
As part of our safeguarding practice we will ensure our staff are aware of how to keep looked after children safe. In order to do this we ask that we are informed of:
• The legal status of the child (e.g. whether the child is being looked after under voluntary arrangements with consent of parents or on an interim or full care order)
• Contact arrangements for the biological parents (or those with parental
responsibility)
• The child’s care arrangements and the levels of authority delegated to the
carer by the authority looking after him/her
• The details of the child’s social worker and any other support agencies
involved
• Any child protection plan or care plan in place for the child in question.
Staffing and volunteering
Our policy is to provide a secure and safe environment for all children. We only allow an adult who is employed by the nursery to care for children and who has an enhanced clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to be left alone
with children. We will obtain enhanced criminal records checks (DBS) for all volunteers and do not allow any volunteers to be unsupervised with children.
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 the LADO (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 named persons within the nursery who take lead responsibility for
safeguarding and co-ordinate child protection and welfare issues, known as the Designated Safeguarding Co-ordinators (DSCO), there is always at least one designated person on duty during all opening hours of the setting.
These designated persons will receive comprehensive training at least every two years and update their knowledge on an ongoing basis, but at least once a year.
The nursery DSCO’s (Jag and Nirav Soni) liaise 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. They in turn support the ongoing development and knowledge update of all staff on the team. Although, under the EYFS, we are only required to have one designated Lead Coordinator for safeguarding, for best practice and to ensure cover at all times, we have two designated leads in place. This enables safeguarding to stay high in our priorities
at all times. There will always be at least one designated Co-ordinator on duty at all times our provision is open. This will ensure that prompt action can be taken if concerns are raised.
The Designated Safeguarding Co-ordinators (DSCO) at the nursery are: Nirav Soni
& Jagruti Soni.
• 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 to 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 they live with in a household has
committed an 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 an annual basis/or we use the DBS update
service (with staff consent) 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
• As a staff team we will be fully aware of how to safeguard the whole nursery environment and be aware of potential dangers on the nursery boundaries such as drones, Pokémon hotspots, strangers lingering. We will ensure the children remain safe at all times
• The Staff Behaviour Policy sits alongside this policy to enable us to monitor changes in behaviours that may cause concern. All staff sign up to this policy too to ensure any changes are reported to management so we are able to support the individual staff member and ensure the safety and care of the children is not compromised
• 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 in an appropriate manner
• Signs of inappropriate staff behaviour may include inappropriate sexual
comments; excessive one-to-one attention beyond the requirements of their
usual role and responsibilities; or inappropriate sharing of images. This is not an exhaustive list, any changes in behaviour must be reported and acted upon immediately
• All staff will receive regular supervision meetings where opportunities will be made available to discuss any issues relating to individual children, child protection training and any needs for further support
• We use peer on peer and manager observations in the setting to ensure that the care we provide for children is at the highest level and any areas for staff development are quickly highlighted. Peer observations allow us to share constructive feedback, develop practice and build trust so that staff are able to share any concerns they may have. Any concerns are raised with the designated lead and dealt with in an appropriate and timely manner
• 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.
Employees, students or volunteers of the nursery or any other person living or working on the nursery premises.
We have a Staff Behaviour Policy in place that supports us to monitor staff and changes in their character. Staff are aware of the need to disclose changes to circumstance and use the whistle blowing policy where required.
Extremism – the Prevent Duty
Under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 we have a duty to refer any concerns of extremism to the police (In Prevent priority areas the local authority will have a Prevent lead who can also provide support).
This may be a cause for concern relating to a change in behaviour of a child or family member, comments causing concern made to a member of the team (or other persons in the setting) or actions that lead staff to be worried about the safety of a child in their care
Alongside this we will be alert to any early signs in children and families who may be at risk of radicalisation, on which we will act and document all concerns when reporting further.
e-Safety
Our nursery is aware of the growth of internet use and the advantages this can bring.
However, it is also aware of the dangers and strives to support children, staff and families in using the internet safely.
Within the nursery we do this by:
• Ensuring we have appropriate antivirus and anti-spyware software on all
devices and updating them regularly
• Ensuring content blockers and filters are on our computers, laptops and any
mobile devices
• Ensure management monitor all internet activities in the setting
• Using approved devices to record/photograph in the setting
• Never emailing personal or financial information
• Reporting emails with inappropriate content to the internet watch foundation
(IWF www.iwf.org.uk)
• Ensuring children are supervised when using internet devices
• Using tracking software to monitor suitability of internet usage (for older
children)
• Integrating e-safety into nursery daily practice by discussing computer usage
‘rules’ deciding together what is safe and what is not safe to do online
• Talking to children about ‘stranger danger’ and deciding who is a stranger
and who is not, comparing people in real life situations to online ‘friends’
• When using Skype and FaceTime (where applicable) discussing with the
children what they would do if someone they did not know tried to contact
them
• We encourage staff and families to complete a free online e-safety briefing
which can be found at https://moodle.ndna.org.uk
• We abide by an acceptable use policy, ensuring staff only use the work IT
equipment for matters relating to the children and their education and care.
No personal use will be tolerated
• Children’s screen time is monitored to ensure they remain safe online and
have access to material that promotes their development. We will ensure that their screen time is within an acceptable level and is integrated within their programme of learning.
Our nursery has a clear commitment to protecting children and promoting welfare.
Should anyone believe that this policy is not being upheld, it is their duty to report the matter to the attention of the *nursery manager/owner/DSCO/registered person at
the earliest opportunity

The safe care and practice policy complements the Intimate Care Policy.

EYFS: 3.1, 3.6

At High Hopes Day Nursery School we believe that all children need to feel safe, secure and happy. This involves nursery staff being responsive to children’s needs, whilst maintaining professionalism. This includes giving children cuddles and changing children’s nappies or clothes.

To promote good practice and to minimise the risk of allegations we have the following guidelines:

• Although we recognise it is appropriate to cuddle children, we give cuddles only when sought by children needing comfort to support their emotional development. Staff are advised to do this in view of other children and practitioners, whenever possible. We recognise that there may be occasions where it is appropriate for this to happen away from others, such as when a child is ill. In these circumstances, staff are advised to leave the door open. It is the duty of all staff and the manager to ensure that children are appropriately comforted and to monitor practice
• When changing children’s nappies or soiled/wet clothing, we leave the doors open, where appropriate
• We discourage inappropriate behaviour such as over tickling, over boisterous play or inappropriate questions such as asking children to tell them they love them and we advise staff to report any such observed practice
• Staff are respectful of each other and the children and families in the nursery and do not use inappropriate language or behaviour, including during breaks
• All staff are aware of the whistleblowing procedures and the manager carries out random checks throughout the day to ensure safe practices.

If a parent or member of staff has concerns or questions about safe care and practice procedures or behaviour they consider as inappropriate, including between staff members, they are urged to see the manager at the earliest opportunity.

Management will challenge inappropriate behaviour in line with the supervision/disciplinary or whistleblowing procedures. If the concern relates to the manager and/or nursery owner then parents should contact Ofsted 0300 123 1231 or the local authority children’s social care team (0116 454 1004).

At High Hopes Day Nursery School we recognise that we hold sensitive and

confidential information about children and their families and the staff we employ. This information is used to meet children’s needs, for registers, invoices and emergency contacts. We store all records in a locked cabinet or on the office computer with files that are password protected in line with data protection principles. Any information shared with the staff team is done on a ‘need to know’ basis and treated in confidence.

Legal requirements

• We follow the legal requirements set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2017 and accompanying regulations about the information we must hold about registered children and their families and the staff working at the nursery
• We follow the requirements of the Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998 and the

Freedom of Information Act 2000 with regard to the storage of data and

access to it.

Procedures

It is our intention to respect the privacy of children and their families and we do so by:

• Storing confidential records in a locked filing cabinet or on the office computer with files that are password protected
• Ensuring staff, student and volunteer inductions include an awareness of the importance of confidentiality and that information about the child and family is not shared outside of the nursery other than with relevant professionals who need to know that information. It is not shared with friends and family, discussions on the bus or at the local bar. If staff breach any confidentiality provisions, this may result in disciplinary action and, in serious cases, dismissal. Students on placement in the nursery are advised of our confidentiality policy and required to respect it
• Ensuring that all staff, volunteers and students are aware that this information is confidential and only for use within the nursery and to support the child’s best interests with parental permission
• Ensuring that parents have access to files and records of their own children but not to those of any other child, other than where relevant professionals such as the police or local authority children’s social care team decide this is not in the child’s best interest
• Ensuring all staff are aware that this information is confidential and only for use within the nursery setting. If any of this information is requested for

whatever reason, the parent’s permission will always be sought other than in the circumstances above

• Ensuring staff do not discuss personal information given by parents with other members of staff, except where it affects planning for the child’s needs
• Ensuring staff, students and volunteers are aware of and follow our social

networking policy in relation to confidentiality

• Ensuring issues concerning the employment of staff remain confidential to the people directly involved with making personnel decisions
• Ensuring any concerns/evidence relating to a child’s personal safety are kept in a secure, confidential file and are shared with as few people as possible on a ‘need-to-know’ basis. If, however, a child is considered at risk, our safeguarding policy will override confidentiality.

All the undertakings above are subject to the paramount commitment of the nursery, which is to the safety and well-being of the child.

Staff and volunteer information

• All information and records relating to staff will be kept confidentially in a

locked cabinet

• Individual staff may request to see their own personal file at any time.

The nursery is registered at www.ico.gov.uk

At High Hopes Day Nursery we aim to protect and support the welfare of the children in our care at all times. The nursery manager is responsible for all staff, students and relief staff receiving information on health and safety policies and procedures in the nursery in order to supervise the children in their care suitably.

Supervision

We ensure that children are supervised adequately at all times, whether children are in or out of the building through:

• Making sure that every child is always within the sight and/or hearing of a

suitably vetted member of staff. Monitoring staff deployment across the

setting regularly to ensure children’s needs are met

• Ensuring children are fully supervised at all times when using water

play/paddling pools as we are aware that children can drown in only a few

centimetres of water

• Taking special care when children are using large apparatus e.g. a climbing frame, and when walking up or down steps/stairs, including having one member of staff supervising large outdoor play equipment at all times
• Making sure staff recognise and are aware of any dangers relating to bushes, shrubs and plants when on visits/outdoors
• Supervising children at all times when eating; monitoring toddlers and babies closely and never leaving babies alone with a bottle. Babies are always bottle fed by a member of staff
• Supervising sleeping babies/children and never leaving them unattended
• Never leaving babies/children unattended during nappy changing times
• Supervising children carefully when using scissors or tools, including using knives in cooking activities
• Increasing staff: child ratios during outings to ensure supervision and safety (please refer to Outings policy)
• Strictly following any safety guidelines given by other organisations or

companies relating to the hire of equipment or services e.g. hire of a bouncy castle and a member of staff MUST supervise the children at all times.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT?

The Nursery High Hopes Day Nursery School is a “data controller”. This

means that we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use personal

information about You. We are required under data protection legislation to

notify You of the information contained in this privacy notice.

This notice applies to Employees, Children and Parents. This notice does not

form part of any contract of employment or other contract to provide services.

We may update this notice at any time but if we do so, we will provide You

with an updated copy of this notice as soon as reasonably practical.

It is important that Employees, Children and Parents read and retain this

notice, together with any other privacy notice we may provide on specific

occasions when we are collecting or processing personal information about

You, so that You are aware of how and why we are using such information

and what Your rights are under the data protection legislation.

THE KIND OF INFORMATION WE HOLD ABOUT YOU

Personal data, or personal information, means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).

There are “special categories” of more sensitive personal data which require a higher level of protection, such as information about a person’s health or sexual orientation.

Employees:

We will collect, store, and use the following categories of personal information in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

We will comply with data protection law. This says that the personal information we hold about You must be:

Used lawfully, fairly and in a transparent way.

Collected only for valid purposes that we have clearly explained to You and not used in any

way that is incompatible with those purposes.

Relevant to the purposes we have told You about and limited only to those purposes.

Accurate and kept up to date.

Kept only as long as necessary for the purposes we have told You about.

Kept securely.

about Employees:

• Personal contact details such as name, title, addresses, telephone

numbers, and personal email addresses.

• Date of birth.
• Gender.
• Marital status and dependants.
• Next of kin and emergency contact information.
• National Insurance number.
• Bank account details, payroll records and tax status information.
• Salary, annual leave, pension and benefits information.
• Start date and, if different, the date of an Employee’s continuous

employment.

• Location of employment or workplace.
• Copy of driving licence (where applicable).
• Recruitment information (including copies of right to work

documentation, references and other information included in a CV or

cover letter or as part of the application process).

• Employment records (including job titles, work history, working hours,

holidays, training records and professional memberships).

• Personnel files and training records including performance information,

disciplinary and grievance information, and working time records.

• Information about your use of our information and communications

systems.

• Records of any reportable death, injury, disease or dangerous

occurrence.

We may also collect, store and use the following “special categories” of more

sensitive personal information:

• Information about an Employee’s race or ethnicity.
• Information about an Employee’s health, including any medical

condition, accident, health and sickness records, including:

• where an Employee leaves employment and under any share plan

operated by a group company the reason for leaving is determined to

be ill-health, injury or disability, the records relating to that decision;

• details of any absences (other than holidays) from work including time

on statutory parental leave and sick leave; and

• where an Employee leaves employment and the reason for leaving is

related to their health, information about that condition needed for

pensions and permanent health insurance purposes.

Children:

We will collect, store, and use the following categories of personal

information about Children:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Home address
• Dietary requirements
• Attendance information
• Photographs and video clips of the Child to signpost Children to where

their belongings are stored at the Nursery that they attend, and also for

general display purposes

• Emergency contact should Parents be unavailable and the emergency

contact’s contact details

• Record book for each Child containing the work of the Child whilst at the

Nursery, observations about the Child’s development whilst at the Nursery

from Employees of the Nursery, specific examples of the Child’s progress,

photographs demonstrating the Child’s development whilst at the Nursery,

and personal details of the Child (e.g. their date of birth) (“Progress

Report”)

• Records relating to individual Children e.g. care plans, common

assessment frameworks, speech and language referral forms

• Accidents and pre-existing injuries forms
• Records of any reportable death, injury, disease or dangerous occurrence
• Observation, planning and assessment records of Children

We may also collect, store and use the following “special categories” of more

sensitive personal information:

• Information about a Child’s race or ethnicity, spoken language and

nationality.

• Information about a Child’s health, including any medical condition,

health and sickness records.

• Information about a Child’s accident or incident reports including

reports of pre-existing injuries.

• Information about a Child’s incident forms / child protection referral

forms / child protection case details / reports.

Parents:

We will collect, store, and use the following categories of personal

information about Parents:

• Name
• Home address
• Telephone numbers, and personal email addresses.
• National Insurance number.
• Bank account details.

We may also collect, store and use the following “special categories” of more sensitive personal information:

• Information about a Parent’s race or ethnicity, spoken language and

nationality.

• Conversations with Parents where Employees of the Nursery deem it

relevant to the prevention of radicalisation or other aspects of the

governments Prevent strategy.

Employees:

We collect personal information about Employees through the application and recruitment process, either directly from candidates or sometimes from an employment agency or background check provider. We may sometimes collect additional information from third parties including former employers, credit reference agencies or other background check agencies.

We will collect additional personal information in the course of job-related activities throughout the period of when an Employee works for us.

Children and Parents:

We collect personal information about Children and Parents from when the initial enquiry is made by the Parents, through the enrolment process and until the Children stop using the Nursery’s services.

We will only use Your personal information when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use Your personal information in the following circumstances:

Where we need to perform the contract we have entered into with You.

Where we need to comply with a legal obligation.

Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and Your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. We may also use Your personal information in the following situations, which are likely to be rare:

Where we need to protect Your interests (or someone else’s interests).

Where it is needed in the public interest or for official purposes.

Situations in which we will use Employee personal information

We need all the categories of information in the list above (see Employee

section within the Paragraph entitled ‘The Kind of Information We Hold About You’) primarily to allow us to perform our contracts with Employees and to

enable us to comply with legal obligations. The situations in which we will process Employee personal information are listed below.

• Making a decision about an Employee’s recruitment or appointment.
• Checking an Employee is legally entitled to work in the UK. Paying an

Employee and, if an Employee is an Employee or deemed Employee

for tax purposes, deducting tax and National Insurance contributions

(NICs).

• Providing any Employee benefits to Employees.
• Enrolling you in a pension arrangement in accordance with our

statutory automatic enrolment duties.

• Liaising with the trustees or managers of a pension arrangement

operated by a group company, your pension provider and any other

provider of employee benefits.

• Administering the contract we have entered into with an Employee.
• Conducting performance and/or salary reviews, managing performance

and determining performance requirements.

• Assessing qualifications for a particular job or task, including decisions

about promotions.

• Gathering evidence for possible grievance or disciplinary hearings.
• Making decisions about an Employee’s continued employment,

engagement.

• Making arrangements for the termination of our working relationship.
• Education, training and development requirements.
• Dealing with legal disputes involving Employees, including accidents at

work.

• Ascertaining an Employee’s fitness to work.
• Managing sickness absence.
• Complying with health and safety obligations.
• To prevent fraud.
• To monitor your use of our information and communication systems to

ensure compliance with our IT policies.

• To ensure network and information security, including preventing

unauthorised access to our computer and electronic communications

systems and preventing malicious software distribution.

• Equal opportunities monitoring.

Some of the above grounds for processing will overlap and there may be

several grounds which justify our use of an Employee’s personal information. Situations in which the Nursery will use personal information of Children

We need all the categories of information in the list above (see Children

section within the Paragraph entitled ‘The Kind of Information We Hold About You’) primarily to allow us to perform our obligations (including our legal obligations to Children. The situations in which we will process personal information of Children are listed below.

• Upon consent from the Parents, Personal Data of Children will be

shared with schools for progression into the next stage of their

education.

• Personal information of Children will be shared with local authorities

without the consent of Parents where there is a situation where child

protection is necessary.

• The personal information of Children will be shared with local

authorities without the consent of Parents for funding purposes.

• Ofsted will be allowed access to the Nursery’s systems to review child

protection records.

• To ensure we meet the needs of the Children
• To enable the appropriate funding to be received
• Report on a Child’s progress whilst with the Nursery
• To check safeguarding records
• To check complaint records
• To check attendance patterns are recorded
• When a Child’s Progress Report is given to its Parent in order for that

Parent to pass the same Progress Report to a school for application or

enrolment purposes Situations in which the Nursery will use personal information of Parents We need all the categories of information in the list above (see Parents

section within the Paragraph entitled ‘The Kind of Information we Hold About You’) primarily to allow us to perform our contracts with Parents and to enable us to comply with legal obligations. The situations in which we will process personal information of Parents are listed below.

• The personal information of Parents will be shared with local authorities without the consent of Parents for funding purposes.
• To report on a Child’s attendance
• To be able to contact a Parent or a Child’s emergency contact about

their Child

• To ensure nursery fees are paid

If Employees and Parents fail to provide personal information

If Employees and Parents fail to provide certain information when requested, we may not be able to perform the respective contracts we have entered into with Employees and Parents, or we may be prevented from complying with our respective legal obligations to Employees, Children and Parents.

We will only use Your personal information for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use Your personal information for an unrelated purpose, we will notify the Employee, Child or Parent, as is appropriate in the circumstances, and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so. Please note that we may process an Employee’s, a Child’s or a Parent’s

personal information without their respective knowledge or consent, as

relevant to the circumstances, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law.

”Special categories” of particularly sensitive personal information require higher levels of protection. We need to have further justification for collecting, storing and using this type

of personal information. We have in place an appropriate policy document and safeguards which we are required by law to maintain when processing such data. We may process special categories of personal information in the following circumstances:

In limited circumstances, with Employee or Parent explicit written consent.

Where we need to carry out our legal obligations or exercise rights in connection with Employee employment.

Where it is needed in the public interest, such as for equal opportunities monitoring or in relation to our occupational pension scheme.

Less commonly, we may process this type of information where it is needed in relation to legal claims or where it is needed to protect an Employee, a Child or a Parents’ interests (or someone else’s interests) and the Employee, Child or Parent as is appropriate is not capable of giving consent, or where the Employee or Parent has already made the

information public.

The Nursery’s obligations as an employer

We will use particularly sensitive personal information of Employees in the following ways:

• We will use information relating to leaves of absence, which may

include sickness absence or family related leaves, to comply with

employment and other laws.

• We will use information about the physical or mental health of an

Employee, or their disability status, to ensure Employee health and safety

in the workplace and to assess the fitness of Employees to work, to

provide appropriate workplace adjustments, to monitor and manage

sickness absence and to administer benefits including statutory maternity

pay, statutory sick pay, pensions and permanent health insurance.

• We will use information about an Employee’s race or national or ethnic

origin, religious, philosophical or moral beliefs, or an Employee’s

sexual life or sexual orientation, to ensure meaningful equal opportunity

monitoring and reporting.

Do we need Employee consent?

We do not need the consent of Employees if we use special categories of

personal information in accordance with our written policy to carry out our legal obligations or exercise specific rights in the field of employment law. In limited circumstances, we may approach Employees for their written consent to allow us to process certain particularly sensitive data. If we do so, we will provide Employees with full details of the information that we would like and the reason we need it, so that Employees can carefully consider whether they wish to consent. Employees should be aware that it is not a condition of their

contract with the nursery that they agree to any request for consent from us.

INFORMATION ABOUT CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS

We envisage that we will hold information about criminal convictions.

We will only collect information about criminal convictions if it is appropriate given the nature of the role and where we are legally able to do so, which includes but is not limited to Disclosure and Barring Service (“DBS”) checks. Where appropriate, we will collect information about criminal convictions as part of the recruitment process or we may be notified of such information directly by you in the course of you working for us. We will use information

about criminal convictions and offences in the following ways:

• To conduct a DBS check on each Employee, to record the date of the

We may only use information relating to criminal convictions where the law allows us to do so. This will usually be where such processing is necessary to carry out our obligations and provided we do so in line with our data protection policy.

Less commonly, we may use information relating to criminal convictions where it is necessary in relation to legal claims, where it is necessary to protect the interests of You (or someone else’s interests) and You are not capable of giving your consent, or where an Employee or a Parent, as is relevant to the circumstances, has already made the information public.

DBS check, the number of the DBS check and the name of the body

conducting the DBS check. We are allowed to use your personal information in this way to carry out our obligations. We have in place an appropriate policy and safeguards which we are required by law to maintain when processing such data.

AUTOMATED DECISION-MAKING

Automated decision-making takes place when an electronic system uses personal information to make a decision without human intervention. We are allowed to use automated decision-making in the following circumstances:

Where we have notified Employees or Parents of the decision and given the Employee of the Parent as is appropriate 21 days to request a reconsideration.

Where it is necessary to perform the contract with an Employee or a Parent and appropriate measures are in place to safeguard the Employee’s, the Child’s or the Parent’s rights as is appropriate.

In limited circumstances, with explicit written consent from the Employee or the Parent, as is appropriate, and where appropriate measures are in place to safeguard Employee or Parent rights.

If we make an automated decision on the basis of any particularly sensitive personal information, we must have either explicit written consent from an Employee or a Parent as is appropriate, or it must be justified in the public interest, and we must also put in place

appropriate measures to safeguard an Employee or a Parents rights as is relevant in the circumstances.

You will not be subject to decisions that will have a significant impact on You based solely on automated decision-making, unless we have a lawful basis for doing so and we have notified the Employee or the Parent as is

appropriate in the circumstances.

DATA SHARING

We may have to share Employee, Child or Parent data with third parties, including third-party service providers and other entities in the group.

We require third parties to respect the security of Your data and to treat it in accordance with the law.

Why might the Nursery share Employee, Child or Parent personal

information with third parties?

We will share Your personal information with third parties where required by law, where it is necessary to administer the working relationship with You or where we have another legitimate interest in doing so.

Which third-party service providers process my personal information?

”Third parties” includes third-party service providers (including contractors and designated agents), local authorities, regulatory bodies, schools and other entities within our group. The following third-party service providers process

personal information about you for the following purposes:

• Local Authorities – for funding and monitoring reasons (e.g. equal

opportunities and uptake of funded hours)

• Regulatory bodies – for ensuring compliance and the safety and

welfare of the children

• Schools – to provide a successful transition by ensuring information

about the child’s progress and current level of development and

interests are shared

We will share personal data regarding your participation in any pension

arrangement operated by a group company with the trustees or scheme

managers of the arrangement in connection with the administration of the arrangements.

How secure is my information with third-party service providers and

other entities in our group?

All our third-party service providers and other entities in the group are

required to take appropriate security measures to protect Your personal

information in line with our policies. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use Your personal data for their own purposes. We only permit them to process Your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.

When might you share my personal information with other entities in the group?

We will share Your personal information with other entities in our group as part of our [DESCRIBE OTHER KNOWN ACTIVITIES].

What about other third parties?

We may share Your personal information with other third parties, for example in the context of the possible sale or restructuring of the business. In this situation we will, so far as possible, share anonymised data with the other parties before the transaction completes. Once the transaction is completed, we will share Your personal data with the other parties if and to the extent required under the terms of the transaction.

We may also need to share Your personal information with a regulator or to otherwise comply with the law.

DATA RETENTION

How long will you use my information for?

We will only retain Your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Details of retention periods for different aspects of your personal information are available in our retention policy which is available from the manager. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of Your personal data, the purposes for which we process Your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.

In some circumstances we may anonymise Your personal information so that it can no longer be associated with You, in which case we may use such information without further notice to You. Once you are no longer an Employee, or a Child benefiting from the Nursery’s services or a Parent, as is appropriate, we will retain and securely destroy your personal information in accordance with [our data retention policy OR applicable laws and regulations].

RIGHTS OF ACCESS, CORRECTION, ERASURE, AND RESTRICTION

Your duty to inform us of changes

It is important that the personal information we hold about You is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if Your personal information changes during your working relationship with us.

Your rights in connection with personal information

Under certain circumstances, by law You have the right to:

• Request access to Your personal information (commonly known as a

“data subject access request”). This enables You to receive a copy of

the personal information we hold about You and to check that we are

lawfully processing it.

• Request correction of the personal information that we hold about

You. This enables You to have any incomplete or inaccurate

information we hold about You corrected.

• Request erasure of your personal information. This enables

Employees or Parents to ask us to delete or remove personal

information where there is no good reason for us continuing to process

1. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove Your personal

information where You have exercised Your right to object to

processing (see below).

• Object to processing of Your personal information where we are

relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is

something about Your particular situation which makes You want to

object to processing on this ground. You also have the right to object

where we are processing Your personal information for direct

marketing purposes.

• Request the restriction of processing of Your personal information.

This enables Employees or Parents, as is appropriate, to ask us to

suspend the processing of personal information about You for example

if You want us to establish its accuracy or the reason for processing it.

• Request the transfer of Your personal information to another party.

If You want to review, verify, correct or request erasure of Your personal

information, object to the processing of Your personal data, or request that we transfer a copy of Your personal information to another party, please contact the manager in writing. No fee usually required

You will not have to pay a fee to access Your personal information (or to

exercise any of the other rights). What we may need from You

We may need to request specific information from You to help us confirm your identity and ensure Your right to access the information (or to exercise any of Your other rights). This is another appropriate security measure to ensure that personal information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it.

RIGHT TO WITHDRAW CONSENT

In the limited circumstances where You may have provided Your consent to the collection, processing and transfer of Your personal information for a specific purpose, You have the right to withdraw Your consent for that specific processing at any time. To withdraw Your consent, please contact [the manager]. Once we have received notification that You have withdrawn Your consent, we will no longer process Your information for the purpose or purposes You originally agreed to, unless we have another legitimate basis for doing so in law.

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY NOTICE

We reserve the right to update this privacy notice at any time, and we will provide You with a new privacy notice when we make any substantial updates. We may also notify You in other ways from time to time about the processing of your personal information.

At High Hopes Day Nursery School we aim to support parents and other carers to help their children settle quickly and easily by giving consideration to the individual needs and circumstances of every child and their families. Our aim is for children to feel safe, stimulated and happy in the nursery and to feel secure and comfortable with all staff. We also want parents to have confidence in both their children’s continued well-being and their role as active partners, with the child being able to

benefit from what the nursery has to offer.

All our staff know about the importance of building strong attachments with children. They are trained to recognise the different stages of attachment and use this knowledge to support children and families settling in to the nursery. Our nursery will work in partnership with parents to settle their child into the nursery environment by:

• Allocating a key person to each child and his/her family, before he/she starts to attend. The key person welcomes and looks after the child, ensuring that their care is tailored to meet their individual needs. He/she offers a settled relationship for the child and builds a relationship with his/her parents during the settling in period and throughout his/her time at the nursery, to ensure the family has a familiar contact person to assist with the settling in process
• Providing parents with relevant information about the policies and procedures of the nursery
• Encouraging parents and children to visit the nursery during the weeks before an admission is planned and arranging home visits where applicable
• Planning settling in visits and introductory sessions (lasting approximately 1-2 hours). These will be provided free of charge over a one or two week period, dependent on individual needs, age and stage of development
• Welcoming parents to stay with their child during the first few weeks until the child feels settled and the parents feel comfortable about leaving their child. Settling in visits and introductory sessions are key to a smooth transition and to ensure good communication and information sharing between staff and parents
• Reassuring parents whose children seem to be taking a long time settling in to the nursery and developing a plan with them
• Encouraging parents, where appropriate, to separate themselves from their children for brief periods at first, gradually building up to longer absences
• Assigning a buddy/back-up key person to each child in case the key person is not available. Parents will be made aware of this to support the settling

process and attachment

• Reviewing the nominated key person if the child is bonding with another

member of staff to ensure the child’s needs are supported

• Respecting the circumstances of all families, including those who are unable to stay for long periods of time in the nursery and reassure them of their child’s progress towards settling in
• Not taking a child on an outing from the nursery until he/she is completely

Settled.

At High Hopes Day Nursery School we aim to protect the children in our care at all times. This includes making sure any visitors to the nursery are properly identified and supervised. All visitors must sign the visitors’ book on arrival and departure. Where applicable, visitors’ identity should be checked, e.g. Ofsted inspectors or colleagues attending in a professional capacity such as speech and language therapists. Visitors are informed of any relevant policies including the fire evacuation procedure and mobile

phone, camera and other recording devices policy including use of smartwatches where applicable.

All visitors are given and should wear a visitor’s badge to identify themselves to staff and parents within the nursery. A member of staff must accompany visitors in the nursery at all times while in the building; at no time should a visitor be left alone with a child unless under specific circumstances arranged previously with the manager.

Security

• Staff must check the identity of any visitors they do not recognise before

allowing them into the main nursery. Visitors to the nursery must be recorded in the Visitors’ Book and accompanied by a member of staff at all times while in the building

• All external doors must be kept locked at all times and external gates closed. All internal doors and gates must be kept closed to ensure children are not able to wander
• Parents, visitors and students are reminded not to hold doors open or allow entry to any person, whether they know this person or not. Staff within the nursery should be the only people allowing external visitors and parents entry to the nursery
• The nursery will under no circumstances tolerate any form of harassment

from third parties, including visitors, towards others, including children, staff members and parents. The police may be called in these circumstances.

At High Hopes Day Nursery School we expect all parents to agree an approximate time to collect their child from the nursery. We give parents information about the procedures to follow if they expect to be late. These include:

• Agreeing a safety password with the nursery in advance to be used by

anyone collecting a child who is not the parent (designated adult)

• Calling the nursery as soon as possible to advise of their situation
• Asking a designated adult to collect their child wherever possible
• Informing the nursery of this person’s identity so the nursery can talk to the child if appropriate. This will help to reduce or eliminate any distress caused by this situation
• If the designated person is not known to the nursery staff, the parent must

provide a detailed description of this person, including their date of birth

where known and a photograph if possible. This designated person must

know the individual child’s safety password in order for the nursery to release the child into their care. This is the responsibility of the parent.

If a child has not been collected from the nursery after a reasonable amount of time e.g. ½ hour has been allowed for lateness, we initiate the following procedure:

• The nursery manager will be informed that a child has not been collected
• The manager will check for any information regarding changes to normal

routines, parents’ work patterns or general information. If there is no

information recorded, the manager will try to contact the parents on the

telephone numbers provided for their mobile, home or work. If this fails the manager will try the emergency contacts shown on the child’s records

• The manager/staff member in charge and one other member of staff must

stay behind with the child (if outside normal operating hours). During normal operating times, the nursery will plan to meet required staff ratios. If the parents have still not collected the child, the manager will telephone all contact numbers available every 10 minutes until contact is made. These

calls will be logged on a full incident record

• In the event of no contact being made after one hour has lapsed, the person in charge will ring the local authority children’s social services emergency duty team
• The nursery will inform Ofsted as soon as convenient
• The two members of staff will remain in the building until suitable

arrangements have been made for the collection of the child

• The child’s welfare and needs will be met at all times and to minimise distress staff will distract, comfort and reassure the child during the process
• In order to provide this additional care a late fee of £5 for every 5 minutes

will be charged to parents. This will pay for any additional operational costs

that caring for a child outside their normal nursery hours may incur.

At High Hopes Day Nursery School we give a warm welcome to every child and family on their arrival.

Parents are requested to pass the care of their child to a specific member of staff who will ensure his/her safety (this is usually a child’s key person). The staff member receiving the child immediately records his/her arrival in the daily attendance register.

The staff member also records any specific information provided by the parents, including the child’s interests, experiences and observations from home. If the parent requests the child is given medicine during the day the staff member must ensure that the medication procedure is followed.

If the child is to be collected by someone who is not the parent at the end of the session, there is an agreed procedure that must be followed to identify the designated person. Photo identification and a password are also required where possible for the designated adult. Parents are informed about these arrangements and reminded about them regularly.

The child’s key person or other nominated staff member must plan the departure of the child. This should include opportunities to discuss the child’s day with the parent, e.g. meals, sleep time, activities, interests, progress and friendships. The parent should be told about any accidents or incidents and the appropriate records must be signed by the parent before departure. Where applicable, all medicines should be recovered from the medicine box/fridge after the parent has arrived and handed to him/her personally. The medication policy is to be followed regarding parental signature.The nursery will not release a child to anyone other than the known parent unless an agreement has been made at the time of arrival. In the case of any emergency such as a parent being delayed and arranging for a designated adult to collect a child, the parent should inform the designated person of the agreed procedure and contact the nursery about the arrangements as soon as possible. If in any doubt the nursery will check the person’s identity by ringing the child’s parent or their emergency contact number (please refer to the late collection policy).

On departure, the staff member releasing the child must mark the child register immediately marked to show that the child has left the premises.

Adults arriving under the influence of alcohol or drugs

Please refer to the alcohol and substance misuse policy.

Arrivals and departures of visitors

For arrivals and departures of visitors the nursery requires appropriate records to be completed on entry and exit e.g. in the visitors’ book. Please refer to supervision of visitors policy for further information.

At High Hopes Day Nursery School we promote the good health of children

attending nursery and take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection (see sickness and illness policy). If a child requires medicine we will obtain information about the child’s needs for this, and will ensure this information is kept up to date.

We follow strict guidelines when dealing with medication of any kind in the nursery and these are set out below.

Medication prescribed by a doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist

(Medicines containing aspirin will only be given if prescribed by a doctor)

• Prescription medicine will only be given when prescribed by the above and for the person named on the bottle for the dosage stated
• Medicines must be in their original containers with their instructions printed in English
• Those with parental responsibility for any child requiring prescription

medication should hand over the medication to the most appropriate member of staff who will then note the details of the administration on the appropriate form and another member of staff will check these details

• Those with parental responsibility must give prior written permission for the administration of each and every medication. However, we will accept written permission once for a whole course of medication or for the ongoing use of a particular medication under the following circumstances:

The written permission is only acceptable for that brand name of

medication and cannot be used for similar types of medication, e.g. if the

course of antibiotics changes, a new form will need to be completed

The dosage on the written permission is the only dosage that will be

administered. We will not give a different dose unless a new form is

completed

Parents must notify us IMMEDIATELY if the child’s circumstances

change, e.g. a dose has been given at home, or a change in

strength/dose needs to be given.

• The nursery will not administer a dosage that exceeds the recommended dose on the instructions unless accompanied by written instructions from a relevant health professional such as a letter from a doctor or dentist
• The parent must be asked when the child has last been given the medication before coming to nursery; and the staff member must record this information on the medication form. Similarly, when the child is picked up, the parent or guardian must be given precise details of the times and dosage given throughout the day. The parent’s signature must be obtained at both times
• At the time of administering the medicine, a senior member of staff will ask the child to take the medicine, or offer it in a manner acceptable to the child at the prescribed time and in the prescribed form. (It is important to note that staff working with children are not legally obliged to administer medication)
• If the child refuses to take the appropriate medication, then a note will be made on the form
• Where medication is “essential” or may have side effects, discussion with the parent will take place to establish the appropriate response.

Non-prescription medication (these will not usually be administrated)

• The nursery will not administer any non-prescription medication containing aspirin
• The nursery will only administer non-prescription medication for a short initial period, dependant on the medication or the condition of the child. After this time medical attention should be sought
• If the nursery feels the child would benefit from medical attention rather than non-prescription medication, we reserve the right to refuse nursery care until the child is seen by a medical practitioner
• If a child needs liquid paracetamol or similar medication during their time at nursery, such medication will be treated as prescription medication with the onus being on the parent to provide the specific type of medication should parents wish to use this
• On registration, parents will be asked if they would like to fill out a medication form to consent to their child being given a specific type of liquid paracetamol or anti-histamine in particular circumstances, such as an increase in the child’s temperature or a wasp or bee sting. This form will state the dose to be given, the circumstances in which this can be given e.g. the temperature increase of their child, the specific brand name or type of non-prescription medication and a signed statement to say that this may be administered in an emergency if the nursery CANNOT contact the parent
• If a child does exhibit the symptoms for which consent has been given to give non-prescription medication during the day, the nursery will make every attempt to contact the child’s parents. Where parents cannot be contacted then the nursery manager will take the decision as to whether the child is safe to have this medication based on the time the child has been in the nursery, the circumstances surrounding the need for this medication and the medical history of the child on their registration form. Giving non-prescription medication will be a last resort and the nursery staff will use other methods first to try and alleviate the symptoms, e.g. for an increase in temperature the

nursery will remove clothing, use fanning, tepid cooling with a wet flannel. The child will be closely monitored until the parents collect the child.

• For any non-prescription cream for skin conditions e.g. Sudocrem, prior

written permission must be obtained from the parent and the onus is on the parent to provide the cream which should be clearly labelled with the child’s name.

• If any child is brought to the nursery in a condition in which he/she may require medication sometime during the day, the manager will decide if the child is fit to be left at the nursery. If the child is staying, the parent must be asked if any kind of medication has already been given, at what time and in what dosage and this must be stated on the medication form.
• As with any kind of medication, staff will ensure that the parent is informed of any non-prescription medicines given to the child whilst at the nursery, together with the times and dosage given.
• The nursery DOES NOT administer any medication unless prior written

consent is given for each and every medicine. Injections, pessaries, suppositories As the administration of injections, pessaries and suppositories represents intrusive nursing, we will not administer these without appropriate medical training for every member of staff caring for this child. This training is specific for every child and not

generic. The nursery will do all it can to make any reasonable adjustments including working with parents and other professionals to arrange for appropriate health officials to train staff in administering the medication. Staff medication

All nursery staff have a responsibility to work with children only where they are fit to do so. Staff must not work with children where they are infectious or too unwell to meet children’s needs. This includes circumstances where any medication taken affects their ability to care for children, for example, where it makes a person drowsy.

If any staff member believes that their condition, including any condition caused by taking medication, is affecting their ability they must inform their line manager and seek medical advice. The nursery manager will decide if a staff member is fit to work, including circumstances where other staff members notice changes in behaviour suggesting a person may be under the influence of medication. This decision will

include any medical advice obtained by the individual or from an occupational health assessment.

Where staff may occasionally or regularly need medication, any such medication must be kept in the person’s locker/separate locked container in the staff room or nursery room where staff may need easy access to the medication such as an asthma inhaler. In all cases it must be stored out of reach of the children. It must not be kept in the first aid box and should be labelled with the name of the member of staff.

Storage

All medication for children must have the child’s name clearly written on the original container and kept in a closed box, which is out of reach of all children. Emergency medication, such as inhalers and EpiPens, will be within easy reach of staff in case of an immediate need, but will remain out of children’s reach. Any antibiotics requiring refrigeration will be kept in a fridge inaccessible to children.

All medications must be in their original containers, labels must be legible and not tampered with or they will not be given. All prescription medications should have the pharmacist’s details and notes attached to show the dosage needed and the date the prescription was issued. This will all be checked, along with expiry dates, before staff

agree to administer medication.

At High Hopes Day Nursery School we promote the good health of all children attending. To help keep children healthy and minimise infection, we do not expect children to attend nursery if they are unwell. If a child is unwell, it is in their best interest to be in a home environment with adults they know well, rather than at nursery with their peers.

Our procedures

In order to take appropriate action for children who become ill and to minimise the spread of infection, we implement the following procedures:

• If a child becomes ill during the nursery day, we contact their parent(s) and ask them to pick up their child as soon as possible. During this time we care for the child in a quiet, calm area with their key person, wherever possible.
• We follow the guidance given to us by Public Health England (formerly the

Heath Protection Agency) in Guidance on Infection Control in Schools and

other Child Care Settings and advice from our local health protection unit on exclusion times for specific illnesses, e.g. sickness and diarrhoea, measles and chicken pox, to protect other children in the nursery

• Should a child have an infectious disease, such as sickness and diarrhoea,

they must not return to nursery until they have been clear for at least 48

hours. We notify Ofsted as soon as possible and in all cases within 14 days of the incident where we have any child or staff member with food poisoning. We inform all parents if there is a contagious infection identified in the nursery to enable them to spot the early signs of this illness. We thoroughly clean and sterilise all equipment and resources that may have come into contact with a contagious child to reduce the spread of infection

• We exclude all children on antibiotics for the first 48 hours of the course

(unless this is part of an ongoing care plan to treat individual medical

conditions e.g. asthma and the child is not unwell) This is because it is

important that children are not subjected to the rigours of the nursery day,

which requires socialising with other children and being part of a group

setting, when they have first become ill and require a course of antibiotics

• We have the right to refuse admission to a child who is unwell. This decision will be taken by the manager on duty and is non-negotiable
• We make information/posters about head lice readily available and all parents are requested to regularly check their children’s hair. If a parent finds that their child has head lice we would be grateful if they could inform the nursery so that other parents can be alerted to check their child’s hair.

Meningitis procedure

If a parent informs the nursery that their child has meningitis, the nursery manager will contact the Infection Control (IC) Nurse for their area. The IC Nurse will give guidance and support in each individual case. If parents do not inform the nursery, we will be contacted directly by the IC Nurse and the appropriate support will be given. We will follow all guidance given and notify any of the appropriate authorities including Ofsted if necessary.

Transporting children to hospital procedure

The nursery manager/staff member must:

• Call for an ambulance immediately if the sickness/ symptoms are severe. DO NOT attempt to transport the sick child in your own vehicle
• Whilst waiting for the ambulance, contact the parent(s) and arrange to meet them at the hospital
• Redeploy staff if necessary to ensure there is adequate staff deployment to

care for the remaining children. This may mean temporarily grouping the

children together

• Arrange for the most appropriate member of staff to accompany the child

taking with them any relevant information such as registration forms, relevant medication sheets, medication and the child’s comforter/ significant object ifthey have one.

• Inform a member of the management team immediately
• Remain calm at all times. Children who witness an incident may well be

affected by it and may need lots of cuddles and reassurance. Staff may also

require additional support following the accident.

At High Hopes Day Nursery School we believe that mealtimes should be happy, social occasions for children and staff alike. We promote shared, enjoyable positive interactions at these times.

We are committed to offering children healthy, nutritious and balanced meals and snacks which meet individual needs and requirements.

We will ensure that:

• A balanced and healthy breakfast, midday meal, tea and two daily snacks are provided for children attending a full day at the nursery
• Menus are planned in advance, rotated regularly and reflect cultural diversity and variation. These are displayed for children and parents to view
• We provide nutritious food at all snack and meal times, avoiding large

quantities of fat, sugar, salt and artificial additives, preservatives and

colourings

• Menus include at least 2 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables per day
• Parents and children are involved in menu planning
• Fresh drinking water is always available and accessible. It is frequently

offered to children and babies and intake is monitored. In hot weather staff

will encourage children to drink more water to keep them hydrated

• Individual dietary requirements are respected. We gather information from parents regarding their children’s dietary needs, including any special dietary requirements, preferences and food allergies that a child has and any special health requirements, before a child starts or joins the nursery. Where appropriate, we will carry out a risk assessment in the case of allergies and work alongside parents to put into place an individual dietary plan for their child
• We give careful consideration to seating to avoid cross contamination of food from child to child. Where appropriate, an adult will sit with children during meals to ensure safety and minimise risks. Where appropriate, age/stage discussions will also take place with all children about allergies and potential risks to make them aware of the dangers of sharing certain foods
• Staff show sensitivity in providing for children’s diets and allergies. They do not use a child’s diet or allergy as a label for the child, or make a child feel singled out because of her/his diet or allergy
• Staff set a good example and eat with the children and show good table

manners. Meal and snack times are organised so that they are social

occasions in which children and staff participate in small groups. During

meals and snack times children are encouraged to use their manners and say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and conversation is encouraged

• Staff use meal and snack times to help children to develop independence

through making choices, serving food and drink, and feeding themselves

• Staff support children to make healthy choices and understand the need for healthy eating
• We provide foods from the diet of each of the children’s cultural backgrounds, providing children with familiar foods and introducing them to new ones.
• Cultural differences in eating habits are respected
• Any child who shows signs of distress at being faced with a meal he/she does not like will have his/her food removed without any fuss. If a child does not finish his/her first course, he/she will still be given a helping of dessert
• Children not on special diets are encouraged to eat a small piece of

everything

• Children who refuse to eat at the mealtime are offered food later in the day
• Children are given time to eat at their own pace and not rushed
• Quantities offered take account of the ages of the children being catered for in line with recommended portion sizes for babies and young children
• We promote positive attitudes to healthy eating through play opportunities and discussions
• The nursery provides parents with daily written records of feeding routines for all children under two
• No child is ever left alone when eating/drinking to minimise the risk of choking
• We will sometimes celebrate special occasions such as birthdays with the

occasional treat of foods such as cake, sweets or biscuits. These will be

given at mealtimes to prevent tooth decay and not spoil the child’s appetite.

Where we have frequent birthdays and celebrations we consider other

alternatives such as celebrating through smiles and praise, stickers and

badges, choosing a favourite story, becoming a special helper, playing a

party game, dancing and/or singing their favourite song

• We do allow parents to bring in cakes on special occasions. We ensure that

all food brought in from parents meets the above and health and safety

requirements and ingredients that are listed within the Food Information for Consumers (FIR) 2014 and detailed in the allergens policy and procedure

• All staff who prepare and handle food are competent to do so and receive

training in food hygiene which is updated every three years

• In the very unlikely event of any food poisoning affecting two or more children on the premises, whether or not this may arise from food offered at the nursery, we will inform Ofsted as soon as reasonably practical and in all cases within 14 days. We will also inform the relevant health agencies and follow any advice given.