Policies & Procedures

If your child is going to be absent for any reason, please notify us on 07903 543 627

As part of our obligations 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 telephoned 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.

Please do not bring your child to the nursery if you suspect they are unwell. It is of the utmost importance to do everything possible to reduce the spread of infection. Please telephone to let us know if your child will be absent and the nature of the illness:
• A runny nose or mild cough in an otherwise healthy and energetic child is not considered as illness. A high temperature, poor appetite, lethargy, tearfulness, skin eruptions, sticky eyes – are the most
common indicators of illness in young children.
• If your child has been at home or sent home from the nursery due to illness, please ensure they are recovered enough to re-join the group. This greatly reduces the risk of them catching other infections
while their immune system is low. Your child should have been 48 hours clear of symptoms before returning. In certain circumstances, it may be necessary to provide a note from your child’s doctor to confirm that they are well enough to be in the group.
• Only medicines prescribed by a doctor can be administered to your child and you will be asked to complete the relevant forms. Please keep in mind that if you give your child Calpol or similar in the
morning it may provide temporary relief for pain or illness but when it wears off the result can be an unhappy, infectious child.
• Please ensure that your contact telephone numbers are up to date. Be assured, we will only ask you to collect your child if it is absolutely necessary.
• In cold weather, all children should have either a coat and a warm hat or hood that stays in place. Gloves or mittens attached to the coat by string or elastic aids independent dressing. Tights/leggings
under trouser are recommended for boys as well as girls when very cold.

At Little Haven, 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 of 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 Health Protection Agency) in Guidance on Infection Control in Schools and other Childcare 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 any incident where we have a 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.

COVID-19

At Little Haven we follow NHS Guidelines in relation to COVID-19 and expect all families and staff to follow the current guidelines in place.

At Little Haven we aim to protect children at all times. We recognise that accidents or incidents may sometimes occur. We follow this policy and procedure to ensure all parties are supported and cared for
when accidents or incidents happen; and that the circumstances of the accident or incident are reviewed with a view to minimising any future risks.

Accidents

• The accident file is located in the Main Office. All accidents whether involving children or adults will be recorded on an ACCIDENT REPORT FORM.
• The person responsible for reporting accidents, incidents or near misses is the member of staff who saw the incident or was first to find the child where there are no witnesses. They must record it on an Accident Form and report it to the nursery manager. Other staff who have witnessed the accident may also countersign the form and, in more serious cases, provide a statement. This should be done as soon as the accident is dealt with, whilst the details are still clearly remembered. Parents must be shown the Accident Report, informed of any first aid treatment given and asked
to sign it on the same day, or as soon as reasonably practicable after
• The nursery manager reviews the accident forms *monthly/*termly for patterns, e.g.one child having a repeated number of accidents, a particular area in the nursery or a particular time of the day when most accidents happen. Any patterns will be investigated by the nursery manager and all necessary steps to reduce risks are put in place.
• The nursery manager will report serious accidents to the registered person for investigation for further action to be taken (i.e.a full risk assessment or report under Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR))
• The Accident File will be kept for at least 21 years and three months.
• Where medical attention is required, a senior member of staff will notify the parent(s) as soon as possible whilst caring for the child appropriately.
• Where medical treatment is required the nursery manager will follow the insurance company procedures, which may involve informing them in writing of the accident.
• The nursery manager/registered provider will report any accidents of a serious nature to Ofsted and the local authority children’s social care team (as the local child protection agency), where
necessary. Where relevant such accidents will also be reported to the local authority environmental health department or the Health and Safety Executive and their advice followed. Notification must
be made as soon as is reasonably practical, but in any event within 14 days of the incident occurring.

Organisation Contact

Ofsted: 0300 013 0415
Local authority children’s social care team: 020 7527 7400
Local authority environmental health department: 020 7527 3816
RIDDOR report form: http://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/report.htm

Transporting children to hospital procedure

The nursery manager/staff member must:
• Call for an ambulance immediately if the injury is 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

First aid

There are first aid kits located in the Haven Hub and garden, which all staff members are aware of. These are accessible at all times with appropriate content for use with children. Contents of all first aid kits are checked regularly for replacement of items that have been used or are out of date. The staff first aid box is located in the kitchen area. This is kept out of reach of the children. First aid boxes should only contain items permitted by the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations Act 1981, such as sterile dressings, bandages and eye pads. No other medical items, such as paracetamol should be kept in them.

The appointed person(s) responsible for first aid:

All of the staff are trained in paediatric first aid and this training is updated every three years.

When children are taken on an outing away from our nursery, we will always ensure they are accompanied by at least one member of staff who is trained in first aid. A first aid box is taken on all outings.

Food Safety and Play

Children are supervised during mealtimes and food is adequately cut up to reduce choking. The use of
food as a play material is discouraged. However, as we understand that learning experiences are provided
through exploring different malleable materials the following may be used.
• Playdough
• Cornflour
• Dried pasta, rice and pulses
• Cereal

These are risk assessed and presented differently to the way it would be presented for eating e.g. in trays. Food items may also be incorporated into the role play area to enrich the learning experiences for children, e.g. fruits and vegetables. Children will be fully supervised during these activities.

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

The nursery provides staff with PPE according to the need of the task or activity. Staff must wear PPE to protect themselves and the children during tasks that involve contact with bodily fluids. PPE is also provided for domestic tasks. Staff are consulted when choosing PPE to ensure all allergies and individual needs are supported and this is evaluated on an ongoing basis.

Dealing with blood

We may not be aware that any child attending the nursery has a condition that may be transmitted via blood. Any staff member dealing with blood must:
• Always take precautions when cleaning wounds as some conditions such as hepatitis or the HIV virus can be transmitted via blood.
• Wear disposable gloves and wipe up any blood spillage with disposable cloths, neat sterilising fluid or freshly diluted bleach (one part diluted with 10 parts water). Such solutions must be carefully
disposed of immediately after use.

Needle punctures and sharps injury

We recognise that injuries from needles, broken glass and so on may result in blood-borne infections and that staff must take great care in the collection and disposal of this type of material. For the safety and
well-being of the employees, any staff member dealing with needles, broken glass etc. must treat them as contaminated waste. If a needle is found the local authority must be contacted to deal with its disposal.

At Little Haven we treat our responsibilities and obligations in respect of health and safety as a priority
and we provide ongoing training to all members of staff which reflects best practice and is in line with
current health and safety legislation

• Only those medicines which are part of a specific prescribed course of treatment will be administered.
•  No medication will be given without the written request of the parent or Guardian
• A Consent for Medicines Administration form must be completed. The form must be signed and dated, name the medication, state the dosage and the time to be given.
• Staff must be informed of the medical condition that requires a child to take medication.
• Always confirm with the setting manager that the medicine may be safely administered at the setting. The advice of a pharmacist or doctor may be needed before accepting this responsibility.
• Staff must be made aware of the possible side-effects that the medication may have on the child.
• The label on the container should state clearly:
  – the child’s name
  – the name of the medication
  – the time it is to be taken and in what quantity
  – expiry date
• All prescribed medicines must be supplied in child-proof containers.
• All medicines will be kept out of the reach of children.
• A record of all medication administered will be made on

Record of Medication Administered form, specifying the date, time, name of the child, medication and dosage given. The record will be signed by the staff member administering and counter-signed by the other staff member as a witness.

At Little Haven we care for children between the ages of 3 months and 4 years.

The numbers and ages of children admitted comply with the legal space requirements set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). When considering admissions, we are mindful of staff: child
ratios and the facilities available at the nursery.

We use the following admission criteria which are applied in the following order of priority:
1. Children who have siblings who are already with us
2. A child requiring a full-time place may have preference over one requiring a part-time place. This is dependent upon occupancy and room availability.

We operate an inclusion and equality policy and ensure that all children have access to nursery places and services irrespective of their gender, race, disability, religion or belief or sexual orientation of
parents.

Prior to a child attending nursery, parents must complete and sign a contract and registration form.
These forms provide the nursery with personal details relating to the child. For example, name, date of birth, address, emergency contact details, parental responsibilities, dietary requirements, collection
arrangements, fees and sessions, contact details for parents, doctor’s contact details, health visitor contact details, allergies, parental consent and vaccinations etc.

Providers eligible to provide government funded places for early education.
All settings registered to accept government funding (detailed in the code of practice) must offer free places for *two/*three- to five-year-olds for early learning sessions specified by the local authority. At
Little Haven we provide funded places for children subject to availability.

All funded sessions are now in line with the flexible arrangement as specified by the Government.

At Little Haven we are aware that children may have or develop an allergy resulting in an allergicreaction. Our aims are to ensure allergic reactions are minimised or, where possible, prevented and that
staff are fully aware of how to support a child who may be having an allergic reaction.

Our Procedures

• Our staff are made aware of the signs and symptoms of a possible allergic reaction in case of an unknown or first reaction in a child. These may include a rash or hives, nausea, stomach pain,
diarrhoea, itchy skin, runny eyes, shortness of breath, chest pain, swelling of the mouth or tongue, swelling to the airways to the lungs, wheezing and anaphylaxis.
• We ask parents to share all information about allergic reactions and allergies on child’s registration form and to inform staff of any allergies discovered after registration.
• We share all information with all staff and keep an allergy register in the kitchen area.
• Where a child has a known allergy, the nursery manager will carry out a full Allergy Risk Assessment Procedure with the parent prior to the child starting the nursery and shares this assessment with all staff.
• All food prepared for a child with a specific allergy is prepared in an area where there is no chance of contamination and served on equipment that has not been in contact with this specific food type,
e.g. nuts
• The manager, nursery cook and parents will work together to ensure a child with specific food allergies receives no food at nursery that may harm them. This may include designing an appropriate menu or substituting specific meals on the current nursery menu.
• Seating will be monitored for children with allergies. Where deemed appropriate, staff will sit with children who have allergies and where age/stage appropriate staff will discuss food allergies and the potential risks.
• If a child has an allergic reaction to food, a bee or wasp sting, plant etc. a first-aid trained member of staff will act quickly and administer the appropriate treatment, where necessary. We will inform parents and record the information in the incident book and on the allergy register
• If an allergic reaction requires specialist treatment, e.g. an EpiPen, then at least two members of staff working directly with the child and the manager will receive specific medical training to be able to administer the treatment to each individual child.

Food Information Regulations 2014

From 13 December 2014, we will incorporate additional procedures in line with the Food Information Regulations 2014 (FIR).
• We will display our weekly menus on the Parent Information Board and will identify when the 14 allergens are used as ingredients in any of our dishes.

Transporting children to hospital procedures

The nursery manager/staff member must:
• Call for an ambulance immediately if the allergic reaction is 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
• 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
• 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
• 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 Little Haven, 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 member of staff who will ensure his/her safety. 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 usual parent/carer 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 plans the departure of the child. This includes 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.

We 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 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 the Visitors Supervision policy for  further information.

Historically, it has not been uncommon for nursery staff to be asked to babysit for Little Haven families outside of nursery working hours.

Unfortunately, we have been advised at Safeguarding training that it
is best practice that paid staff should not babysit for any family attending the setting, as this oversteps the professional boundaries.

Of course, we cannot ban staff but we would like to make our situation clear – Little Haven:

•  Will not be responsible for any arrangements or agreements made between parents/carers and our staff regarding babysitting
•  Will not be held responsible for any health and safety or other issues that may arise from these private arrangements.
• Has a duty to safeguard all children whilst on our premises and in the care of our staff during nursery opening hours. This includes always having trained and experienced staff on the
  premises who follow Little Haven’s policies and procedures. This duty does not extend to private arrangements between staff and parents/carers outside of nursery hours.
• Out-of-hours work arrangements must not interfere with staff employment at Little Haven
• Individuals must always uphold the Data Protection Act 1998. Discussions about Little Haven, other children or families and employees of Little Haven are not permitted and would be
  considered a breach of contract.
• Parents/carers should be aware that other adults who may accompany the babysitter may not have the relevant DBS check clearance, and it may not be appropriate for them to care for
  children.
• We kindly ask parents/carers not to contact nursery staff using their personal contacts (mobiles/email) for issues relating to the nursery. All nursery business should be made directly to the nursery through the usual channels during nursery hours.
• Parents/carers should not involve Little Haven with its private arrangements

When dealing with children’s behaviour, staff and parents need to be clear about the differences between ‘difficult’ and ‘unacceptable’ behaviour. As limit-makers, it is important that we use a positive and consistent approach that encourages the development of self-discipline and desirable behaviour in children.

Difficult behaviour describes an individual child who may be disruptive. What is difficult behaviour for one adult may not necessarily be difficult for another. When a child is being disruptive, staff will defuse the situation and re-direct not punish a child. Recurrent incidents will be discussed with parents to find the best way of dealing with them.

Unacceptable behaviour refers to our overall policy and may include violence, racist remarks or the destruction of equipment. The setting is aware that while it is appropriate to reject a child’s behaviour it is never acceptable to reject a child. However, there are rare occasions when positive practices alone do not alter or prevent unacceptable behaviour. This may affect the group as a whole and make it necessary to exclude a child either temporarily or permanently. This last course of action is at the discretion of the manager whose decision shall be final.

• We do not and will not, administer physical punishment or any form of punishment with the intention of causing pain or discomfort, nor any kind of humiliating or hurtful treatment to any child in our care.
• We endorse positive discipline as a more effective way of setting limits for children and keep up to date with behaviour management issues and relevant legislation by taking regular training. Wherever possible, we try to meet parents’ requests for the care of their children according to their values and practices. Records of these requirements are agreed and kept attached to the child’s record forms. These records are revisited and updated during regular reviews with parents.
• We work together with parents to make sure there is consistency in the way the children are cared for. A consistent approach benefits the child’s welfare avoids confusion and helps children feel secure in the boundaries set.
• We will only physically intervene, and possibly restrain, a child to prevent an accident, such as a child running into the road, or to prevent an injury or damage.
• From time-to-time children will have difficulty learning to deal with their emotions and feelings and this is a normal part of child development. We will acknowledge these feelings and try to help children find constructive solutions in liaison with their parents.
• Distracting and re-directing children’s activities are used as ways of discouraging unwanted behaviour. Our approach ensures children maintain their self-esteem by showing disapproval of the behaviour not the child.
• We encourage responsibility by talking to children about choices and possible consequences and will respond positively to children who constantly seek attention or are disruptive.
• If we have concerns about a child’s behaviour, which are not being resolved, we will ask for permission from the parents to talk it through with another childcare professional. These may be for example, a health visitor or the local Early Years team for advice. Concerns that could identify a particular child are kept
  confidential and only shared with people who need to know this information.

Biting

• At Little Haven, we follow policies that always promotes positive behaviour. However, we understand that children may use certain behaviours such as biting as part of their development.
  Biting is a common behaviour that some young children go through and can be triggered when they do not have the words to communicate their anger, frustration or need.
• We use the following strategies to help prevent biting: sensory activities, biting rings, adequate resources and staff who recognise when children need more stimulation or quiet times. However, in the event of a child being bitten we use the following procedures. The most relevant staff
  member(s) will:
• Comfort any child who has been bitten and check for any visual injury. Administer any first aid where necessary. Complete an accident form and inform the parents via telephone if deemed appropriate. Continue to observe the bitten area for signs of infection. For confidentiality purposes and possible conflict, we do not disclose the name of the child who has caused the bite to the parents.
• Tell the child who has caused the bite in terms that they understand that biting (the behaviour and not the child) is unkind and show the child that it makes staff and the child who has been bitten sad. The child will be asked to say sorry if developmentally appropriate or helped to develop their empathy skills by giving the child who has been bitten a favourite book or
  comforter.
• Complete an incident form to share with the parents at the end of the child’s session.
• If a child continues to bite, we will carry out observations to try to distinguish a cause, e.g. tiredness or frustration.
• Arrange for a meeting with the child’s parents to develop strategies to prevent the biting behaviour. Parents will be reassured that it is part of a child’s development and not made to feel that it is their fault.
• In the event of a bite breaking the skin and to reduce the risk of infection from bacteria, give prompt treatment to both the child who has bitten and the child who has been bitten.
• If a child or member of staff sustains a bite wound where the skin has been severely broken arrange for urgent medical attention after initial first aid has been carried out.

This policy refers to all information storage devices including cameras, mobile telephones and any recording devices including smartphones and smartwatches.

At Little Haven we recognise that photographs and video recordings play a part in the life of the nursery. We ensure that any photographs or recordings taken of children in our nursery are only done
with prior written permission from each child’s parent and only share photos with parents in a secure manner. We obtain this when each child is registered and we update it on a regular basis to ensure that
this permission still stands.

We ask for individual permissions for photographs and video recordings for a range of purposes including: use in the child’s learning journey; for display purposes; for promotion materials including our nursery website, brochure and the local press; and for security in relation to CCTV and social media.

We ensure that parents understand that where their child is also on another child’s photograph, but not as the primary person, that may be used in another child’s learning journey.

If a parent is not happy about one or more of these uses, we will respect their wishes and find alternative ways of recording their child’s play or learning.

Staff are not permitted to take any photographs or recordings of a child on their own information storage devices e.g. cameras, mobiles or smartwatches and may only use those provided by the nursery. The
nursery manager will monitor all photographs and recordings to ensure that the parents’ wishes are met and children are safeguarded.

Parents are not permitted to use any recording device or camera (including those on mobile phones or smartwatches) on the nursery premises without the prior consent of the manager.

During special events, e.g. Christmas or leaving parties, staff may produce group photographs to distribute to parents on request. In this case, we will gain individual permission for each child before the
event. This will ensure all photographs taken are in line with parental choice. We ask that photos of events such as Christmas parties are not posted on any social media websites/areas without permission
from the parents of all the children included in the picture.

At Little Haven we use tablets in the rooms to take photos of the children and record these directly on to their electronic learning journeys. We ensure that these devices are used for this purpose only and do not install applications such as social media sites on to these devices. We also do routine checks to ensure that emails and text messages (where applicable) have not been sent from these devices and remind staff of the whistleblowing policy if they observe staff not following these safeguarding procedures.

At Little Haven we care for children under the age of two and ensure their health, safety and well-being through the following:

• Children under the age of two have a separate base room and are cared for in small intimate groups. We ensure that younger children have opportunities to have contact with older children
  whilst at nursery
• At least half of the staff team caring for children under the age of two will have undertaken specific training for working with babies
• Care is taken to ensure that babies and toddlers do not have access to activities containing small pieces, which may be swallowed or otherwise injure the child
• The environment and equipment are checked daily before the children access the area. This includes checking the stability of cots and areas around, low/highchairs and ensuring restraints on these, pushchairs and prams are intact and working
• Outdoor shoes are removed or covered when entering the baby and toddler area(s). Staff remind parents and visitors to adhere to this procedure
• Babies and toddlers have their nappies changed according to their individual needs and requirements by their key person wherever possible
• Information will be shared between parents and the key person about nappy changing and toilet training in a way that suits the child
• Potties are washed and disinfected after every use. Changing mats are wiped with anti-bacterial cleanser before and after every nappy change
• Each baby must have his/her own bedding which is washed at least weekly and when necessary
• Cot mattresses meet safety standards
• Children under two years are not be given pillows, cot bumpers or any soft furnishings in order to prevent risk of suffocation
• We follow all cot death prevention/safety guidelines and advise parents of this information. Babies are always laid to sleep on their back, with their feet touching the foot of the cot
• Sheets or thin blankets will come no higher than the baby’s shoulders, to prevent them wriggling under the covers. We make sure the covers are securely tucked in so they cannot slip over the baby’s head
• Children’s individual sleeping bags may be used in consultation with parents. These are washed at least weekly and when necessary
• Cots are checked before use to ensure no items are within reach i.e. hanging over or beside the cot (e.g. fly nets, cables)
• All low/highchairs used for feeding are fitted with restraints and these are used at all times. Children are never left unattended in high chairs. Restraints are removed and washed weekly or as needed
• No child is ever left unattended during nappy changing time
• Babies are never left propped up with bottles as it is both dangerous and inappropriate
• Babies sleeping outside have cat/fly nets over their prams and prams must lie flat so children are supported
• Sleeping children are supervised at all times
• Checks on sleeping babies are completed every 10 minutes. This may increase to five minutes for younger babies and or new babies. Checks are documented with the time and staff initials on the sleep check form
• Staff do not change nappies whilst pregnant until a risk assessment has been discussed and conducted. Students only change nappies with the support and close supervision of a qualified member of staff
• Bottles of formula milk are only be made up as and when the child needs them. These should be cooled to body temperature, which means they should feel warm or cool, but not hot, and should be tested with a sterilised thermometer to ensure they are an appropriate temperature for the child to drink safely
• Following the Department of Health guidelines, we only use recently boiled water to make formula bottles (left for no longer than 30 minutes to cool). We do not use cooled boiled water that is reheated
• Bottles and teats are thoroughly cleaned with hot soapy water and sterilised after use (they will be washed in the dishwasher)
• Contents of bottles are disposed of after two hours
• A designated area is available for mothers who wish to breastfeed their babies or express milk
• Labelled mothers’ breast milk is stored in the fridge
• If dummies are used they will be cleaned and sterilised. This also applies to dummies which have been dropped (see separate dummy policy)
• All dummies are stored in separate labelled containers to ensure no cross-contamination occurs
• Sterilisers are washed out and cleaned daily
• Children transfer to the older age group when assessed as appropriate for their age/stage following
  our agreed transition and settling procedures.

At Little Haven we believe that parents are entitled to expect courtesy and prompt, careful attention to their individual needs and wishes. We hope that at all times parents are happy with the service provided and we encourage parents to voice their appreciation to the staff concerned.

We record all compliments and share these with staff.

We welcome any suggestions from parents on how we can improve our services and will give prompt and serious attention to any concerns that parents may have. Any concerns will be dealt with professionally and promptly to ensure that any issues arising from them are handled effectively and to ensure the welfare of all children, enable ongoing cooperative partnership with parents and to continually improve the quality of the nursery.

We have a formal procedure for dealing with complaints where we are not able to resolve a concern. Where any concern or complaint relates to child protection, we follow our Safeguarding/Child Protection Policy.

Internal complaints procedure

Stage 1:
If any parent should have cause for concern or any queries regarding the care or early learning provided by the nursery, they should in the first instance speak to the child’s key person or the manager.
Stage 2:
If the issue remains unresolved or parents feel they have received an unsatisfactory outcome, then they must present their concerns in writing as a formal complaint to the nursery manager. The manager will then investigate the complaint and report back to the parent within seven working days. The manager will document the complaint
fully and the actions taken in relation to it in the complaint’s logbook. (Most complaints are usually resolved informally at stage 1 or 2.)
Stage 3:
If the matter is still not resolved, the nursery will hold a formal meeting between the manager, parent and a senior staff member to ensure that it is dealt with comprehensively. The nursery will make a record of the meeting and
document any actions. All parties present at the meeting will review the accuracy of the record and be asked to sign to agree to it and receive a copy. This will signify the conclusion of the procedure.
Stage 4:
If the matter cannot be resolved to their satisfaction, then parents have the right to raise the matter with Ofsted. Parents are made aware that they can contact Ofsted at any time they have a concern, including at all stages of the complaint’s procedure, and are given information on how to contact Ofsted. Ofsted is the registering authority for nurseries in England and investigates all complaints that suggest a provider may not be meeting the requirements of the nursery’s registration. It risk assesses all complaints made and may visit the nursery to carry out a full inspection where it believes requirements are not met.

A record of complaints will be kept in the nursery. The record will include the name of the complainant, the nature of the complaint, date and time complaint received, action(s) taken, result of any investigations and any information given to the complainant including a dated response.

Parents will be able to access this record if they wish to; however, all personal details relating to any complaint will be stored confidentially and will be only accessible by the parties involved. Ofsted inspectors will have access to this record at any time during visits to ensure actions have been met appropriately.

Contact details for Ofsted:
Email: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 123 1231
By post:
Ofsted
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD

Parents will also be informed if the nursery becomes aware that they are going to be inspected and after inspection the nursery will provide a copy of the report to parents and/or carers of children attending on a regular basis.

At Little Haven we recognise that we hold sensitive/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. However, if a child is considered at risk, our safeguarding/child protection 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

At Little Haven we understand we need to plan for all eventualities to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all the children we care for.

With this in mind we have a critical incident policy in place to ensure
our nursery is able to operate effectively in the case of a critical incident. These include:

•  Flood
• Fire
• Burglary
• Abduction or threatened abduction of a child
• Bomb threat/terrorism attack
• Any other incident that may affect the care of the children in the nursery.

If any of these incidents impact on the ability of the nursery to operate, we will contact parents via *phone/*email/*text message at the earliest opportunity, e.g. before the start of the nursery day.

Flood

There is always a danger of flooding from adverse weather conditions or through the water/central heating systems. We cannot anticipate adverse weather; however, we can ensure that we take care of all our
water and heating systems through regular maintenance and checks to reduce the option of flooding in this way. Our central heating systems are checked and serviced annually by a registered gas engineer and they conform to all appropriate guidelines and legislation.

If flooding occurs during the nursery day, the nursery manager will make a decision based on the severity and location of this flooding, and it may be deemed necessary to follow the fire evacuation procedure. In this instance children will be kept safe and parents will be notified in the same way as the fire procedure.

Should the nursery be assessed as unsafe through flooding, fire or any other incident we will follow our operational plan and provide *care in another location/*parents with alternative arrangements in sister
nurseries/*options for childcare facilities in the local area.

Fire

Please refer to the fire safety policy.

Burglary

The management of the nursery follow a lock up procedure which ensures all doors and windows are closed and locked before vacating the premises. Alarm systems are used and in operation during all hours the nursery is closed.

The manager will always check the premises as they arrive in the morning. Should they discover that the nursery has been broken into they will follow the procedure below:

• Dial 999 with as many details as possible, i.e. name and location, details of what you have found and emphasise this is a nursery and children will be arriving soon
• Contain the area to ensure no-one enters until the police arrive. The staff will direct parents and children to a separate area as they arrive. If all areas have been disturbed staff will follow police advice, including following the relocation procedure under flood wherever necessary to ensure the safety of the children
• The manager on duty will help the police with enquiries, e.g. by identifying items missing, areas of entry etc.
• A manager will be available at all times during this time to speak to parents, reassure children and direct enquires
• Management will assess the situation following a theft and ensure parents are kept up to date with developments relating to the operation of the nursery

Abduction or threatened abduction of a child

We have secure safety procedures in place to ensure children are safe while in our care, including safety from abduction. Staff must be vigilant at all times and report any persons lingering on nursery property immediately. All doors and gates to the nursery are locked and cannot be accessed unless staff members allow individuals in. Parents are reminded on a regular basis not to allow anyone into the building whether they are known to them or not. Visitors and general security are covered in more detail in the supervision of visitor’s policy.

Children will only be released into the care of a designated adult; see the arrivals and departures policy for more details. Parents are requested to inform the nursery of any potential custody battles or family concerns as soon as they arise so the nursery is able to support the child. The nursery will not take sides in relation to any custody battle and will remain neutral for the child. If an absent parent arrives to collect their child, the nursery will not restrict access unless a court order is in place. Parents are requested to issue the nursery with a copy of these documents should they be in place. We will consult our solicitors with regards to any concerns over custody and relay any information back to the parties involved.

If a member of staff witnesses an actual or potential abduction from nursery we have the following procedures which are followed immediately:

• The police must be called immediately
• The staff member will notify management immediately and the manager will take control
• The parent(s) will be contacted
• All other children will be kept safe and secure and calmed down where necessary
• The police will be given as many details as possible including details of the child, description of the abductor, car registration number if used, time and direction of travel if seen and any family situations that may impact on this abduction

Bomb threat/terrorism attack

If a bomb threat is received at the nursery, the person taking the call will record all details given over the phone as soon as possible and raise the alarm as soon as the phone call has ended. The management
will follow the fire evacuation procedure to ensure the safety of all on the premises and will provide as much detail to the emergency services as possible.

Other incidents

All incidents will be managed by the manager on duty and all staff will co-operate with any emergency services on the scene. Any other incident that requires evacuation will follow the fire plan. Other incidents e.g. no water supply will be dealt with on an individual basis taking into account the effect on the safety, health and welfare of the children and staff in the nursery.

The nursery manager will notify Ofsted in the event of a critical incident.

At Little Haven we recognise that we hold sensitive/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.

This policy will work alongside the Privacy Notice to ensure compliance under General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018.

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 General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), Data Protection Act 2018 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/child protection 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.

General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) compliance

In order to meet our requirements under GDPR we will also undertake the following:

1. We will ensure our terms & conditions, privacy and consent notices are easily accessed/made
available in accurate and easy to understand language

2. We will use your data only for [insert reasons] and only contact you [insert reasons]. We will not
share or use your data for other purposes

3. Everyone in our nursery understands that people have the right to access their records or have
their records amended or deleted (subject to other laws and regulations).

Staff and volunteer information

• All information and records relating to staff will be kept confidentially on the nursery’s secure computer system
•  Individual staff may request to see their own personal file at any time.

At Little Haven we recognise that a dummy can be a source of comfort for a child who is settling and/or upset, and that it may often form part of a child’s sleep routine.

We also recognise that overuse of dummies may affect a child’s language development as it may restrict the mouth movements needed for speech. As babies get older they need to learn to move their mouths in different ways, to smile, to blow bubbles, to make sounds, to chew food and eventually to talk. As babies move their mouths and experiment with babbling sounds they are learning to make the quick mouth movements needed for speech. The more practice they get the better their awareness of their mouths and the better their speech will be.

Our nursery will:

• Discuss the use of dummies with parents as part of babies’ individual care plans
• Only allow dummies for comfort if a child is really upset (for example, if they are new to the setting or going through a transition) and/or as part of their sleep routine
• Store dummies in individual hygienic dummy boxes labelled with the child’s name to prevent cross-contamination with other children
• Immediately clean or sterilise any dummy or bottle that falls on the floor or is picked up by another
  child.

When discouraging the dummy staff will:

• Make each child aware of a designated place where the dummy is stored
• Comfort the child and, if age/stage appropriate, explain sensitively and appropriately why they do not need their dummy
• Distract the child with other activities and ensure they are settled before leaving them to play
• Offer other methods of comfort such as a toy, teddy or blanket
• Explain to the child they can have their dummy when they go home or at sleep time.

We will also offer support and advice to parents to discourage dummy use during waking hours at home and suggest ways which the child can be weaned off their dummy through books and stories (when
appropriate).

At Little Haven we take great care to treat each individual as a person in their own right, with equal rights and responsibilities to any other individual, whether they are an adult or a child. We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children and families according to their individual needs.

Discrimination on the grounds of gender, age, race, religion
or belief, marriage or civil partnership, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, ethnic or national origin, or political belief has no place within our nursery.

In addition, Little Haven is committed to upholding the following standards of British Values for all users of our service:

• Democracy: Making decisions together
• Rule of Law
• Individual liberty: freedom for all
• Mutual respect and tolerance: treat others as you want to be treated

A commitment to implementing our inclusion and equality policy will form part of each employee’s job description. Should anyone believe that this policy is not being upheld, it is their duty to bring the matter
to the attention of the manager at the earliest opportunity.

Appropriate steps will then be taken to investigate the matter and if such concerns are well-founded, disciplinary action will be invoked under the nursery’s disciplinary policy.
The legal framework for this policy is based on:

• Special Education Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice 2015
• Children and Families Act 2014
• Equality Act 2010
• Childcare Act 2006
• Children Act 2004
• Care Standards Act 2002
• Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001.

The Managers and staff are committed to:

• Recruiting, selecting, training and promoting individuals on the basis of occupational skills requirements. In this respect, the nursery will ensure that no job applicant or employee will
  receive less favourable treatment because of age, sex, gender reassignment, disability, marriage or civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity/paternity which cannot be justified as being necessary for the safe and effective performance of their work
  or training
• Providing a childcare place, wherever possible, for children who may have learning difficulties and/or disabilities or are deemed disadvantaged according to their individual circumstances, and
  the nursery’s ability to provide the necessary standard of care
• Making reasonable adjustments for children with special educational needs and disabilities
• Striving to promote equal access to services and projects by taking practical steps (wherever
  possible and reasonable), such as ensuring access to people with additional needs and by producing materials in relevant languages and media for all children and their families
• Providing a secure environment in which all our children can flourish and all contributions are valued
• Including and valuing the contribution of all families to our understanding of equality, inclusion and diversity
• Providing positive non-stereotypical information
• Continually improving our knowledge and understanding of issues of equality, inclusion and diversity
• Regularly reviewing, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of inclusive practices to ensure they promote and value diversity and difference and that the policy is effective and practices are non-discriminatory
• Making inclusion a thread, which runs through the entirety of the nursery, for example, by encouraging positive role models through the use of toys, imaginary play and activities, promoting non-stereotypical images and language and challenging all discriminatory behaviour (see dealing with discriminatory behaviour policy).

Admissions/service provision

The nursery is accessible to all children and families in the local community and further afield through a comprehensive and inclusive admissions policy.

The nursery will strive to ensure that all services and projects are accessible and relevant to all groups and individuals in the community within targeted age groups.

Recruitment

Recruitment, promotion and other selection exercises such as redundancy selection will be conducted on the basis of merit, against objective criteria that avoid discrimination. Shortlisting should be done by more than one person if possible.

All members of the selection group will be committed to the inclusive practice set out in this policy and will have received appropriate training in this regard.

Application forms will be sent out along with a copy of the equal opportunities monitoring form.

Application forms will not include questions that potentially discriminate on the grounds specified in the statement of intent.

Vacancies should generally be advertised to a diverse section of the labour market. Advertisements should avoid stereotyping or using wording that may discourage particular groups from applying.

At interview, no questions will be posed which potentially discriminate on the grounds specified in the statement of intent. All candidates will be asked the same questions and members of the selection group will not introduce nor use any personal knowledge of candidates acquired outside the selection process. Candidates will be given the opportunity to receive feedback on the reasons why they were not successful.

Although you should no longer ask any health related questions prior to offering someone work in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, the national College for Teaching and Leadership provides further guidance specific to working with children:

Providers have a responsibility to ensure that practitioners have the health and physical capacity to teach and will not put children and young people at risk of harm. The activities that a practitioner must be able to perform are set out in the Education (Health Standards England) Regulations 2003. Providers are responsible for ensuring that only practitioners who have the capacity to teach remain on the staff team.

People with disabilities or chronic illnesses may have the capacity to teach, just as those without disabilities or medical conditions may be unsuitable to teach. Further information on training to teach with a disability is available from the DfE website.

Successful applicants offered a position may be asked to complete a fitness questionnaire prior to commencing the programme. Providers should not ask all-encompassing health questions but should ensure that they only ask targeted and relevant health-related questions, which are necessary to ensure that a person is able to teach.

Staff

It is the policy of Little Haven not to discriminate in the treatment of individuals. All staff are expected to co-operate with the implementation, monitoring and improvement of this and other policies. All staff are expected to challenge language, actions, behaviours and attitudes which are oppressive or discriminatory on the grounds specified in this policy and recognise and celebrate other cultures and traditions. All staff are expected to participate in equality and inclusion training.

Staff will report any discriminatory behaviours observed.

Training

The nursery recognises the importance of training as a key factor in the implementation of an effective inclusion and equality policy. All new staff receive induction training including specific reference to the
inclusion and equality policy. The nursery will strive towards the provision of inclusion, equality and diversity training for all staff on an annual basis.

Early learning framework

Early learning opportunities offered in the nursery encourage children to develop positive attitudes to people who are different from them. It encourages children to empathise with others and to begin to
develop the skills of critical thinking.

We do this by:

• Making children feel valued and good about themselves
• Ensuring that all children have equal access to early learning and play opportunities
• Reflecting the widest possible range of communities in the choice of resources
• Avoiding stereotypical or derogatory images in the selection of materials
• Acknowledging and celebrating a wide range of religions, beliefs and festivals
• Creating an environment of mutual respect and empathy
• Helping children to understand that discriminatory behaviour and remarks are unacceptable
• Ensuring that all early learning opportunities offered are inclusive of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and children from disadvantaged backgrounds
• Ensuring that children whose first language is not English have full access to early learning opportunities and are supported in their learning
• Working in partnership with all families to ensure they understand the policy and challenge any discriminatory comments made
• Ensuring the medical, cultural and dietary needs of children are met
• Identifying a key person to each child who will continuously observe, assess and plan for children’s learning and development
• Helping children to learn about a range of food and cultural approaches to meal times and to respect the differences among them.

Information and meetings

Information about the nursery, its activities and their children’s development will be given in a variety of ways according to individual needs (written, verbal and translated), to ensure that all parents can
access the information they need.

Wherever possible, meetings will be arranged to give all families options to attend and contribute their ideas about the running of the nursery.

Children are taught that at the sound of the whistle they stop whatever they are doing and then follow the clear and precise instructions indicated by the person in charge.

• All staff members are aware of their role in vacating the building. Evacuation drills take place once a term so that both the children and staff feel happy about the evacuation procedure.

The date and time of the drills are recorded for reference. The register is checked to ensure that all the children are present.

In the case of a fire a nominated member of staff will telephone 999 to call the Fire Brigade.

In the event of an emergency evacuation, short term accommodation will be taken to So Arch Hotel.

Self-Certification

As a member of the Forest Childcare Association I agree to the Five Principles of Forest Childcare and endeavour to put these principles into practice at my childcare setting:

The Five Principles of Forest Childcare

1. The Forest Childcare Provider takes the children to an outdoor environment normally once a week.
2. Forest Childcare outings are made as safe as is reasonably possible by the childcare provider while encouraging children to learn to take their own risks.
3. Forest Childcare outings are taken all year long, so children go outside whatever the weather.
4. The Forest Childcare Provider offers a mixture of planned and child-led play activities to the children.
5. The Forest Childcare Provider is first aid certified.

Please tick:

_√_I agree with the Five Principles of Forest Childcare and will endeavour to put them into practice at this setting.

_√_I have read the About Forest Childcare – Training Guide and have thought about the issues and implications outlined in the document and how these apply to my setting.

_√_I am adequately insured to take the children on outings.

_√_I have a procedure in place to obtain parental permission to take the children on outings.

_√_I have a procedure in place for risk assessments.

By signing and displaying this document and accompanying certificate, I am agreeing to calling myself a Forest Childcare Provider and calling this a Forest Childcare Setting.

Feona & Ade Olujinmi, Little Haven Childcare 01 March 2017

www.kidstogo.co.uk

All employees and users of Little Haven have a duty to take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and others. In this regard, all of the settings’ policies and procedures must be fully
observed.

• Regular inspections and Risk Assessments of equipment, premises and places regularly visited will be carried out to comply with Ofsted standards and Health and Safety Regulations.
• All hazards and dangerous occurrences must be reported immediately to the person in charge in order that corrective measures may be taken.
• Entrances, exits, halls and passages ways are kept clean and free from obstruction.
• Heating, lighting and ventilation systems are properly maintained and serviced.
• Electric plugs, power points and hot water are child safe.
• Dangerous substances are safely stored not accessible to children.
• Fire drills are carried out regularly.
• First Aid facilities are provided. At least one adult with first aid qualifications is available at all times.
• Only prescribed medicines from a G.P. can be administered with the manager’s approval.
• All accidents are recorded in the Accident report book.
• During the session, the required numbers of adults are on duty at all times.
• The attendance register is marked at the beginning of the session so that staff knows which children and adults are present in case of an emergency. The register will be kept on the premises until the end of the session.
• At the beginning and end of each session a member of staff will be at the door. Each child must be safely collected by someone known to the setting and/or authorised to do so. If someone not
  previously authorised is collecting your child then parents must notify the setting (in writing) with the name and contact telephone number of the person collecting their child.
• Sleeping children will be regularly monitored and a baby monitor is used as well.
• In the case of serious accident, the child will be taken to hospital for treatment accompanied by a member of staff and the parent/carer will be notified.
• On trips or other occasions, in the interests of safety, we ask parents/carers to be responsible for their own children.
• All visitors must sign in the Visitors’ Book.
• Smoking is not allowed on the premises.

At Little Haven we believe that all children need contact with familiar, consistent carers to ensure they can grow and develop socially and emotionally. At times children need to be cuddled, encouraged, held
and offered physical reassurance.

Intimate care routines are essential throughout the day to meet children’s basic needs. This may include nappy changing, supporting children with toileting, changing clothes, and giving first aid treatment and specialist medical support, where required.

In order to maintain the child’s privacy, we will carry out the majority of these actions on a one-to-one basis, wherever possible, by the child’s key person.

We wish to ensure the safety and welfare of children during intimate care routines and safeguard them against any potential harm as well as ensuring the staff member involved is fully supported and able to
perform their duties safely and confidently. We aim to support all parties through the following actions:

• Promoting consistent and caring relationships through the key person system in the nursery and ensuring all parents understand how this works
• Ensuring all staff undertaking intimate care routines have suitable enhanced DBS checks
• Training all staff in the appropriate methods for intimate care routines and arranging specialist training where required, i.e. first aid training, specialist medical support
• Conducting thorough inductions for all new staff to ensure they are fully aware of all nursery procedures relating to intimate care routines
• Following up procedures through supervision meetings and appraisals to identify any areas for development or further training
• Working closely with parents on all aspects of the child’s care and education as laid out in the Parent and Carers as Partners policy. This is essential for intimate care routines which require
  specialist training or support. If a child requires specific support the nursery will arrange a meeting with the parent to discover all the relevant information relating to this to enable the staff
  to care for the child fully and meet their individual needs
• Ensuring all staff have an up-to-date understanding of safeguarding/child protection and how to protect children from harm. This will include identifying signs and symptoms of abuse and how to raise these concerns as set out in the safeguarding/child protection policy
• Operating a whistleblowing policy to help staff raise any concerns about their peers or managers; and helping staff develop confidence in raising worries as they arise in order to safeguard the children in the nursery
• Conducting working practice observations on all aspects of nursery operations to ensure that procedures are working in practice and all children are supported fully by the staff. This includes intimate care routines
• Conducting regular risk assessments on all aspects of the nursery operation including intimate care and reviewing the safeguards in place. The nursery has assessed all the risks relating to intimate care routines and has placed appropriate safeguards in place to ensure the safety of all involved.

Nappy Changing & Toileting

At Little Haven we aim to support children’s care and welfare on a daily basis in line with their individual needs. All children need contact with familiar, consistent carers to ensure they can grow confidently and feel self-assured. Wherever possible, each child’s key person will change nappies according to the child’s individual needs and requirements.

Our procedures meet best practice identified by the Health Protection Agency (2011) in ‘Best practice advice for nurseries and childcare settings’.

We will enable a two-way exchange between parents and key persons so that information is shared about nappy changing and toilet training in a way that suits the parents and meets the child’s needs.

Parents will be engaged in the process of potty training and supported to continue potty training with their child at home.

We will use appropriate designated facilities for nappy changing which meet the following criteria:

• Facilities are separate to food preparation and serving areas and children’s play areas
• Changing mats have a sealed plastic covering and are frequently checked for cracks or tears. If cracks or tears are found, the mat is discarded. Disposable towels/roll are placed on top of the
  changing mat for added protection
• Clean nappies are stored in a clean dry place; soiled nappies are placed in a ‘nappy sack’ or plastic bag before being placed in the bin. Bins are foot-pedal operated, regularly emptied and placed in an appropriate waste collection area. Each child should have their own creams and lotions for any non-prescription cream for skin conditions e.g. Sudocrem. These are supplied by the parent/guardian and must be clearly labelled with the child’s name. Prior written permission is obtained from the parent. When applying creams for rashes, a gloved hand is used.

Staff changing nappies will:

• Use a new disposable apron and pair of gloves for each nappy change and always wash hands before and after using gloves
• Clean disinfect and dry mats thoroughly after each nappy change; disposable towels/roll must be discarded after each nappy change
• Ensure they have all the equipment they need and access to fresh water before each nappy change.

We wish to ensure the safety and welfare of the children whilst being changed and safeguard against any potential harm as well as ensuring the staff member involved is fully supported and able to perform their
duties safely and confidently. We aim to support all parties through the following actions:

• Promoting consistent and caring relationships through the key person system in the nursery and ensuring all parents understand how this works and who they will be working with
• Using this one-to-one time as a key opportunity to talk to children and help them learn, e.g. through singing and saying rhymes during the change
• Ensuring that the nappy changing area is inviting and stimulating and change this area regularly to continue to meet children’s interests
• Ensuring all staff undertaking nappy changing have suitable enhanced DBS checks
• Training all staff in the appropriate methods for nappy changing
• Ensuring that no child is ever left unattended during the nappy changing time
• Making sure staff do not change nappies whilst pregnant until a risk assessment has been discussed and conducted; and that students only change nappies with the support and close
  supervision of a qualified member of staff
• Conducting thorough inductions for all new staff to ensure they are fully aware of all nursery procedures relating to nappy changing
• Ensuring hygiene procedures are followed appropriately, e.g. hands washed before and after nappies are changed and changing mats cleaned before and after each use
• Following up procedures through supervision meetings and appraisals to identify any areas for development or further training
• Working closely with parents on all aspects of the child’s care and education as laid out in the parent and carers as partner’s policy. This is essential for any intimate care routines which may require specialist training or support. If a child requires specific support the nursery will arrange a meeting with the parent to discover all the relevant information relating to this to enable the staff to care for the child fully and meet their individual needs
• Ensuring all staff have an up-to-date understanding of child protection and how to protect children from harm. This includes identifying signs and symptoms of abuse and how to raise these concerns as set out in the child protection policy
• Operating a whistleblowing policy to help staff raise any concerns relating to their peers or managers and helping staff develop confidence in raising concerns as they arise in order to
  safeguard the children in the nursery
• Conducting working practice observations of all aspects of nursery operations to ensure that procedures are working in practice and all children are supported fully by the staff. This includes all intimate care routines
• Conducting regular risk assessments of all aspects of nursery operations including intimate care and reviewing the safeguards in place. The nursery has assessed all the risks relating to intimate care routines and has placed appropriate safeguards in place to ensure the safety of all involved.

If any parent or member of staff has concerns or questions about nappy-changing procedures or individual routines, please see the manager at the earliest opportunity.

At Little Haven 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. 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 30 minutes 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 £2 per minute 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 Little Haven we recognise that children learn in different ways and at different rates and plan for this accordingly. Our aim is to support all children attending the nursery to attain their maximum potential
within their individual capabilities.

We provide a positive play environment for every child, so they may develop good social skills and an appreciation of all aspects of this country’s multi-cultural society. We plan learning experiences to ensure, as far as practical, there is equality of opportunity for all children and a celebration of diversity.

We maintain a personalised record of every child’s development, showing their abilities, progress, interests and areas needing further staff or parental assistance.

For children whose home language is not English, we will take reasonable steps to:

• Provide opportunities for children to develop and use their home language in play and learning and support their language development at home; and
• Ensure that children have sufficient opportunities to learn and reach a good standard in English language during the EYFS, ensuring children are ready to benefit from the opportunities available to them when they begin year 1.

We ensure that the educational programmes are well planned and resourced to have depth and breadth across the seven areas of learning. They provide interesting and challenging experiences that meet the needs of all children. Planning is based on a secure knowledge and understanding of how to promote the learning and development of young children and what they can achieve.

We implement the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) set by the Department for Education that sets standards to ensure all children learn and develop well. We support and enhance children’s learning and development holistically through play-based activities. We review all aspects of learning and development and ensure a flexible approach is maintained, which responds quickly to children’s learning and developmental needs. We develop tailor-made activities based on observations which inform future planning and draw on children’s needs and interests. This is promoted through a balance of adult-led and child-initiated opportunities both indoors and outdoors.

Direct observation is supplemented by a range of other evidence to evaluate the impact that practitioners have on the progress children make in their learning including:

• evidence of assessment that includes the progress of different groups of children:
• assessment on entry, including parental contributions
• two-year-old progress checks (where applicable)
• on-going (formative) assessments, including any parental contributions
• the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (where applicable) or any other summative assessment when children leave.

We acknowledge parents as primary educators and encourage parental involvement as outlined in our Parents and Carers as Partners policy. We build strong home links in order to enhance and extend children’s learning both within the nursery environment and in the child’s home.

We share information about the EYFS curriculum with parents and signpost them to further support via the following websites:
www.foundationyears.org.uk/
www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/a0068102/early-years-foundation-stage-eyfs

At Little Haven, the safety of everyone is given the highest priority. There may be occasions when it will be necessary to keep the children inside the nursery building for their safety. Examples range from a
dangerous dog or an armed person roaming the streets around the nursery, to sheltering from the fumes given off by a hazardous material spilt during an incident on one of the roads near the setting.

Depending on the type and severity of the incident, you may be asked NOT to collect your children from nursery as you may put yourself and your children at risk. You may not be able to contact the nursery by telephone as we will be using this to contact the authorities. As soon as it is possible, parents will be informed of the lockdown and any alternative arrangements.

All children will be supervised at all times and communication with parents and carers will be re-established once the incident has been dealt with or advice given from the appropriate authorities/emergency services. If the end of the day is extended due to the lock down, parents will be notified and will receive information about the time and place children can be picked up from.

LOCK DOWN PROCEDURE

In the event of a ‘lock down’, the person witnessing the incident must try to notify the Manager/Deputy Manager to raise the alarm. The Manager/Deputy Manager will determine the risk and need for a ‘Lock Down’. The Lock Down whistle by the nursery phone will be blown where possible. Where it is possible to obtain and use the phone safely, emergency services will be called. Where it is possible, the Manager/Deputy Manager will gather all emergency medication e.g. Epi pens and asthma medication as well as parent’s contact details.

Staff must try to ensure (as best as possible) that children are kept calm and as quiet as possible. Staff are to keep alert to the emotional needs of the children. A register/head count should be taken at this
time. Others working in the setting e.g. administrative or domestic staff may need to take sanctuary in different rooms.

Movement around the building

All children, staff and visitors will remain in the areas they are in, if it is safe to do so. If children are
outside playing, staff are to promptly direct children into the building, if it is safe to do so. When children are gathered they will be seated on the floor away from windows and curtains. Staff members will make
safe efforts to close and lock rooms and windows which could permit access into the room. All lights are to be turned off.

If danger enters the building, the following areas are identified as places where children and staff may be safest from harm:

• The uppermost room, has a doorway to a space under the eaves
• The upstairs bathroom has a lockable door and a smaller window than the other rooms

All Clear Signal

The ‘All Clear’ will be signalled by the Manager/Deputy Manager who will inform all concerned. A register will be taken. If a Safeguarding issue arises from the situation then we will follow the guidelines
of the police and the Local Authority.

The incident will be logged and the relevant authorities will be informed, parents notified and the incident investigated. Little Haven will carry out a review to highlight any issues that may have arisen.

At Little Haven we are committed to promoting children’s safety and welfare. In the unlikely event of a child going missing within/from the nursery, we have the following procedure which will be implemented
immediately:

• All staff will be aware of the procedure when a child goes missing and supply information to support the search, e.g. a recent photograph and a detailed description of clothing
• The nursery manager will be informed immediately and all staff present will be informed. Some staff will be deployed to start an immediate thorough search of the nursery, followed by a search
  of the surrounding area, whilst ensuring that some staff remain with the other children so they remain supervised, calm and supported throughout
• The manager will call the police as soon as they believe the child is missing and follow police guidance. The parents of the missing child will also be contacted
• A second search of the area will be carried out
• During this period, available staff will be continually searching for the missing child, whilst other staff maintain as near to normal routine as possible for the rest of the children in the nursery
•  The manager will meet the police and parents
• The manager will then await instructions from the police
• In the unlikely event that the child is not found the nursery will follow the local authority and police procedure
• Any incidents must be recorded in writing as soon as practicably possible including the outcome, who was lost, time identified, notification to police and findings
• Ofsted must be contacted and informed of any incidents
• With incidents of this nature parents, carers, children and staff may require support and reassurance following the traumatic experience. Management will provide this or seek further
  support where necessary
• In any cases with media attention, staff will not speak to any media representatives
• Post-incident risk assessments will be conducted following any incident of this nature to enable the chance of this reoccurring being reduced

At Little Haven we believe that mealtimes should be happy, social occasions for children and staff alike. We promote shared, enjoyable positive interactions at these times.

It is of the utmost importance that parents keep Little Haven informed of any food intolerances their children may have.

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 five 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
• Sensitivity is shown in providing for children’s diets and allergies. Staff 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 by eating with the children and showing 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 and ask them to ensure that all food brought in do not contain nuts and that the ingredients are listed. Parents are reminded of the
  importance of informing Little Haven if their child has any food intolerances.
• 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.

Our nursery is aware of the growth of the internet and the advantages this can bring. However, it is also aware of the dangers it can pose and we strive to support children, staff and families to use the internet safely.

Keeping Children Safe in Education categorises online safety into three areas of risk:

✓ Content: being exposed to illegal, inappropriate or harmful material
✓ Contact: being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users; and
✓ Conduct: personal online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm.”

The Designated Safeguarding Lead is ultimately responsible for online safety concerns. All concerns need to be raised as soon as possible to the DSL Feona Olujinmi

Within the nursery, we aim to keep children, staff and parents safe online. Our safety measures include:

• Ensuring we have appropriate antivirus and anti-spyware software on all devices and update them regularly
• Ensure content blockers and filters are on all our devices, e.g. computers, laptops, tablets and any
  mobile devices
• Ensuring all devices are password protected. Passwords should be kept safe and secure, changed regularly and are not written down
• Monitoring all internet usage across the setting
• Providing secure storage of all nursery devices at the end of each day
• Ensuring no social media or messaging apps are installed on nursery devices
• Reviewing all apps or games downloaded onto devices ensuring they are age and content appropriate
• Using only nursery devices to record/photograph children in the setting
• Never emailing personal or financial information
• Reporting emails with inappropriate content to the internet watch foundation (IWF www.iwf.org.uk)
• Teaching children how to stay safe online and report any concerns they have
• Ensuring children are supervised when using internet connected devices
• Using tracking software to monitor the suitability of internet usage (for older children)
• Not permitting staff or visitors to access to the nursery Wi-Fi
• 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
• Providing training for staff, at least annually, in online safety and understanding how to keep children safe online. We encourage staff and families to complete an online safety briefing, which can be found at https://moodle.ndna.org.uk
• Ensuring all staff abide by an acceptable use policy; instructing staff to use the work IT equipment for matters relating to the children and their education and care. No personal use will be tolerated (see acceptable IT use policy)
• 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
• The nursery is aware of the need to manage our digital reputation, including the appropriateness of information and content that we post online, both professionally and personally. This is continually monitored by the setting’s management
• All electronic communications between staff and parents should be professional and take place via the official nursery communication channels, e.g. the setting’s email addresses and telephone numbers. This is to protect staff, children and parents.

If any concerns arise relating to online safety then we will follow our safeguarding policy and report all online safety concerns to the DSL.

The DSL will make sure that:

• All staff know how to report a problem and when to escalate a concern, including the process for external referral
• All concerns are logged, assessed and actioned in accordance with the nursery’s safeguarding procedures
• Parents are offered support to help them talk about online safety with their children using appropriate resources
• Parents are signposted to appropriate sources of support regarding online safety at home and are fully supported to understand how to report an online safety concern.
• Staff have access to information and guidance for supporting online safety, both personally and professionally
• Under no circumstances should any member of staff, either at work or in any other place, make, deliberately download, possess, or distribute material they know to be illegal, for example, child sexual abuse material

At Little Haven we are committed to the importance of daily outdoor play and the physical development of all children regardless of their age and stage of development. We provide outdoor play in all weathers.

Where possible and appropriate, we make outdoor activities accessible to children with learning difficulties and disabilities to ensure inclusive use of the outdoor area.

We recognise that children need regular access to outdoor play in order to keep fit and healthy, develop their large and fine motor skills, experience learning in a natural environment and access sunlight in order to absorb vitamin D more effectively.

The outdoor areas, both within the nursery garden and in the local community have a wealth of experiences and resources which help children to develop in a variety of ways, including independence,
exploration and investigative skills, risk taking and self-esteem, all of which support children to develop skills now and for the future.

We ensure all areas are safe and secure through close supervision and the use of robust risk assessments and safety checks. Where possible and appropriate, we plan and encourage play that helps children
understand and manage risks. This type of play allows children to explore and find their own boundaries in a safe environment with supportive practitioners. Staff are informed of the importance of safety procedures and are trained appropriately to ensure these procedures are followed effectively.

We obtain parental permission before any child leaves the nursery during the day. This includes short outings into the local community. There is more information in Visits & Outings policy.

We plan all outdoor play opportunities and outings to complement the indoor activities and provide children with purposeful activities that support and follow individual children’s interests. There is a balance of both adult-led and child-initiated opportunities to enable children to learn and practice new skills, knowledge and behaviours.

We use this policy alongside our other policies to ensure the safety and welfare of children throughout their time outside.

At Little Haven we believe that parents and staff need to work together in a close partnership in order for children to receive the quality of care and early learning to meet their individual needs. We welcome parents as partners and support a two-way sharing of information that helps establish trust and understanding. We are committed to supporting parents in an open and sensitive manner to include them as an integral part of the care and early learning team within the nursery.

The key person system supports engagement with all parents and will use strategies to ensure that all parents can contribute to their child’s learning and development. Parents contribute to initial assessments
of children’s starting points on entry and they are kept well informed about their children’s progress.

Parents are encouraged to support and share information about their children’s learning and development at home. The key person system ensures all practitioners use effective, targeted strategies and
interventions to support learning that match most children’s individual needs.

Our policy is to:

• Recognise and support parents as their child’s first and most important educators and to welcome them into the life of the nursery
• Generate confidence and encourage parents to trust their own instincts and judgement regarding
  their own child
• Welcome all parents into the nursery at any time and provide an area where parents can speak confidentially with us as required.
• Welcome nursing mothers. The nursery will make available a private area whenever needed to offer space and privacy to nursing mothers
• Ensure nursery documentation and communications are provided in different formats to suit each parent’s needs, e.g. Braille, multi-lingual, electronic communications
• Ensure that all parents are aware of the nursery’s policies and procedures. A detailed parent prospectus will be provided and our full policy documents will be available to parents at all times
  on the nursery website
• Maintain regular contact with parents to help us to build a secure and beneficial working relationship for their children
• Support parents in their own continuing education and personal development including helping them to develop their parenting skills and inform them of relevant conferences, workshops and
  training
• Create opportunities for parents to talk to other adults in a secure and supportive environment through such activities as open days, parents’ evenings and a parents’ forum
• Inform parents about the range and type of activities and experiences provided for children, the daily routines of the setting, the types of food and drinks provided for children and events through *regularly distributed newsletters/*the nursery website
• Operate a key person system to enable parents to establish a close working relationship with a named practitioner and to support two-way information sharing about each child’s individual needs both in nursery and at home. Parents are given the name of the key person of their child and their role when the child starts
• Inform parents on a regular basis about their child’s progress and involve them in shared record keeping. Parents’ evenings will be held at least twice a year. The nursery will consult with parents about the times of meetings to avoid excluding anyone
• Actively encourage parents to contribute to children’s learning through sharing observations, interests and experiences from home. This may be verbally, sharing photographs or in written form
• Agree the best communication method with parents e.g. email, face-to-face, telephone and share information about the child’s day, e.g. food eaten, activities, sleep times etc.
• Consider and discuss all suggestions from parents concerning the care and early learning of their child and nursery operation
• Provide opportunities and support for all parents to contribute their own skills, knowledge and interests to the activities of the nursery including signposting to relevant services, agencies and
  training opportunities
• Inform all parents of the systems for registering queries, compliments, complaints or suggestions, and to check that these systems are understood by parents
• Make sure all parents have access to our written complaints procedure
• Share information about the Early Years Foundation Stage, young children’s learning in the nursery, how parents can further support learning at home and where they can access further information
• Provide a written contract between the parent(s) and the nursery regarding conditions of acceptance and arrangements for payment
• Respect the family’s religious and cultural backgrounds and beliefs and accommodate any special requirements wherever possible and practical to do so
• Inform parents how the nursery supports children with special educational needs and disabilities
• Find out the needs and expectations of parents. We will do this through regular feedback via questionnaires, suggestion system and encouraging parents to review working practices. We will
  evaluate any responses and publish these for parents with an action plan to inform future, policy and staff development.

EMERGENCY CONSENT FORM

OBSERVATIONS AND PHOTOGRAPHS FORM

PERMISSION TO TAKE CHILDREN OFF THE PREMISES

At Little Haven we promote the safety of children, parents, staff and visitors by reviewing and reducing any risks.

Risk assessments document the hazards/aspects of the environment that needs to be checked on a regular basis, who could be harmed, existing controls, the seriousness of the risk/injury, any further action
needed to control the risk, who is responsible for what action, when/how often will the action be undertaken, and how this will be monitored and checked and by whom.

The nursery carries out written risk assessments regularly (at least annually). These are regularly reviewed and cover potential risks to children, staff and visitors at the nursery. When circumstances
change in the nursery, e.g. a significant piece of equipment is introduced; we review our current risk assessment or conduct a new risk assessment dependent on the nature of this change.

All staff are trained in the risk assessment process to ensure understanding and compliance.

All outings away from the nursery are individually risk assessed and adequately staffed with paediatric first aid trained practitioners. For more details refer to the visits and outings policy.

Electrical equipment

• All electrical cables are kept out of the reach of children wherever possible and shielded by furniture where they need to be at floor level
• Electrical sockets are all risk assessed and any appropriate safety measures are in place to ensure the safety of the childre

Dangerous substances

All dangerous substances including chemicals MUST be kept in locked areas out of children’s reach. All substances must be kept in their original containers with their original labels attached. Safety Data Sheets (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) and risk assessments must be kept for all substances and the appropriate personal protection taken and used e.g. gloves and apron.

Hot drinks and food

Hot drinks must only be consumed in the staff area. No canned drinks, sweets or crisps are to be kept or consumed in the nursery area.

Transport and outings

The nursery has a comprehensive documented policy relating to outings, which incorporates all aspects of health and safety procedures including the arrangements for transporting and the supervision of children when away from the nursery.

Room temperatures

• Staff should be aware of room temperatures in the nursery and should ensure that they are suitable at all times; all areas are fitted with a comfort thermometer to monitor this
• Staff must always be aware of the dangers of babies and young children being too warm or too cold
• Temperatures should not fall below 18C in the Haven Hub and 16C in the Haven Explorers
• Where fans are being used to cool rooms, great care must be taken with regard to their positioning

Water supplies

• A fresh drinking supply is available and accessible to all children, staff and visitors
• All hot water taps accessible to children are thermostatically controlled to ensure that the temperature does not exceed 40C

At Little Haven Childcare 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 to protect and promote the welfare of children. Due to the many hours of care we are providing, staff may often be the first people to identify that there may be a problem. They may well be the first people in whom children confide information that may suggest abuse or to spot changes in a child’s behaviour which may indicate abuse.

Our prime responsibility is the welfare and well-being of each child in our care. As such we believe we have a duty to the children, parents and staff to act quickly and responsibly 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 Islington Safeguarding Children Board
•  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 Islington 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: 020 7527 7400
Local authority Designated Officer (LADO): 020 7527 8066
Ofsted: 0300 123 1231
Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB): 020 7527 4234
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.

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-ordinator1
(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, 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.

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.

Procedure:

• All signs of marks/injuries to a child, when they come into nursery or occur during time at the nursery, will be recorded as soon as noticed by a staff member
• The incident will be discussed with the parent at the earliest opportunity, where felt appropriate
• Such discussions will be recorded and the parent will have access to such records
• If there are queries regarding the injury, the local authority children’s social care team will be notified in line with procedures set out by the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB).

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.

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.

Procedure:

•  The concern should be discussed with the *nursery manager/DSCO/*room supervisor/*registered person
• The concern will be discussed with the parent
• Such discussions will be recorded and the parent will have access to such records
• An Assessment Framework form may need to be completed
• If there are queries regarding the circumstances and/or the concerns relate to the parents the matter will be referred to the local authority children’s social care team.

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.

Procedure:

• The concern will be discussed with the parent
• Such discussions will be recorded and the parent will have access to such records
• An assessment form may need to be completed
• If there are queries regarding the circumstances the local authority children’s social care team will be notified.

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 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 Co-ordinator for safeguarding, for best practice and to ensure cover at all times, we have two/three designated leads in place. This enables safeguarding to stay high on 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 Lead (DSL) at the nursery is: Feona Olujinmi and The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL) is: Ade Olunjinmi

• 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 the subject 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 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. (See ISCB Newsletter7, 12 Oct 2015)
• 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 investigation
•  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.

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.

Before a child starts to attend the setting, we use a variety of ways to provide his/her parents with information. These include written information (including our prospectus and policies), displays about
activities available within the setting, information days and evenings and individual meetings with parents.

• Before a child is enrolled, we provide opportunities for the child and his/her parents to visit the setting.
• We allocate a key person to each child and his/her family before she/he starts to attend; the key person welcomes and looks after the child and his/her parents at the child’s first session and
  during the settling-in process.
• We use pre-start visits and the first session at which a child attends to explain and complete, with his/her parents, the child’s registration records.
• When a child starts to attend, we explain the process of settling-in with his/her parents and jointly decide on the best way to help the child to settle into the setting.
• We have an expectation that the parent, carer or close relative, will stay for most of the session during the first week, gradually taking time away from their child, increasing this as and when the child is able to cope.
• Younger children will take longer to settle in, as will children who have not previously spent time away from home. Children who have had a period of absence may also need their parent to be on hand to resettle them.
• We judge a child to be settled when they have formed a relationship with their key person; for example, the child looks for the key person when he/she arrives, goes to them for comfort, and seems pleased to be with them. The child is also familiar with where things are and is pleased to see other children and participate in activities.
• When parents leave, we ask them to say goodbye to their child and explain that they will be coming back, and when.
• We recognise that some children will settle more readily than others, but that some children who appear to settle rapidly are not ready to be left. We expect that the parent will honour the
  commitment to stay for at least the first week, or possibly longer, until their child can stay happily without them.
• We do not believe that leaving a child to cry will help them to settle any quicker. We believe that a child’s distress will prevent them from learning and gaining the best from the setting.
• We reserve the right not to accept a child into the setting without a parent or carer if the child finds it distressing to be left. This is especially the case with very young children.

Within the first four to six weeks of starting, we discuss and work with the child’s parents to begin to create their child’s record of achievement.

At Little Haven we aim to ensure that all children have enough sleep to support their development and natural sleeping rhythms in a safe environment.

The safety of babies’ sleeping is paramount. Our policy follows the advice provided by The Cot Death Society and Lullaby Trust to minimise the risk of Sudden Infant Death. We make sure that:

• Babies are placed on their backs to sleep, if a baby has rolled onto their tummy, we turn them onto their back again, however once a baby can roll from back to front and back again, on their own, they can be left to find their own position
• Babies/toddlers are never put down to sleep with a bottle to self-feed
• Babies/toddlers are monitored visually when sleeping. Checks are recorded every 10 minutes and babies are never left in a separate sleep room without staff supervision at all times
• When monitoring, the staff member looks for the rise and fall of the chest and if the sleep position
  has changed
• As good practice we monitor babies under six months or a new baby sleeping during the first few weeks every five minutes until we are familiar with the child and their sleeping routines, to offer reassurance to them and families.

We provide a safe sleeping environment by:

• Monitoring the room temperature
• Using clean, light bedding/blankets and ensuring babies are appropriately dressed for sleep to avoid overheating
• Only using safety-approved cots or other suitable sleeping equipment (i.e. pods or mats) that are compliant with British Standard regulations, and mattress covers are used in conjunction with a clean fitted sheet
• Only letting babies sleep in prams if they lie flat and we have parents’ written permission
• Not using cot bumpers or cluttering cots with soft toys, although comforters will be given where required
• Keeping all spaces around cots and beds clear from hanging objects i.e. hanging cords, blind cords, drawstring bags
• Ensuring every baby/toddler is provided with clean bedding
• Transferring any baby who falls asleep while being nursed by a practitioner to a safe sleeping surface to complete their rest
• Having a no smoking policy.

We ask parents to complete sheets on their child’s sleeping routine with the child’s key person when the child starts at nursery and these are reviewed and updated at timely intervals. If a baby has an unusual
sleeping routine or a position that we do not use in the nursery i.e. babies sleeping on their tummies, we will explain our policy to the parents and not usually offer this unless the baby’s doctor has advised the parent of a medical reason to do so. In which case we would ask them to sign to say they have requested we adopt a different position or pattern on the sleeping babies form.

We recognise parents’ knowledge of their child with regard to sleep routines and will, where possible, work together to ensure each child’s individual sleep routines and well-being continues to be met.

However, staff will not force a child to sleep or keep them awake against his or her will. They will also not usually wake children from their sleep.

Staff will discuss any changes in sleep routines at the end of the day and share observations and information about children’s behaviour when they do not receive enough sleep.

Sleeping twins
We follow the advice from The Lullaby Trust regarding sleeping twins.
Further information can be found at: www.lullabytrust.org.uk

At Little Haven we are committed to the inclusion of all children. All children have the right to be cared for and educated to develop to their full potential alongside each other through positive experiences, to enable them to share opportunities and experiences and develop and learn from each other. We provide a positive and welcoming environment where children are supported according to their individual needs and we work hard to ensure no children are discriminated against or put at a disadvantage as a consequence of their needs.

We believe that all children have a right to experience and develop alongside their peers no matter what their individual needs. Each child’s needs are unique, therefore any attempt to categorise children is inappropriate.

We are committed to working alongside parents in the provision for their child’s individual needs to enable us to help the child to develop to their full potential. We are committed to working with any child who has a specific need and/or disability and making reasonable adjustments to enable every child to make full use of the nursery’s facilities. All children have a right to a broad and well-balanced early learning environment.

Where we believe a child may have additional needs that have previously been unacknowledged, we will work closely with the child’s parents and any relevant professionals to establish if any additional action is required.

Where a child has additional needs, we feel it is paramount to find out as much as possible about those needs; any way that this may affect his/her early learning or care needs and any additional help he/she
may need by:

• Liaising with the child’s parents and, where appropriate, the child
• Liaising with any professional agencies
• Reading any reports that have been prepared
• Attending any review meetings with the local authority/professionals
• Observing each child’s development and monitoring such observations regularly.

All children will be given a full settling in period when joining the nursery according to their individual needs.

Aims

We will:

• Recognise each child’s individual needs and ensure all staff are aware of, and have regard for, the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice on the identification and assessment of any needs not being met by the universal service provided by the nursery
• Include all children and their families in our provision
• Provide well informed and suitably trained practitioners to help support parents and children with special educational difficulties and/or disabilities
• Develop and maintain a core team of staff who are experienced in the care of children with additional needs and identify a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENCO) who is experienced in the care and assessment of children with additional needs. Staff will be provided with specific training relating to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and the SEND Code of Practice
• Identify the specific needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and meet those needs through a range of strategies
• Ensure that children who learn quicker, e.g. gifted and talented children are also supported
• Share any statutory and other assessments made by the nursery with parents and support parents in seeking any help they or the child may need
• Work in partnership with parents and other agencies in order to meet individual children’s needs, including the education, health and care authorities, and seek advice, support and training where required
• Monitor and review our practice and provision and, if necessary, make adjustments, and seek specialist equipment and services if needed
•  Ensure that all children are treated as individuals/equals and are encouraged to take part in every aspect of the nursery day according to their individual needs and abilities
• Encourage children to value and respect others
• Challenge inappropriate attitudes and practices
• Promote positive images and role models during play experiences of those with additional needs wherever possible
• Celebrate diversity in all aspects of play and learning.

The role of the SENCO is to take the lead in further assessment of the child’s particular strengths and weaknesses; in planning future support for the child in discussion with colleagues; and in monitoring and subsequently reviewing the action taken. The SENCO should also ensure that appropriate records are kept including a record of children’s SEN support and those with Education, Health and Care plans. The practitioner usually responsible for the child should remain responsible for working with the child on a daily basis and for planning and delivering an individualised programme. Parents should always be consulted and kept informed of the action taken to help the child, and of the outcome of this action (code
of practice 2015).

She/he works closely with all staff to make sure there are systems in place to plan, implement, monitor, review and evaluate the special educational needs practice and policy of the nursery, always making sure plans and records are shared with parents.

Methods

We will:

• Designate a named member of staff to be Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-ordinator (SENCO) and share his/her name with parents
• Undertake formal Progress Checks and Assessments of all children in accordance with the SEND Code of Practice January 2015
• Provide a statement showing how we provide for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and share this with staff, parents and other professionals
• Ensure that the provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is the responsibility of all members of staff in the nursery
• Ensure that our inclusive admissions practice includes equality of access and opportunity
• Ensure that our physical environment is as far as possible suitable for children and adults with disabilities
• Work closely with parents to create and maintain a positive partnership which supports their child(ren)
• Ensure that parents are informed at all stages of the assessment, planning, provision and review of their child’s care and education
• Provide parents with information on sources of independent advice and support
• Liaise with other professionals involved with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their families, including transfer arrangements to other settings and schools.
• We work closely with the next school or care setting and meet with them to discuss the child’s needs to ensure information exchange and continuity of care.
• Use the graduated response system (see explanation below) for identifying, assessing and
  responding to children’s special educational needs and disabilities
• Provide a broad and balanced early learning environment for all children with special educational needs and/or disabilities
• Provide differentiated activities to meet all individual needs and abilities
•  Use a system of planning, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and reviewing Individual
  Educational Plans (IEPs) for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and discuss these with parents
• Review IEPs regularly every six weeks and hold review meetings with parents at this time
• Ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their parents are
  consulted at all stages of the graduated response, taking into account their levels of ability
  • Use a system for keeping records of the assessment, planning, provision and review for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities
• Provide resources (human and financial) to implement our SEND policy
• Ensure the privacy of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities when intimate care is being provided
• Use the local authorities Assessment Framework (see details below)
• Provide in-service training for practitioners and volunteers
• Raise awareness of any specialism the setting has to offer, e.g. Makaton trained staff
• Ensure the effectiveness of our SEN/disability provision by collecting information from a range of sources e.g. IEP reviews, staff and management meetings, parental and external agencies’ views, inspections and complaints. This information is collated, evaluated and reviewed annually
• Provide a complaints procedure and make available to all parents in a format that meets their needs e.g. Braille, audio, large print, additional languages
• Monitor and review our policy annually.

Effective assessment of the need for early help

Local agencies should work together to put processes in place for the effective assessment of the needs of individual children who may benefit from early help services.

Children and families may need support from a wide range of local agencies.

Where a child and family would benefit from coordinated support from more than one agency (e.g. education, health, housing, police) there should be an inter-agency assessment. These early help
assessments, such as the Common Assessment Framework, should identify what help the child and family require to prevent needs escalating to a point where intervention would be needed via a statutory assessment under the Children Act 1989.
The early help assessment should be undertaken by a lead professional who should provide support to the child and family, act as an advocate on their behalf and coordinate the delivery of support services.

The lead professional role could be undertaken by a General Practitioner (GP), family support worker, teacher, health visitor and/or special educational needs coordinator. Decisions about who should be the lead professional should be taken on a case by case basis and should be informed by the child and their
family.

For an early help assessment to be effective:

• the assessment should be undertaken with the agreement of the child and their parents or carers. It should involve the child and family as well as all the professionals who are working with them;
• a teacher, GP, health visitor, early years’ worker or other professional should be able to discuss concerns they may have about a child and family with a social worker in the local authority. Local authority children’s social care should set out the process for how this will happen; and
• if parents and/or the child do not consent to an early help assessment, then the lead professional should make a judgement as to whether, without help, the needs of the child will escalate. If so, a referral into local authority children’s social care may be necessary.

If at any time it is considered that the child may be a child in need as defined in the Children Act 1989, or that the child has suffered significant harm, or is likely to do so, a referral should be made immediately to local authority children’s social care. This referral can be made by any professional. Working together to safeguard children 2015/17

Special Educational Needs and Disability code of practice

The nursery has regard to the statutory guidance set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability code of practice (DfE 2015) to identify, assess and make provision for children’s special educational
needs.

The nursery will undertake a Progress Check of all children at age two in accordance with the Code of Practice. The early years provider will also undertake an assessment at the end of the Early Years
Foundation Stage (in the final term of the year in which a child turns 5) to prepare an EYFS Profile of the child.

The Code of Practice recommends that, in addition to the formal checks above, the nursery should adopt a graduated approach to assessment and planning, led and coordinated by a SENCO. Good practice of working together with parents, and the observation and monitoring of children’s individual progress, will help identify any child with special educational needs or disability. The nursery has identified a member of staff as a SENCO who will work alongside parents to assess the child’s strengths and plan for future support. The SENCO will ensure that appropriate records are kept according to the Code of Practice.

Stage 1
Where a practitioner or SENCO identifies a child with special educational needs, the nursery will assess and record those needs and provide a number of key actions to help the child. As part of this process, the nursery will consult with parents and seek any additional information from external professionals. The targets for the child, any teaching strategies or changes to provision, are set out in an Individual Education Plan (IEP). The plan will be continually under review in consultation with the child and his/her parent(s).

This stage will involve a cycle of assessment, planning and review in increasing detail, with increasing frequency, to identify the best ways of securing and maintaining progress.

Stage 2
This is where a practitioner or SENCO, in consultation with the child’s parents, decide external support services are required usually following a review of the IEP. The nursery will share its records on the child with those services so that they can advise on any IEP targets and appropriate strategies to help the child.

Statutory assessment

If the help given through an IEP is not sufficient to enable the child to progress satisfactorily, it may be necessary for the nursery, in consultation with the parents and any external agencies already involved, to request a statutory assessment by the local authority. This may lead to the child receiving an education, health and care plan.

At Little Haven we are committed to ensuring that all children are fully protected from the dangers of too much sun/UV rays. Severe sunburn in childhood can lead to the development of malignant melanoma (the most dangerous type of skin cancer) in later life.

We follow guidance from the weather and UV level reports and use the following procedures to keep children safe and healthy in the sun:

• Key persons will work with the parents of their key children to decide and agree on suitable precautions to protect children from burning, including those with more sensitive skin types and those that may be more tolerant to the sunshine.
• Children must have a clearly labelled sun hat which will be worn at all times whilst outside in sunny weather. This hat will preferably be of legionnaires design (i.e. with an extended back and side to shield children’s neck and ears from the sun) to provide additional protection
• Children must have their own labelled high factor sun cream with prior written consent for staff to apply. This enables children to have sun cream suitable for their own individual needs. Staff must be aware of the expiry date and discard sunscreen after this date
• Parents are requested to supply light-weight cotton clothing for their children suitable for the sun, with long sleeves and long legs
• Children’s safety and welfare in hot weather is the nursery’s prime objective so staff will work closely with parents to ensure all appropriate cream and clothing is provided
• Staff will make day-to-day decisions about the length of time spent outside depending on the strength of the sun; children will not be allowed in the direct sunlight between 11.00am – 3.00pm
  on hot days
• Sun cream should be applied in the morning before leaving home. Children will a have sun cream re-applied before going outside in the hot weather, at frequent intervals during the day.
• Children are encouraged to drink cooled water more frequently throughout sunny or warm days and this will be accessible both indoors and out
• Children are made aware of the need for sun hats, sun cream and the need to drink more fluids during their time in the sun
• Shade will be provided to ensure children are able to still go out in hot weather, cool down or escape the sun should they wish or need to

At Little Haven 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.

At Little Haven we recognise that young children will experience many transitions in their early years; some of these planned and some unplanned. We are sensitive to the impact of such changes to children
and this policy sets out the ways in which we support children going through these transitions.

Some examples of transitions that young children and babies may experience are:

• Starting nursery
• Moving between different rooms within the nursery
• Starting school or moving nurseries
• Family breakdowns
• New siblings
• Moving home
• Death of a family member or close friend
• Death of a family pet.

Staff are trained to observe their key children and to be sensitive to any changes in their behaviour and personality. We respectfully ask that parents inform us of any changes in the home environment that may impact on their child so staff can be aware of the reasons behind any potential changes in the child’s behaviour.

Starting nursery

We recognise that starting nursery may be difficult for some children and their families. We have a settling in policy to support the child and their family.

Moving rooms procedure

When a child is ready to move the Haven Hub to the Haven Explorers, we follow the process set out below and work with the parents to ensure this is a seamless process in which the child is fully supported
at all stages. This may include a handover meeting between the existing key person, new key person and parents.

• The child will spend short sessions in their new room prior to the permanent move to enable them to feel comfortable in their new surroundings
• The child’s key person will go with the child on these initial visits to enable a familiar person to be present at all times
• Wherever possible groups of friends will be moved together to enable these friendships to be kept
  intact and support the children with the peers they know
• Parents will be kept informed of all visits and the outcomes of these sessions e.g. through photographs, discussions or diary entries
• Only when the child has settled in through these taster sessions will the permanent room move take place. If a child requires more support this will be discussed between the key person, parent, manager and room leader of the new room to agree how and when this will happen. This may include moving their key person with them on a temporary basis.

Starting school or moving childcare providers

Starting school is an important transition and some children may feel anxious or distressed. We will do all we can to facilitate a smooth move and minimise any potential stresses. This following process relates to children going to school. However wherever possible, we will adapt this process to support children moving to another childcare provider e.g. childminder or another nursery.

• We provide a variety of resources that relate to school, e.g. uniform to dress up in, a role play area set up as a school classroom, photographs of all the schools the children may attend. This will help the children to become familiar with this new concept and will aid the transition
• Each key person will talk about the school with their key children who are due to move to school and discuss what they think may be different and what may be the same. They will talk through any concerns the child may have and initiate activities or group discussions relating to any issues to help children overcome these
• We produce a comprehensive report on every child starting school to enable teachers to have a good understanding of every child received. This will include their interests, strengths and level of understanding and development in key areas. This will support continuity of care and early learning.

Other early years providers

Where children are attending other early years settings or are cared for by a childminder we will work with them to share relevant information about children’s development. Where a child is brought to nursery or collected from nursery by a childminder we will ensure that key information is being provided to the child’s parent by providing the information directly to the parent via email or telephone.

Family breakdowns

We recognise that when parents separate it can be a difficult situation for all concerned. We have a separated families policy that shows how the nursery will act in the best interest of the child.

Moving home and new siblings

We recognise that both these events may have an impact on a child. Normally, parents will have advance notice of these changes and we ask parents to let us know about these events so we can support the
child to be prepared. The key person will spend time talking to the child and providing activities that may help the child to act out any worries they have, e.g. through role play, stories and discussions.

Bereavement

We recognise that this may be a very difficult time for children and their families and will offer support to all concerned should this be required.

If parents feel that their child requires additional support because of any changes in their life, we ask that you speak to the nursery manager and the key person to enable this support to be put into place.

At Little Haven we offer children a range of local outings including walks and visits off the premises. We believe that planned outings and visits complement and enhance the learning opportunities inside the
nursery environment and extend children’s experiences. We always seek parents’ permission for children to be included in such outings.

Procedures

Visits and outings are carefully planned using the following guidelines, whatever the length or destination of the visit:

• A pre-visit checklist, full risk assessment and outings plan will always be carried out by a senior member of staff before the outing to assess the risks or hazards which may arise for the children, and identify steps to be taken to remove, minimise and manage those risks and hazards. This will ensure that the chosen venue is appropriate for the age, stage and development of the children
• Written permission will always be obtained from parents before taking children on trips
• We provide appropriate staffing levels for outings dependent on an assessment of the safety and the individual needs of the children.
• At least one member of staff will hold a valid and current paediatric first aid certificate and this will be increased where risk assessment of proposed activity deems it necessary.
• A fully stocked first aid box will always be taken on all outings along with any special medication or equipment required
• A completed trip register together with all parent and staff contact numbers will be taken on all outings
• Regular headcounts will be carried out throughout the outing. Timings of headcounts will be discussed in full with the nursery manager prior to the outing
• All staff will be easily recognisable by other members of the group; they will wear the nursery high visibility vests/jackets
• Children will be easily identified by staff when on a trip by use of a sticker system. The nursery name, number and mobile number will be displayed
• A fully charged mobile phone will be taken as a means of emergency contact
• In the event of an accident, staff will assess the situation. If required, the group will return to nursery immediately and parents will be contacted to collect their child. In the event of a serious accident an ambulance will be called at the scene, as well as parents being contacted. One member of staff will accompany the child to the hospital, and the rest of the group will return to the nursery.

Risk assessment/outings plan

The full risk assessment and outing plan will be displayed for parents to see before giving consent. This plan will include details of:

• The name of the designated person in charge – the outing leader
• The name of the place where the visit will take place
• The estimated time of departure and arrival
• The number of children, age range of children, the ratio of staff to children, children’s individual needs and the group size
• The equipment needed for the trip, i.e. first aid kit, mobile phone, coats, safety reins, pushchairs, rucksack, packed lunch etc.
• Staff contact numbers
• Method of transportation and travel arrangements (including the route)
• Financial arrangements
• Emergency procedures
• The name of the designated first aider and the first aid provision
• Links to the child’s learning and development needs.

Use of vehicles for outings

• All staff members shall inform parents in advance of any visits or outings involving the transportation of children away from the nursery
• The arrangements for transporting children will always be carefully planned and where necessary additional people will be recruited to ensure the safety of the children. This is particularly important where children with disabilities are concerned
• All vehicles used in transporting children are properly licensed, inspected and maintained
• Drivers of vehicles are adequately insured
• All vehicles used are fitted to the supplier’s instructions with sufficient numbers of safety restraints appropriate to the age/weight of the children carried in the vehicle. Any mini buses/coaches are fitted with 3-point seat belts
• When we use a mini bus, we check that the driver is over 21 years of age and holds a Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) driving licence. This entitles the driver to transport up to 16 passengers
• When children are being transported, we maintain ratios.

When planning a trip or outing that uses vehicles, records of vehicles and drivers including licenses, MOT certificates and business use insurance are checked. If a vehicle is used for outings the following procedures will be followed:

• Ensure seat belts, child seats and booster seats are used
• Ensure the maximum seating is not exceeded
• All children will be accompanied by a registered member of staff
• No child will be left in a vehicle unattended
• Extra care will be taken when getting into or out of a vehicle
• The vehicle will be equipped with a fire extinguisher and emergency kit containing warning triangle, torch, blankets, wheel changing equipment etc.

Lost children

In the event of a child being lost, the Lost Child Procedure will be followed. Any incidents or accidents will be recorded in writing and Ofsted will be contacted and informed of any incidents.

There may be opportunities for parents to assist on outings. The manager will speak to parents prior to the visit regarding health and safety and code of conduct.

The whistle blowing procedure aims to help and protect both staff and children. By following the procedure, you are acting to:

•  Prevent a problem getting worse.
•  Safeguard children and young people.
• Reduce the potential risks to others.

The earlier you raise a concern, the easier and sooner it is possible for the setting to take action. Little Haven is committed to the highest possible standards. We recognise the unique insight staff, students
and volunteers have of our service and the importance of them being able to voice their concerns.

Staff, students and volunteers are often the first to realise when something is wrong within the setting. However, without the right support they may not express their concerns because they feel that speaking up would be disloyal to their colleagues or they may fear harassment or victimisation. There is a danger that in these circumstances, they may feel it easier to ignore their concern rather than report what may just be a suspicion of malpractice.

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 protects workers who raise concerns from victimisation or harassment. In accordance with that Act and its commitment to the highest standards of service
delivery, Little Haven actively encourages its staff with concerns about any aspect of the setting’s practice or any adult, volunteer or student’s conduct to come forward and voice those concerns, in
confidence, within the setting rather than overlooking a potential problem.

The aim of this policy is to establish internal procedure and a culture that encourages and enables staff, students and volunteers to raise concerns about any aspect of our practice (which do not meet the
criteria for being dealt with as a complaint or grievance) in confidence and without fear of reprisals, to ensure Little Haven continues to work within best practice and safeguard children and young people.

Concerns that should be raised via the whistle blowing policy may be in relation to the actions/behaviours of other staff, students or volunteers, or about something that is perceived as:

• Unlawful
• Failing to comply with the setting’s policy and procedures
• Poor practice
• Improper conduct

This policy is based on the following fundamental principles:

• All staff, students and volunteers have the right to raise concerns about perceived unacceptable practice or behaviour.
• The responsibility for expressing concerns about unacceptable practice or behaviour rests with all staff, students and volunteers.
• Little Haven will not tolerate harassment or victimisation and will take action to protect workers when they raise a concern in good faith.
• Little Haven will do its best to protect a whistle blower’s identity when he/she raises a concern and does not want his/her name to be disclosed. However, if the concern raised needs to be
  addressed through another procedure, e.g. disciplinary procedure, the worker may be required to provide a signed statement as part of the evidence.
• In some circumstances, Little Haven may have to disclose the identity of the worker without his/her consent, although this will be discussed with the worker first if possible.
• Appropriate advice and support will be made available to staff, students and volunteers who raise concerns.
• Those who raise concerns will be kept informed of the progress and outcome of any investigation.
• Little Haven will not tolerate malicious allegations, this may be considered a disciplinary.

Procedures for reporting and investigating ‘whistle blowing’ concerns have been developed to ensure that:

• Staff or volunteers can raise concerns (no matter how small they may appear) internally as a matter of course, and receive feedback on any action taken.
• Concerns are taken seriously and dealt with quickly as possible and appropriately.
• Staff and volunteers are reassured that they will be protected from reprisals or victimisation for whistle blowing in good faith.
•  Staff and volunteers can take the matter further if they are dissatisfied with the setting response and seek external advice and guidance (see useful contacts).
• Issues raised are addressed via other procedures and policies as appropriate, e.g. safeguarding policy, allegations against an adult working in a setting, grievance, disciplinary, health and safety.
• Appropriate records are maintained for monitoring purposes.

Staff, students and volunteers should raise concerns with the manager. Concerns should be raised in writing and include:

• Reference to the fact that it is a whistle blowing disclosure.
• The background and history of the concerns.
• Names, dates and places (where possible).
• The reasons why the individual is concerned about the situation.
• Staff who feel unable to put concerns in writing, can telephone or meet the manager

The action taken will depend on the nature of the concern. All matters raised (with the exception of allegations of abuse or criminal or unlawful activity) will be investigated internally.

The Manager will investigate the concerns thoroughly, ensuring that a written response can be provided within ten working days.

The response should include details of how the matter was investigated, conclusions drawn from the investigation, and whom to contact should the worker be unhappy with the response and wish to raise the matter.

If the investigation cannot be completed within the timescale above, the individual should receive a response that indicates:

• Progress to date
• How the matter is being dealt with
• How long it will take to provide a final response.

In order to protect individuals, initial enquiries (usually involving a meeting with the individual raising the concern), will be made to decide whether an investigation is appropriate and, if so, what form it should take. Concerns or allegations that raise issues that fall within the scope of other policies/procedures, will be addressed under those procedures.

Some concerns may be resolved at this initial stage simply, by agreed action or an explanationregarding the concern, without the need for further investigation.

If an allegation is made against a staff member or volunteer, the following action will be taken by the

Manager:

• ensure the immediate safety of the children.
• will not investigate and immediately contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)
• will notify Ofsted of a significant incident.
• The LADO will decide if it could be a child protection concern.
• If the LADO decides that there is a child protection concern, external/internal agencies (e.g.
  police) will be informed by the LADO and the setting will act upon the advice given to ensure that any investigation is not jeopardised.
• It may be necessary for the employer to suspend the alleged perpetrator. Suspension is a neutral act to allow a thorough and fair investigation.
• If it is agreed that there is not a child protection concern, the setting will investigate further and feedback the outcome of the investigation to Ofsted.

At Little Haven we expect all our colleagues, both internal and external, to be professional at all times and hold the welfare and safety of every child as their paramount objective.

We recognise that there may be occasions where this may not happen, and we have in place a procedure for staff to disclose any information that suggests children’s welfare and safety may be at
risk.
We except all team members to talk through any concerns they may have with their line manager at the earliest opportunity to enable any problems to be resolved as soon as they arise.

Legal Framework

The public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, commonly referred to as the ‘Whistleblowing Act’ amended the Employment Rights Act 1996 to provide protection for employees who raise legitimate concerns about
specified matters. These are called ‘qualifying disclosures’

A qualifying disclosure is one made in the public interest by an employee who has a reasonable belief that:

• A criminal offence
• A miscarriage of justice
• An act creating risk to health and safety
• An act causing damage to the environment
• A breach of any other legal obligation or
• Concealment of any of the above
• Any other unethical conduct
• An act that may be deemed as radicalised or a threat to national security is being, has been, or is likely to be

Qualifying disclosures made before 25 June 2013 must have been made in good faith but when disclosed, did not necessarily have to have been made in the public interest.

Disclosures made after 25 June 2013 do not have to be made ‘in good faith ‘however, they must be made in the public interest. This is essential when assessing a disclosure made by an individual.

Disclosures made after 25 June 2013 do not have to be made ‘in good faith’; however, they must be made in the public interest. This is essential when assessing a disclosure made by an individual.

The Public Interest Disclosure Act has the following rules for making a protected disclosure:

• You must believe it to be substantially true
• You must not act maliciously or make false allegations
• You must not seek any personal gain.

It is not necessary for the employee to have proof that such an act is being, has been, or is likely to be, committed; a reasonable belief is sufficient.