Safeguarding at Excel Child Care Services
At Excel Child Care Services, safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do. We follow government guidance outlined in Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018), which sets out how organisations and professionals should work together to protect and promote the welfare of children and young people.
Who Are Safeguarding Partners?
Under the Children Act 2004 (amended by the Children and Social Work Act 2017), safeguarding partners in England include:
The local authority
Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) responsible for health services in the area
The chief officer of police covering the local authority area
These partners work together to coordinate safeguarding services, provide strategic leadership, and implement local and national learning from serious safeguarding cases.
Our Commitment to Safeguarding
It is a legal requirement to have a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) in our nursery. Our Manager is our DSL and has up-to-date training and knowledge of safeguarding matters. They ensure our team is always informed about changes to safeguarding policies, both locally and nationally, so we can provide the best protection for every child in our care.
We also have clear and up-to-date safeguarding policies, which guide how we work with parents, carers, and other professionals to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children. If you’d like to learn more, you are welcome to ask for a copy of our safeguarding policy.
Your child’s safety and happiness are our top priorities, and we are committed to providing a secure and nurturing environment for them to learn, grow, and thrive.
‘Working together to safeguard children’ 2018 sets out how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.
It is an essential requirement that we have a Designated Safeguarding Lead. Our manager, is our Designated Safeguarding Lead and she has up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding issues.
Our Manager uses this knowledge and experience to make sure that our whole team is kept up-to-date with any changes to not only your internal procedures, but also local and national developments.
How do we ensure the children in our care at nursery are protected and safe?
- We must train all staff to understand our safeguarding policy and procedures – some of the most important in the nursery
- Our team must know exactly what to do in any given situation where a child’s safety and welfare may be at risk
- Inductions must include information on safeguarding and child protection – ensure staff level of understanding and competence in these areas is appropriate for their role
- We make safeguarding a permanent addition to every staff meeting e.g using safeguarding scenarios to help our staff to put your procedure into practice
- Assess safeguarding understanding and knowledge of each of our team members in supervisions
- Supervisions provide opportunities for each team member to discuss any issues relating to the child’s well-being, which enables the Manager to check their understanding of what they should be concerned about and what they need to do if they have concerns.
Disclosure and Barring Service Checks (DBS Checks)
DBS checks (or Disclosure Scotland for Scotland) enable employers to see if potential employees or volunteers have been convicted of anything in the past that affects their suitability to work with children.
