https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-inspection-handbook-eif.
Now, more than ever, we need to focus on safeguarding – ourselves, our staff and the children and families with whom we work. These are troubled times and families are going through all sorts of traumas as they come to terms with our new way of living. Here are some ideas for prioritising safeguarding through the coronavirus crisis –
Keeping in touch
Plan a phone call to staff – a WhatsApp to parents – risk assess how often you contact and ask ‘when is the best time of day to speak to you?’ before disturbing them. It is important not to overwhelm them – there are already websites and blogs and pages promoting the ‘perfect lockdown’ – you don’t want to get into all that. You are just wanting to make sure they are all ok and providing a listening ear if they are struggling.
Ways you can help - if a staff member or family discloses a concern, you can research and signpost support for them. For example, there are food banks in most local areas if people are worried about food or you might be able to help them by doing a shop for them (if you are not shielding yourself).
Furlough and safeguarding
The furlough rules state that staff must not work if they are receiving furlough payments. This may mean that some children are not safe – plus, GDPR may be a problem for group providers if they do not have permission from Ofsted to keep information about parents, children etc at home (childminders already have permission to keep documentation at home of course).
Ways you can help - HMRC have confirmed that staying in touch with vulnerable families is an exception to furlough restrictions. You might also consider whether you need to furlough the DSL (designated safeguarding lead – in settings) or keep them on payroll so they can continue to support children through, for example, virtual meetings and contacting families on a regular basis.
Online safety
Online risks are higher than ever as children spend time online, often unsupervised, while parents are busy working. Children are more at risk of online grooming, exploitation, radicalisation, cyber bullying, county lines etc when they are online.
Ways you can help - remind parents about keeping their child safe online and share some safety information with them; share websites that promote safe online learning such as BBC Bitesize.
The toxic trio
Safeguarding experts talk about the ‘toxic trio’ of poor mental health, substance misuse and domestic violence and the impact it is having on children’s lives. For example, more families than ever are struggling with domestic violence in the household and the Home Secretary has recognised this and recently released investment for services that support vulnerable adults after reports that there has been a 700% daily increase in calls to domestic violence helplines.
Ways you can help - be a listening ear, signpost local services and be ready to contact local safeguarding if you are worried about a child.
Social distancing
‘Implementing social distancing in early years and childcare’ – new guidance from the Govt. Many people who have read it suggest the Govt clearly does not understand little children! However, it does contain some useful guidance in the questions and answers about hand washing, extra cleaning, taking temperatures etc. More advice here –
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-social-distancing-in-education-and-childcare-settings/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-social-distancing-in-education-and-childcare-settings
I think it’s sad to think of social distancing in terms of children, but we do need to reflect on how we can keep ourselves safe from this virus. For example, doorstep drop offs and collections will become the norm after lockdown and we should consider how we protect ourselves from children coughing and spreading germs.
Ways you can help - I think we should consider how we balance social distancing advice with the need to offer continued professional love and discuss this with parents so they know what we are doing / saying to their child and why.
Risk assessment
Coronavirus will get us thinking about how well we risk assess our working practices. Risk assessments do not need to be in writing to comply with the EYFS and we don’t need daily tick lists or written documents to keep children safe and healthy – but we must be able to explain how we risk assess to Ofsted.
Ways you can help - engage with professional development opportunities now, so you feel well informed for the future. I will talk about health and safety and risk assessment in more detail in my upcoming ‘Coronavirus Risk Assessment’ webinar for Childcare.co.uk – https://www.childcare.co.uk/webinars.
If you are concerned
If you are concerned about a child or staff member, keep in touch... be ready to listen to them... research local places that may be able to help... signpost support. If you are worried a child is being abused, inform your Local Authority Safeguarding straight away – do not delay.
Keeping updated
I asked my staff to do the free ACES training and they said it helped them to better understand the issues - https://www.acesonlinelearning.com/.
My upcoming webinars will support you with thinking about risk assessment in the future –
https://www.childcare.co.uk/webinars.
You will find some useful safeguarding advice from my colleague Rachel Buckler at Early Years Hub in this article –
https://www.earlyyearshub.co.uk/safeguarding-and-protecting-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic.
Stick to trusted websites for advice – Gov.uk, Public Health England, ACAS for staff information etc. Do not use Facebook as a source of information and ignore anything that sounds ‘too good to be true’ or ‘crackpot’ – it probably is!
If you have any concerns or questions, please ask me. Stay safe.
[email protected]