Safeguarding

It’s Happy Feet Preschool’s legal duty to ensure all children are protected whilst at our setting, its everyone’s responsibility to safeguard children, and for the safety of all the children we ensure all our policies and procedures are to the expectations of Surrey’s Safeguarding Children’s Board. Staff can find more information about these polices at: http://www.surreyscb.org.uk/professionals/guidance-protocols/.

To achieve the high level of care that’s required of us a professionals, carers and role models, we need to ensure the children are always valued and supported as individuals and given the opportunity and time to enable them to build trusting relationships with all the staff at the setting.

The Children Act 2004 states, that Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children means:

• Protecting children from maltreatment;
• Preventing impairment of children's health and development;
• Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and
• Undertaking that role to enable those children to have optimum life chances and enter adulthood successfully

To protect children from harm and impairment to their health and development, we at Happy Feet Preschool must ACT as soon as we have a concern about a child registered at out setting. Firstly, we will fill out a cause for concern form in as much detail as possible stating who the concern is for & what the concern is about. This needs to be signed and dated by whom filled out the form, depending of the nature of the concern the DSL (Direct Safeguarding Lead) will decide the next cause of action. In some instances, it might be as simple as speaking to the parent at collection to discuss the concern and await their response. For more serious concerns or where we suspect they could come into more harm by speaking to the parent we would call either:

• For advice or to make a referral you contact C-SPA- Children's single point of access on 03004709100 or email either csmash@surreycc.gov.uk or mailto:csmash@surreycc.gov.uk for secure emails
• You can also call ChildLine free on 0800 1111
• If you ever feel a child, staff member or yourself, are in danger call the police immediately on 999.

Happy Feet Preschools Designated Safe Guarding Lead is: Jade Phillips (Manager), a deputy safeguarding lead will be appointed and both staff members will attend regular training to ensure their knowledge is up to date and any changes to the information given will be updated on the safeguarding policies. When a member of staff is employed by Happy Feet Preschool, they will have an induction during this meeting it’s the managers responsibility to ensure each staff member is aware of how to safeguard children and have significant knowledge on the signs and symptoms of child abuse. Staff members will also be made aware of what action to take if they suspect a child is suffering from any abuse, ensuring the action taken is in line with the polices, and procedures at Happy Feet Preschool.