This statement applies to anyone working on behalf of St Joseph’s Pre-school, including all paid staff, committee members, volunteers and students.
This statement has been drawn up on the legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England.
St Joseph’s Pre-school is committed to the safeguarding of all its children, staff and volunteers. Safeguarding is a priority with arrangements in place to ensure that all children feel safe and are safe whilst in the care of St Joseph’s Pre-school, indoors and outdoors.
We believe that:
- children should never experience abuse of any kind;
- we have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children to keep them safe; and
- we will always use best practice to keep them safe.
St Joseph’s Pre-school ensures safeguarding legislation and guidance are adhered to and taken into account when developing and revisiting policies, procedures and associated arrangements. The pre-school provides a safe physical environment for its children and staff ensuring the premises are of good standards. Health and Safety arrangements are in place to ensure adherence to current legislation and guidance remain in place at all times.
Any person applying for any post, paid or unpaid, at St Joseph’s Pre-school, will be subject to recruitment and selection procedures designed to emphasise the pre-school’s commitment to the safeguarding of its children and staff.
The procedures include
- the application form to be fully completed;
- shortlisting of applicants to be made by at least two members of the committee/staff, one of whom has a valid ‘safer recruitment’ certificate;
- questioning at interview stage;
- verification of appropriate qualifications; and
- acquiring references and all necessary safety checks.
St Joseph’s Pre-school has a designated ‘Safeguarding’ lead, responsible for child protection, supporting staff in carrying out their safeguarding duties and working closely with other services. It is a condition that all staff are trained to a level appropriate to their safeguarding responsibilities.
Early Help
When and where necessary, St Joseph’s Pre-school works with other agencies/support groups, for example with regards to Early Help. Early Help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child’s life, from the foundation years through to the teenage years.
Early Help is about focusing on how we, the setting, can help children to do things for themselves and build in the strengths within those families. It can also prevent further problems arising. For example, providing support in families where there are emerging parental mental health issues.
Further information on Early Help can be found on: www.glosfamiliesdirectory.org.uk
Remote learning
St Joseph’s Pre-school is not involved in remote learning. However, the setting advocates to parents/carers that they have suitable parental controls on devices which their child has access to at home. We recommend that our parents/carers use age-appropriate apps for pre-school learning and direct them to www.internetmatters.org for further advice.
St Joseph’s Pre-school committee and the safeguarding lead will continue to keep up to date with any developments in this area and implement arrangements to continually improve the safety and awareness of its children, staff and volunteers.
References
- www.nspcc.org.uk
- www.gcse.org.uk
- HM Government Working Together to Safeguard Children (latest version).
Further guidance: