Nimra Rashid

Module 2 – safeguarding

1. Explain safeguarding policies and procedures for children and colleagues,

including child protection and wellbeing. (K2)
Safeguarding policies and procedures are designed to protect the welfare of children and
adults in a setting such as a nursery, school, or childcare environment. Safeguarding policies
are designed to ensure that all children are protected from abuse, harm, and neglect. These
policies are underpinned by legislation such as the Children Act 1989 and 2004, Working
Together to Safeguard Children (2018), and Keeping Children Safe in Education (2024).
Safeguarding policies and procedures
- Responding to concerns
All staff should know how to respond to concerns about a child’s safety, they should
also know how to report concerns regarding any child or staff member who may be
at harm or you have concerns about them. All concerns should be reported to the
designated safeguarding lead (DSL) in our setting or the deputy DSL
- Safe recruitment
All staff, students and volunteers who enter the setting must have a DBS check
Enhanced DBS checks should be done when working with all children and adults to
maintain safety of children and staff.
- Recognising abuse
All workplaces should have a procedure to identify signs of abuse and respond to a
child's needs. If we think they are in danger or harm it is also important to listen to
the child as they may want to tell you something that is important. We as educators
are normally the first port of call and if we notice any kind of abuse it is to be
reported to the DSL officer straight away
- Training
All staff should have training and be up to date with safeguarding policies and procedures.
We should know where they are kept in case we need to access them for our own
knowledge and information.

- Whistleblowing
Every employee should know how to whistleblow if they need to. In our setting we have a
big policy and procedures folder and there is a whistleblowing policy in there and it as a step
by step guide for us to follow so we know what to do if we ever need to report an incident
or if we have to report a member of staff and we can't go to the manager. There is help and
guidance in there to help.

Safeguarding is the action you should take to promote the welfare of children and young
people and it's designed to protect them from abuse and harm. Safeguarding means to
protect children from abuse and maltreatment and it is to prevent them from any kind of
harm to the child's health and development. All safeguarding needs must be reported to the
DSL straight away so that the next steps can be decided on what to do. It is important to
write a clear statement of what you have been told and heard so that it can be recorded
accordingly and in the correct way.
EG if a parent or member of staff doesn't go straight to that person and say what has been
reported. Go straight to the DSL officer Deb Muller and report any concerns to them first.
It is important that children's wellbeing is safe from harm and abuse and if we as educators
notice anything it should be reported straight away and noted down. It could be a child
comes to nursery with bruises but not all the time these have to be reported and noted as
the welfare of the children could be a risk and if noted and reported we can keep an eye on
the child and notice any problems that may arise at any time. We also know that the child is
safe and free from harm and abuse and we are able to monitor it in setting and keep a close
eye on the child,

2. Describe types of abuse including domestic, neglect, physical, emotional and

sexual, and explain how to act to protect children and colleagues. (K3).

1. Domestic abuse is a pattern of controlling, threatening, coercive, or violent

behaviour between people who are or were in an intimate relationship or are
family members. It can happen to anyone, regardless of age, gender,
ethnicity, or background, and can have serious long-term effects, especially
on children who witness or experience it.
Types of domestic abuse are
o Hitting, punching, slapping, kicking, choking, burning.
o Intimidation, manipulation, gaslighting.
o Isolating someone from friends, family, or support.
o Sexual assault or rape within a relationship.
o Controlling access to money or resources.
o Monitoring whereabouts, phone use, or social media.
Even if a child is not directly harmed, witnessing domestic abuse is classed as a form
of child abuse. It can cause anxiety, depression, withdrawals ,aggression,
behavioural issues and trouble forming relationships. It can also cause
developmental delays or regression (e.g. bed-wetting, speech delays) and long-term
trauma and mental health struggles.
As early years practitioners we should be able to spot the signs and listen to the children If a
child reveals abuse through domestic abuse or violence it is important to listen carefully to
what the child is saying.
let the child know that they have done the right thing by telling you.
tell the child it is not their fault and that you will listen to them and take them seriously. It is
important not to go and confront the abuser. What you have been told by the child will have
to be dealt with in an appropriate manner and dealt with properly.
It is important to explain what you will do next and it is important to notify the child what
you are going to report and who to but tell the child they are safe and you are here to help
them.
When a child tells you information it is important to report what the child has told you as
soon as possible to the DSL lead or to the social care element that the child may be
associated with. This also relates to colleagues and adults too if they need help and advice it
is always good to listen and offer as much support and guidance as possible.
2. Emotional abuse (also called psychological abuse) is a form of non-physical
abuse that involves controlling, manipulating, threatening, or degrading
behaviour that damages a person’s emotional and mental wellbeing. It can
happen to children or adults, and it often occurs alongside other forms of
abuse such as physical or domestic abuse. Emotional abuse is often subtle
and long-term, making it harder to spot than physical abuse, but its impact
can be just as serious especially for children.
Examples of emotional abuse can include constant blaming, criticism, rejection,
telling a child they are worthless, unloved, or unwanted, Isolating the child from
friends, activities, or social interaction and using fear, threats, or intimidation to
control someone.
Emotional abuse can have long-term effects on a child’s development, including:
 Low self-esteem and lack of confidence.
 Anxiety, depression, or self-harm.
 Aggression, clinginess, or withdrawal from others.
 Difficulty forming relationships or trusting adults.
 Developmental delays, speech problems, or learning difficulties.
As an early years professional you should observe the child’s behaviour and listen carefully
to what they say and then record the concerns factually including dates, quotes, and
behaviours and then report your concerns to your Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).
3. Physical abuse is any act where someone intentionally causes physical harm or injury
to another person. Physical abuse can leave visible injuries, but it can also cause
long-term emotional trauma even when signs aren’t immediately obvious.
Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding,
drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child.
It may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of illness, or
deliberately induces illness in a child.
Some signs can include Unexplained bruises, welts, or bite marks, burns, scalds, fractures or
broken bones, flinching when approached, withdrawn or unusually aggressive.
When children are physically abused there are short term and long term effects. Some short
term effects are bruises, cuts, broken bones, [Link] long term effects are anxiety,
depression, low self-esteem,trust issues or attachment problems,difficulty in relationships
or with authority and PTSD.
As an early years practitioner If you suspect that a child is being physically abused you
should observe any unusual injuries or behaviours. Record the concern with dates,
descriptions, and exact words that the child [Link] not confront the parents or caregivers
yourself just go straight to your DSL immediately and then they will decide whether to refer
the child to LADI, children’s social care or the police

4. Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical, emotional,

educational, or medical needs, which results in serious harm to their health or
 development. It is one of the four main categories of abuse and is the most common
form of child abuse in the UK. Neglect can be deliberate or the result of lack of
understanding, mental health issues, poverty, or substance misuse—but regardless
of the reason, the impact on the child can be severe and long-lasting.
There are four type of neglect, physical, emotional, educational and medical neglect.
Physical neglect is when the child's basic needs are not met such as food, clothing and
shelter.
Educational neglect: this is when the child does not want to attend school or the parent is
reluctant to send the child to school there could be underlying issues at home or they could
be faking an illness to not go to school.
Emotional neglect is when the child is not looked after properly at home or in their family
surroundings. They feel alone and upset with their family and how they are being treated.
Some parents don't have much time for their children on a whole and they tend to be left to
their own ways this can make a child feel rejected and alone. The child may feel as if they
are being ignored and the child may isolate themselves. The child may also feel like family
members are humiliating them and constantly making fun of them. This is really upsetting
for the child and will make them feel emotionally drained and upset.
Medical Neglect is when the child will not receive proper healthcare it will include them not
going to regular check ups and missing dental care appointments or parents may ignore
reminders for appointments regarding the child's medical needs.

Some signs of neglect could be

 Poor hygiene (dirty skin, hair, or clothes).
 Unattended medical conditions
 .Constant hunger or stealing food.
 Small for age or poor growth
 Wearing clothes that are too small, too large, or unsuitable for the weather.

In an early years setting of a practitioner suspects a child is being neglected they should :
1. Observe – look for repeated patterns of poor hygiene, constant tiredness, or lack of
care.
2. Listen – children may talk about their home life indirectly or express distress in their
play or drawings.
3. Record – write down concerns factually (what you saw, heard, and when).
4. Report – share concerns with your Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).
5. The DSL may contact:
o Children’s Social Care for an assessment.
o Health professionals for checks on growth, health, or development

6. Sexual abuse is when a child or young person is forced, tricked, or persuaded into
taking part in sexual activities. It can happen physically or non-physically (online or
through exposing ), and it violates a child’s right to safety, dignity, and
[Link] abuse can involve touching or non-touching behaviours, and
children may not always understand that what’s happening to them is abuse—
especially if it’s by someone they know or trust.
There is four types of sexual abuse they are contact, no contact, online and exploitation.
Contact involves physically touching such as rape, touching the genitals and forcing the child
to do sexual activities. Non contact doesn’t involve any physical touch but it’s when they
show pornography, send sexual messages or exposing sexual things to the child. Online is
when the abuse is done through devices or the internet such as grooming sending sexual
messages, sharing explicit images or forcing the child to send indecent images of themselves
(nude photos). Exploitation is when someone uses a child for sexual purposes in return for
gifts and money this could include an older person forming a relationship with a child and
coercing them into sexual acts.
Some signs of sexual abuse are difficulty walking or sitting. pain,soreness in the
throat (oral sex), bruising, bleeding or infections in private areas, STIs, genital
discharge, itching, or redness . Some more signs include sexual behaviour or
language that’s inappropriate for age, bedwetting, thumb-sucking, withdrawal,
depression, or anxiety and avoiding certain people or places.
Sexual abuse can have severe and long-term effects on a child’s development, such as low
self-esteem, guilt, or shame. Also mental health issues like PTSD, depression, or eating
disorders and there is an increased risk of substance misuse later on in life .
If you suspect sexual abuse you should listen to what the child is saying , stay calm
and take them seriously, don’t ask any leading questions just let them talk and
reassure them that they safe. You must record the whole conversation as the child
said it accurately and report immediately to your DSL member.

References used
NSPCC- [Link]

[Link] the legal requirements and guidance on health and safety, security,
confidentiality of information, and safeguarding. (K4)

Health and Safety

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
This is the main piece of legislation governing health and safety in the UK. It places a legal
duty on employers to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of employees and anyone
affected by their activities—including children, parents, and visitors.

Employers Must:
 Provide a safe working environment.
 Carry out risk assessments.
 Maintain safe equipment and premises.
  Provide training and supervision.
 Have clear procedures for accidents, injuries, and emergencies.
Security

In the work setting security is very important it is important that visitors sign in and out
and follow the settings procedure for security and safety of the children [Link] have a
camera on the gate at work so when someone arrives we have a screen inside and we
can see who it there before we release the door and go to let them in. This is also good
for when parents are dropping off and picking up so we can see who has come to pick
which child up. We have a sign in and sign out book for visitors [Link] we are ever unsure
we can go out and ask who the person is who they are here to see if they have an id
badge to show us who they are so we know who the person is and who they are here to
[Link] staff should be DBS checked who are working in a setting with children so we are
all safe and checked to be able to work in setting. We also have registers for children so
we can see who is in on that day and these registers are for fire drills too and we would
take them with us and do a register outside of all children in a fire drill. Staff at work too
also have a sign in and out sheet so we know who is working that day and also this is for
fire safety regulations.

Confidentially
Confidentiality means protecting personal, private, or sensitive information about children,
families, and staff, and only sharing it when appropriate, necessary, and lawful. In childcare
settings, confidentiality is a legal and ethical duty that helps build trust, protect individuals’
rights, and safeguard everyone involved.
Settings must only collect only relevant and necessary information and store information
securely (e.g. locked cabinets, password-protected files).Also they should only share
information only with consent (unless there is a safeguarding concern),ensure individuals
can access their own data and Not keep information longer than necessary.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is a legal and moral duty to protect children from abuse, harm, and neglect,
and is a key part of working in any childcare or early years setting. The Early Years
Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework (2024) sets out clear safeguarding and
welfare requirements that all registered providers must follow. This includes having a
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) who is trained to respond to concerns, manage
referrals, and ensure all staff understand safeguarding procedures. Staff must be trained to
recognise the signs of abuse—such as physical, emotional, sexual abuse and neglect—and
know how to report concerns appropriately. Safe recruitment practices must be followed,
including DBS checks, references, and ensuring staff are suitable to work with children.
Providers are also legally required to follow guidance from ‘Working Together to Safeguard
Children’ (2018) and the Children Act 1989 and 2004. Confidentiality must be respected and
followed when needed but safeguarding concerns must be shared with appropriate
agencies such as social care or the police if a child is at risk. Multi-agency working is also
essential in safeguarding, as it ensures a joined-up approach to protecting vulnerable
children and promoting their wellbeing.
 4. Explain the statutory and non-statutory frameworks and guidance for provision
in early years (K6)
Statutory frameworks are required by law and must be followed by all registered early years
providers in England. The most important statutory framework is the Early Years Foundation
Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework (2024). This sets out the legal requirements for learning
and development, safeguarding and welfare, assessment, staff qualifications, ratios, and the
physical environment. It outlines the seven areas of learning and development (such as
communication and language, physical development, and literacy) and provides guidance on
how children should be supported to reach their early learning goals. The EYFS also includes
requirements for safeguarding children, ensuring staff have up-to-date training, policies,
and procedures in place to protect children from harm.
There are other documents and frameworks that are also important in the early years
settings these are;
 Children's act 1989 to 2004
 Children and families act 2014
 Early years foundation stage (EYFS)
 Statutory framework 2023
 Protection of children act 1999
 Working together to safeguard children 2018

Non-statutory guidance is not legally required, but it is recommended to support best

practice in early years provision. One example is Development Matters (2021), which
helps practitioners understand how children develop and how to support them through
the EYFS. Another example is Birth to 5 matters (2021), educators may use to support
their implementation of the EYFS

5. Demonstrate how you recognise when a child or a colleague is in danger or at risk

of abuse and act to protect them in line with safeguarding policy and procedure.
(S1)
When a child or colleague is in any type of danger it is good to know the signs to
look out for and it's good to always be able to listen to what they may need to say
to you.
If it was a child I would look out for
 Unexplained or repeated injuries (e.g. bruises, burns, fractures).
 I would be noticing emotional changes such as withdrawal, fearfulness, heightened
anxiety, or aggression.
 Developmental regressions (e.g. bed-wetting, language delay) or age-inappropriate
sexualised behaviour.
 signs of neglect, including continual tiredness, poor hygiene, or lack of suitable
clothing.
 For colleagues some signs would be detecting changes in behaviour or mood,
uncharacteristic anxiety or withdrawal from peers. Also you could receive verbal
disclosures from a colleague expressing fear or concern—potentially regarding bullying,
harassment, domestic abuse, or work-related stress.
If these sign are present you might need to investigate the matter to see if the child or
individual needs any kind of support or protection. The child may need to be referred to
other local services that can assist in providing safety and wellbeing for the children.
Before any situation gets too bad it is important to have the child's safety and wellbeing at
hand. It is also important to ensure that a child's family is safe as they may need help too
and they may suffer problems and issues at home or in the family home.
In the setting it is good to monitor and supervise children who may have problems at home
and it is good to watch for changes in the child's behavior.

When issues and problems occur it is important to report them to our settings safeguarding
team, your DSL and deputy DSL
These are our main points of call in setting but we also have LADO, our local authority
designated officer.
All children should be kept safe and any safeguarding issues should be monitored and
reported at all times safety is always the first priority.

6. Evaluate decisions taken when applying policies and procedures related to

children’s wellbeing. (Distinction criteria)
Decisions that should be taken when applying children's wellbeing are that all policies
and procedures should be carried out correctly and safeguarding and child protection
procedures should be detailed and all guidelines should be followed. Instructions that
support the safeguarding policy statements should be recognised at all times. These
policies will explain the steps that the setting or organisations will follow and take to
keep children and young people safe and it will tell you what to do when there are
concerns about children's safety and wellbeing.

● The Children's Act 1989 provides a detailed framework for all care and protection of all
children and young people in schools in care and in need of support and help.
● Local authorities will have specific duty under section 22 of the Act to safeguard and
promote the welfare of each individual child that is looked after in setting.
● Safeguarding policies promote health and wellbeing by enabling them to live free from
harm, abuse, and neglect.
● Wellbeing promotes happiness reduces stress and provides a happy workplace and
environment for all children and staff.

Safeguarding is very important and should be followed according to every child's needs
and health and wellbeing. As educators it is our job to ensure safety at all times and if
we expect anything or we have concerns it should be reported straight away to our DSL
Officers and if need be to the local authority LADO if we need to seek further help and
advice. But all policies and procedures should be followed correctly and done in the
correct manner for the child or young person according to their needs