Joanne Fothergill, Manager. Louise Cloughton, Deputy Manager.
Dalesplay, Town Head, Hawes, North Yorkshire, DL8 3RQ. Tel/Fax: 01969 667789
email: [email protected] www.dalesplay.co.uk
32: Child Protection Policy
The Accountable Body is Dalesplay.
The Designated Lead Practitioner for Child Protection (DLP) is Joanne Fothergill
The deputy Designated Lead Practitioner for Child Protection is Louise Cloughton
The Director responsible is Stan Roocroft
Dalesplay believes that children have the right to be completely secure from both the fear and
reality of abuse and we are committed to protecting all the children in our care from harm.
Staff working in Dalesplay have a duty of care towards the children attending and this duty
brings with it the responsibility to ensure that all efforts are made to safeguard children from
suspected and actual harm. Children attending the nursery have a right to feel safe and staff,
in partnership with parents/carers, has a responsibility to act on any concerns they may have
regarding a child’s welfare and well‐being.
The Legal framework for this policy
• Children act (2004/1989)
• Working together to Safeguard children (H M Government March 2015)
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (2006)
• ‘What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused’ (HM Government, March 2015)
Practitioners have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Due to the many hours of
care we provide, staff will often be the first people who sense that there is a problem. They may well
be the first people in whom children confide about abuse. The nursery has a duty to be aware that
abuse does occur in our society. This statement lays out the procedures that will be followed if we
have any reason to believe that a child in our care is subject to welfare issues including physical,
sexual, emotional abuse or neglect.
Dalesplay’s prime responsibility is the welfare and well being of children in our care. As such we have
a duty to the children, parents/carers and staff to act quickly and responsibly in any instance that may
come to our attention. All staff and directors will work as part of a multi‐agency team where needed in
the best interest of the child. All staff and directors will be familiar with their own responsibilities to act
swiftly upon any suspicions or concerns they may have about any child or member of staff at
Dalesplay.
The welfare, protection and safety of every child in our care is of paramount importance and we take
our responsibility to safeguard children seriously. Dalesplay is committed to following the North
Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Board guidance and procedures. Everyone working in Dalesplay
recognises their responsibilities towards the children in our care.
Project partfinanced by the
European Union
Registered Charity No: 1114769. Ltd Co No: 5694789 Registered in England & Wales
Dalesplay has procedures in place to follow if we suspect abuse or neglect and we are able to put the
procedures into practice. Dalesplay will refer to the Children and Families services when appropriate,
and work with other agencies involved, such as the police.
Dalesplay will attend and provide information/reports for strategy meetings, child protection
conferences and core groups. We will contribute where appropriate to any child protection plan.
Dalesplay will always take a considered and sensitive approach in order that we can support our
children and families.
Types of abuse and neglect
Abuse: a form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm,
or by failing to act to prevent harm. They may be abused by an adult or adults or another child or
children.
Physical abuse: a form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or
scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may
also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in
a child.
Emotional abuse: the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and
adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they
are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only so far as they meet the needs of another
person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing
them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or
developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include
interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability as well as overprotection and
limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction.
It may involve seeing or hearing the ill- treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including
cyber bullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or
corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a
child, although it may occur alone.
Sexual abuse: involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities,
not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is
happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example
rape or oral sex) or non- penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside
of clothing. They may also include non contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in
the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in
sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet).
Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse,
as can other children.
Neglect: the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/ or psychological needs, likely to
result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during
pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a
parent or carer failing to: provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home
or abandonment); protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger; ensure adequate
supervision (including the use of inadequate care- givers); or ensure access to appropriate medical
care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional
needs.
Further information on Child Sexual Exploitation and female Genital Mutilation
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Child sexual exploitation (CSE) involves exploitative situations, contexts and relationships where
young people receive something (for example food, accommodation, drugs, alcohol, gifts, money or
in some cases simply affection) as a result of engaging in sexual activities. Sexual exploitation can
take many forms ranging from the seemingly ‘consensual’ relationship where sex is exchanged for
affection or gifts, to serious organised crime by gangs and groups. What marks out exploitation is an
imbalance of power in the relationship. The perpetrator always holds some kind of power over the
victim which increases as the exploitative relationship develops. Sexual exploitation involves varying
degrees of coercion, intimidation, or enticement, including unwanted pressure from peers to have
sex, sexual bullying including cyber bullying and grooming. However, it also important to recognise
that some young people who are being sexually exploited do not exhibit any external signs of this
abuse.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM): professionals in all agencies, and individuals and groups in
relevant communities, need to be alert to the possibility of a girl being at risk of FGM, or already
having suffered FGM. There is a range of potential indicators that a child or young person may be at
risk of FGM. Victims of FGM are likely to come from a community that is known to practice FGM.
Professionals should note that girls at risk of FGM may not yet be aware of the practice or that it may
be conducted on them, so sensitivity should always be shown when approaching the subject. Staff
will activate safeguarding procedures using existing national and local protocols for multi- agency
liaison with police and children’s social care.
Radicalisation and Extremism
Staff will be alert to the fact that whilst extremism and Radicalisation is broadly a safeguarding issue
there may be some instances where a child or children may be at direct risk of harm or neglect. For
example; this could be due to a child displaying risky behaviours in terms of the activities they are
involved in or the groups they are associated with or staff may be aware of information about a child’s
family that may equally place a child at risk of harm. (These examples are for illustration and are not
definitive or exhaustive).Therefore all adults working at Dalesplay (including visiting staff, volunteers’
contractors, and students on placement) are required to report instances where they believe a child
may be at risk of harm or neglect to the Designated Lead Practitioner for child protectin, (DLP).
RECOGNITION
Some of the following signs might be indicators of abuse or neglect:
• Children whose behaviour changes – they may become aggressive, challenging, disruptive,
withdrawn or clingy, or they might have difficulty sleeping or start wetting the bed
• Children with clothes which are ill-fitting and/or dirty
• Children with consistently poor hygiene
• Children who make strong efforts to avoid specific family members or friends, without an obvious
reason
• Children who don’t want to change clothes in front of others or participate in physical activities
• Children who are having problems, for example, a sudden lack of concentration and learning or
they appear to be tired and hungry
• Children who talk about being left home alone, with inappropriate carers or with strangers
• Children who reach developmental milestones, such as learning to speak or walk, late, with no
medical reason
• Children who are regularly missing from school or home
• Children who are missing from the setting/ education
• Children who are reluctant to go home
• Children who are consistently late being picked up
• Parents who are dismissive and non-responsive to practitioners’ concerns
• Parents who collect their children from Dalesplay when drunk, or under the influence of drugs
• Children who drink alcohol regularly from an early age
• Children who are concerned for younger siblings without explaining why
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•
•
Children who talk about running away
Children who shy away from being touched or flinch at sudden movements.
Please note: this is not an exhaustive list
Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities
Children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities can face additional
safeguarding challenges. Additional barriers can exist when recognising abuse and neglect in this
group of children. This can include:
• assumptions that indicators of possible abuse such as behaviour, mood and injury relate to the
child or young person’s disability without further exploration;
• students with SEN and disabilities can be disproportionally impacted by things like bullyingwithout outwardly showing any signs; and
• communication barriers and difficulties in overcoming these barriers
Responsibilities of the committee
It is the overall responsibility of the registered committee to ensure that all necessary measures are in
place to safeguard children.
The Board of directors and management team will review the settings policies and procedures
annually amending where necessary. The management team will regularly attend North Yorkshire
Early Years leadership forum meetings to ensure they are in receipt of all government legislation
updates. An annual report to the committee will be delivered by the management committee which
will include an analysis of the completed welfare checklist for child protection, and suitable people,
the training records and the single central record.
They Board of directors will ensure that there is a suitable policy in place that is effective, that all
NYSCB procedures are followed and staff are equipped to fulfil their role with regards to safeguarding
children.
The Board of Directors will ensure that safer recruitment measures are in place and at least one
member of the interview panel to have undertaken Safer Recruitment training.
The Board of directors will make arrangements to ensure that any allegations against any person
working in the setting is dealt with effectively and sensitively.
The Board of directors are responsible for ensuring that all new starters, including volunteers, receive
a comprehensive induction.
Dalesplay will ensure that supervision and appraisal practice includes opportunities to discuss
welfare concerns and to identify any development or training needs of staff to fulfil their safeguarding
responsibilities.
Dalesplay will ensure that the child protection training record is maintained and monitored.
Dalesplay will inform Ofsted of:
changes to the person who is managing the provision; changes in the name or registered number of
the company; change in the name or registration of the charity; change to the nominated person
where the childcare is provided by a partnership, committee, body corporate or unincorporated
association where their sole or main purpose is the provision of childcare; any change to the name of
the body that provides childcare where the childcare is provided by a committee, partnership or
unincorporated body; any new person’s date of birth, full name, former names or aliases used by
Registered Charity No: 1114769. Ltd Co No: 5694789 Registered in England & Wales
them and their full address; any change to the name or home address of any of those mentioned
above; any incident of food poisoning affecting two or more children looked after at the premises; any
serious accident or injury to, or serious illness of, or the death of any child while in your care and the
action taken; any allegation of serious harm against, or abuse of, a child by any person looking after
children on the premises, (whether that allegation relates to harm or abuse committed on the
premises or elsewhere,) or by the registered person or any person living, working or employed on the
premises, or any other abuse which is alleged to have taken place on the premises, and the action
taken in respect of these allegations; any other significant event that is likely to affect the suitability to
look after children of the registered person or any person caring for children on the premises.
Responsibilities of the Designated Lead Practitioner for Child protection (DLP)
The welfare of the child is paramount and will always be the priority of the DLP. The DLP’s role
includes:

Ensure that they/ or the deputy DLP are on the premises or contactable by phone during
Dalesplay opening hours to deal with any Child Protection issues.

Referring a child to Children and Families service if there are any concerns about suspected
abuse or neglect. Any referral should be made by telephone and followed up in writing within
24 hours from the phone call.

Liaising with other agencies and services as appropriate

Receiving concerns from staff about potential/ actual abuse and giving appropriate advice.

Update the Board of Directors regularly

Contact the police when required

Talking to parents about concerns (where appropriate)

Attending multi-agency child protection meetings

Contributing to Child in Need or Child Protection Plans

Providing support, advice and guidance to all staff and ensuring that they are aware of the
Safeguarding policy and procedures.

Keeping written records of all concerns about a child even if there appears to be no need to
make a referral; ensuring that all such records are kept confidentially and securely and are
separate from child’s records.

Seeking advice and support for staff from relevant agencies where appropriate
Responsibilities of the staff team
All staff should follow the NYSCB guidance and procedures which are consistent with “Working
Together to Safeguard Children.” It is not the responsibility of the staff to investigate welfare
concerns or determine the truth of any disclosure or allegation. All staff, however, have a duty to
recognise concerns and maintain an open mind. Accordingly all concerns regarding the welfare of
children must be recorded and discussed with the DLP prior to any discussion with parents.
Registered Charity No: 1114769. Ltd Co No: 5694789 Registered in England & Wales
Staff should immediately report:


any suspicion that a child is injured, marked, or bruised in a way which is not readily
attributable to the normal knocks or scrapes received in play
any explanation given which appears inconsistent or suspicious

any behaviours which give rise to suspicions that a child may have suffered harm e.g.
significant changes in behaviour, worrying drawings or play

any concerns that a child may be suffering from inadequate care, ill treatment, or emotional
maltreatment

any concerns that a child is presenting signs or symptoms of abuse or neglect

any significant changes in a child’s presentation, including non-attendance

any hint or disclosure of abuse or neglect received from the child, or from any other person,
including disclosures of abuse or neglect perpetrated by adults outside of the family or by
other children or young people

any concerns regarding person(s) who may pose a risk to children (e.g. living in a household
with children present), or working at the setting, including:

Failure of staff to follow setting policies and procedures including Guidance for Safer Working
Practice NYCC 2014

Inappropriate conduct eg. Inappropriate sexual comments and behaviours;

Excessive one-to-one attention beyond the requirements of their usual role and
responsibilities;

Taking and/or sharing child abuse images
Training, Support and Supervision

The DLP and deputy DLP will attend level 1 safeguarding training annually and level 2 NYSCB
training in safeguarding every two years.

All other members of staff and Directors at Dalesplay will update basic safeguarding
awareness training annually. They will receive updates and access other child protection
training when required.

All staff will be trained and aware of potential indicators of abuse, they will be informed on how
to report any concerns to their DLP, informed on how to report any concerns relating to the
DLp to the deputy DLP or director responsible for Child protection; Stan Roocroft

All staff will have a formal induction on starting at the setting which covers safeguarding
policies and procedures. A record of completion will be signed and placed on the individual’s
personal file.
Registered Charity No: 1114769. Ltd Co No: 5694789 Registered in England & Wales

Any further training required which are identified through staff meetings/ supervision meetings,
will be conducted at the earliest convenience and this will be organised by the DLP.

Staff will be given opportunities to review and reflect on any safeguarding or child protection
concerns they may have, including any concerning practice of colleagues.
Staff dealing with possible abuse or neglect will often find the situation very upsetting and stressful.
Dalesplay will ensure the DLP and the deputy DLP are always available to support staff and get
external support if necessary from suitable agencies.
Record keeping and information sharing
In order to keep children safe and provide appropriate care Dalesplay requires accurate and up to
date information on each child. Admission forms will be reviewed annually and any updates will be
made as soon as they are given to the setting.
All staff will complete a written record of any concern, even where it is not appropriate to make an
immediate referral and these will be passed to the DLP. The DLP is responsible for collating and
reviewing these records.
These records should be objective and include:

Statements, facts and observable things (what was seen/heard)

Diagram indicating the position, size and colour of any injuries (not photograph)

Words that the child uses, these should not be translated into ‘proper’ words

Non-verbal behaviours

Key contacts/meetings with parents/carers and other agencies/ professionals. These should
be dated and timed and include a summary of discussions, decisions made, reasons for these
and any agreed actions
In most circumstances Dalesplay aims to work in partnership with parents and they will be informed
of any concerns we have and any intention we have to involve other agencies such as Children’s
Social Care. However, if Dalesplay feels that sharing these concerns with parents might place a child
at risk of harm, Dalesplay would not inform parents beforehand.
All child protection documents will be stored in a file that is separate from the child’s main file. They
will be locked away and only accessible to the DLP, and the setting manager / leader, unless the
concerns relate to the DLP, in which case they will be locked in the designated Directors own filing
cabinet and only accessible on request to the named director. Information regarding child protection
concerns will be shared with other staff on a need to know basis only, information that staff would
require to ensure the safety of the welfare of the child.
These records will be copied and transferred to any school or setting the child moves to, clearly
marked “Child Protection, Confidential, for the attention of the Designated Lead Practitioner for Child
Protection” (Early Years) or Designated Senior Person (schools).
Records regarding child protection concerns will be shared with other agencies including Ofsted, as
appropriate in order to safeguard children. Dalesplay will keep these records in a secure place until
the child’s 25th Birthday.
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Records will only be shared with parents on request unless covered by an exemption in The Data
Protection Act. The main exemptions when information may be withheld relate to:
 information which might cause serious harm to the physical or mental health of the pupil or
another individual;
 cases where the disclosure would reveal a child is at risk of abuse
Welfare Files
The DLP is responsible for maintaining a register of all children for whom welfare files are being kept,
indicating the reason for deciding to maintain the file, and whether parental consent has been gained
to maintain the file.
Welfare files will contain collated up to date and relevant information including:



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

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an indication as to whether a separate child protection file is being maintained
any relevant assessments, for example CAF, Initial or Core Assessment, Educational
Psychologist, Early Years Advisory Teacher
Education Health and Care plan
any Personal Education Plans
any documentation relating to the child’s SEN e.g. individual learning and provision plan
any information pertaining to the child’s behaviour/attendance
minutes or notes of any meetings/contacts with parents, including e.g. home visits, telephone
calls, texts, emails including:
o date/time
o details of who the contact was with
o record of any discussion
o outcomes and actions to be taken

minutes or notes of any meetings/contacts with other professionals, e.g. Children’s Centre
Managers, PSAs, Health Visitors, TAC and CIN meetings, telephone calls, texts, emails
including:
o date/time
o details of who the contact was with
o record of any discussion
o outcomes actions to be taken

documents relating to any welfare concerns that may have been raised, for example:
o key person logs detailing dates/times/nature of concerns
o signed records of any conversations or disclosures, including date/time and what, if
any, agreed actions took place as a result of the conversation
Information in welfare files will be shared with relevant staff on a ‘need-to-know’ basis. Parents’ and
children’s rights to privacy and confidentiality will be respected and sensitive information will not be
shared unless Dalesplay has permission to do so or it is necessary to do so in the public interest.
Dalesplay will share with parents any concerns they may have about their child unless to do so may
place a child at risk of significant harm.
Procedure
If abuse or neglect is suspected, the DLP will be informed immediately and in the absence of the
DLP the deputy DLP or designated director will be contacted. The DLP or deputy DLP will always be
contactable via phone if they are not on the premises.
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If staff are concerned that the DLP or other responsible person may not be taking concerns
sufficiently seriously or not taking appropriate action they should contact either the Early
Intervention Manager, the Prevention team, Children’s Social Care or the police directly. They
should also inform Ofsted. Where their concern is about a person working with children,
they should contact the LADO directly.
Following any information raising concern, the DLP will consider:

Any urgent medical needs of the child

Whether to make an enquiry to Children and families service (01609 780780)

Seeking advice from the Early Intervention Manager, (see contacts)

Discussing the matter with other agencies involved with the family

Consulting with appropriate persons e.g. Health Visitor, Children’s Social Care

The child‘s wishes and any fears or concerns s/he may have

Then decide:

wherever possible, to talk to parents, unless to do so may place a child at risk of significant
harm, impede any police investigation and/or place the member of staff or others at risk

whether to make a child protection referral to Children and families services because a child is
suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm and if this needs to be undertaken immediately
(including when the child is already an open case to CSC e.g. a looked after child)

OR

not to make a referral at this stage

if further monitoring is necessary

if it would be appropriate to undertake an assessment (e.g. CAF) and/or make a referral for
other services
All information and actions taken, including the reasons for any decisions made, will be fully
documented. All referrals to social care will be accompanied by a standard referral form. In cases
where Dalesplay disagrees with decisions by others, Dalesplay will follow the NYSCB procedures
(15.4 Resolution of Professional Disagreements) in order to ensure that children are safeguarded
In the event of a child making a disclosure, staff will not investigate but will, wherever possible, elicit
enough information to pass on to the DLP in order that she can make an informed decision of what to
do next.
Abuse or concerns about a risk of abuse or harm by other young people is subject to the same
safeguarding procedures as in respect of children or young people being abused by an adult.
Professionals responding should be alert to the risk a child may pose to children other than any
“current” victim; and children or young people who harm others are likely to have considerable needs
themselves (e.g. they may have been subjected to abuse, witnessed domestic violence or committed
criminal offences). In such cases there will usually be a need to refer the alleged perpetrator of harm
to Children’s social care.
Registered Charity No: 1114769. Ltd Co No: 5694789 Registered in England & Wales
Staff should:

listen to and take seriously any disclosure or information that a child may be at risk of harm

try to ensure that the person disclosing does not have to speak to another member of staff

clarify the information

try to keep questions to a minimum and of an ‘open’ nature e.g. ‘Can you tell me what
happened?’ rather than ‘Did x hit you?’

try not to show signs of shock, horror or surprise

not express feelings or judgements regarding any person alleged to have harmed the child

explain sensitively to the child that they have a responsibility to refer the information to the
DLP
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reassure and support the child as far as possible

explain that only those who ‘need to know’ will be told

explain what will happen next
Suitable People
When recruiting Dalesplay will follow their Recruitment policy.* *Refer to Staff Recruitment policy(Policy 36).
Dalesplay is committed to ensuring that it meets its responsibilities in respect of Child Protection
through the provision of support and training to staff. Therefore, we will ensure that:

All staff, students and volunteers are carefully recruited, have verified references and have full
and up to date Disclosure Barring Service checks and ID checks.

All staff and volunteers are given a copy of the Child Protection Policy during their induction,
and have its implications explained to them.

All staff and volunteers receive regular training annually and updates in Safeguarding issues
are provided with any relevant information and guidance.

All staff have contractual expectations for them to disclose any police action taken against
them or any other person living with them and any circumstances which could lead to
consideration of disqualification.

The Safeguarding File will be kept in the office at all times. Observations, notes made will be
sealed in an envelope, signed, dated and filed and kept in the locked filing cabinet.

All staff are provided with supervision and management support adequate with their
responsibilities in relation to Safeguarding, and their requirement to maintain caring and safe
relationships with children.

All staff are aware of the main indicators of child abuse.
Registered Charity No: 1114769. Ltd Co No: 5694789 Registered in England & Wales

All staff are aware of their statutory requirements in respect of the disclosure or discovery of
child abuse and the procedure for doing so. All students and volunteers are instructed to report
the disclosure or discovery of abuse to the Manager. *Refer to Whistle blowing policy(Policy 37)

Dalesplay will endeavour to support children and their families following allegations of abuse
as appropriate.

Dalesplay has a commitment to, where appropriate, making referrals to the DBS and providing
Ofsted with any relevant information indicating that any person meets the grounds for
Disqualification from Childcare

Dalesplay will not employ anyone who is either on a DBS barred list or Disqualified from
Childcare

Dalesplay will make an assessment to determine those who are undertaking regulated activity
and Dalesplay will make arrangements for staff not in regulated activity.
Allegations against staff
Dalesplay will make arrangements to ensure staff are never left alone with a child. Staff are expected
to report any concerns, *Refer to Whistle Blowing Policy- (Policy Number 37).
Allegations against staff will be handled by the Manager, in the event the allegation is made about the
manager the deputy DLP and designated director will be responsible.
The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) will be contacted by staff if they feel that a concern is
not being dealt with adequately or they do not feel that they can raise their concerns with the setting
management. Similarly any staff may contact Ofsted directly.
In the case of an allegation against a member of staff, Dalesplay will apply the same principles as in
the rest of this policy by following the NYSCB procedures. Dalesplay will refer to NYCC documents;
“Definitions and Thresholds for Managing Allegations Against Staff”, “Guidance for Staff Facing an
Allegation”, and “Managing The Aftermath of Unfounded and Unsubstantiated Allegations”. Detailed
records will be made to include decisions, actions taken, and reasons for these.
All allegations will be investigated properly and in line with agreed procedures. Investigations into
allegations against people who work with children may have up to three related strands: enquiries by
Children and families services; investigation by the police; and/or investigation by the employer under
disciplinary procedures. There may also, in childcare settings, be further investigation by Ofsted.
Actions to be taken

The person who has received an allegation or witnessed an event should immediately inform
the DLP, (Joanne Fothergill, in the event the allegation is made against Joanne inform Louise
Cloughton or Stanley Roocroft), and record the details of the allegation. In the event the
allegation is being investigated by Louise Cloughton or Stanley Roocroft he will continue to
take action of the DLP below.

The DLP will take steps, where necessary, to secure the immediate safety of children and any
urgent medical needs. In some cases this may result in moving the member of staff involved to
another area of the setting, or onto a different duty where possible.
Registered Charity No: 1114769. Ltd Co No: 5694789 Registered in England & Wales

The DLP will contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) to inform them of the
allegation and to seek advice on how to move forward with the investigation, including
discussion of whether the member of staff should be suspended on full pay whilst any
investigation is undertaken. The allegation must be notified to LADO within 1 working day.
Dalesplay will work together with other agencies and follow the NYSCB procedures.

Dalesplay will inform Ofsted of any allegations of serious harm or abuse by any person
working, or looking after children at the premises (whether the allegations relate to harm or
abuse committed on the premises or elsewhere). Dalesplay will notify Ofsted of the action
taken in respect of the allegations. These notifications MUST be made as soon as is
reasonably practicable, but at the latest 14 days of the allegations being made. Failure to
do so without reasonable excuse is a criminal offence.

As with all child protection matters, the situation will be dealt with confidentially and information
only shared on a need to know basis

Consideration will be given throughout to the support and information needs of children,
parents and staff where applicable.

You should also state your arrangements for record keeping, your arrangements for retaining
these records and the written information that will be provided to the member of staff, and
Taking, storing and using images of children, (including mobile phone, tablet, video and
camera use)
Mobile Phones/ Tablets

All personal mobiles/ tablets are not permitted in the room where the children are.

All personal mobiles/ tablets must be kept in the office only.

Dalesplay has a mobile phone and camera which will be used on outings and staff/ volunteers
are not permitted to taking their own personal ones. Should they need to be contacted they
can do so via Dalesplay’s mobile number: 07968481468
Photo’s

Photo’s taken of the children will only be used in the child’s Learning journey to record
development or on displays in the setting to document activities. Written permission will be
obtained on the administration forms. All photo’s will be deleted from the computer once they
have been printed out and filed in the child’s Learning journey.

If Dalesplay would like to use pictures in the Prospectus or local newspaper written consent
will be obtained before publishing them and kept on file.

Dalesplay will NOT publish any pictures of the children in the setting on their Facebook page.
This page is to share with parents the different activities children will experience and share
messages to parents.

Anyone wishing to take pictures of the children will need written permission from the parents
before doing so. If children are participating in school sports day parents will be informed that
Registered Charity No: 1114769. Ltd Co No: 5694789 Registered in England & Wales
other parents may be photographing children taking part and we will have written consent to
say they can participate.
Internet Access
Children are restricted to what sites they can access on the computers. This is checked regularly to
ensure access remains restricted.
Social Networking
 Staff must NOT mention the nursery, staff, parents or children during discussions on any
social networking sites.
 If any staff members have parents as friends then there should be NO discussions of the
nursery, staff or their child/children. If parents have any questions / concerns regarding their
child, nursery or staff then this should be discussed in a professional manner with management
at the Dalesplay.
Procedure for dealing with irate parents
In the unlikely event that a parent starts to act in an aggressive or abusive way at Dalesplay, the
member of staff should direct the parent away from the children and into a private area such as the
office. If the area is out of view, a second member of staff should be in attendance. The staff should
act in a calm and professional way and ask the parent to calm down, whilst making it clear that we
can not tolerate aggressive or abusive language or behaviour. Once the parent calms down, the
member of staff should then listen to their concerns and respond appropriately.
Confidentiality
The nursery has a right to share any information regarding child protection with other childcare
professionals. All information will be kept confidential.
Monitoring absence
All groups will be monitored to ensure children are safeguarded. Absence will be followed up by a
phone call. A referral will be made if any concern is noted.
Visitors
All visitors will be asked to sign in on arrival and asked to read our welcome notice. Procedures and
named DLp will be displayed for the information of visitors to the setting.
Safeguarding notices
Information relating to the Child protection policy and procedures are displayed with notices at the
entrance and paper copies are available.
Registered Charity No: 1114769. Ltd Co No: 5694789 Registered in England & Wales
Important contact numbers
DLP- Joanne Fothergill- 07866198433/ 01969667936
Deputy DLP- Louise Cloughton- 01969666128/ 07816404120
Prevention officer- Joss Mortimar 01609 532282
North Yorkshire Children and Families Service- 01609 780780
Social Care enquires- 01609 536993
Police- 999 non emergency- 101
NSPCC- 0808 800 5000
Local Authority Designated Officer’s (LADO) - for allegations against staff:
Karen Lewis (Hambleton, Richmondshire, Ryedale and Coast areas) 01609
540711
Dave Peat (Hambleton, Richmondshire, Ryedale and Coast areas) 01609
533363
Ofsted – 0300 123 1231
Signed on behalf of DALESPLAY
Date
This policy will be reviewed by 1st November 2017
Registered Charity No: 1114769. Ltd Co No: 5694789 Registered in England & Wales
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