Safeguarding Children

Acre Wood Day Nursery has a duty and are committed to adhere to the HM 'working together to safeguard children 'revised document' (march 2013) and under section 40 of the childcare Act 2006 to comply with the welfare requirements which helps form our safeguarding policy. We are adamant that everyone at Acre Wood Day Nursery implement the safeguarding policy in order to safeguard and protect all children. We believe all children needs are paramount, and the needs and wishes of each individual child be they a baby or an infant, or an older child, their safety and wellbeing should be put first, so that every child receives a full opportunity to a safe secure start in life.

Following the HM government document 'working together to safeguard children' we are committed to work closely where possible with the local authorities parents\carers and the other community children services e.g. schools, children's centres, family support workers, social services and (others) to be able to have an effective communication between all agencies in order to provide an effective support system between all agencies that have access to children to prevent any problem before it escalates. The aim is to promote safety of all children so they get the very best start in life.

Abuse and neglect are forms of maltreatment and harm of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional setting, by those known to them or, more rarely, by a stranger. They may be abused by an adult or adults, or by another child or children.

Physical abuse 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 is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child's emotional development. It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond the 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 person. It may involve serious bullying causing the child 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, though 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, oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching the 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 is the persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the severe 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 or 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-takers);

Ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment; or

Provide for a child's emotional, educational or social needs.