Neglect is the tenacious failure to meet elementary physical and psychological needs, which may result in the serious deficiency of the child’s health and development. For example; poor hygiene, untreated medical problems, thinness or under nourishment. Staff may notice behavioural signs such as a child who always seems to be hungry, is continuously tired or talks of being left alone.
Physical symbols may include unexplained bruising in unlikely areas, facial bruising, hand or finger marks, bite marks, burns, cuts or scrapes. Staff may notice certain behavioural signs that also point to physical abuse, such as a child that shy’s away from physical contact, is withdrawn or aggressive towards others or their behaviour changes suddenly.
Emotional abuse may include an over-all failure to flourish, not meeting predictable developing milestones and on the surface a child may be attention seeking tells lies, have an incapability to have fun, low self-esteem, speech disorders, and be improperly affectionate towards others.
Sexual abuse may include bruising regular with being held firmly, distress in walking and sitting, pain or impatient in the genital area, release or blood on under clothes, or loss of appetite. Interactive signs may consist of drawings or play performance displays of sexual activity, sexual explicit language, facts of adult sexual behaviour, poor self-esteem and a child who is withdrawn.
Staff working in the Alperton Nursery 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 assumed and actual harm. Children attending the nursery have a right to feel safe and staff, in partnership with parents or guardian, have a responsibility to act on any concerns they may have regarding a child’s welfare and well‐being.
Parents are usually the first contacted about their child’s welfare. If suspicion of abuse is recorded, parents are up-to-date at the same time as the report is made, except where the guidance of the children’s admission centre does not allow this. This will usually be the case where the parent is the likely abuser. In those cases the investigating Officer will inform the parents. All doubts and investigations are kept confidential and only shared with those who need to know.
Alperton Nursery staff do not make comment publicly or in private about a parent’s supposed or genuine behaviour, firm confidentiality will be observed at all times. The staff would raise any concerns firstly with the designated senior member of staff for safeguarding, who will converse these concerns with the manager on a need to know basis and appropriate action will be well-thought-out. The staff errands do not include investigating the suspected abuse and all related information must be kept in a locked filling cabinet. Parents and families will be treated with respect in a non‐ hypercritical manner whilst investigations by the appropriate authorities are being carried out in the greatest interests of the child.
Alperton Nursery purpose is to:
- Guarantee that children are never placed at risk while in the care of the nursery staff.
- Ensure that confidentiality is maintained at all times.
- Confirm that all staff are alert to the signs and understand what is meant by safeguarding and are aware of the different ways in which children can be harmed, including by other children, for example bullying.
- Make sure that all staff are familiar with safeguarding issues and procedures when they register with the nursery and kept informed of all updates when they occur.
- Regularly review and update this policy
The primary responsibility of Alperton Nursery is the welfare and security of children in the nursery care. As such the staff believe they have a duty to the children, parents or guardian and themselves to act quickly and responsibly in any case in point that may come to their attention. All staff work as part of a multi‐agency team where needed in the finest concern of the child.
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