Safeguarding
North Leigh Preschool is committed to safeguarding children, young people, their families, our staff and volunteers. Everything we do promotes the safety and wellbeing of the children we work with, as well as that of children and young people in general.
We believe that for safeguarding and good practice to happen, we need staff and volunteers, including our management committee, who are carefully selected, feel valued and encouraged, are appropriately trained, managed and supported in their work.
North Leigh Preschool Safeguarding Statement
To create a safeguarding environment and culture, staff and volunteers at North Leigh Preschool must:
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have Criminal Records Bureau/Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced disclosures in place
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undertake safeguarding training, with the designated safeguarding person having specialist safeguarding training
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have knowledge and understanding of our policies and procedures relating to safeguarding
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recognise children's rights
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hear and respond to the concerns of children, young people and their families
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act in a way that promotes safeguarding everywhere
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work to create a preschool environment that keeps children safe
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work to create a culture where everyone is able to challenge and participate
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think about how our routines and habits affect children who attend preschool
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make families aware of our complaints procedure
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be aware of our whistleblowing policy
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adhere to our 'Use of mobile phones/cameras policy'
If we do all this, we will:
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have an environment of openness, trust and goodwill
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feel confident and able to express our views, feelings and concerns
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know what we say will be treated with respect and will receive an appropriate response
What to do if you are worried about a child
If you think a child is in immediate danger - DON'T DELAY! Call the Police on 999/112
or report a concern to
MASH - Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub
0345 050 7666 This number will take you through to Customer Services who will ask a series of questions and triage into MASH
You can also telephone the NSPCC Help Line if you're worried about a child and speak to one of their counsellors - 0808 800 5000
Internet Safety Checklist for pre-school children
· Explore together
Talk to your child about what the internet is and explore it together so you can show them all the great fun and educational things they can do.
· Put yourself in control
Install parental controls on your home broadband. Most internet-enabled devices also allow you to set parental controls so you can manage what content your child can see and how they interact with others online.
· Use passwords
Keep your devices out of reach and set passwords on all your internet-enabled devices and don’t share them. Then you’ll know when and where your child is accessing the internet. You can also make sure they’re not making additional purchases when they’re playing games or using apps.
· Search safely
Use safe search engines such as Swiggle or Kids-search. You can save time by adding these to your ‘Favourites’. Safe search settings can also be activated on Google and other search engines, as well as YouTube.
· Be involved
Encourage them to use devices in a communal area like the lounge or kitchen so you can keep an eye on how they’re using the internet and also share in their enjoyment.
· Manage access
Set your homepage to a child-friendly site like CBeebies and create a user account for your child on the family computer or device which only allows access to sites you’ve chosen.
· Help them learn through games
You can choose safe, fun and educational online games to play with your child and that you’ll be confident about them exploring. You can find good free of charge examples from companies like Disney Junior, Nick Jr and Fisher Price.
· Set boundaries
It’s never too early to start setting boundaries. Set some rules about how long your child can spend online.