Safeguarding Policy
Key Contacts for Safeguarding
Designated Safeguarding Lead – Emma Dodds-Smith (Manager)
Deputy Safeguarding Lead – Helen Harvey (Manager)
Health and Safety lead within team – Samantha Beattie
Chair of Trustees – Sarah James
Trustee Health and Safety Officer – Richard Heath
The purpose of this policy statement is:
To protect children and young people who receive Widcombe Acorns Preschool services from harm.
To provide staff and volunteers, as well as children and young people and their families, with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.
Safeguarding Policy Statement
Acorns Pre-school is committed to creating a culture of safety and maintaining an environment in which the welfare safety and protection is paramount for everyone. Acorns is particularly concerned that children, young people, and vulnerable adults are protected from abuse and a priority in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take. We believe that children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind. We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them. Working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare all children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse. We recognise that some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues and that extra safeguards may be needed to keep children who are additionally vulnerable safe from abuse. We understand that safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility whether a member of staff, trustee, volunteer, parent, or a member of the public.
This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of Widcombe Acorns, including managers and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers, agency staff and students. This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in Bath and North East Somerset and in line with procedures of Bath and North East Somerset Community Safety & Safeguarding Partnership (BCSSP) following the requirements of both the Working Together to Safeguard Children (2024) and the Keeping Children Safe in Education (2024) documents.
At Widcombe Acorns We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:
valuing, listening to and respecting them.
appointing a nominated child protection lead for children and young people, a deputy and a lead trustee board member for safeguarding.
adopting safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers following guidance of the most recent ‘Keeping children safe in education’ and the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ documents.
developing and implementing an effective online safety policy and related procedures
providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures so that all staff and volunteers know about and follow our policies, procedures and behaviour codes confidently and competently.
recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made recording and storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance [more information about this is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk/for- organisations]
sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children and their families via leaflets, posters, group work and one-to-one discussions.
making sure that children, and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern.
using our safeguarding and child protection procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately.
using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately.
ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place.
ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance
building a safeguarding culture where staff and volunteers, children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns.
ensuring staff are aware of signs of radicalization and that this is reported to DSL.
Our named Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) takes the lead in ensuring that appropriate arrangements for keeping children and young people safe are in place at Widcombe Acorns Preschool. The DSL promotes the safety and welfare of children and young people involved in Widcombe Acorns Preschool.
This policy has been reviewed January 2025