The Education Safeguarding Service offer a review of early years settings safeguarding practice which will not just explore if settings are meeting their statutory requirements but will provide a focus on whether children in the setting are safeguarded in the best way possible. Early Years Safeguarding Reviews will be undertaken by an Area Safeguarding Assistant, who has extensive education safeguarding experience.
Safeguarding can often be considered to be a challenging and at times overwhelming task and our early years safeguarding review process aims to help demystify safeguarding requirements and allow settings to have the time and space to reflect on their own practice.
Early Years Safeguarding Review Process
Settings will be expected to complete a self-review tool which will act as a working document and action plan for the setting. The setting will be required to complete the tool and share a copy with the service prior to a half day meeting, ideally held on site with key staff. During the meeting, the information provided by the setting will be discussed and explored and observations and recommendations, including useful links and tools will be noted on the review tool for the setting to use as a reference. Some of the key areas covered will include the reporting and recording of concerns and follow up action taken, whistleblowing, supervision, availability of safeguarding policies and staff training.
A safeguarding review will give EYDSLs and leaders the opportunity to reflect on, understand and explain the processes within their setting, and will increase their capacity to monitor practice. This process will help leaders be effective in sharing this knowledge with staff, as well as external visitors, for example during Ofsted inspections.
Please contact the service directly to discuss booking an early years safeguarding review.