Module 9 – Promoting Child Welfare in the Early Years
Promoting Child Welfare in the Early Years
Summary/What you will learn
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Information about what to do if you suspect a child needs protection
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The health and safety requirements all facilities must meet
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Staffing roles and responsibilities
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Staffing requirements, including information about ratios
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Tips on managing behaviour
9.1 Module Introduction
This includes providing a clean physical environment, as well as meeting the emotional needs of the children in your care. Creating an atmosphere that promotes child welfare in the early years is an important aspect of early years foundation stage teaching. It is the only way to give the children at your facility the best possible start in life.
It is important to familiarise yourself with the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the EYFS.
Following the guidelines set out in that document helps you to provide a safe, healthy and effective learning environment. They also help you to navigate potentially difficult situations involving the children at your facility.
This module goes into detail about some of the more important aspects of the safeguarding and child welfare requirements. These include child protection requirements, as well as health and safety information. We also discuss staffing roles, responsibilities and requirements, including permissible class sizes and number of staff members per age group. Finally, we give you a few tips on effective behaviour management.
Activity 1 – Review the Framework in Detail
Estimated time: 10 to 15 minutes
The guidelines regarding welfare and child protection are easy to understand and important to learn. Take a few moments before you begin this module, to review them in detail. You should read the child protection section carefully, along with the links to recommended pamphlets and other information about reporting.
9.2 What You Need to Know About Child Protection
Whilst no one wants to expect the worst from the adults in your community, it is important to learn the warning signs and to intervene early. You should also be familiar with the proper reporting procedures, just in case you need to use them in an emergency situation.
Developing a Policy
All early years providers must develop and put into practice policies and procedures regarding the safeguarding of children. Each rule you implement needs to comply with those set out by the relevant local Safeguarding Partners.
You need to include a section describing the action that must be taken whenever concerns are identified. This includes concerns about a staff member, as well as those about a child’s home life. Your policy must also discuss the use of mobile phones and cameras in the early years settings. Consequences for failure to comply with any child protection policy should be clearly set out and understood by all staff members.
Equally important is designating someone to take lead responsibility for safeguarding the children at your facility. If you are a childminder, you must take the lead responsibility yourself. In other settings, you should select a person who can liaise with other agencies in the community well. They must discuss any and all concerns with the local Safeguarding Partners, as well as provide ongoing support and guidance to other staff members.
The lead practitioner must also attend child protection courses, helping them to identify, understand and properly report signs of abuse and neglect. They are then responsible for training their colleagues at the early years facility. If one lead practitioner leaves the facility, you must designate another one immediately. The new lead practitioner must be given a chance to receive additional training as soon as possible.
Signs of Abuse or Neglect
There are numerous early warning signs of abuse or neglect that early years providers may be able to identify. These include significant changes in a child’s behaviour, deterioration in their general sense of well-being, unexplained injuries, such as bruises or marks and inappropriate behaviour. Pay attention to the type of role-play the children engage in, as well as their comments about their home life. The condition of their clothes, personal hygiene and attendance record are other signs that something is wrong at home.
Make sure you pay attention to signs of both physical and emotional abuse. Emotional abuse is more subtle and harder to identify. However, there are a few things you can keep an eye out for, particularly in terms of how parents interact with their children. Parents who withdraw, dismiss concerns about their children, or mock their children may be engaging in other emotionally abusive and destructive behaviours.
In the UK, early years providers must report emotional abuse, as well as abuse of a physical or sexual nature.
Abuse can also happen within an early years setting as well. Watch for inappropriate behaviour on the part of staff members and others who interact with the children in your care. Excessive attention beyond the job requirements, strange comments, or being overly touchy are all signs that an adult at your facility may not be behaving within the confines of your policies and procedures.
Notifying the Appropriate Authorities
The first thing you should do is discuss your concerns with the lead practitioner at your facility. If you are the person responsible for the safeguarding of children in your care, or if you are a childminder, the first step is to contact children’s social care. You may want to contact the police if you have immediate safety concerns.
When you contact children’s social care, mention the specifics of your concerns. You might want to have documentation on hand about the child’s development and the ability of the parents to meet the child’s needs. Early years providers also need to report their concerns to Ofsted. This should be done as soon as possible, but no later than 14 days after the initial allegation was made.
A social worker should respond to your concerns within one working day of your initial complaint. They may ask you for further information, conduct an early help assessment, conduct a children in need assessment, or complete a child protection enquiry. Your early years facility may or may not be involved in these assessments or reports.
Fact
In 2023, over 403,000 children were classed as in need and just under 51,000 children were on protection plans.
Source: Department for Education
9.3 Health and Safety Requirements
Health and safety is a wide umbrella, collecting several important aspects of child welfare. Make sure you understand the EYFS rules and regulations about health and safety, as well as the relevant policies at your own early years facility.
Enabling Healthy Food Choices
As part of your intake documentation, you must ask parents about dietary requirements, food preferences, allergies and other health concerns. Keep a record of this information, making sure that each staff member complies with any dietary instructions. Even if you disagree with a parent’s methods, unless they are harmful, you must comply. Early years facilities must also provide fresh drinking water at all times.
Each early years centre must have a separate and hygienic area for the preparation and storage of food. If there are infants at the facility, the area must also be equipped for sterilisation. Anyone involved with food preparation must have received training in safe handling and hygiene.
If two or more children suffer from food poisoning whilst on the premises, you must notify Ofsted within 14 days of the incident.
Keeping a Clean and Safe Environment
Another important part of promoting child welfare is the provision of a clean and safe learning environment. This means providing children with an adequate amount of indoor space to safely move around. Providers must also check on sleeping children often, ensuring there is a separate area for sleep.
Each early years facility must have clearly defined evacuation procedures, with maps of emergency escape routes. Buildings need to be equipped with fire detection and control tools, such as smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Make sure exit routes are easily accessible and free from obstacles.
You must also routinely clean and examine the toys and games at the facility. Discard broken objects immediately, to avoid injury to children in your care. Make sure you follow proper sterilisation techniques for items that children have put in their mouths, to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
Early years providers must also have procedures in place regarding the release of children at the end of the day. Be sure you only allow authorised individuals to leave the facility with children and always check the identity of unknown visitors. Most facilities obtain this information from parents before the child begins to attend, keeping it updated as the situation changes.
Risk Assessments
All early years facilities and providers must prove that they take steps to mitigate and manage risks. It is important to expose children to as few risks as possible and to have thoroughly conducted assessments on a regular basis.
You may want to complete written assessments relating to specific concerns, such as an upcoming outing or the introduction of a new piece of play equipment. Parents, carers and other agencies may ask to see these reports, to satisfy any concerns they have about the quality of the child’s care. Your written assessments should include information about the risk, how often it is examined and the recommended strategies for removal or mitigation.
Medicine Retention and Distribution
Each facility must have a well-developed policy about its response to children with various illnesses. This includes the administration of medicines to children who require them. Information about dosage and administration must be kept up to date and kept close to the medication itself. Make sure you have written permission from the child’s parents or carers, directing you to administer the medication as directed by a doctor, dentist, nurse, or pharmacist. Practitioners need to keep a written record of administration, alerting the parents or carers on the same day.
EYFS educators agree that keeping a binder with written consent, an administration record and dosing directions in the same area as the medicine is the best way to fulfil these requirements.
What to Do in the Event of Accident or Injury
A fully stocked first aid box must be available and easily accessible at all times. The box you purchase should be specifically geared towards children. It must also contain a written record, updated each time it is used. Parents or carers need to be informed the same day that any first aid treatment is administered.
Any serious accident, injury, illness, or death of a child in your care must be reported to Ofsted within 14 days of the incident.
Practitioners generally agree that a serious illness or injury is one that warrants immediate medical attention beyond the provision of first aid at the facility. Incidents of this nature must also be reported to local child protection agencies, with the practitioners at your facility acting upon their resulting advice.
Activity 2 – Complete a Risk Assessment
Estimated time: 10 to 15 minutes
Practice your risk assessment skills by reviewing your own home. Are there any risks you can identify and manage? Which ones and how? Are there any barriers to you meeting health and safety requirements? What about the provision of outdoor time? Are there any risks you can identify in your back garden?
Write a brief report about how you could remove or mitigate the risk you noticed.
9.4 Staff Roles and Responsibilities
Each person responsible for the care of children must be suitable, as defined by the EYFS framework. Practitioners, especially those responsible for staffing decisions, must understand what makes a person suitable for this role, as well as the many disqualifiers.
Suitable People
Each facility must have practices in place designed to ensure that anyone over the age of 16 who comes into contact with children is suitable.
Enhanced criminal record searches and barred list checks must be done for everyone over 16 who:
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Works or volunteers directly with the children
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Lives on the premises where childcare is provided
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Works on the premises where childcare is provided, unless they do not work there when children are present or do not come into contact with the children
If the individual has worked or lived abroad, you should also obtain criminal record checks relevant to those countries. You must dismiss any staff member who harms a child or puts a child at risk during the course of their employment. In addition, the conduct needs to be reported to the Disclosure and Barring Service as soon as possible.
Suitable people must be registered with Ofsted or a childminding agency. If they are not registered, they must obtain registration before the commencement of employment.
Disqualifiers
Once a person is disqualified from registration, they may no longer seek employment from an early years facility. Disqualification can also happen if a provider works or lives in the same household as a disqualified individual. There are limited exceptions to this rule. Early years providers who wish to seek an exception can apply to Ofsted for a waiver.
There are a number of activities that prevent a person from being qualified to work with children, some of which include the following:
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Convictions or warnings for an offence against a child
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Convictions or warnings for certain violent or sexual offences against an adult
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Being on the Protection of Children Act list of people not suitable to work with children
All registered providers must inform Ofsted immediately if they believe a disqualified person may come into contact with a child. They must also contact Ofsted if they become aware of any major event that could negatively affect the suitability of another registered provider.
Conduct
Early years providers must behave as role models at all times to the children in their care. This means treating other children and staff members with respect and exemplifying good behaviour. Practitioners must never be under the influence of drugs or alcohol whilst caring for children. Prescription medications must not interfere with your ability to provide proper care and attention. Always make sure you keep any prescriptions locked away and out of reach of children.
Key Person
A key person must be assigned to each child. This individual ensures that the education received by a child is tailored to their unique needs. They help children adjust to new settings and learn how to transition between activities. Children often develop a special relationship with their key person, creating a more powerful learning environment. This individual is typically the one to communicate with parents about the child’s ongoing development.
9.5 Staffing Requirements
Practitioners must make efforts to keep parents informed of staffing changes, to help children adjust.
The EYFS has strict staffing ratios set out in detail, breaking them down by age and type of facility. Exceptions to these rules are rarely granted. Individuals over the age of 17, including competent students on long-term placements, count towards fulfilling the required staffing ratios.
Children Under Two
In early years settings, there must be at least one staff member for every three children under the age of two. One of those individuals must have a level 3 qualification and some experience. At least half of the remaining staff must have a level 2 and at least half must have received recent training regarding the care of infants.
Children Aged Two
There must be at least one staff member for every four children in early years facilities. One of those individuals must have a level 3 qualification. At least half of the remaining staff members must have a level 2 qualification.
Children Aged Three and Over
There are different staffing ratio requirements for children in this age group, depending on what level of qualification the person working directly with children holds.
If there is a person with a level 6 qualification, there must be one staff member for every 13 children and one other member of staff must have a level 3 qualification. If there is not a person with a level 6 qualification working with the children, there must be one staff member for every eight children. One other employee must hold a level 3 qualification and at least half of the remaining staff must hold a level 2 qualification.
Children in independent schools are also subjected to different staffing ratio requirements. Where a person with a level 6 qualification is working directly with children, there must be one staff member for every 13 children not turning age five in the upcoming year.
Classrooms where the majority of the children are turning five must have one staff member for every 30 children. If there are no individuals with a level 6 qualification working directly with children, there must be one staff member for every eight children. At least one employee must hold a level 3 qualification and at least half of the remaining staff members must hold level 2 qualifications.
Nursery schools must have at least one employee for every 13 children over the age of three. One staff member must be a school teacher, as defined by the Education Act and at least one other employee must have a level 3 qualification.
Reception Classes
Reception classes must comply with infant class size legislation, which limits the size of classes to 30 students per teacher. Support staff and teaching assistants are not counted as teachers when determining ratios. Certain reception schools mix the ages of the children in their care. If this is the case at your facility, make sure you determine the ratio by considering the needs of each child in your care.
Childminders
Childminders must comply with slightly different rules than those in formal early years settings. They can only care for a maximum of six children under the age of eight at any time. Only three may be young children and only one can be under the age of 1. Under the EYFS, a child is considered a “young child” until 1st September after their fifth birthday.
Certain exceptions can be made in limited situations.
For example
A childminder may want to accept an additional child in the case of siblings or to care for their own baby. In cases like these, they can apply to Ofsted for an exemption. The application must demonstrate that the provider can still meet the needs of the children already in their care.
Some childminders employ an assistant. You can only leave children in the care of an assistant for up to two hours per day. Parents and carers need to consent to assistants caring for their children in advance each time.
Fact
In March 2023, there were 63,200 registered childminders.
Source: Ofsted
9.6 Effective Behaviour Management
This must be done in effective and appropriate ways, following the EYFS framework. Your facility should have policies and procedures about discipline and other behavioural management techniques.
No Corporal Punishment
No early years facility may administer corporal punishment to a child in its care. In addition, you must take any and all reasonable steps to ensure that staff members do not give corporal punishment to any child in your care. If you suspect that this rule has been violated, you must report it to the proper authorities and to Ofsted.
Providers may not make threats of corporal punishment in any circumstance, even if they do not intend to follow through.
Any punishment that could adversely affect the well-being of the children in your care is prohibited and may not even be presented as an option to them.
Permissible Physical Intervention
In some situations, you may need to physically intervene, in order to protect the welfare of a child. This can happen if two children are engaged in physically harmful behaviours, or if you need to restrain a child to prevent harm to themselves or others. You need to keep a written record of each instance of physical intervention. Parents and carers also need to be informed of these events on the same day, or as soon as reasonably possible.
9.7 Managing Behaviour
As an early years provider, your job is to help support them as they learn these crucial skills. There are several tips you can keep in mind, to help effectively manage the behaviour of the children in your care.
Keep Rules Simple
Young children do not often understand complex or multi-step instructions. By keeping the rules short, simple and easy to understand, you can better encourage compliance. Things like “say please and thank you” or “be kind to each other” are perfect examples. Try to avoid the word “don’t” as much as possible, especially when you are correcting a child’s behaviour. This shows them what to do and how to act, instead of only showing them where they went wrong. Rules like “use your indoor voice” or “keep your feet on the floor” instead of “don’t shout” or “don’t climb” are ideal.
Reward Good Behaviour
Some children act out because they want attention and negative behaviours almost always result in some sort of attention from an adult. Show them that they do not have to act out in order to get your attention, by rewarding and praising good behaviour.
Try to praise each child on something good they have done at least once a day.
Share their good deeds with their parents, to encourage additional positive attention.
Coach Instead of Cheerlead
Use praise as an opportunity to educate and teach. Instead of simply saying “great job” when a child shares a toy, be specific about why you are proud by saying something like, “Great job sharing! You knew that your friend wanted to play with the toy and you gave them a turn!” This reinforces good behaviour and shows children that there are reasons to behave well, even when adults are not looking.
Use Play to Teach Social Skills
Use books, games and play to teach children good manners and social skills. Act out stories that encourage children to work together. You may even want to research a certain story or game that can address a specific behavioural issue you see in your facility.
Promoting Child Welfare in the Early Years
Time: 30+ minutes
Hopefully, you took in as much of the information in this module as possible. To find out how well you have done, complete the following worksheet.
Download the worksheet below and complete.
Module Summary
This is the end of the ninth module in the EYFS teaching course, discussing the importance of promoting child welfare in the early years.
We began by talking about the importance of child protection, including signs of possible abuse or neglect. We also spoke of the health and safety rules that early years facilities must comply with. Staffing requirements, including employee ratios, roles and responsibilities were also discussed. Finally, we gave you a few tips on how to effectively manage behaviour.
The next module gives you tips on finding work as an EYFS teacher, including CV preparation and how to impress in an interview.
WELL DONE!
YOU HAVE MADE IT THROUGH MODULE 9!
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