Domai Domain 3 Essay

The Programme, which underpins the work of the Health Visitor, is an early intervention and prevention public health programme that aims to provide an “invaluable opportunity to identify families that are in need of additional support and children who are at risk” (Department of Health, 2009, p.6) by providing a progressive universal framework to ensure the promotion of the health and wellbeing of children, delivered via multi-agency support services. The safeguarding process requires Health Visitors to utilise all four principles of specialist community health nursing (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2004) in developing child care services to prevent child maltreatment and in ensuring rapid and appropriate help for families. Furthermore, the Healthy Child Programme (Department of Health, 2009) establishes a leadership role for Health Visitors in delivering care packages to support the most vulnerable children; core principles of the Programme include keeping children healthy and safe, identification of factors that influence the health and wellbeing of families, and partnership working with other agencies in order to refer to appropriate specialist services, signpost to wider support, and provide co-ordinated care packages (Department of Health, 2009). With this in mind, the extent to which

Children Act 2006 – Is an Act that defines the new duties imposed on the Local Authorities in respect to improving the Every Child Matters outcomes for pre-school children. The Act also defines new rules in relation to childcare for working parents as well as parental information services. It is aimed at improving the well-being of young children. It emphasises the importance of safeguarding children and young people within an educational setting. If a child discloses neglect or abuse; an establishment should have instructions to help the child. This could be referral to an outside organisation or internally.

Children Act 1989 – Determines the duty of early year’s practitioners to identify and meet the separate and distinctive needs of children and to keep them safe. It initiated the belief that the child ought to be at the centre of planning and that a child’s well-being and safety are vital when judgements are made concerning them. This act also recognises the accountabilities of parents in keeping their offspring safe. In this act there are two particular segments that relate to the duty of local authority with concern to child protection, these are-

A corporate parent is where a local authority has taken full parental responsibility of a child or young person, this could be for a number of reasons and a full care order will have been obtained from the courts. (Section 31)

The children act 1989 has influenced some settings by bringing together several sets of guidance and provided the foundation for many of the standards practitioners sustain and maintain when working with children. The act requires that settings work together in the best interests of the child and form partnerships with parents or carers. It requires settings to have appropriate adult to child ratios and policies and procedures on child protection. This act has had an influence in all areas of practice from planning a curriculum and record keeping. The every child matters framework has

This is a report which has been created to introduce new childcare practitioners to safeguarding within a childcare setting. This will help new practitioners to understand current legislations within the United Kingdom.

A. As we (as nursery nurses) are the ones that spend time with the children and look after them, we are the first contact for not only the children but for their parents too. So it’s very important that we are seen as professional and competent people at all times. I, as an individual, work alongside a small team of professional childcare workers to support, inspire, care for and look after all the children within my care. I will maintain a safe environment for the children to explore, learn and play in. I am polite to other staff, children and parents and communicate well with everyone.

It is very important to recognise that parents and practitioners have different kinds of relationships with the children in their care. Practitioners need to develop consistent, warm and affectionate relationships with children especially babies but they should not seek to replace the parents. Babies need to be with the same people each and every day to develop social relationships. This is why the EYFS requires all early years settings and schools to implement a key person system. Parents and practitioners have one thing in common that is very important: they all want the best for the child. The roles involved are not the same yet they are complementary. Parents know their own child best. Practitioners have knowledge of general child development.

A two year assessment is carried out between the ages of two and three. Parents/carers/guardians are provided with a short written summary of the child’s development in the prime areas. Within the progress

Risk assessments should be carried out regularly to make sure that there are no safe guard threats towards the children in the setting. Childcare settings need risk assessing for example is there entrances and exits to the building that an unauthorised person could use? Could a child leave the setting without anyone noticing? Could a child get seriously hurt due to a broken piece of equipment?

All people working with children are governed by legislation that is in place to protect your children and the child care provider. In this document I have listed four important legislations that are of particular importance to home based child care providers and noted how I aim to incorporate them into my practice. Child care practitioners also have a regulatory body; in England it is Ofsted. This document gives you a brief description of their supervisory role in child care settings. However, the list of legislation is not comprehensive and nor is the short description of Ofsted’s Role, if you would like more information or would like to discuss

* Analysing the child’s and families need’s and the level of risk or harm the child may be suffering

Effective information sharing by professionals is central to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. This sharing of information makes an important contribution to the shift to addressing children’s needs at an early stage rather than when serious problems have developed. In order to safeguard and promote children’s welfare, arrangements should ensure that:

Working together to safeguard children 2006 sets out how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in accordance with the Children’s Act 1989 and the Children’s Act 2004. It is important that all practitioners within settings and environments looking and caring after children and young people must know their responsibilities and duties in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people, following their legislations, policies and procedures.

The rationale for this choice was that the authors clinical background is health visiting and therefore has prior knowledge of good practice in child and family settings, an understanding of child development stages and experience of supporting children with complex needs and their families. Additionally, the author has previously been involved in shadowing opportunities within their own organisation and knows service areas well. By choosing an area unfamiliar to the author, a fresh eyes approach could be pursued and limited the potential for bias.