Health and Safety of Children and Young People

In order to ensure a safe and healthy environment and services for children/young people there are some factors which need to be taken into account. These include any equipment which they will be in contact with, such as electrical equipment, anything which may pose a fire risk, any damaged furniture or fixtures which they may come into contact with. If there are any cables or anything they may trip over as well as any spillages or anything they may slip on and fall. All if these issues need to be taken into account

3.2 Explain the dilemma between the rights and choices of children and young people and health and safety requirements

In order to not only promote the welfare of children within a setting but also to protect them from harm and abuse there are a number of pieces of legislation and statutory guidance that must be adhered to. Both laws and statutory guidance are mandatory and so legally enforceable and must act as a foundation of which policies and procedures within any setting can be based upon.

Consider the responsibilities and limits of learning support staff in ensuring the safety of children and young people in a school, in terms of:

An Act to reform the law relating to children; to provide for local authority services for children in need and others; to amend the law with respect to children’s homes, community homes, voluntary homes and voluntary organisations; to make provision with respect to fostering, child minding and day care for young children and adoption; and for connected purposes.”

Children and young people should feel happy, safe, respected and included in the school or early years setting environment and all staff should be proactive in promoting positive behavior in the classroom, playground and the wider community. Policies and practice which make sure the safety and wellbeing of children should already be in place and it is this legislation develop through many years and experiences, and mistakes, that underpin the working practices that are used today.

Children and young people can be made aware of risks and hazards through the delivering of safety education including the PSHE (personal, social and health education) curriculum.

Children love to play and explore. For example while in a park a child will want to climb a ladder to go on a slide. Natural reaction may be to hold or even pick up a child and put them up. Children learn best when trying and experiencing things themselves. There is a risk of a child slipping and falling of the steps but a child also has a right to experience facilities to aid their development. Children need to learn how to predict and avoid dangerous situations.Another potential dilemma may be confidentiality. I must ensure that all personal information is kept confidential and is not shared with anyone else unless permission form is signed. But if there is a case of concern that a child’s welfare may be at risk social services have to be informed.There is also a possibility of conflict with parent’s wishes due to their culture and religion.

Ensuring children and young people’s safety and welfare in the work setting is an essential part of safeguarding. While children are at school, practitioners act in ‘loco parentis’ while their parents are away. As part of their legal and professional obligations, practitioners hold positions of trust and a duty of care to the children in their school, and therefore should always act in their best interests and ensure their safety – the welfare of the child is paramount (Children Act 1989). The Children Act 2004 came in with the Every Child Matters (ECM) guidelines and greatly impacted the way schools look at the care and welfare of pupils. Children and young people should be helped to learn and thrive and be given the opportunity to

ensuring that there is an effective way of reporting any hazards to the appropriate person so that any required action can be taken. Every school is

This means keeping children safe from accidents (i.e. road safety), crime and bullying and actively promoting their well-being in a healthy, safe and supportive environment. It also encompasses issues such as pupil health and safety and bullying, about which there are specific statutory requirements, and a range of other issues, for example, arrangements for meeting the medical needs of children with medical conditions, providing first aid, school security, drugs and substance misuse.

As a level 3 practitioner it is important to take a balanced approach to risk management so that children are able to learn and develop. Practitioners need to be aware of the risks, however “if the activity is well planned and organised, with thought given to possible risks, the likelihood of an accident or injury should be minimal” (Tassoni et al, 2010, p144). Practitioners working with children have a duty of care towards the children and must make sure that they are safe at all times. They should plan the play environment and activity which is safe for the child, but there also needs to be a balance between the risks a child is able take. Children should be allowed to take risk they think they are able to achieve with adult support but not too much intervention, If they are not allowed to take risk they will not be able to develop the skills required to deal with risks and make judgement about their own strengths and skills which may affect their development, self-esteem and confidence. Avoiding risks and challenges may result in a very timid adult lacking in every day skills and abilities. Children can take risks in all different areas by following the seven areas of development which was introduced by the foundation phase, these areas are as follow:-

Explain how the procedures of the work setting protect both children and young people and practitioners.

Think about and comment on how child and adolescent safety regulations have changed over the past few decades.

As the evidence supports that parents are becoming more cautious over the upcoming generations, I can vouch that parents are beginning to worry more about childhood safety. As a ‘90s cohort I am the oldest of three siblings in my household. In 1st grade I was given the privilege to walk to school by myself, my sister/ youngest sibling, born in 2004, didn’t have this “freedom”. Restrictions were set in place, while in 1st grade I was trusted to walk about 1/3 of a mile to school alone, my sister had to be accompanied by someone to have the privilege of walking to school that day. If my brother, the middle child, or I were unable to make it to school that day, my sister was left riding to school with one of our parents. Just this little shift