sarah707
11-10-2013, 03:24 PM
A colleague has asked me to share this information with you.
Most childminders have a safeguarding procedure that says...
1. Speak to parents - unless there is any concern that the child might be further harmed as a result of the conversation
2. Contact Local Authority Development Officer (they are called different things / if you have one) to ask advice
3. Contact LADO - Local Authority Designated Officer (they are called different things across the country) at the Local Safeguarding Children Board to make a disclosure
4. Contact etc...
The childminder followed her procedure -
1. Mum said it was nothing, just a child with a bruise who changed her story about how it happened as 2 year olds do - daddy did it... a toy did it... you know what 2 year olds are like.
2. Local Authority Designated Officer said if the childminder was happy (which she was - the child was new - there was no reason to be suspicious - it was just a bruise) to log it and ask parent to sign.
The child was taken from her family - she was being abused - the childminder was shut down for investigation.
Ofsted said the childminder should have raised it with her Local Authority Designated Officer immediately she saw the bruise and the child told her ‘daddy did it’ story... and that because she didn’t inform LADO immediately she had allowed the child to go back to an abusive home.
Imagine how that childminder is feeling. She followed her procedure... she wasn’t worried about the child who was well fed, communicative, happy and just settling in. She had no reason to be suspicious of the parents who had both visited her with the child to sign the paperwork.
The childminder has had to promise Ofsted - before she was given her registration certificate back - that she will ring LADO at the first instance she has a concern - any concern - about a child’s safety or wellbeing - regardless of what her (and our) safeguarding procedures say.
This is very worrying and will have ramifications for every childminder which is why she wants me to share it with you.
Action plan
To make sure you are complying with current advice I suggest you contact your safeguarding team and check they are happy with the wording in your safeguarding procedures.
Make sure you record every single 'accident at home' and ask parents to sign.
If you have a local authority model safeguarding procedure, check that it is worded correctly and covers you in case of all eventualities.
Update your safeguarding procedures to say that if a child makes an allegation about an adult - regardless of the age of the child - you will raise it with LADO because you understand that you are not qualified to investigate it yourself.
I am sure you will want to reflect on how this might affect all our responses to 'accidents at home' in future.
Thank you.
Most childminders have a safeguarding procedure that says...
1. Speak to parents - unless there is any concern that the child might be further harmed as a result of the conversation
2. Contact Local Authority Development Officer (they are called different things / if you have one) to ask advice
3. Contact LADO - Local Authority Designated Officer (they are called different things across the country) at the Local Safeguarding Children Board to make a disclosure
4. Contact etc...
The childminder followed her procedure -
1. Mum said it was nothing, just a child with a bruise who changed her story about how it happened as 2 year olds do - daddy did it... a toy did it... you know what 2 year olds are like.
2. Local Authority Designated Officer said if the childminder was happy (which she was - the child was new - there was no reason to be suspicious - it was just a bruise) to log it and ask parent to sign.
The child was taken from her family - she was being abused - the childminder was shut down for investigation.
Ofsted said the childminder should have raised it with her Local Authority Designated Officer immediately she saw the bruise and the child told her ‘daddy did it’ story... and that because she didn’t inform LADO immediately she had allowed the child to go back to an abusive home.
Imagine how that childminder is feeling. She followed her procedure... she wasn’t worried about the child who was well fed, communicative, happy and just settling in. She had no reason to be suspicious of the parents who had both visited her with the child to sign the paperwork.
The childminder has had to promise Ofsted - before she was given her registration certificate back - that she will ring LADO at the first instance she has a concern - any concern - about a child’s safety or wellbeing - regardless of what her (and our) safeguarding procedures say.
This is very worrying and will have ramifications for every childminder which is why she wants me to share it with you.
Action plan
To make sure you are complying with current advice I suggest you contact your safeguarding team and check they are happy with the wording in your safeguarding procedures.
Make sure you record every single 'accident at home' and ask parents to sign.
If you have a local authority model safeguarding procedure, check that it is worded correctly and covers you in case of all eventualities.
Update your safeguarding procedures to say that if a child makes an allegation about an adult - regardless of the age of the child - you will raise it with LADO because you understand that you are not qualified to investigate it yourself.
I am sure you will want to reflect on how this might affect all our responses to 'accidents at home' in future.
Thank you.