Safeguarding Policy

Introduction and Aim

The health, safety and well-being of all children is of paramount importance to all the adults who work at Kids Spot Nursery. Our children have the right to protection, regardless of age, gender, race, culture, or disability. They have a right to be safe in our setting. Protecting children is everyone’s responsibility at Kids Spot Nursery and this includes reporting any act committed by a parent, guardian, or any other person, to a child enrolled in our setting which results in neglect, physical or emotional injury or sexual harm. In our setting we strive to protect children from the risk of radicalization, and we promote acceptance and tolerance of other beliefs and cultures (please refer to our inclusion policy for further information).

Safeguarding is a much wider subject than the elements covered within this single policy, therefore this document should be used in conjunction with the nursery’s other policies and procedures.

All staff have a duty and will report any suspected or disclosed issues of child protection to the Designated Child Protection Officer (DCPO). If the threat is immediate or ongoing it will be reported to the appropriate local safeguarding authorities as set in place by the UAE. Preventing child abuse in the Nursery:

Relevant legislation or authorities:

This Policy is underpinned by the fundamental principle of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 1989 of which the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ratified on the 3rd January, 1997 along with the UAE local laws (the Emirates Human Rights Association have launched a Federal Law, the Child Rights Law, which is to be established December, 2014)

‘’The Federal Law No 3 of 2016, formerly named Wudeema Law, was drafted in the memory of Wudeema, an eight-year-old Emirati girl who was starved and tortured to death in Dubai by her father and his girlfriend in 2012’’.

Prohibited Discipline Practices

The system has been installed by the nursery with the primary purpose of monitoring

The following behaviour by staff is not permitted:

Corporal punishment or any type of physical punishment including hitting, spanking, beating, shaking, pinching or other measure which produce physical pain.
Abusive, profane or derogatory language, yelling and belittling,
Any form of public or private humiliation including threats of physical punishment,
Any form of emotional abuse,
Using food as punishment,
Not letting the child rest or have an opportunity to use the toilet,
Physical restraint of children will not be used except as necessary to ensure a child’s safety or that of others, and then only for as long as is necessary to control of the situation.

Staff Training

Regular trainings, workshops and/or seminars on Child protection and Personal well- being is considered as a part of professional development, this will be conducted to make staff aware of their own personal levels of tolerance and stress and how to manage them, how to observe and report suspected child abuse or neglect. Normally every 2 years

Dealing With Disclosure

If a child discloses that he or she has been harmed in some way, the member of staff should

Help identify and discuss children’s feelings
Recognise negative feelings such as ‘pain/butterflies in my tummy’, ‘tight feelings’ in the throat, anxiety as well as happy and safe feelings.
Encourage children to talk about situations when they feel safe and don’t feel safe,
Listen to children so that they know their questions and concerns are being understood,
Do not promise confidentially, as it might be necessary to refer the case to the appropriate authority
Reassure the child that what has happened is not their fault
Stress that it was the right thing to tell
Listen rather than ask direct questions
Ask open questions rather than leading questions
Not criticize the perpetrator
Explain what has to be done next and who has to be told.

Procedure

When a child reports abuse, the teacher will inform the Designated Child Protection Officer (DCPO) immediately. The teacher should also inform the DCPO as soon as possible if there is reasonable cause to believe that abuse is occurring. The DCPO will take initial steps to gather information regarding the reported incident.

At this stage the child protection officer/management will:

Interview staff members as necessary and document information relative to the case.
Consult with school personnel to review the child’s history in the setting.
The DCPO will then form a nursery-based response team to address the report. The response team may include the school doctor, nurse, manager, teacher, and other individuals as the DCPO sees fit.
In all cases, follow up activities will be conducted in a manner that ensures that information is documented factually, and that strict confidentiality is maintained.

Based on acquired information, a plan of action will be developed to assist the child and family.

Actions that may take place are:

Discussions between the child and the DCPO in order to gain more information.
In-class observations of the child by the teacher, nurse, or manager.
Meetings with the family to present the settings concerns.
Referral of the student and family to external professional counselling.
Consultation with local authorities

Subsequent to a confirmed case of child abuse or neglect, the following actions may take place:

The DCPO will maintain contact with the child and family to provide support and guidance as appropriate.
The DCPO will provide the child’s teachers with ongoing support and provide strategies for the teacher to use.
The DCPO will maintain contact with outside therapists, in order to update the therapist about the progress of the child in the setting, and to keep the setting informed about the progress of the therapy.
The Manager refers the case to local authorities for further action.

Responsibilities of the nursery staff:

All members of the nursery staff have a responsibility to identify, and report suspected abuse and to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the students at Kids Spot Nursery. In doing so, they should seek advice and support as necessary from the DCPO.
All staff are expected to attend regular and relevant professional development sessions.
All staff are expected to provide a safe and caring environment in which children can develop their confidence to voice ideas, feelings, and opinions.

Children should be treated with respect within a framework of agreed and understood behaviour

All staff are expected to be aware of symptoms of abuse & to report concerns to the DCPO/manager as appropriate or keep clear, dated, factual and confidential records of child protection concerns.

Specific responsibilities of the Nurse and Manager:

The nursery Doctor/Nurse or DCPO may be requested to provide physical treatment and emotional support after a child has been abused
The Doctor or Nurse may be required to conduct an examination if there are physical injuries and write an initial report about the child’s physical and emotional condition
The Doctor/ Nurse and/ or Manager can provide positive encouragement to the child, liaise with family members determine how best to promote the child’s safety both at the setting and at home.
Child abuse can leave deep emotional scars and the Doctor or Nurse should recognize these and help develop a rehabilitation plan in liaison with the DCPO/PODco and other appropriate staff in the case team.
In some cases, the child may have to take medication as a result of the abuse. The Doctor or Nurse should ensure that all standards and procedures for administering medications in the setting are met.

Specific responsibilities of the HR department and Security:

When recruiting any member of the teaching staff or support staff with access to children, all reasonable steps should be taken to ensure compliance as far as possible with the following:

Provision of an up-to-date police ‘good conduct’ letter and/or criminal records check
All staff (both teaching and non-teaching), including volunteers who apply to work at the setting, will be subject to a fair recruitment process to ensure, as far as possible, their suitability to work with children and eligibility to work in the UAE.
At least, two references will be taken up and they will be required to give evidence of their qualifications.
All staff will be provided with a copy of the Child Protection Policy & Behaviour Policy and will be required to sign their understanding and acceptance of the policy.
All these policies are applicable when students go on trips away from nursery.
Child Protection is the responsibility of all staff and especially those working with children. The Manager, Nurse and DCPO will be in-charge of child protection/ safeguarding matters. Staff should discuss any concerns regarding Child Protection with the relevant Manager.

This policy applies to all staff, volunteers and visitors to Kids Spot Nursery including school administration, bus drivers, cleaners, and classroom assistants. The staff at Kids Spot Nursery have a responsibility to promote the safety and well-being of all students.

The following persons are DCPO’s for all child protection issues here at Kids Spot Nursery:

Manager and Director
The Nursery Nurse & Doctor

Allegations against staff or the Manager:

Whistle Blowing Policy is used when any staff member observes or suspect an allegation of abuse against another member of staff, the allegation should be reported immediately and confidential will be ensured.
If the Principal is absent, the allegation should be passed to the Director.
If the allegation is against the Manager, the person receiving the allegation should immediately inform the Director without notifying the Manager first.

Involvement of outsourced agencies

Dubai Foundation for Women and Children (DFWAC)

Dubai Police Human Rights Department

Latifa Hospital Child Welfare Unit

Community Development Authority (Centre)

Al Ameen Reporting (Dubai & Federal Police)

Safeguarding Policy

Introduction and Aim

Relevant legislation or authorities:

Pages

Jumeirah

Al Barari

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