This 3 in 1 safeguarding pack for childminders contains three useful tools in one pack. An editable safeguarding policy, 40 multiple choice safeguarding questions and a useful safeguarding audit tool.

• Resource one: A detailed and fully editable safeguarding and child protection policy for childminders. The policy in this pack is designed to help you create a policy which is tailored exactly to your childminding setting, meeting the requirements of the EYFS and helping you make sure you have everything covered effectively. It comes with clear notes to help you edit your policy.
• Resource Two: Forty multiple choice safeguarding questions to help you revise your safeguarding knowledge.
• Resource Three: Safeguarding Audit Tool. 

Please note: This is NOT a safeguarding training product. In order to fulfil the legal requirements of the EYFS you must attend training which is approved by your local authority.

More Information

Resource one: Editable Safeguarding Policy

No two safeguarding policies are the same.

• Your local authority may supply you a template for your childminding safeguarding policy. However, if they do not it is important not to just download a ‘one size fits all’ policy from the internet and then forget all about it. Firstly it is important that you understand your safeguarding policy and secondly the EYFS requires that your safeguarding policy is in-line with your local safeguarding board:

‘Providers must have and implement a policy, and procedures, to safeguard children. These should be in line with the guidance and procedures of the relevant local safeguarding partners (LSP)’

Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage 2024. Section 3.6

If you just use a generic childminding safeguarding policy, it may not contain the information that you need, therefore the ‘Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy’ in this pack is specially designed for you to edit so that it becomes tailored exclusively to your setting.

The safeguarding policy comes with two main sections:

Section 1 consists of notes on lots of the main forms of abuse or safeguarding scenarios which you may need to be aware of:

• General Signs of Abuse
• Physical Abuse
• Emotional Abuse
• Sexual abuse and exploitation
• Neglect
• Domestic Abuse
• Non-Mobile Babies
• 6a) Abusive Head Trauma
• Female Genital Mutilation
• Breast Ironing/Breast Flattening
• Forced Marriage
• Belief Based Abuse
• Outside Factors
• Child Criminal Exploitation and County Lines
• Sexual Exploitation
• Prevent Duty and Radicalisation
• Child on Child Abuse

(Important: Please note: This pack IS NOT a safeguarding training pack and these notes are not intended to be complete guide to safeguarding. They are  ‘revision’ notes to help refresh your knowledge on some safeguarding. They do not cover absolutely all safeguarding issues.)

Section 2 is the main part of the policy. It contains all safeguarding procedures to follow. These are listed in the contents at the very front of the policy to help you keep track of them:

• Publications and information I will refer to.
• Training and keeping up to date.
• What I will do if I have concerns about a child
• Procedure for Reporting a Concern
• Disclosure from a child
• Confidentiality and Information Sharing Protocols
• Allegations Against Myself or a Member of my Family
• The use of Mobile Phones, Cameras and Electronic Devices with imaging and sharing capabilities*
• Internet Safety
• Use of Digital Images – still and moving
• Social Media
• Conflict Resolution
• Sleeping Babies
• Protecting Older Children
• Missing Children
• Parent under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Suitable People **
• Whistle Blowing

*Additional content added to comply with new 2024 requirements

** New section for 2024

There are also a couple of useful appendices at the back of the policy for you to record your safeguarding training and any other useful information that you find. You may decide that you want to save or print this pack out to start a safeguarding folder in which case these additions will be handy.

There are clear instructions and helpful information to help you edit your policy all laid out in a tick list format to help keep you organised.

Note about written policies:

Childminders only must have a written safeguarding policy if you are registered on the Childcare Register. If you are not on the Childcare Register, you must have a safeguarding policy, but it does not need to be written down. However at least reading the policy in this pack and the attached notes is a useful exercise to refresh your memory and it can be very useful to have information written down in a clear way in case you ever need it, even if you never share it with anyone else.

Resource Two: 40 multiple choice safeguarding questions to help you revise your knowledge.

Most of the questions are based on information taken from the following documents:

• ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children.’ 2015 (Updated 2023)
• ‘What to do if you are worried a child is being abused.’ 2015.
• ‘The Prevent Duty Guidance.’ March 2015

These are all documents which you are either required to know or are useful to know so these questions will help you fulfil these requirements.

The questions are split into two sets of twenty so that you don’t feel you have to do them all at once! You can even cut them up to make into a safeguarding quiz to do with other childminding friends.

Going through these questions is a good way to help you feel more prepared for an childminding inspection.

Resource Three: Safeguarding Audit list

Although you may only have to complete safeguarding training once every two or three years, depending on your local authority requirements, it can be useful to audit your safeguarding knowledge and procedures on a more regular basis. This will help ensure you keep up to date and continue to improve your safeguarding knowledge and tools. This audit tool has been designed to help you do this in an effective and easy way. It is based on information from the statutory document, ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children,’ 2023  

'I've just worked through the questions, they were brilliant and put my mind at rest with regards to my knowledge!! Fantastic unique resource thank you!!' Philippa

IMPORTANT INFORMATION - PLEASE READ

N.B This pack is supplied as downloadable PDF and Word documents. Products ARE NOT sent out by post.

FREE UPDATE GUARANTEE

This Welly Wren product comes with a free update guarantee. If this product is ever updated, (and this one definitely will be as it is based on my own Safeguarding Policy which I review and update at least once a year!) and you are on the Childminding Best Practice Mailing list you are entitled to free updated copies of any products you have purchased. See the frequently asked questions for more information.