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There are many different reasons how child protection policies and procedures in a childcare setting protect and safeguard babies.
Observations
One way in which you can do this is by observing babies. When you observe a baby you are looking to see how the baby is doing in terms of their development and what they enjoy doing when in the setting. However it isn't just for them reasons it's also to see how the baby is behaving and whether you notice any changes in the baby that you think is worrying and not what the baby would normally do. It is important that you take this further if you are really worried because it could be a case of a type of abuse and it is your job as a practitioner to safeguard babies and to make sure they that are not in any danger or harm.
Recording
Another reason why child protection policies and procedures are put in place for baby’s safety and wellbeing is by making sure that you are observing and recording a situation that was unusual in a baby’s behaviour or their physical and emotional condition, you should also look for signs of neglect. If you found that there was something unusual when you observed a certain baby it is important that you record this. If you see a baby is doing something inappropriate or unusual you need to make sure you write this down, making sure you write every detail to ensure it is clear enough and precise for another professional to examine and then come to a conclusion on what could have happened to the baby. When you are writing the report you need to write what happened step by step so that you don't miss any important details, you need to write what time it happened and where it happened. If you notice any physical, emotional or sexual signs and signs of neglect will also need to be recorded, this could include physical signs like cuts, bruises, burns, red marks etc. it could also include emotional signs e.g. crying all the time, clingy, separates themself from other babies etc....you could also see sexual signs like bruising in their private parts or anywhere near their private parts etc.... and lastly you may see signs of a baby being neglected e.g. dirty clothes, dirty nails, they may smell or they may have lost a lot of weight. When you are recording this information you will need to write down in clear detail, what the sign is and what the condition looks like, you need to write how severe it is and the most important information is where it is on their body so you can determine what sort of abuse the baby could be subjected to.
Another reason on how polices and procedures in a childcare setting can protect and safeguard babies is by reporting an incident that you have seen that you thought was concerning and action needed to be taken. Reasons why you may have to report an incident that a baby has been involved could be, if the baby’s behaviour had changed e.g. crying a lot, becoming more violent or if they are quiet. Inappropriate behaviour maybe if they are being sexually, physically, emotionally abused or they are being neglected which could change their behaviour dramatically. You could maybe see bruises, cuts, rashes, red marks, burns or any of physical signs when changing a baby’s nappy. If there was ever a time when you come across something like this then it is vitally important to report this incident even if it is a misunderstanding. This is because if when you had reported it and it turned out that a baby was being abused you could be the person to stop this abuse from progressing any further or saving the baby’s life if it turned out to be a very serious case. This is why it is vital to record any differences you see if a baby’s behaviour and the way they are acting. Once you have reported what the baby was doing that was inappropriate or unusual and what signs of abuse they may have been subjected to you will need to discuss and decide what professionals you would need to contact to report the incident. These professionals could include:
· Social services
· Police
· Hospital/Doctors
· NSPCC
· Child Protection line
Once you have decided which professional you are going to contact you would to work with them in order to make sure the baby’s case is successful and the child is going to be safe. You would also need to make sure you are always preventing it from happening to the baby again or to any other baby in that setting, this is why it is vital to have child protection policies and procedures to safeguard and protect babies.
Recognising signs of abuse
It is so important that when you are working with babies that you do observe a child to see whether there could be any signs of abuse. It is not about accusing parents of abusing their babies it is just about checking to make sure you are safeguarding babies just in case there was an incident where a baby was being abused, so being aware and reconising signs of abuse is vital and paramount to baby’s safety. It is imperative that you recogonise the different between small bruise where a baby could have fallen over to a big bruise where a baby could have been hit or been physically abused. Child abuse is a very serious problem and it is a very serious issues when it comes to babies and toddlers, this is often because babies cannot communicate to you how they are feeling which means that you might be less likely to know if a baby is being abused because they are unable to tell you. This means that babies will become helpless which means that babies will be at a higher risk from abuse than a school aged child would.
If you suspicious and you suspect that a baby is being abused or that they are being put in danger or harmed then you need to be aware of any of the following warning signs. You may start to see a change in the babies behaviour that you will find is unusual, this could include a baby may have an unexpected fear of a specific location or a particular person. It may be that a baby is be abused by a man so they will be frightened of men and they may cry every time one comes it to the setting if it is not a person they regconise or the place they are being abused in could be dark and small so when they are in the setting they may cry when the light goes out when it is their sleep time. The baby may not want to be alone when they are in day care so a practitioner may have carry the child allot and make sure they are comforting them. They may also distance themselves from other children and not want to play with other children so as a practitioner you will need to encourage the baby to play with the other children. If a baby was being sexually abused you would need to look for certain signs like they might scream or cry if you try to take their clothes off when you change their nappy, they may only want a certain staff member to change their nappy, the baby might flinch when a practitioner touches their private parts, if a practice is concerned and they notice any of these signs then you will need to take further action to investigate the situation to see whether the child is being sexually abused.
It is important to have confidentially policies and procedures in a setting to safeguard babies. Confidentiality policy is written to make sure important and personal information about babies and their families are kept confidential. The policy says that this confidential information is not to be shared outside the setting and that only staff member, parents and other professionals are allowed to read it. The policy will say that confidential information should be locked away in a filing cabinet where you can only access it by a key or on a computer where you have to have a password to get into it. In the policies and procedures it will say that parents are allowed to look at confidential information about their own baby but not anyone else’s but they do have to ask a member of staff before look at the documents. It is important that practitioners do not discuss personal information about babies with anyone else other than their parents. If confidential information is given to a practitioner by parents/carers is not allowed to be passed on to another professional unless they have discussed it with the parents/carers and they have agreed to it. Personal issues with babies and their families should always continue to be confidential to the people that are involved and it should never be discussed outside of the setting or with any other parents. If there is any an anxiety or confirmation that is about any baby’s personal safety, it is important that this information is kept in a filing cabinet and it should not be shared with some people in the nursery apart from the baby’s key worker or the manger of the nursery.
It is vital that settings have policies and procedures of the rights of children. It is vital that babies have their own rights and it's also important that practitioners are letting children have these rights and their not discriminating children's rights. All babies have the right to be kept safe and secure and to live and in a warm and loving environment where they are loved and looked after by the people close to them. These rights are taken away from them when they are being abused or their safety is taken away from them so that is why it is paramount that that practitioners make sure they have policies and procedures for the rights of children in order to protect and safeguard them.
It is important that the welfare of babies comes first before anything. The Children Act 1989 is Intended to guarantee that the welfare of children is paramount. It is important to work in partnership with parents/carers and practitioners to protect babies from any harm or abuse. "The Act was intended to strengthen the child’s legal position; to give him/her equal rights, feelings and wishes; and to ensure children were consulted and kept informed" (Children Act 1989, No Date). The Children Act 2004 looks at reinforcement to further develop children's lives and legalises and refers to 'Every Child Matters' (Change for Children 2004). Other legislation that is closely linked to The Children Act 2004 is
· Protection of Children Act 1999
· Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
· Childcare Act 2006
It is important that you work with parents when it comes to safeguarding babies,
It is important that you work as a team in a childcare environment when you are safeguarding babies because one opinions than one can help solve a problem and stop abuse or harm to a baby faster. Working together as a team sets out to show how different organisations work together with practitioners to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and babies in connection with Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004. It's really important that all practitioners in child care settings that are working to safeguard children and babies have an understanding of their responsibilities and duties that are already set out in primary legislation and linked regulations and guidance.
It is important that you are always aware of health and safety when it comes to safeguarding babies. It's important that practitioners are always aware of baby’s safety and making sure that they are not put in any danger or put at any harm. It is also important that you are always aware of baby’s health and that practitioners are looking at signs of whether a baby is unwell. It is always important that you that have the right staff ratio in settings at all times when it comes to safeguarding babies because more staff may be aware if a baby may be being abused and there are also more people to observe the children to see if they find any signs of abuse. It is practitioner’s duties to protect babies from maltreatment preventing them from physical abuse, it's important that practitioners are always looking out for any signs of physical abuse. It is practitioner’s duty to prevent impairment of baby’s health and development and ensuring that babies are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of care. "Undertaking that role so as to enable those children to have optimum life chances and to enter successfully" (Class Notes, 2012).
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