Our Safeguarding Policy
We care about your Safety
Aims and Ethos
To provide high quality group sessions in the community which are accessible to all local babies and under 5’s with their parents or carers, in a safe and welcoming environment.
Sessions will involve language rich, play and multi-sensory story-based activities to help parents support their children’s continued early learning at home.
Sessions will provide a positive and safe environment that supports the development of support networks and friendships among parents and carers.
We believe that:
Children and young people should never experience abuse or discrimination of any kind.
We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practice in a way that protects them.
We recognise that:
The welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take.
All children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse.
Some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues.
Working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.
The purpose of this policy is:
To protect children and families who receive Munchkin and Me’s services from harm. This includes children of adults who use our services.
To provide children and their families who attend our group, as well as staff and volunteers, with information about our approach to child protection.
This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of, or operating a franchise of, Munchkin and Me.
Designated Safeguarding Officer
NOTE: When contacting Munchkin and Me (in any format, including electronic), please do not include any sensitive or personal information, outside what is relevant to your immediate enquiry. Our response time to your enquiry could be up to 2-full working days.
Please also note that emails and ‘Contact Us’ submissions ARE MONITORED during business hours Monday through Friday (9am to 5pm) during school term-time, these will not be monitored on weekends, bank holidays or throughout school holidays.
Rachel Curtis, as owner, is responsible for all safeguarding concerns. Please read the following section to identify the best point of contact for your enquiry.
Rachel is the first point of contact to report any safeguarding concerns and can be contacted;
In the first instance via email Rachel@munchkinandme.co.uk (please note our response time of up to 2-full working days) or
You may also use any of the ‘Contact Us’ links on our main website located at www.munchkinandme.co.uk (please note our response time of up to 2-full working days)
However, if your safeguarding enquiry is urgent and you require an immediate response, you can contact the Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS) directly on Telephone 0344 800 8020.
Our commitment to “Keeping you Safe"
Rachel attended Safeguarding training through the Norfolk SAFER programme and will attend a Safeguarding course every 3 years. Part of her role is to make sure that all parents are aware of our safeguarding policy and how to access it if they wish to read it.
Rachel is also first aid trained, maintains an enhanced DBS check, renewed annually, insurance, risk assessments for all operating venues and holds Qualified Teacher Status.
Safer Recruitment
Munchkin and Me, has one franchise operating as Munchkin and Me West Norfolk. This franchise is operated by Kayleigh Jeffrey. Kayleigh, has an up-to-date enhanced DBS check and certificate, a certificate in paediatric first aid, valid insurance and has successfully attended the Norfolk SAFER programme introduction to safeguarding training. Kayleigh also holds risks assessments for all her operating venues.
Group attendees
Any child under the age of 5 is welcome to attend along with parents, carers or grandparents. This is an inclusive and welcoming organisation, which actively encourages friendships and the development of support networks among those who attend. All new members are introduced and welcomed at the start of each session. They are also sent information electronically about the venue, the sessions and what to expect in advance of attending their first session.
All new parents & carers are required to read our terms, conditions and registration policy document which is available on our Facebook group (Munchkin and Me) and sent to anyone who does not have access to Facebook.
Before attending their first session parents and carers are required to complete an online registration form.
This includes attendee contact details, details of allergies and intolerances, medical conditions and disabilities, photography permissions, Covid (or future pandemic) procedure agreements e.g Track and Trace permissions (where applicable), Munchkin and Me Terms and Conditions acceptance and emergency contact name and phone number. This information is collated through Microsoft forms and a database stored on Dropbox in a password protected file.
Policy Accessibility
A copy of this policy is available in a folder for parents and carers to view during sessions and parents and carers will be informed of this prior to attending their first session and informed that an electronic copy of this policy can be provided on request.
Code of Conduct
Our code of conduct is part of the registration form which parents sign up to when they book to attend Munchkin and Me sessions. They agree to the following:
Parents and carers will be responsible for their own children at all times.
Parents and carers may take photographs during sessions but are reminded (at the start of each session) to avoid taking photos of other people’s children and never to put photographs, in which other children are identifiable, on social media.
Parents and carers are reminded of fire procedures, exits and meeting points at the start of each session.
Parents are asked to always respond to their child’s needs during the session, whether this be feeding, changing or taking them to the toilet.
Parents and carers have an opt in photo permissions consent on our registration form as part of the booking process photo for use on social media and our website. This complies with GDPR and is outlined in the Munchkin and Me Privacy Policy which is available on the website.
Rachel or Kayleigh may take photographs at sessions and all photos are stored securely whilst the child attends sessions. The deletion and retention procedure is outlined in our privacy policy and complies with GDPR.
Munchkin and Me will be responsible for making everyone feel safe and welcome; outlining fire procedures and photography procedures at the start of each session, enduring all props and toys are clean and safe; providing hand sanitiser and a ‘dribble tub’ to reduce the risk of germs spreading; visually checking the venue (in relation to risk assessment points) prior to each session and making all members feel welcome and instigating conversations during the ‘break-out’ part of the session.
Rachel Curtis, the designated person that safeguarding concerns are reported to, will liaise with Children’s Services and other agencies, including making referrals to the Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS) or Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) when required.
Procedure for Handling a disclosure from a child
Munchkin and Me refer to the definitions of abuse as outlined in the Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 Guidance Document - please also see document at end of this page, or also access and download from HERE.
Upon receipt of any Safeguarding concern, the designated safeguarding officer will consult the Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS) Flowchart when considering making any referral (see below for flowchart).
Managing Allegations Against People Working With Children
Concerns relating to Munchkin and Me must be directed to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) please visit the following for guidance on how to raise a concern.:
https://www.norfolklscb.org/people-working-with-children/how-to-raise-a-concern/local-authority-designated-officer-lado/
or click HERE
Record Keeping and Information Sharing
Munchkin and Me uses information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance from the Information Commissioner"s Office: ico.org.uk/for-organisations to whom we pay an annual fee as data processors, as outlined in our Privacy Policy.
It is an expectation on Munchkin and Me that we will seek consent to share information first unless to do so would place somebody at risk of harm or undermine a criminal investigation.
Munchkin and Me cannot guarantee confidentiality if there is a child protection concern, such concerns will be raised with the Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS).
A hard-copy recording attendance with first names only, photo permissions and medical conditions is kept for 6 months.
Supporting documents
This policy statement should be read alongside our organisational policies, procedures, guidance and other related documents, including:
Registration Form and Privacy Notice (which includes guidance on photography and sharing images)
Risk Assessments
DBS Certificate
Insurance Certificate
Paediatric First Aid Certificate
Privacy Policy
First Aid Policy
GDPR Checklist
Safer Working Parctices
We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:
Valuing, listening to and respecting them.
Adopting child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers.
Developing and implementing an effective online safety policy and related procedures.
Providing effective management for any staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures so that all staff and volunteers know about and follow our policies, procedures and behaviour codes confidently and competently
Recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made
Recording, storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk/for-organisations
Sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children and their families via social media, leaflets, posters, in sessions and via one-to-one discussions
Making sure that children, young people and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern
Using our safeguarding and child protection procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately
Using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately
Creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment
Ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place as outlined in our Privacy Policy.
Ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance
Building a safeguarding culture where staff and volunteers, children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns.
Definitions of Abuse and Neglect from Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018.
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined in this guidance as:
protecting children from maltreatment;
preventing impairment of children"s health or development;
ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care;
and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
Child protection is defined as:
Part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. This refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm.
What is abuse and neglect?
A form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or, more rarely, by others (e.g. via the internet). They may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.
Physical abuse
A form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.
Emotional abuse
The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person.
It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or !making fun of what they say or how they communicate.
It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a child"s developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction.
It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another.
It may involve serious bullying (including cyber bullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone.
Sexual abuse
Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing.
They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse Sexual abuse can take place online, and technology can be used to facilitate offline abuse.
Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.
Neglect
The persistent failure to meet a child"s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child"s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse.
Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to:
provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment);
protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger;
ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or
ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.
It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child"s basic emotional needs.