Safeguarding and Wellbeing
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Safeguarding is our duty
We have a duty of care to safeguard all of the children in our care and this forms the foundation on which we provide childcare to our families. Children and young people have the right to be protected from neglect and abuse. Everyone has a responsibility to protect children and young people and to report concerns. All allegations and concerns are taken seriously and dealt with appropriately in accordance with this policy and procedure. If we do have concerns about a child it is our duty to act and to do so promptly.
A safe child is a happy child
Safeguarding and Health & Safety are central to everything we do at Hopscotch. We have over 36 years of experience of keeping children safe and happy and we have nurtured thousands of children in this time.
Our Safeguarding Responsiblities
As an Ofsted registered childcare provider, it is our legal duty to ensure every child in our care is safeguarded at all times, whether when attending nursery or outside of those hours. All staff, from senior managers to our apprentices and housekeepers, undertake frequent and in-depth safeguarding training in-house and with external providers too. We have rigorous reporting and investigating procedures and we have strong links with all relevant statutory safeguarding organisations.
Protecting children from maltreatment
Preventing impairment of children’s health or development
Ensuring the children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes
Who is responsible for safeguarding at Hopscotch?
All Hopscotch staff are responsible for safeguarding, whether a housekeeper to a nursery manager to our Managing Director. We all undertake frequent training sessions both in-house and externally to ensure we are as knowledgeable as we can be. Each nursery setting has a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) - usually the Nursery Manager. The Deputy Manager at each nursery is also usually DSL trained for times when the Nursery Manager might not be available. In addition, our Senior Leadership Team are the DSLs for the company and one of them is always contactable to assist with any kind of safeguarding concern.
Child Mental Health
Supporting children's well being and mental health is imbedded into our practice and woven throughout our curriculum. We focus on children's emotional, social, physical, cognitive and creative well-being to help create a nurturing environment that supports the overall well-being a mental health of the children in our care.
As early years professionals, we strongly recognise the importance of the first five years of a child's life and the impact on their wellbeing for the rest of their life. We have previously collaborated with a Brighton-based Clinical Psychologist who specialises in working with children under five. They have provided a number of bespoke training sessions to Hopscotch staff as well as hosting a webinar for parents on emotional wellbeing and self-esteem in children. We also run regular in-house training sessions for our staff to help them understand and appreciate the importance of effective mental health support for children of all ages.
