Safeguarding

In Peterborough the Early Years Team offers a wide range of training to Early Years and Childcare providers to ensure they can meet the safeguarding requirements of both the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Childcare Register Requirements. All training ensures that all practitioners are trained in line with the criteria set out in Annex C.

For details about Introduction to Safeguarding Children, Refresher and Designated Safeguarding Lead Training, and other Safeguarding related courses, including booking information please refer to the Early Years and Childcare training programme.

There is a range of courses available for professional development relating to safeguarding for all early years’ practitioners:

• Wider Safeguarding Issues

• Domestic Abuse Awareness

• Whistleblowing and Allegations

• An Introduction to Early Help

• Neglect Improving Outcomes for Children

• Supporting Vulnerable Children and Families

• The Lived Experience of the Child

• Designated Safeguarding Leads Information Network (DSL’s only)

Multi Agency Safeguarding Training

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Safeguarding Children Partnership Board offer a range of courses for professional development relating to safeguarding to all professionals that work in Early Years Settings including Childminders.

The Targeted Support Service offer Early Help Practice Workshops, Early Help Module training and Webinars: for more information, please contact The Targeted Support Service Tel 01733 863649 or email: targetedsupport@peterborough.gov.uk

Important Documents:

• Peterborough Threshold Document Continuum of Help and Support
• Working Together to safeguard children
• Keeping children safe in education
• What to do if you are worried a child is being abused
• Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners
• A 10 step guide to sharing information to safeguard children
• Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings: online safety considerations for managers
• Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings: online safety guidance for practitioners

 Useful websites:

• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Safeguarding Partnership Board
• NSPCC
• NSPCC National Repository
• Safeguarding and child protection in the early years | NSPCC Learning
• Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Partnership

The safeguarding and welfare requirements set out in Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage (publishing.service.gov.uk) states that providers must take all necessary steps to keep children safe and well. Providers must ensure the suitability of adults who have contact with children.

Early Years providers must ensure that people looking after children are suitable to fulfil the requirements of their roles. It also requires providers to have effective systems in place to ensure that practitioners and any other person who comes into contact with children are suitable - this would include anyone living or working on the premises.

Recruitment is the first step in ensuring that you appoint a suitable person with the right skills and approach for the role. Regard must be paid to safer recruitment, so we advise that at least one person who conducts an interview has completed safer recruitment training. This can be sourced from any provider that the setting deems suitable.

Following the recruitment of a new staff member, a robust and consistent induction process, followed by effective on-going supervision and training, will ensure that Safer Recruitment is a continuous process within your setting.

For further guidance and information on Safer Recruitment, please see:

The following links offer advice and guidance to safer recruitment.

Employing and managing early years staff | early years alliance (eyalliance.org.uk)

Safer recruitment | Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Safeguarding Partnership Board (safeguardingcambspeterborough.org.uk)

Keeping children safe in education

Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework – ‘Suitable people’, 'References', ‘Disqualification’, and ‘Staff qualifications, training, support and skills’ details the statutory guidance that Early Years settings and childminders must follow in relation to Safer Recruitment. 

​The Department for Education has published an early years employment reference template for everyone to use and supports compliance with the EYFS 2025: Early Years Employment Reference Template

Disclosure and Barring Service

An enhanced criminal records disclosure using the Children Barred List with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check must be obtained for all adults who work with the children, or in the same part of the premises whilst the children are present.

The DBS provides a searchable list of the umbrella bodies who process DBS checks for childcare providers. If an individual is registered with the DBS Update Service employers can instead obtain permission from the individual to view their original DBS check and carry out an instant free online check on the Update Service of any new information relating to the individual’s record.

Effective safeguarding record keeping is crucial for identifying, managing, and responding to potential risks. Records should be clear, comprehensive, and accurate, including details of concerns, conversations, emails, actions taken, and decisions made. Keeping records secure and confidential is essential, and it's important to follow relevant legislation and guidance.

Safeguarding Case File

A safeguarding case file is the record, of any decision making, actions or information related to the concern of an individual child. This could be paper based or an electronic file.

Safeguarding Records

There is no one way to set up safeguarding records but there are key things that should be in place.

• They should be started as soon as you become aware of any concern.

• Use clear and straightforward language.

• Be concise and accurate, so they can be understood by anyone not familiar with the case.

• Clearly differentiate between facts, opinions and judgements.

• Make sure they’re up to date and preferably in chronological order.

 Storage of Safeguarding Records

• Keep them secure and separate from any general records.

• Separate each child

• Only keep them for as long as necessary.

• Make sure they’re only accessible to relevant staff and volunteers.

As you work with children, you may choose to use NSPCC Learning's guidance for organisations on keeping and storing records.

To keep children and adults safe, information needs to be shared so that decisions can be made about how to protect them.

The law recognises that sharing information is a part of day-to-day safeguarding practice. It's covered in a range of laws.

Sharing information is an important part of safeguarding. If the information is confidential, but there is a safeguarding concern, sharing information is allowed both within and between organisations.

The justification for sharing information to safeguard a child for safeguarding purposes can be justified solely based on preventing harm to a child. The sharing of this information is not dependent on any thresholds for intervention. For example, it is not necessary for a formal process under section 17 or section 47 of the Children Act 1989 to be invoked in order for information to be shared, provided that the sharing is necessary for organisations and agencies to safeguard a child at possible risk of harm.

It is only through sharing information that agencies or organisations and practitioners build a richer picture of the day-to-day life of the child and family they are working with.

Do you need consent?

Wherever possible, always seek consent. Be open and honest with the person about why, what, how and with whom, the information will be shared. For example, are you making a referral because you think the child are at risk of harm or are you letting people know for information only?

If you decide to share information after the person refuses permission, you must explain to them why you have made the decision to share without their permission.

Documents to support your practice:

• Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners
• A 10 step guide to sharing information to safeguard children

If a child is starting school, the school must receive files that relate to safeguarding and welfare within the first 5 days of the start of a new term. (Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025). These should be transferred separately from any other documents such as learning and development or SEND records, ensuring secure transit, and confirmation of receipt should be obtained. Files should not be transferred earlier than this in case the child does not start at the school resulting in them holding confidential files without reason.

Best practice would be for the Designated Safeguarding Lead of the early years setting to have a conversation with the school or early years provision prior to the child starting and then the file can be transferred once the child starts. A child protection file includes all records of all concerns about a child's welfare or protection and all actions taken as a result of those concerns, including relevant conversations, emails or other communication.

The Transfer of Safeguarding Records Template can be found in the Safeguarding Forms and Templates section.