Duty of care refers to the legal obligations and responsibilities that people in authority have for those in their charge An extremely high duty of care is owed to children generally because of their limited ability to care for themselves.
All adults, whether paid or unpaid, who work with or on behalf of children have a duty of care in that they are accountable for the way they exercise their authority, manage risk, use resources, and otherwise act to safeguard children. In carrying out their work the child’s welfare must be paramount. This means that they have a duty to: Keep children safe, and protect them from sexual, physical and emotional harm and neglect Treat children with dignity and respect at all times Take reasonable steps to ensure children’s safety and wellbeing.
Failure to do so may be regarded as neglect Ensure that confidential information about children is only shared when it is in the child’s interests to do so. The information shared must be proportionate to the perceived risk, and consideration should always be given to gaining informed consent from parents (where doing so will not expose a child to risk of harm or further harm). Information should never be used to intimidate, humiliate or embarrass a child These duties are fulfilled by: Developing respectful and caring relationships between adults and children
Consistently behaving as a professional adult in ways that demonstrate integrity, maturity and good judgment Following the settings policies and procedures As we go about our daily lives, we all have a duty of care towards other people we must take reasonable care not to do things that would harm others. The duty of care is, exercised through the development of respectful, caring and professional relationships between staff and pupils and behavior by staff that demonstrates integrity, maturity and good judgment.
Your Duty Of care Your duty of care means that you must aim to provide high quality care to the best of your ability and say if there are any reasons why you may be unable to do so. You must adhere to a standard of reasonable care and you are expected to: Keep your knowledge and skills up to date Provide a service of no less a quality than that to be expected based on the skills, responsibilities, and range of activities within role Be in a position to know what must be done to ensure that the service is provided safely, Carry out risk assessments Keep accurate records of your work
Protect confidential information Image Obtained from Google images Every child deserves the best possible start in life with the opportunity to learn and develop in an environment that is both safe and secure. Parents who use early years services, should be able to do so confident in the knowledge that their children will be getting the best possible experiences.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYES) is the framework that provides this assurance within an enabling environment where the risks are minimized and well managed because practitioners understand the components of a safe environment and take their responsibilities seriously. This guide has been compiled by the Pre-school Learning Alliance, with support from the National Day Nurseries Association (AND) and National Childbearing Association (NCAA), to support practitioners in making sure that children are kept safe at all times within the supportive framework of existing legislation and the experience of practice.
In Every Child Matters, the Government set out aims to help all children and young people achieve five outcomes that children themselves have identified as being most important to them: being healthy, staying safe, enjoying ND achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well being.
Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements All practitioners working with children and young people have a duty to ensure they are kept safe and that their needs are met appropriately. The public, local authorities, employers and parents have legitimate expectations about the nature of professional involvement in the lives of children and young people. When individuals accept a role that involves working with children and young people, they need to understand and acknowledge the responsibilities and trust inherent in that role.
