Child Protection-deignated Person

[Guest]

Hi all

Currently have Supervisor as designated person but also a comm member. The comm member that currently has her name down on the policy feels that really it should not be down to comm member that changes every year?

Jut wondered what others thought and who you had?

 

Thank

[hali]

personally i feel that child protection should be the supervisor or deputy - in my setting its the deputy.i think it would be hard for a committee member to be the named person especially as they do change regulary and need training for this named role in particular.

[Beau]

Our view was that Child Protection issues should be dealt with by senior staff, not committee members, who had full training and therefore a better understanding of all the issues. Most committee members are unpaid volunteers who are parents in the group. How subjective could they be if a situation arose with a friends child, or indeed the child of someone they didn't like? Could they put aside personal feelings and view things objectively, would they be reluctant to act at all, would they be able to treat the issue in the strictest confidence or would there be a temptation to divulge sensitive information to other friends associated with the people involved? We felt it better not to put these things to the test.

[JacquieL]

Child protection is such a serious issue that it should be the responsibility of a senior member of staff. Confidentiality is absolutely essential and so is willingness to act. The Committee should have a strict policy in place so that staff know exactly what procedures to follow, and should expect that the person who is designated for CP follows the policy to the letter. All concerns and actions should be documented and kept in a confidential file. The Chair should be is informed of any action taken, but s/he would not necessarily expect to know the details.

[Shiny]

It is a requirement for a school to have a named Child Protection Governor I believe, but not a committee member of a preschool. As said they do change regularly and unless they have training they could not be expected to understand the complexity of different cases.

[Guest Wolfie]

I would also feel uneasy about having a committee member as the deisgnated person. Positions on the committee are voluntary and members might not feel as bound by issues of confidentiality as paid members of staff with contracts of employment. They also might not have the professional knowledge and access to the specialised training and advice around safeguarding that is needed for that position.

[Inge]

Agreed,

EYFS says Child protection has to have designated person to take lead responsibility and person has to attend a child protection training course.. (p22)

 

Can a committee member really be able to do this successfully when they change so often.

 

Inge

[Guest]

Hi Guys!

Thanks for the quick response!

Have fed this back to the committee who are going along the same lines as yourself. Do you have to go on a special "designated person" course or is it just the one that everyone attend through the local authority?

Thanks

[Inge]

Our LEA provide ours.. we have several available ...a basic one which then leads to a stage 1 and 2 , both of which are full day courses run by our Safeguarding Children Board. Think it may once again come down to the area you work in as to what is available..

 

Inge

[Guest Wolfie]

We have a basic course for all practitioners and then an advanced course for anyone with more managerial responsibility for safeguarding issues - I would suggest that the advanced one needs to be attended by the designated person.

[Guest]

It is part of our NEF contract that the designated person attends level 1a and level2 training as it is called locally. Haven't managed to get on level 2 yet so I can't tell you what it covers, and the LA only seems to offer level 1 which according to the contract is different to level 1a! But that might be a typo I guess