1.2
All practitioners have a duty of care all the children the setting, this also includes the staff. A duty of care is where a practitioner has to take care of them and not let them get harmed in any way. This will involve the children attention, watching out for hazards and preventing mistakes or accidents. If a practitioner has not met the duty of care required then they can be held accountable for allowing it to happen.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a framework that provides an assurance to cares and parents that the setting that they put their child in will keep them safe and help them thrive. The aim of the EYFS is to help children achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes which are •Staying safe
•Being healthy
•Enjoying and achieving
•Making a positive contribution
•Achieving economic wellbeing
These can be achieved by having quality, consistence and a set of standards which apply to all settings.
2.1
Children are entitled to basic human rights such as food, health care, a safe home and protection from abuse but because children can’t always stand up for themselves they need a special sat of rights to ensure that the adults around them take responsibility for their protection and development. The UN convention on the rights of the child applies to all children under the age of 18 and it spells out the basic human rights children and young people should have.
All children have the right to survive, develop and be protected from harm. There can be potential conflicts or dilemmas with professional’s record and share information about a child, the information on a child should only be collected and stored with the parents constant and should have free access to this information on request. The constant will be gained formally with a signature; the only exception is when a child might be at risk of immediate and significant harm if you share the information with the parent.
Safeguarding a child requires practitioners to make difficult judgments. As an early years practitioner your duty is promote the welfare, development and learning of each child sometimes this means raising difficult or sensitive issues with a parent or carer. It is important that the issues are raised in a way that shows concern for the child and not criticising the parent or carer.
In general it is important to have a confidential space and a clear focus on the child best interests, the vast number of parents will be supportive even if the first reaction in negative and it is important to involve senior staff in these discussions such as a room senior or the manager. 2.2
Whatever setting you are in, situations may arise where you need to respond to a complaint. People react in different ways to a situation. When responding to a complaint it is important to take into account the other persons point of view and find a solution to the problem. You should aim to deal with the complaint in a constructive manner in order to maintain positive working relationships. There are four positive steps that may help you respond to a complaint keep cool, listen, apologise if necessary and try for a win/win solution. 2.3
The colleagues that you work with should be able to provide additional support and advice about conflicts and dilemmas such as your room senior or settings manager. In addition there are a range of organisation that can provide support and advice for those working with children, young people and their families. These include local education authority, health services, social service department and charities and voluntary organisations. You should always remember to follow your settings guidelines regarding confidentiality and the sharing of information when concerned about the welfare of a child or young person.