1st Edition
Developing Child-Centred Practice for Safeguarding and Child Protection Strategies for Every Early Years Setting
Placing children at the centre of safeguarding principles and practices is vital for ensuring the best child protection. This essential resource provides early years practitioners with all that they need to be confident and competent as they fulfil their roles and obligations to safeguard and protect children.
Exploring the main factors that impact on the lives of young children in the current safeguarding climate, this book is a starting point for understanding the risks and categories of abuse and neglect. Grounded in best practice, it gives practitioners encouragement and advice to help shape and drive practice forward with child-centred motives, practices and perspectives.
The book offers:
- Insights into the current safeguarding climate backed by practical examples
- An introduction to managing the different safeguarding challenges faced by early years professionals
- Methods for contextualising these for children in the early years
- Guidance on supporting vulnerable children, their families and other agencies working alongside them
- Reflections, case studies and a wide range of example scenarios
- Voices and insights from across the sector woven throughout for a holistic understanding of safeguarding
With accessible chapters drawing on best practice from across the sector at every level, this is a valuable resource for all those working in the early years, whether just starting out or highly experienced in the field.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Forward
A letter for every early years practitioner
Chapter one: Safeguarding and child protection in the early years
Chapter two: Recognising and responding to abuse in early childhood
Chapter three: The role of the designated safeguarding lead
Chapter four: Identifying risk factors in the lives of young children
Chapter five: Taking action to safeguard and protect children
Chapter six: Working with others to achieve the right outcomes for
children. Working with parents - Multi agency practice
Chapter seven: Creating a safe child centred culture in the early years
Final thoughts
Biography
Rachel Buckler is a highly experienced practitioner, trainer and consultant working in support of safeguarding and child protection practices. During her 30-year career in children’s service social care, she has developed and managed services including Sure Start Children’s Centres and been a strategic lead for early intervention services delivered in Greater Manchester. Rachel continues to deliver training to local authorities’ early years workforces, as well as providing training and consultancy for independent nurseries and childcare providers across the country. Rachel is co-founder of the Early Years Hub and creator of the Safeguarding Hub.
'This comprehensive book explains the complex and critical issues of Early Years Safeguarding sensitively and in-depth. Rachel’s knowledge, insights and first-hand experiences are evident throughout the book, especially in the Reflective sections. The breadth of content makes it an ideal resource for both the designated safeguarding lead and anyone else working directly with children and their families. I would highly recommend it as compulsory reading for everyone in the Early Years sector.' – Kathy Brodie, Founder of Early Years TV and the Early Years Summit
'This excellent book provides Early Years professionals with everything they need to know about child protection and safeguarding in the early years. As with Rachel’s training delivery, her writing style, makes the content accessible to all, understandable, informative, and easy to translate to practice. At Thrive Childcare we have been in receipt of Rachel’s Child Protection and Safeguarding training for many years now, across both England and Scotland, and I cannot recommend this book enough.' – Ursula Krystek-Walton, Head of Early Years Thrive Childcare and Education
'This book will be hugely welcomed by early years leaders and practitioners alike. It is highly relevant and insightful, whilst being really accessible and straightforward, fulfilling a real need in the sector. Its content is validating for those carrying out the really tough job of safeguarding children in early years settings. Rachel has drawn on her extensive personal experience to create a reference book as well as a guidebook for DSLs and practitioners, providing regular reflection points for readers.
The book covers critical concepts such as professional curiosity, and wariness of inappropriate optimism to name just a couple. She reminds us about self-care and the importance of taking action and critically that safeguarding knowledge is about keeping children safe, not keeping Ofsted happy!' – Jo Kinloch, Managing Director, Mulberry Bush Nursery Group
'I’ve had the privilege to have known Rachel for over 20 years. She has provided training and support to our local childminder networks and to many childminders personally, me included. Rachel has always been such a wonderful advocate for childminders, and this continues to be a strong feature in this brilliant book which highlights the challenges and experiences of many of us working to safeguard and protect children. The book recognises the real issues which are often difficult and hard to work around but Rachel acknowledges this and offers useful and helpful strategies for childminders to engage with and apply in practice. This book will be a real game changer. It simplifies a difficult subject; it reminds us of how vital our roles as childminders are when working with children and families and it challenges us to build upon what we already know and do. I can’t wait to use it for training in my own team.' – Charlotte Cassidy, Childminder, Bury
"This book is second to none in terms of its breadth and depth of what remains a deeply complex and ever-evolving subject. Rachel Buckler’s expertise shines through in each of the seven chapters, providing information that is accessible and pertinent – and directly applicable to child care practitioners. She prioritises the empowerment of practitioners through equipping them with the diverse strategies provided throughout the book, as well as through broaching subjects that some might find it difficult to think about – let alone talk about and most importantly - act on when it comes to safeguarding and protecting children." – Dr Mine Conkbayir, Early Years author, trainer and researcher
