Child Protection/ Welfare

From December 11, 2017 Early Years Services including staff, service owners, board of management and volunteers have new legal obligations under the Children First Act 2015.

Consistent with the principles of Children First, every organisation, both public and private, that is providing services for children or that is in regular direct contact with children should:-

Ensure best practice in the recruitment of volunteers, which includes Garda vetting, taking up of references, good HR practices in interviewing, induction training, probation and on-going supervision and management;

Ensure that staff members or volunteers are aware of how to recognise signs of child abuse or neglect;
Develop guidance procedures for staff and/or volunteers who may have reasonable grounds for concern about the safety of children involved with the organisation. These procedures should not deviate from the current Children First: National Guidance, but may offer further elaboration to ensure local relevance and applicability.
Identify a designated person to act as a liaison with outside agencies and a resource person to any staff member or volunteer who has child protection concerns. The designated person is responsible for reporting allegations or suspicions of child abuse to the HSE Children and Family Services or to An Garda Síochána

Child safeguarding resources and supports are available on

Tusla Child Protection/Welfare

childsafeguardingelc.ie

Child Safeguarding Statement, Policy & Procedures

The Children First National Guidance states that all organisations that provide services to children should develop specific policies and procedures to create a safe environment for children.

In addition, the Children First Act 2015, requires Providers of relevant Services to develop a Child Safeguarding Statement that outlines the service that is provided and the procedures that will be observed to keep children safe from harm. The Child Safeguarding Statement should also include a risk assessment for all children availing of the service and include specified procedures to mitigate any identified risks.

ELC and SAC services are deemed to be Providers of Relevant Services under the Act.

www.childsafeguardingelc.ie/resources

If you are an Early years service provider (including pre-school or a school-age service) that employs more than one person you are legally required to have a Child Safeguarding Statement.

Tusla Child Safeguarding Statement Guidance

E-Learning: Introduction to Children First

Everyone in the sector including all owners, boards of management and early years staff are asked to complete this online course which provides introductory information on child protection and mandated reporting. The E-learning course can be accessed here:

Tusla Children First e-Learning-programme

Mandated Persons: WHO ARE MANDATED PERSONS?

Mandated persons are people who have contact with children and/or families and who, because of their qualifications, training and/or employment role, are in a key position to help protect children persons are people who have contact with children and/or families and who, because of their qualifications, training and/or employment role, are in a key position to help protect children from harm.

The Childcare Amendment Act 2024 made changes to the Early Learning and Care/School aged childcare context, which means that childcare workers in preschool services, school aged childcare services and childminders services that are registered with Tusla are mandated persons.

Everyone has a responsibility to report child protection and welfare concerns under the Children First National Guidance. Under the Children Frist Act, mandate persons have an additional responsibility to report any knowledge, belief or reasonable suspicion that a child has been harmed, is being harmed, or is at risk of being harmed. The National Child Safeguarding Programme have developed a poster which outlines Child Safeguarding Roles in Early Years Services.

Further information on the roles and responsibilities of Mandated Persons can be found in chapter 3 of the Children First National Guidance, 2017.

Tusla have developed a short video which explains the role and responsibilities of mandated persons. The video can be accessed here.

To further support Mandated Persons understand their responsibilities, Tulsa have also developed a Mandated Person eLearning Programme which provides information on, and understanding of, the role and responsibilities of mandated persons as outlined in the Children First Act 2015.

Designated Liaison Person

In line with the new Child Protection Legislation, every organisation providing services for children or in direct contact with children should have a Designated Liaison Person (DLP) to act as a liaison with outside agencies and as a resource person to any staff member or volunteer who has child protection concerns. The DLP ensures the standard reporting procedure is followed and that suspected cases of child neglect or abuse are referred promptly to the Child and Family Agency Duty Social Worker or in an emergency, where a child is in immediate danger and where the Social Worker cannot be contacted, to An Garda Síochana. The DLP should be knowledgeable about child protection and undertake any training necessary to keep themselves updated on new developments.

Child Safeguarding Training for ELC & SAC services

The National Child Safeguarding Programme is responsible for the development and provision of child safeguarding training, supports and resources to Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare services nationally. This training is facilitated by trainers in City / County Childcare Committees.

child safeguarding elc

The new programme has been developed in partnership with the HSE and the roll out is being co-ordinated by the National Early Years Children First Committee, an interagency committee tasked with the implementation of Children First in the Early Years Sector. The Programme has been developed by the National Early Years Children First Committee and funded by the Department of Children Equality Disability Integration and Youth.

Children First is Ireland’s national guidance for the protection and welfare of children.

This coordinated approach to child protection training aims to provide access to a standardised training module for everyone, at minimum cost and to ensure consistent implementation of child protection policy and procedures across the sector. Early Years Workers are in almost daily contact with children and their families and therefore are in a position often to recognise and identify concerns about the safety, welfare or well-being of a child in their care and have a responsibility for safeguarding these children through their policies, procedures and practices.

The one-day accredited training course looks at what constitutes child abuse, the roles and responsibilities in reporting child protection and welfare concerns, child protection policies and safe work practices This is a HSE accredited module that has been developed specifically for the Early Years sector.

It is aimed at childcare workers who are currently working in a service, childminders and boards of management.

For information on Child Protection Training, please contact Nicola in Leitrim County Childcare Committee

Call on: 071 96 40870