Safeguarding the Welfare of Children and Young People Essay Example

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 including: health and safety in the workplace; welfare facilities for people at work; maintenance of the workplace. The workplace and equipment need to be maintained in an efficient state, in working order, and in good repair.

Buildings, including mobile or temporary rooms, should be in a good state of repair and services should be in efficient working order. In general, indoor workplaces should be reasonably comfortable, reasonably clean, properly illuminated and adequately spacious. The environment requirements of the regulations apply to the workplace, but existing education standards for children’s working space, temperature, ventilation and so on may be more appropriate for education setting. The Education (school premises) Regulation 1999 provide the statutory requirements for the minimum standards of both new and existing schools.

The regulations include a general requirement that all parts of the school’s premises must be reasonably maintained to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all users. The regulations also include the specific requirements for acoustics, ancillary facilities, drainage, heating, lighting, medical accommodation, playing fields, washrooms, staff accommodation, structural matters, ventilation, water supply and weather protection. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require a risk assessment of facilities, a safety policy regarding theses risks and appropriate health and safety training.

You should be able to recognise any risks within the learning environment and take the appropriate action to minimise them, e. g. reporting potential health and safety hazards to the relevant person. Regulations for manual handling The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, as amended in 2002, apply to manual handling activities such as lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling and carrying. The load being handled may

be a box, trolley, person or animal. The regulations require employers to: ? avoid the need for hazardous manual handling, so far as is reasonably practicable  sses the risk of injury form any hazardous manual handling that cannot be avoided? reduce the risk of injury from hazardous manual handing, so far as is reasonably practicable The regulations require employees to: follow appropriate systems of work laid down for their safety; make proper use of equipment provided for their safety; co-operate with their employer on health and safety matters; inform the employer if they identify hazardous handling activities; take care to ensure their activities do not put others at risk (HSE, 2004) Safety checks in the learning environment

Within my workplace I need to know the location of safety equipment in the different areas of the learning environment. I must be clear about the safety arrangements for the areas and pupils I work with including: the position of the fire exits, extinguishers, fore blanket, first-aid boxes; my role during a fire drill; what to do in case of fire or other emergency, especially the procedures for pupils with physical disabilities or sensory impairments; escape routes and alternatives if blocked by fire, etc.

All equipment in the school should be safe and approved for safety, e. g. BSI Kitemark, European standards markings, BEAB mark of safety. I should know the operating procedures and safety requirements of the school before using any equipment. Operating instructions should be available and in many case an experienced/knowledgeable member of staff may show me how to use the equipment beforehand. If not, it is essential to ask, especially when dealing with electrical equipment for

safety reasons and because of the possibility of damaging expensive equipment. Toy safety

It is essential to provide pupils with toys and play equipment that are appropriate for their age and level of development. Most toys will have a suggested age range. It is a legal requirement for all toys sold in the European Union to carry a CE mark but this does not necessarily guarantee safety or quality. When selecting toys for children always look for one of these safety marks - European Standards BS EN 71 indicates the toy has been tested to the agreed safety standards, or the Lion Mark indicates the toy has been made to the highest standards of safety and quality.

Play areas and playgrounds There is a duty under section 3 and 4 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to ensure the health and safety of users of playground equipment as far as is reasonably practicable (RoSPA, 2004a) Evidence of good practice in ensuring the health and safety of users includes compliance with the relevant safety standards, for example, EN 1176 for children’s playground equipment and EN 1177 for playground surfaces.

Safety checks for indoor play areas and outdoor play areas/playgrounds include: inspecting the play area/playground equipment on a regular basis; reporting any faults to the appropriate person promptly; ensuring that pupils do not use the faulty equipment until mended or replaced; getting the necessary repairs done as quickly as possible; having an annual inspection by an independent specialist. Toilet and wash areas It is important that toilet and wash areas are maintained in a clean and orderly condition with adequate lighting and ventilation.

For children over two years

old there should be one toilet and hand basin for every ten children. There should be separate toilet facilities for pupils and staff. There should be an adequate supply of drinking water that is easily accessible to pupils. The school should ensure that toilet facilities are maintained to high standards of hygiene. There should be adequate supplies of toilet paper, soap, warm water and disposable paper towels and/or access to hot air driers.

To minimise the spread of infection, the school should advise parents whose children have diarrhoea that the children should stay away from the setting until they no longer have symptoms. My role requires me to assist pupils with their toileting needs as some have physical disabilities. I know the school procedures for dealing with pupils who wet or soil themselves, including the location of appropriate spare clothing. The movement and activity of pupils

Schools cater for the arrival and departure of children, families, workers and visitors either as pedestrians or in vehicles including delivery vans and buses and taxis for pupils with special needs. Traffic routes should be properly organised so that both pedestrians and vehicles can move safely in and around the school. Particular care should be taken of everyone using or having access to the premises, especially young children and people with disabilities. Care should be taken to avoid accidents such as slip, trips r falls, particularly in main corridors and staircases. Floor surfaces should be appropriate for their use and free from hazards or obstructions that might cause people to trip or fall. Risk assessment applicable to the learning environment I know and understand the importance of pupils being given opportunities

to play and learn within an environment that will not harm their health and safety. However, pupils still need to be provided with activities and experiences that have levels of challenge and risk that will help them to develop confidence and independence.

I am able to identify potential hazards and assess possible risks. Maintaining child safety during play and learning activities I am responsible for the health and safety arrangements of the pupils under my supervision. This includes exercising effective supervision over those for whom you are responsible, including pupils, students, parent helpers and volunteers. I must be aware of and implement safe working practices and set a good example. You should provide written instructions, warning notices and signs as appropriate.

I must provide appropriate protective clothing and safety equipment as necessary and ensure that these are used as required, e. g. safety goggles. I should provide for adequate instruction, information and training in safe working methods and recommend suitable safety training where appropriate. I also need to encourage pupils to be aware of their own safety, other people’s safety and their own personal responsibilities for maintaining health and safety in the school. The school should ensure that pupils are aware of their responsibilities through direct instruction, notices and the school handbook.

As appropriate to their ages and abilities, all pupils should be expected to: exercise personal responsibility for the safety and/or hygiene; observe all the safety rules of the school, in the particular the instructions of adults in the event of a fire or other emergency; use and not wilfully misuse, neglect or interfere with items provided for safety purposes, such as fire alarms and fire extinguishers.

E-Safety When using the internet within a school setting, we must always make sure that the children are safe.

We do this by making sure that every computer is password protected and that only the staff know the passwords, we must also make sure that the settings are changed to parental settings to make sure that when the children are on the internet independently that they cannot click on any obscene material. We would also advise children not to do the following either in school or at home? Don’t post your phone number or email address on your homepage. Think about it – why would anyone actually need this info when they can message you privately via Myspace or Bebo? Don’t post pictures of you or your mates wearing school uniform – if dodgy people see your school badge, they can work out where you are and come and find you? Adjust your account settings so only approved friends can instant message you. This won’t ruin your social life – new people can still send you friend requests and message you, they just won’t be able to pester you via IM? Tick the “no pic forwarding” option on your Myspace settings page – this will stop people sending pictures from your page around the world without your consent?

Don’t give too much away in a blog. Yes, tell the world you’re going to a party on Saturday night. But don’t post details of where it is. Real friends can phone you to get details, and strangers shouldn’t be able to see this kind of information. ?Don't get too many friends on websites like facebook, it's just a

popularity fashion (Trust me, I've been through it all, I ended up with people constantly talking rubbish and then when I finally typed something, they go offline) so only add people you talk to.