Policies and Procedures

School, Preschool, Teenage and Student Classes

and Workshops.

Accidents and Illness

At Grow Cook Enjoy we will deal promptly and effectively with any illnesses or injuries that occur while children are in our care. We take all practical steps to keep staff and children safe from communicable diseases.

We will record any accidents, together with any treatment given, on an Incident Record or Accident Record sheet as appropriate, which the parent or carer will be asked to sign when they collect the child.

Grow Cook Enjoy sessions equipment includes a first aid kit including blue plasters for food use.

Grow Cook Enjoy cannot accept children who are ill. If any children are ill when they first arrive at the Club we will immediately notify the host school or there parents or carers to come and collect them.

If a child has sickness or diarrhoea, they must not attend a class until 48 hours after the last bout.

Admissions and Fees

Grow Cook Enjoy provide classes teaching the growing and cooking of food for Preschool, primary school children Teenagers and adults

Places are offered on a first-come first-served basis. When all places have been filled, a Mailing list will be established to inform when the next terms booking is open.

Registration

When an enquiry regarding places is made, attendees, parents or carers will be given all the relevant Club information via the booking site Bookwhen.com, including:

Information regarding availability of places
Details of the Admissions and Fees policy
Registration details
Policy and Procedure document
Data protection Document

Booking procedure

Parents must complete the registration document before the child or teenager can attend the club or session.

Fee structure

Fees are charged Termly or by Course and are payable in advance

Aggressive Behaviour Policy

Grow Cook Enjoy does not tolerate from any person, whether a child, parent, carer or visitor: bullying; aggressive, confrontational or threatening behaviour; or behaviour intended to result in conflict. Our Club is a place of safety and security for the children and adults who attend and for the staff who work here.

Unacceptable behaviour

Unacceptable behaviour includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Shouting at members of staff, whether in person or over the telephone
Physically intimidating a member of staff, eg standing too close or blocking their exit
Using aggressive or abusive hand gestures, eg shaking a fist towards another person
Any other threatening behaviour, both physical and verbal
Swearing
Physical violence: pushing, hitting, slapping, punching or kicking
Spitting
Racist or sexist or otherwise abusive comments.

At Grow Cook Enjoy we do not tolerate such behaviour whether it is directed at the staff, at any of the children in our care or other attendees of our sessions.

Procedure

If a child, parent, carer or member of the public behaves in an unacceptable way towards a member of staff or a person attending the Club, we will take the following steps:

With in a children’s setting, in order to ensure the safety of the children and to limit possible distress, we will remove them from the vicinity of the incident.
The manager or senior member of staff will seek to resolve the situation through calm discussion.
If the individual wishes to make a complaint we will encourage them to follow the Club’s Complaints procedure
If the individual continues to behave in an aggressive and intimidating manner, we will insist that they calm down or leave the premises immediately.
If the individual refuses to calm down or leave the premises, the manager will contact the police without delay.

When the immediate incident has been resolved, the manager and staff will reflect on the incident, and decide whether it is appropriate to ban the individual from the premises for a period of time. The decision will take into account both the seriousness of the incident and whether the individual has behaved aggressively before.

If we decide that a ban is appropriate, we will write to the individual concerned to inform them of the reasons for the ban and its duration.

Related policies

See also: Equalities policy, Complaints policy, Safeguarding policy.

Anti-Bullying Policy

Grow Cook Enjoy provides a supportive, caring and safe environment in which all children are free from the fear of being bullied. Bullying of any form is not tolerated in our club, whether carried out by a child or an adult.

Staff, children and parents or carers will be made aware of the Club’s position on bullying. Bullying behaviour is unacceptable in any form.

Any child who is a victim of bullying will be dealt with in a sympathetic manner. If bullying is suspected or reported, the incident will be dealt with immediately by the member of staff informed, and then discussed with the manager. An account of the incident will be recorded in an Incident log. All staff will be informed so that close monitoring of the victim and bully can begin. Parents of both parties will be informed.

Grow Cook Enjoy defines bullying as the repeated harassment of others through emotional, physical, psychological or verbal abuse.

Physical: Pushing, scratching, spitting, kicking, hitting, biting, taking or damaging belongings, tripping up, punching or using any sort of violence against another person.
Psychological: Behaviour likely to create a sense of fear or anxiety in another person.
Emotional: Being deliberately unkind, shunning or excluding another person from a group or tormenting them. For example, making another person feel ‘left out’ of a game or activity, passing notes about others or making fun of another person.
Verbal: Name-calling, put-downs, ridiculing or using words to attack, threaten or insult. For example, spreading rumours or making fun of another person’s appearance.

Racial harassment can take any of the forms of bullying listed above but is motivated by the victim’s colour, race, nationality, or ethnic or national origins. Incidents of racial harassment will be recorded as such on the Incident log. (See our Equalities Policy for more information on how we deal with and challenge discriminatory behaviour.)

Responding to bullying behaviour

Grow Cook Enjoy acknowledges that despite all efforts to prevent it, bullying behaviour is likely to occur on occasion. Should such incidents occur, the Club will follow the procedure outlined below:

We will address all incidents of bullying thoroughly and sensitively.
Victims of bullying will be offered the immediate opportunity to discuss the matter with a member of staff who will reassure the child and offer support.
They will be reassured that what they say will be taken seriously and handled sympathetically.
Staff will support the individual who has been bullied, keeping them under close supervision, and checking their welfare regularly.
If another child witnesses bullying and reports this, staff will reassure them that they have done the right thing. Staff will then investigate the matter.
If a member of staff witnesses an act of bullying, involving children or adults at the club, they will inform the supervisor.
Children who have bullied will be helped by discussing what has happened, establishing why the child became involved. Staff will help the child to understand why this form of behaviour is unacceptable and will encourage him/her to change their behaviour
If the bullying persists, the parents will be informed and we will work with them to try to resolve the issues.
If this fails to stop the bullying, more serious actions may have to be taken, as laid out in the Suspensions and Exclusions policy.
All incidents of bullying will be reported to the manager and will be recorded on an Incident Log. The manager and other relevant staff will review the Club’s procedures in respect of bullying, to ensure that practices are relevant and effective.

Arrivals and Departures Policy

Arrivals Primary School Classes

Grow Cook Enjoy recognises the importance of having robust systems in place to ensure the safe arrival and departure of the children in our care.

The manager will ensure that an accurate record is kept of all children in the Club, and that any arrivals or departures are recorded in the register. The register is kept in an accessible location during the session. In addition we conduct head-counts during the session. If the venue is at a school a copy of the register will also be in school office.

Escorting children to the Club in venues hosted by a school.

The Club and school have a clear agreement concerning the transfer of responsibility for children’s safety. Once a child is marked in the register they are the responsibility of Grow Cook Enjoy until collected.
We have risk assessed the route used to escort children to the Club and review it regularly.
Key stage 1 children will be escorted to the club. Or collected from an agreed point.
Key stage 2 children will make their own way to the club as long as this does not involve leaving the building.
If a child is booked into the Club but is not at the collection point, we will check whether the child was present at school that day with the school. If the whereabouts of the child is not known, staff will immediately inform the designated contact at the school and ask the school to implement its Missing Child Policy.

Holiday Workshops

Our staff will greet each child warmly on their arrival at the workshop and will record the child’s attendance in the register. Grow Cook Enjoy are responsible of any child marked present in the register.

Teenage and Student Classes

Teenagers and Students will make their own way to and from the sessions. We will check if an attendee fails to arrive.
Classes will start promptly as the advertised time.

Departures

Children are collected by an adult who has been authorised to do so on their registration form.
In exceptional circumstances, if the parent requires another person who is not listed on the registration form to collect their child, the child’s parents or carers must inform the Club in advance. If the manager has any concerns regarding the person collecting he/she will contact the main parent or carer for confirmation.
The parent or carer must notify the Club if they will be late collecting their child. If the Club is not informed, the Uncollected Children policy will be followed. Lateness in collecting a child will result in fine of ₤15 if the parent is over 10 mins late.
Children over the age of eight will only be allowed to leave the Club alone at the end of the session if the Club has discussed this with the child’s parents and has received their written consent.
Children below the age of eight will not be allowed to leave the Club unaccompanied and must be collected by an adult.

Absences

If a child is going to be absent from a session, parents must notify the Club in advance. Parents on the registration form have been asked to make sure they contact the club to inform them the child will be absent by texting 07905107054. Frequent failure to do so on, 2 occasions or more, may result in the child’s place at the club being terminated. No refund will be given.
If a child is absent without explanation in a primary school class, GCE staff will contact the school office or the parents/ carers and the school to check where the child should be. If there is no explanation for the absence the GCE will liase with the school to activate the Missing Child procedure.
The Club will try to discover the causes of prolonged and unexplained absences. Regular absences.

Behaviour Management Policy

Grow Cook Enjoy uses effective behaviour management strategies to promote the welfare and enjoyment of children attending the Club. Working in partnership with parents, we accept responsibility for managing behaviour using clear, consistent and positive strategies. The Club rules are clearly displayed at every session, and are discussed regularly.

Whilst at Grow Cook Enjoy we expect children to:

Use socially acceptable behaviour
Respect one another, accepting differences of race, gender, ability, age and religion
Develop their independence by maintaining self-discipline
Ask for help if needed
Enjoy their time at the Club.

Encouraging positive behaviour

At Grow Cook Enjoy positive behaviour is encouraged by:

Staff acting as positive role models
Praising appropriate behaviour
Chef of the week rewards
Informing parents about individual achievements

It is inevitable that as children develop and learn, there are times when they need support and guidance to understand that their behaviour is not acceptable. Staff at the Club will try to determine the cause or triggers of the inappropriate behaviour to prevent the situation from recurring.

Dealing with inappropriate behaviour

Challenging behaviour will be addressed in a calm, firm and positive manner.
In the first instance, the child will be temporarily removed from the activity.
Staff will discuss why the behaviour displayed is deemed inappropriate.
Staff will give the child an opportunity to explain their behaviour, to help prevent a recurrence.
Staff will encourage and facilitate mediation between children to try to resolve conflicts through discussion and negotiation.

Staff will issue a yellow card if the behaviour persists and the children will be asked to sit out of the activity until they can join in with appropriate behaviour

If the behaviour persists staff will issue a red card, the child will be asked to sit out for the remainder of the session, staff will then discuss the behaviour with the child’s parents on collection or by email or telephone. In such circumstances the child may not have had time to join in the session and cook the recipe.

Staff will consult with parents to formulate clear strategies for dealing with persistent inappropriate behaviour.

If after consultation with parents and the implementation of behaviour management strategies, a child continues to display inappropriate behaviour, the Club may decide to exclude the child . The reasons and processes involved will be clearly explained to the child.

Physical intervention

Physical intervention will only be used as a last resort, when staff believe that action is necessary to prevent injury to the child or others, or to prevent significant damage to equipment or property. If a member of staff has to physically restrain a child, the manager will be notified and an Incident record will be completed. The incident will be discussed with the parent or carer as soon as possible.

If staff are not confident about their ability to contain a situation, they should call the manager or, in extreme cases, the police.

All serious incidents will be recorded on an Incident record and kept in the child’s file. This may be used to build a pattern of behaviour, which may indicate an underlying cause. If a pattern of incidents indicates possible abuse, we will implement child protection procedures in accordance with our Safeguarding policy.

Cancelation Policy

If a child or young person decides they would not like to attend the club a refund will be given ( less a £10 booking fee ) when the space has been filled by another student.

Should the school, venue provider or Government impose restrictions which means the class is unable to run or the class is cancelled due to venue closure or adverse weather conditions, classes will be move to online via zoom. This may be at a different time to the scheduled class. A video of the class will also be made available.

Should covid restrictions imposed by self isolation or local / nationwide lockdown classes will be move to online via zoom. A video of the class will also be made available.

Teen and Student

Grow Cook Enjoy require a minimum of 4 people per Workshop; in the event the places do not get filled we will, at your convenience, transfer you onto another course; if this option does not suit or no course is available, you will receive a full refund.

Should the teenager or student decided not to do the course we have a strict cancelation policy. All payments are non-refundable 1 week before the course start date.

Complaints Policy

Grow Cook Enjoy aims to deliver a fun, educational and inspiring classes. If for any reason we fall short of this goal, we would like to be informed in order to amend our practices for the future. Records of all complaints will be retained for a period of at least three years. A summary of complaints is available for parents on request.

Stage one

Complaints about aspects of Club activity:

The manager will discuss the matter informally with the parent or carer concerned and aim to reach a satisfactory resolution.

Complaints about an individual staff member:

If appropriate the parent will be encouraged to discuss the matter with staff concerned. If the parent feels that this is not appropriate, the matter will be discussed with the manager, who will then discuss the complaint with the staff member and try to reach a satisfactory resolution.

Stage two

If it is impossible to reach a satisfactory resolution to the complaint through informal discussion, the parent or carer should put their complaint in writing to the manager. The manager will:

Acknowledge receipt of the letter within 7 days.

Investigate the matter and notify the complainant of the outcome within 28 days.

Send a full response in writing, to all relevant parties, including details of any recommended changes to be made to the Club’s practices or policies as a result of the complaint.

Meet relevant parties to discuss the Club’s response to the complaint, either together or on an individual basis.

If child protection issues are raised our Safeguarding procedure will be put in place.

Covid 19

In order to follow government guidelines we have adapted our classes to ensure the safe delivery of your classes.

Many of our current practices we already have in place already adhere to these guidelines. We already clean the work area before we start, we supervise hand washing and everyone take home their own baking.

Children will work separately from each other and will not share equipment

We are reducing the number of children in classes.

Staff will wear a visor

Staff will social distance to 1m where possible

Should anyone require first aid staff will wear masks to administer.

Practices will be reviewed every 3 weeks or more frequently should any government guidance change.

In the event of a lock down or if the class is unable to run at the venue, the classes will be delivered online via zoom.

Should a child or member of staff result in a positive covid 19 test. GCE will liaise with the school and parents regarding the current government guidelines.

Should a child test positive for covid 19 parents must contact GCE who will inform parents and the host school.

Data Protection Policy

At Grow Cook Enjoy we respect the privacy of the children attending the Club and the privacy of their parents or carers, as well as the privacy of our staff. Our aim is to ensure that all those using and working at Grow Cook Enjoy can do so with confidence that their personal data is being kept secure.

Our lead person for data protection is Jayne McGhee. The lead person ensures that the Club meets the requirements of the GDPR, liaises with statutory bodies when necessary, and responds to any subject access requests.

Confidentiality

Within the Club we respect confidentiality in the following ways:

We will only ever share information with a parent about their own child.
Information given by parents to Club staff about their child will not be passed on to third parties without permission unless there is a safeguarding issue (as covered in our Safeguarding Policy).
Concerns or evidence relating to a child’s safety, will be kept in a confidential file and will not be shared within the Club, except with the designated Child Protection Officer and the manager.
Staff only discuss individual children for purposes of planning and group management.
Staff are made aware of the importance of confidentiality during their induction process.
Issues relating to the employment of staff, whether paid or voluntary, will remain confidential to those making personnel decisions.
All personal data is stored securely on a password protected computer and the booking system bookwhen.com which is also GDPR compliant.
Students on work placements and volunteers are informed of our Data Protection policy and are required to respect it.

The personal information we collect;

The information you have provided on our registration form is information relevant to attending the class.

Child’s details: Name Surname, Class, age, address

Adult details: Name Address

If your child has an allergy

If your child has any dietary requirements

If your child has nay SEN or needs support to attend the class

Parent’s details: email, address, 2 emergency contact numbers

Consent to use Sharp objects

Permission to take photographs

Permission to treat in an medical emergency

Staff: We keep information about employees in order to meet HMRC requirements, and to comply with all other areas of employment legislation. Our lawful basis for processing this data is to meet our legal obligations. Our legal condition for processing data relating to an employee’s health is to meet the obligations of employment law. We retain the data after a member of staff has left our employment for the periods required by statutory legislation and industry best practice, then it is deleted or destroyed as necessary.

We can't guarantee its security. By using our registration forms you accept the inherent risks of providing information online and will not hold us responsible for any breach of security. We will inform you if your data has been breached.

Sharing information with third parties

We will only share child information with outside agencies on a need-to-know basis and with consent from parents, except in cases relating to safeguarding children, criminal activity, or if required by legally authorised bodies (eg Police, HMRC, etc). If we decide to share information without parental consent, we will record this in the child’s file, clearly stating our reasons.

We will only share relevant information that is accurate and up to date. Our primary commitment is to the safety and well-being of the children in our care.

Some limited personal information is disclosed to authorised third parties we have engaged to process it, as part of the normal running of our business, for example in order to take online bookings, and to manage our payroll and accounts. Any such third parties comply with the strict data protection regulations of the GDPR.

Subject access requests

Parents/carers can ask to see the information and records relating to their child, and/or any information that we keep about themselves.
Staff and volunteers can ask to see any information that we keep about them.
We will make the requested information available as soon as practicable, and will respond to the request within one month at the latest.
If our information is found to be incorrect or out of date, we will update it promptly.
Parents /carers can ask us to delete data, but this may mean that we can no longer provide care to the child as we have a legal obligation to keep certain data. In addition, even after a child has left our care we have to keep some data for specific periods so won’t be able to delete all data immediately.
Staff and volunteers can ask us to delete their data, but this may mean that we can no longer employ them as we have a legal obligation to keep certain data. In addition, even after a staff member has left our employment we have to keep some data for specific periods so won’t be able to delete all data immediately.
If any individual about whom we hold data has a complaint about how we have kept their information secure, or how we have responded to a subject access request, they may complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

GDPR

We comply with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), regarding obtaining, storing and using personal data.

Emergency Evacuation/Closure Procedure

Grow Cook Enjoy will make every effort to keep the session open, but in exceptional circumstances, we may need to close at short notice. For example if a venue were to close. In such circumstances the parent will be contacted by email or phone

Possible reasons for emergency closure include:

Serious weather conditions
Heating system failure
Burst water pipes
Fire or bomb scare/explosion
Death of a member of staff or child
Assault on a staff member or child
Serious accident or illness

In the event of an emergency, our primary concern will be to ensure that both children and staff are kept safe. If it is necessary to evacuate the Club, the following steps will be taken:

If appropriate the manager or session supervisor will contact the emergency services.
All children will be escorted from the building to the assembly point using the nearest safe exit.
No attempt will be made to collect personal belongings, or to re-enter the building after evacuation.
A nominated member of staff will check the premises and will collect the register (including emergency contact details) providing that this does not put anyone at risk.
Before leaving the building the nominated person will close all accessible doors and windows, if it is safe to do so.
The register will be taken and all children and staff accounted for.
If any person is missing from the register, the emergency services will be informed immediately.
The manager will contact parents to collect their children. If the register is not available, the manager will use the emergency contacts list (which is kept off site).
All children will be supervised until they are safely collected.
If after every attempt, a child’s parent or carers cannot be contacted, the Club will follow its Uncollected Child procedure.

If the Club has to close,a refund will be at the discretion of Grow Cook Enjoy. All efforts will be made to reschedule the class. his is due to the fact that ingredients, hire of venue and staffing cost will still need to be made.

Equalities Policy

At Grow Cook Enjoy we will ensure that we provide a safe and caring environment, free from discrimination, for everyone in our community including children with additional needs.

To achieve the Club’s objective of creating an environment free from discrimination and welcoming to all, the Club will:

Respect the different racial origins, religions, cultures and languages in a multi-ethnic society so that each child is valued as an individual without racial or gender stereotyping.
Not discriminate against children on the grounds of disability, sexual orientation, class, family status or HIV/Aids status.
Help all children to celebrate and express their cultural and religious identity by providing a wide range of appropriate resources and activities.
Strive to ensure that children feel good about themselves and others, by celebrating the differences which make us all unique individuals.
Ensure that its services are available to all adults and children in the local community.
Ensure that the Club’s recruitment policies and procedures are open, fair and non-discriminatory.
Work to fulfil all the legal requirements of the Equality Act 2010.
We will monitor and review the effectiveness of our inclusive practice by conducting an Inclusion Audit on an annual basis.

Challenging inappropriate attitudes and practices

We will challenge inappropriate attitudes and practices by engaging children and adults in discussion, by displaying positive images of race and disability, and through our staff modelling anti-discriminatory behaviour at all times.

Racial harassment

The Grow Cook Enjoy will not tolerate any form of racial harassment. The Club will challenge racist and discriminatory remarks, attitudes and behaviour from the children at the Club, from staff and from any other adults on Club premises (eg parents/carers collecting children).

Children with additional needs and Special Educational Needs

Our Club recognises that some children have special needs, additional needs or physical disabilities that require particular support and assistance. We will assess the individual needs of each child in consultation with their parents prior to their attending the Club, and will make reasonable adjustments to ensure that children can access our services and are made to feel welcome.

Where one-to-one support is required we will ask parents to provide the assistance needed.

Food and Personal Hygiene Policy

Staff at Grow Cook Enjoy maintain high standards of personal hygiene, and take all practicable steps to prevent and control the spread of infection.

Open and closing check will be maintained and a generally clean environment is maintained at all times.

Hand washing, soap and hand drying facilities are always available.

Staff are trained or supervised in food hygiene and follow appropriate guidelines.

Waste is disposed of safely and all bins clean with a bin liner

Staff ensure that children wash their hands before handling food or drink and after using the toilet.

Cuts and abrasions (whether on children or staff) are kept covered with a blue plaster. Children must not wear nail varnish . Long hair must be tied back away from the face.

Accidents and illness

Grow Cook Enjoy cannot accept children who are ill. If any children are ill when they first arrive at the Club we will immediately notify the host school or there directly parents or carers to come and collect them.

If a child has sickness or diarrhoea, the must not attend a class until 48 hours after the last bout.

All children must have hair tied back and be nail varnish free.

Health and Safety Policy

Grow Cook Enjoy considers health and safety to be of utmost importance. We comply with The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 at all times.

The Club has appropriate insurance cover, including employer’s liability insurance and public liability insurance.

Each member of staff follows the Club’s health and safety policy and is responsible for:

Maintaining a safe environment,taking reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and others attending the Club, reporting all accidents and incidents which have caused injury or damage or may do so in the future, undertaking relevant health and safety training when required to do so by the manager.

Any member of staff who disregards safety instructions or recognised safe practices will be subject to disciplinary procedures.

Responsibilities of the registered person.

The registered person for the setting holds ultimate responsibility and liability for the safe operation of the Club. The registered person Jayne McGhee

will ensure that:

All staff receive information on health and safety matters, and receive training where necessary

The Health and Safety policy and procedures are reviewed regularly

Staff understand and follow health and safety procedures

Resources are provided to meet the Club’s health and safety responsibilities

All accidents, incidents and dangerous occurrences are properly reported and recorded.

All reported accidents, incidents and dangerous occurrences are reviewed, so that preventative measures can be taken.

Staffing levels

Staff ratios and levels of supervision are always appropriate to the number, ages and abilities of the children present, and to the risks associated with the activities being undertaken. Generally Children under 8 years will be supervised 1 adult to every 8 children and children between 8-18 years 1 adult for every 10 children.

Missing Child Policy

At the beginning of the session the Grow Cook Enjoy class teacher will take a register and record a child has been collected by their designated adult. During the session if a child would like a toilet break they must ask to go and we will ensure they return safely.

If a child goes missing or fails to arrive and is unaccounted for after 10 mins. We will check with the school if the child was present at school or if they were sent home due to illness.

If the child is still missing GCE will ask the school to contact or contact the child’s parents to check if they have collected them and inform the hosting school. If the child has not been collected and is still unaccounted for there will be a co-ordinated search for the child – initially on the school premises (inside and out). It has been agreed that help from the school will be available to coordinate this. Following this if the child is still missing a plan of action will be drawn by the GCE class teacher, parent, school and children services ( 0300 123 1610).

If the child’s parent is not contactable a message will be left for the parent, requesting them to contact either Grow Cook Enjoy or the school. Alternative contact numbers will be tried. The time of this will be recorded in log and we will inform the school of our actions. Grow Cook Enjoy or the host school will then try to make contact with the parent again if no reply has been received . If the child hasn’t been found by the end of the club session, a plan of action will be discussed with the parent and school and the police contacted.

Online Safety Policy

Parents are asked to be present during online classes. Parents and pupils can log any concerns they may have with Grow Cook Enjoy’s safeguard lead Jayne McGhee or via the details in our safeguarding policy . In and online emergency Grow Cook Enjoy will contact the child or young persons parents via the telephone number given at registration.

Safeguarding Policy

Grow Cook Enjoy’s designated CPO and safeguarding lead is Jayne McGhee Tel 07905107054 and is responsible for Safeguarding Children at the club and during club sessions.

Grow Cook Enjoy is committed to building a ‘culture of safety’ in which the children in our care are protected from abuse, harm and radicalisation. The Grow Cook Enjoy will respond promptly and appropriately to all incidents or concerns regarding the safety of a child that may occur. The Club’s child protection procedures comply with all relevant legislation and with guidance issued by the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB).

There is a Child Protection Officer (CPO) available at all times while the Club is in session. The CPO coordinates child protection issues and liaises with external agencies (eg Social Care, LSCB and Ofsted).

Child abuse and neglect

Child abuse is any form of physical, emotional or sexual mistreatment or lack of care that leads to injury or harm. An individual may abuse or neglect a child directly, or by failing to protect them from harm. Some forms of child abuse and neglect are listed below.

Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child so as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve making the child feel that they are worthless, unloved, or inadequate. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone.
Physical abuse can involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may be also caused when a parent or carer feigns the symptoms of, or deliberately causes, ill health to a child.
Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. This can involve physical contact, or non-contact activities such as showing children sexual activities or encouraging them to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.
Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and emotional needs. It can involve a failure to provide adequate food, clothing and shelter, to protect a child from physical and emotional harm, to ensure adequate supervision or to allow access to medical treatment.

Signs of child abuse and neglect

Signs of possible abuse and neglect may include:

significant changes in a child's behaviour
deterioration in a child’s general well-being
unexplained bruising or marks
comments made by a child which give cause for concern
reasons to suspect neglect or abuse outside the setting, eg in the child’s home, or that a girl may have been subjected to (or is at risk of) female genital mutilation, or that the child may have witnessed domestic abuse
inappropriate behaviour displayed by a member of staff, or any other person. For example, inappropriate sexual comments, excessive one-to-one attention beyond the requirements of their role, or inappropriate sharing of images.

If abuse is suspected or disclosed

When a child makes a disclosure to a member of staff, that member of staff will:

reassure the child that they were not to blame and were right to speak out
listen to the child but not question them
give reassurance that the staff member will take action
record the incident as soon as possible (see Logging an incident below).

If a member of staff witnesses or suspects abuse, they will record the matter straightaway using the Logging a concern form. If a third party expresses concern that a child is being abused, we will encourage them to contact Social Care directly. If they will not do so, we will explain that the Club is obliged to and the incident will be logged accordingly.

Peer-on-peer abuse

Children are vulnerable to abuse by their peers. Peer-on-peer abuse is taken seriously by staff and will be subject to the same child protection procedures as other forms of abuse. Staff are aware of the potential uses of information technology for bullying and abusive behaviour between young people.

Staff will not dismiss abusive behaviour as normal between young people. The presence of one or more of the following in relationships between children should always trigger concern about the possibility of peer-on-peer abuse:

Sexual activity (in primary school-aged children) of any kind, including sexting
One of the children is significantly more dominant than the other (eg much older)
One of the children is significantly more vulnerable than the other (eg in terms of disability, confidence, physical strength)
There has been some use of threats, bribes or coercion to ensure compliance or secrecy.

If peer-on-peer abuse is suspected or disclosed

We will follow the same procedures as set out above for responding to child abuse.

Extremism and radicalisation

All childcare settings have a legal duty to protect children from the risk of radicalisation and being drawn into extremism. There are many reasons why a child might be vulnerable to radicalisation, eg:

feeling alienated or alone
seeking a sense of identity or individuality
suffering from mental health issues such as depression
desire for adventure or wanting to be part of a larger cause
associating with others who hold extremist beliefs

Signs of radicalisation

Signs that a child might be at risk of radicalisation include:

changes in behaviour, for example becoming withdrawn or aggressive
claiming that terrorist attacks and violence are justified
viewing violent extremist material online
possessing or sharing violent extremist material

If a member of staff suspects that a child is at risk of becoming radicalised, they will record any relevant information or observations on a Logging a concern form, and refer the matter to the CPO.

Logging a concern

All information about the suspected abuse or disclosure, or concern about radicalisation, will be recorded on the Logging a concern form as soon as possible after the event. The record should include:

date of the disclosure, or the incident, or the observation causing concern
date and time at which the record was made
name and date of birth of the child involved
a factual report of what happened. If recording a disclosure, you must use the child’s own words
name, signature and job title of the person making the record.

The record will be given to the Club’s CPO who will decide on the appropriate course of action.

For concerns about child abuse, the CPO will contact Social Care and the host schools DSL. The CPO will follow up all referrals to Social Care in writing within 48 hours. If a member of staff thinks that the incident has not been dealt with properly, they may contact Social Care directly.

For minor concerns regarding radicalisation, the CPO will contact the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) Mulit Agency Safeguarding Hub ( MASH). For more serious concerns the CPO will contact the Police on the non-emergency number (101), or the anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321. For urgent concerns the CPO will contact the Police using 999.

Allegations against staff

If anyone makes an allegation of child abuse against a member of staff:

The allegation will be recorded on an Incident record form. Any witnesses to the incident should sign and date the entry to confirm it.
The allegation must be reported to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) and to Ofsted. The LADO will advise if other agencies (eg police) should be informed, and the Club will act upon their advice. Any telephone reports to the LADO will be followed up in writing within 48 hours.
Following advice from the LADO, it may be necessary to suspend the member of staff pending full investigation of the allegation.
If appropriate, the Club will make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Promoting awareness among staff

The Club promotes awareness of child abuse and the risk of radicalisation through its staff training. The Club ensures that:

the designated CPO has relevant experience and receives appropriate training in safeguarding and the Prevent Duty, and is aware of the Channel Programme and how to access it
designated person training is refreshed every three years safe recruitment practices are followed for all new staff
all staff have a copy of this Safeguarding policy, understand its contents and are vigilant to signs of abuse, neglect or radicalisation
all staff are aware of their statutory duties with regard to the disclosure or discovery of child abuse, and concerns about radicalisation
all staff receive basic safeguarding training, and safeguarding is a permanent agenda item at all staff meetings
staff are familiar with the Safeguarding File which is kept at our head office. Grow Cook Enjoy’s procedures are in line with the guidance in ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018)’ and staff are familiar with ‘What To Do If You’re Worried A Child Is Being Abused (2015)’.

Use of mobile phones and cameras

Photographs will only be taken of children with their parents’ permission. Neither staff nor children nor visitors may use their mobile phones to take photographs of the children at the Club.

Contact numbers

Social Care: 0300 470 9100

Social Care out of hours contact: 01483 517898

LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer):0300 123 1650* or LADO@surreycc.gov.uk.

SSCB (Surrey Safeguarding Children Board): 01372 833330

Local Authority Prevent Co-ordinator: 020 7215 3173.

Police: 101 (non-emergency) or 999 (emergency)

Anti-terrorist hotline: 0800 789 321

NSPCC: 0808 800 500

Suspensions and Exclusions Policy

Grow Cook Enjoy will deal with negative and inappropriate behaviour by using constructive behaviour management techniques. We will involve staff, parents and children to tackle disruptive and challenging behaviour collectively.

We acknowledge that some children will require additional support in order to achieve acceptable levels of behaviour. Where we identify a child with these needs, we will work closely with the parents or carers to deal with the inappropriate behaviour in accordance with our Behaviour Management policy.

Where a child persistently behaves inappropriately, we will implement the following procedure:

Give the child a formal warning; staff will explain why the behaviour is unacceptable along with the consequences of further incidents.
Staff will encourage the child to discuss their behaviour, to explain their actions and to identify strategies for avoiding such incidents in the future.
Details of formal warnings, suspensions and exclusions will be recorded on an Incident record and kept in Grow Cook Enjoy’s incident record.
The formal warning will be discussed with the child’s parents, and all staff will be notified.

Staff will inform the manager if a child’s behaviour warrants suspension or exclusion.

We will only suspend or exclude a child from the Club as a last resort, when all other behaviour management strategies have failed or if we feel that children or staff are at risk.

Suspensions and exclusions will be fair, consistent and appropriate to the behaviour concerned, and will take account of the child’s age and maturity as well as any other factors relevant to the child’s situation. If appropriate, we will seek advice from other agencies; this may include accessing funding for additional support.

Temporary suspensions

Temporary suspensions will be applied in the following situations:

Where formal warnings have failed to improve a child’s persistent, challenging and unacceptable behaviour.
In the event of an extremely serious or dangerous incident we will suspend a child with immediate effect. We will contact the parents and ask that the child be collected immediately.
At the end of the suspension period the manager will meet with the parents/carers and the child, in order to agree any conditions relating to the child’s return to the Club.

Permanent exclusion

In exceptional circumstances, and only when all other attempts at behaviour management have failed, it may be necessary to permanently exclude a child from the setting.

If a child is excluded from the Club, the parents/carers will be given a verbal and written explanation of the issues and subsequent actions. They have the right to appeal to the manager against the exclusion within 14 days of receiving written notification of the exclusion.

Uncollected Children Policy

Grow Cook Enjoy endeavours to ensure that all children are collected by a parent or carer at the end of each session. If a child is not collected, and the parent or carer has not notified us that they will be delayed, we will follow the procedure set out below:

Up to 15 minutes late

When the parent or carer arrives they will be reminded that they must call the Club to notify us if they are delayed.
The parent or carer will be informed that penalty fees will have to be charged (unless the delay was genuinely unavoidable).

Over 15 minutes late

If a parent or carer is more than 15 minutes late in collecting their child, the manager will try to contact them using the contact details on file.
If there is no response from the parent or carer, messages will be left requesting that they contact the Club immediately. The manager will then try to contact the emergency contacts listed on the child’s registration form.
While waiting to be collected, the child will be supervised by a member of staff.
When the parent or carer arrives they will be reminded that they must call the Club to notify us if they are delayed, and that penalty fees will have to be charged (except in exceptional circumstances).

Over 30 minutes late

If the manager has been unable to contact the child’s parents or carers after 30 minutes, the manager will contact the local Social Care team for advice.
The child will remain in the care of the Club’s staff, on the Club’s premises if possible, until collected by the parent or carer, or until placed in the care of the Social Care team.
If it is not possible for the child to remain at the Club’s premises, a note will be left on the door of the Club informing the child’s parent or carer where the child has been taken (eg to the home of a staff member or into the care of a safeguarding agency) and leaving a contact number. A further message will be left on the parent or carer’s telephone explaining events.

Managing persistent lateness

The manager will record incidents of late collection and will discuss them with the child’s parents or carers. Parents and carers will be reminded that if they persistently collect their child late they may lose their place at the Club.

Useful contacts

Contact numbers

Social Care: 0300 470 9100

Social Care out of hours contact: 01483 517898

LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer):0300 123 1650* or LADO@surreycc.gov.uk.

SSCB (Surrey Safeguarding Children Board): 01372 833330

Police: 101 (non-emergency) or 999 (emergency)

NSPCC: 0808 800 500

Written in accordance with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (2017): Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements: Information and records [3.68-3.75]§

This policy was adopted by: Jayne McGhee

Date: February 2019

edited April 2021

To be reviewed: March 2022