CHILD SAFEGUARDING STATEMENT (Updated 9th March 2018) 

Ready Steady Play is a registered drop In Service providing the following services for children aged 15 months to 10 years: Drop In Creche/Play area facilities. 

The Management structure is: 

Director

Branch Managers 

Assistant Managers 

Childcare Creche Staff 

1. COMMITMENT TO SAFEGUARD CHILDREN FROM HARM 

 Our Service is committed to safeguarding the children in our care and to providing a safe environment in which they can play, learn and develop. 

Our service believes that the welfare of the children attending our service is paramount.

We are committed to child-centred practice in all our work with children. We are committed to upholding the rights of every child and young person who attends our service, including the rights to be kept safe and protected from harm, listened to, and heard.

Our policy and procedures to safeguard children and young people reflect national policy and legislation and are underpinned by Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children, DCYA, 2017, Child Safeguarding: A Guide for Policy, Practice and Procedure, Tusla, 2018, and the Children First Act 2015.

Our policy declaration applies to all paid staff, volunteers, committee/ board members and students on work placement within our organisation.

All committee board members, staff, volunteers and students must sign up to and abide by the policies, procedures and guidance encompassed by this policy declaration and our child safeguarding policy and accompanying procedures. We will review our child safeguarding statement and accompanying child safeguarding policies and procedures every 2 years or sooner if necessary, due to service issues or changes in legislation or national policy. 

Designated Liaison Person (DLP) for Child Protection

DLP: Carol Thuillier 

Deputy: Amanda Hevey 

2. RISK ASSESSMENT

In accordance with the Children First Act 2015, the Board of Ready Steady Play has carried out an assessment of any potential for harm to a child while attending the service or participating in service activities. A written assessment setting out the areas of risk identified and the service procedures for managing those risks is summarised below: 

3. CHILD SAFEGUARDING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

As required by the Children First Act 2015 and Children First National Guidance for Protection and Welfare of Children, 2017 the following safeguarding policies/procedures/measures are in place 

•  Procedure to maintain a list of mandated persons under the Children First Act, 2015 
  
• A Relevant Person has been appointed
  
• A Designated Liaison Person and Deputy have been appointed 
  
• Child Protection and Welfare Reporting Procedures 
  
• Confidentiality Policy 
  
• Policy for Dealing with Allegations of Abuse or Neglect Against Employees 
  
  • Procedure for Managing Child Protection Records 
    
  • Recruitment Policy 
    
  • Garda Vetting Policy 
    
  • Code of Behaviour for Working with Children 
    
  • Induction Policy (which includes procedures to inform new staff about the Child Safeguarding Statement and accompanying safeguarding policies and procedures) 
    
  • All staff have completed the Tusla eLearning module – Introduction to Children First and relevant staff have attended Always Children First Child Protection Training. 
    
  • Staff have access to regular Supervision and Support in line with the service policy
    
  • Complaints Policy for Managing Accidents and Incidents 
    
  • Social Media Management Policy 
    

4. IMPLEMENTATION AND REVIEW 

• We recognise that implementation is an ongoing process. Our service is committed to the implementation of this Child Safeguarding Statement and the accompanying child safeguarding policies and procedures that support our intention to keep children safe from harm while availing of our service. 
  
• This Statement will be reviewed every 2 years or as soon as practicable after there has been a material change in any matter to which the statement refers. 
  
• This statement has been published on the service website and is displayed in the service. It has been provided to all staff, volunteers and any other persons involved with the service. It is readily accessible to parents and guardians on request. A copy of this Statement will be made available to Tusla if requested. 
  

Signed: Carol Thuillier, Ready Steady Play. 

Date: 9th March 2018 

For further information on this Statement, contact Relevant Person: Carol Thuillier at Ready Steady Play, Liffey Valley Phone No: 0863928143 or email: info@readysteadyplay.ie

You can download this Child Safeguarding Statement as a PDF document by clicking here