Anyone has the right to report to the appropriate authorities at any time

Rationale:

All tamariki attending or visiting at Haven ELC have the right to be kept safe from harm.  This includes being protected from any form of abuse (verbal, physical, sexual, or emotional), and any form of neglect (physical, mental, abandonment, neglectful supervision, and refusal to accept parental responsibility).

This procedure supports the Health and Safety Criteria HS31-HS33 of the Licensing Criteria of Childhood Education and Care Services 2008.

Link to NELPS

• Learners with their whānau are at the centre of education.

Link to Te Whaariki:

• Well-Being/ Mana Atua
• Goal 3: children experience an environment where they are kept safe from harm

Procedure:

• This procedure applies to anyone who has contact with tamariki at Haven Early Learning Centre and is supported by the guidance on the Ministry of Education website and the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014.
• Attached is a definition of key terms used in the Children’s Act which should be read in conjunction with this procedure.
• The Service Provider will ensure employment procedures meet safety checking requirements of the Children’s Act 2014 for core and non-core workers, including confirmation of identity, interview, check of work history, personal contact with at least one referee, and a Police Vet. This information will be used to complete a risk assessment before employment is offered.
• The Service Provider will complete a 4 point and 7-point check on each employee every 3 years as required.
• The Service Provider is responsible for ensuring that all contractors working on-site while tamariki are present do not have unsupervised access to children, or that they have their identity checked and a current clear Police Vet if this could be likely.
• If a contractor is unable to be supervised whilst working onsite, the Service Provider will ensure a police vetting check is undertaken by Haven ELC prior to the contracted work beginning.
• All Haven ELC employees are responsible for consistently ensuring that the well-being of tamariki is their primary consideration. Anyone who has concerns and/or who suspects child abuse or neglect can directly phone the Police, Ministry of Education, or Oranga Tamariki 0508 326 459 for advice and/or to report a specific situation.  It is expected that the advice received from these organisations will be followed when deciding on the next steps (please refer to section below on procedure to report child abuse or neglect)
• The Centre Manager /Person Responsible is responsible for ensuring all visitors to the centre complete the manuhiri log (Visitor Log). This includes ākonga kaiako, contractors, workers, visiting whānau members, manuhiri (visitors) and prospective families.  Major hazards are printed with the Visitor’s Log and should be pointed out to all manuhiri.
• The Centre Manager is responsible for ensuring that casual agency relievers working as ‘non-core workers’ stay within their responsibilities as outlined in their contract with the relieving agency they work directly for. Best practice would be they are not to be alone with a child or children, and do not have primary authority over them.  It is Haven ELC’s policy that casual agency relievers do not undertake intimate care routines with ngā tamariki, including nappy changing and toileting, putting the children to bed, or feeding them a bottle.  A casual agency worker is a non-core worker who does not have a direct employment contract with Haven Early Learning Centre. 
• The Centre Manager is responsible for ensuring that tamariki who initiate physical contact in seeking affection, reassurance, or comfort, are responded to appropriately by kaiako. It is not appropriate to force any form of unwanted affection/ touching on ngā tamariki.  Hugging or any form of adult-initiated touching should be for the benefit of the tamaiti, not the pateke.  Physical contact during the changing or cleansing of tamariki must be for the purpose of that task only and not be more than is necessary for the job.
• Kaiako must ensure they remain within the possible sightlines of others and be visible in the activities they carry out with ngā tamariki.
• The Centre Manager and kaiako will ensure that no tamaiti is taken from the centre by any kaiako or pateke, without the permission of a parent, except in the case of an emergency where clearance has been obtained from either the Centre Manager or the Service Provider. (see ‘Collection of Children Procedure’, and ‘Procedure for Responding to Civil Emergencies’).
• The Centre Manager is responsible for ensuring that no inappropriate material or images are brought into the centre, including by electronic means.
• The management team will support the Centre Manager to ensure that within the teaching team, there is a sufficient level of both awareness and specific expertise around child protection, including recognising and responding to signs of abuse and neglect, and what to do if a disclosure is made. Opportunities for this will be made available to the kaiako kapa (teaching team) each year, to ensure knowledge and processes remain up to date.

The early signs of abuse and neglect include:

• Parent has a drug, alcohol, or gambling problem
• Parent does not engage with their tamariki or has a difficult relationship with them
• Te tamaiti does not have enough clothes on and is often cold and hungry
• Child has unexplained or changeable emotions (e.g., withdrawn, or depressed)
• Parents frequently yell at, swear at, or shame child
• Child seems scared of a particular pateke

Signs That a Child’s Safety and Wellbeing is in danger may include

• Child tells someone they have been abused (e.g., have been hit, touched or are frightened)
• Young child home alone or unsupervised near roads or water
• Child threatened with ‘hidings’ and/or regularly hit by others
• Child exposed to violence between ngā pateke in the house
• Pēpi or toddler left unsupervised in cot or car seat for long periods of time
• Pēpi or child with unexplained or untreated injuries

If someone working at Haven ELC suspects abuse or neglect of a child, the usual procedure will be: (See Flowchart 1- Suspected Abuse Flowchart).

• That person will immediately discuss the situation with the Centre Manager or Service Provider. Management would not usually expect decisions or actions to be made in isolation and the immediate safety of te tamaiti must be a prime consideration in deciding what actions to take next.
• Documentation of physical/behavioural concerns and observations, and/or anything said by the child exactly, should be recorded by the person concerned, as soon as possible.
• The Centre Manager to contact Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry of Education (MOE) or the Police for advice. However, anyone can ring those organisations for advice at any time.
• Advice received from either Oranga Tamariki, MOE or the Police is to be acted on.
• Decisions about informing parents/caregivers/whānau about suspected or actual child abuse or neglect to be made after consultation with Oranga Tamariki, MOE or the police.

If abuse is disclosed to someone working within the Haven ELC, the expected usual procedure will be for that person:

• To listen quietly to te tamaiti
• To reassure the child they are not in trouble for telling them
• Not to attempt to interview the child or probe for further information
• To write down exactly what te tamaiti said as soon as possible
• To inform the Centre Manager and/or Service Provider immediately. The immediate safety needs of ngā tamariki must be a prime consideration.
• The Centre Manager or Service Provider will contact Oranga Tamariki, the MOE or the local Police for advice and/or to make a report. Note: anyone can ring those organisations to report or for advice at any time.
• Advice received from Oranga Tamariki, MOE or the Police will be acted on.
• Decisions about informing the parents/caregivers/whānau about suspected or actual child abuse or neglect to be made after consultation with Oranga Tamariki, MOE and/or the Police.

In the case of suspected abuse perpetrated by a Haven ELC employee the Centre Manager or Person Responsible will:

• Immediately remove that person to the main office so there is no further contact with ngā tamariki if possible
• Immediately inform the Service Provider and/or Centre Manager

The Service Provider/Centre Manager will be responsible for following good employment practice (usually a suspension of employment) until the necessary investigation is completed and dealt with appropriately.  Confidentiality will be an important part of this process, alongside respecting the rights of all involved.

In the case of suspected abuse perpetrated by the Centre Manager, or other person in a management role, the person will immediately notify the Service Provider, who will take appropriate action to ensure the person in question has no further contact with ngā tamariki.

In the case of a person employed by Haven ELC being in a state of physical or mental health which presents a risk to the children, the Centre Manager or Person Responsible will:

• Immediately remove the person to the main office so no further contact is possible with ngā tamariki
• Contact the Service Provider immediately.

In the case of a person arriving to collect a child, where that person appears to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the Centre Manager or Person Responsible will:

• Talk with the person to dissuade the person from taking te tamaiti.
• Attempt to contact an authorised person on the enrolment form and ask them to collect the child (see Collection of Children Procedure).
• If the situation is an emergency and the risk to the child is assessed as urgent and extreme, police may be called.
• Inform the Service Provider/Centre Manager of the event as soon as practicable.

In the event of a serious incident or injury to ngā tamariki, a ‘Child Illness/Incident/Injury’ form must be completed

• Notify the Centre Manager or the Service Provider immediately and they will decide what further action is required.
• Complete the ‘Child Illness/Incident/Injury’ form
• Follow ‘Suspected Abuse Flowchart’ at the back of this policy if unsure of what the next step is. Copies of this flowchart are in the front foyer, main office and staffroom.
• Record exactly what happened in detail and keep the documentation
• The Centre Manager will decide what further steps may be required including contacting outside agencies, e.g., police, Oranga Tamariki, Teaching Council, or WorkSafe NZ. Where an outside agency is contacted, the Ministry of Education must be notified as well.  This is only regarding any incidents which occur at the service. 
• A notifiable incident is an unplanned or uncontrolled work-related incident that seriously endangers or threaten someone’s health and safety.
• It includes the potential to endanger or threaten someone’s health and safety, e.g., a child leaving licensed premises unsupervised by an adult.