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Safeguarding and welfare within the Early years foundation stage

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is a shared responsibility. Everyone who works with or comes into contact with children plays an important role in keeping them safe. Early years and childcare professionals are often well placed to recognise when a child may need additional support, be at risk of harm, or be experiencing harm. Children and families should receive timely, high-quality and effective support as soon as concerns are identified.

I am a professional with a concern about a child

If it is an emergency and you think that a child may be in immediate danger, please contact the emergency services directly by calling 999.

If you believe your concerns about a child requires statutory intervention, you should follow the referral process on the Northamptonshire Children’s Trust website. This page provides guidance on how to report a concern about a child.

Report a concern about a child

Family help for professionals

Family Help (previously known as Early Help) provides the right support at the right time for children, young people and families when needs first emerge. It aims to promote welfare, prevent concerns from escalating and build family resilience.

The Family Help Conversation (FHC) is a shared tool used across Northamptonshire to identify needs and plan support with families. It brings together services in a coordinated plan so that all family members get the help they need. The process is voluntary and requires consent.

A FHC can be started by any professional working with the family. Once completed, a lead practitioner is usually agreed to coordinate support and regularly review the plans with the family.

Family Help information, support and guidance for professionals

I have a concern about an adult working with children and young people

Working Together to Safeguard Children, updated in 2026 underpins the role of the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) and places duties on a range of organisations and individuals in relation to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. All allegations of abuse of children by those who work or volunteer with children must be taken seriously.

An allegation may relate to a person who works with children who has:

  • behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child
  • possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child
  • behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children
  • behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with children

The LADO should also be informed of any assessments and allegations about a professional’s personal or family life which could suggest that they may be a risk to children with whom they are working - for example if someone is arrested for a crime against a child outside of their role, or their own children become the subject of a child protection plan.

Timescales

Any allegation against a person who works with children should be reported immediately to a senior manager within the organisation.

The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) should be informed within one working day of all allegations that come to an employer’s attention or that are made directly to the police.

Report a concern about an adult working with children and young people

Links to Local Safeguarding Partners (LSP)

Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NSCP) has local procedures, safeguarding toolkits, training and documents for you to access and to keep your knowledge up to date.

Northamptonshire Children’s Trust is the organisation responsible for delivering children's social care and early help services across Northamptonshire. It was established in 2020 to focus specifically on improving outcomes for children, young people and families. Northamptonshire Children’s Trust provides guidance on how to report a concern about a child or adult.

Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage safeguarding responsibilities

The Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework - GOV.UK (EYFS) sets out the legal requirements that all early years providers and childminders must follow to keep children safe and promote their welfare.

In relation to safeguarding, it outlines providers' responsibilities for:

  • designating a person in each setting (DSL) who must take lead responsibility for safeguarding children
  • ensuring that all staff receive safeguarding training as set out in the EYFS Annex C
  • acting immediately on safeguarding concerns
  • working in partnership with parents, carers, and other agencies
  • putting appropriate whistleblowing procedures in place so staff can raise concerns about unsafe or poor practice
  • notifying Ofsted and other relevant agencies of significant safeguarding incidents or allegations, in line with EYFS requirements
  • ensuring safer recruitment practices
  • maintaining appropriate supervision and staffing arrangements
  • following up child absences
  • keeping accurate safeguarding records
  • providing a safe environment by assessing risks
  • supporting and understanding behaviour
  • meeting paediatric First Aid requirements
  • following safer sleep guidance
  • promoting safer eating

Your legal duties

The EYFS is mandatory for all early years providers under the Childcare Act 2006. It is your responsibility to meet the requirements in full. The following government statutory guidance is available:

You must be aware of your responsibilities under the Data Protection Legislation and where relevant the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

This includes the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) and General Data Protection Regulation 2018. The DPA gives parents and carers the right to access information about their child that you hold. It is essential that you have an understanding of how data protection laws operate. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK's independent body set up to uphold information rights. Further guidance can be found on the Information Commissioner’s Office website.

You must notify Ofsted of any serious accident, illness or injury to, or death of, any child whilst in your care, and of the action you have taken. You can refer to the guidance Childcare: reporting children’s accidents and injuries (Gov.uk) to find out what type of accident, injury or illness you must notify Ofsted of. Failure to comply with this requirement means you will be committing an offence.

You must Report a serious childcare incident (Gov.uk) by submitting an online report as soon as is reasonably practicable, but in any event, within 14 days of the incident occurring.

You must also notify local safeguarding partners of any serious accident or injury to, or the death of, any child while in their care, and must act on any advice from those agencies.

You must put in place a written procedure for dealing with concerns and complaints and must keep a written record of any complaints and their outcome. Childminders are not required to have a written procedure for handling complaints but must keep a record of any complaints received and their outcome. You must investigate each complaint and notify the complainant of the outcome within 28 days. Record of complaints must be made available to Ofsted or the relevant Childminder agency (CMA) upon request.

You must make available to parents and or carers details of how to contact Ofsted. You can download Ofsted's role in regulating childcare: poster for parents (Gov.uk) to display in your provision.

The digital world offers many opportunities for learning and development, but it also presents potential risks that continue to evolve. Early years practitioners play a vital role in helping children develop the foundations of safe and responsible online behaviour. Even where technology is not regularly used within the setting, children may access it at home or in other environments. Promoting and role modelling safe online practices should be embedded within everyday activities and interactions.

Practitioners must have regard to the following guidance on children’s screen use in early years settings: Help for early years providers : Screen use

Useful websites to support you to keep children safe online

The UKCIS Education Working Group has developed two resources to support early years settings in evaluating their online safety practices and enhancing the safeguarding of children and adults when using digital technologies. Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings: online safety considerations - GOV.UK

  • Safeguarding Children and Protecting Professionals in Early Years Settings: Online Safety Considerations for Managers
  • Safeguarding Children and Protecting Professionals in Early Years Settings: Online Safety Guidance for Practitioners

Thinkuknow is the education programme from the National Crime Agency - Child Exploitation and Online Protection, a UK organisation for advice about staying safe online when using a phone, tablet or computer.

The National Cyber Security Centre's advice for Early Years practitioners: using cyber security to protect your settings explains how you can protect sensitive information about your setting and the children in your care from accidental damage and online criminals.

Online safety resources are available from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children to help you keep every child safe online.

All registered early years providers, have a duty to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. This requirement is reflected within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework and forms part of providers' wider safeguarding responsibilities.

You must have regard to the government’s statutory Prevent duty guidance (Gov.uk).

Staff should be trained to recognise concerns, challenge extremist views, build children's resilience, and know how to report any safeguarding concerns.

The Action Counters Terrorism Act Early website is a useful source of information around radicalisation concerns.

If you have a concern where you think a child is at risk of extremism

Early intervention is vital in protecting vulnerable individuals from the risk of radicalisation and extremism. You can make a referral into Prevent regarding someone you are worried about, by visiting:

Or report a concern via the government helpline:

All professionals working with children have a key role in identifying privately fostered children. While many arrangements are safe and supportive, some may raise safeguarding concerns, making early identification and reporting essential to help protect children's welfare and wellbeing.

Private fostering arrangement

The nationally accepted definition of Private Fostering is when a child under the age of 16 (under 18 if disabled) is cared for by someone who is not their parent or a ‘close relative’.

Many private fostering arrangements are not brought to the attention of the local authority. This can place children and young people at greater risk, as they may not benefit from the safeguarding checks and support that help ensure their welfare and wellbeing.

Who may be privately fostered

There are many reasons why children and young people are privately fostered, for example:

  • children whose parents are unable to care for them, for example if they have chronic ill health or are in prison
  • children sent to this country for health care or education by parents living overseas
  • children living with a friend’s family as a result of separation, divorce or arguments at home
  • children brought from abroad with a view to adopt
  • children whose parents work unsocial hours
  • children whose parents are serving in the forces
  • unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors who are living with friends, relatives or strangers
  • a child living with a friend’s family because they don’t get on with their own family

What to do if you are aware of a private fostering arrangement

If you think you know a child who is being privately fostered, please contact The Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) who will deal with enquiries and notifications about private fostering. This will help protect the child against abuse or neglect and provide some reassurance that the child is being looked after properly. You should ensure this is a procedure within your Safeguarding policy that is followed. 

Visit the Northamptonshire Children Safeguarding Partnership to find out more information on private fostering arrangements and how to report it.

Safe recruitment is a vital part of safeguarding children and young people. All organisations that employ staff or volunteers to work with children have a responsibility to promote their welfare and ensure robust recruitment procedures are in place to prevent unsuitable individuals from working with children. Those involved in recruiting and selecting staff, including managers, leaders and HR professionals, should undertake safer recruitment training.

The Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework - GOV.UK also sets out requirements relating to suitable people, including recruitment, vetting and ongoing suitability checks for those working with children.

NSPCC have more information to help you set up and review your organisation’s safe recruitment processes at Safer recruitment.

Last updated 20 August 2026