DfE Guidance: Keeping children safe during community activities, after-school clubs and tuition: Questions to help parents and carers choose out-of-school settings
May I have a copy of your child protection policy?
Kent Wildlife Trust is committed to safeguarding all staff, volunteers, trustees, Kent Wildlife Trust members and members of the public who use the Trust land and facilities and to protecting children and adults at risk from abuse. We are committed to practices that protect everyone from harm whilst accessing our provision. A copy of our Safeguarding Policy can be made available upon request, along with our Responding to Safeguarding Concerns flowchart.
Who is the lead person responsible for safeguarding children and what training have they had? How recently were they trained?
The team responsible for safeguarding children at Kent Wildlife Trust is the following:
- Safeguarding Lead Lee Mason-Baldwin
- Safeguarding Officer Tom White
- HR Rep for Safeguarding Abbie Johnson
- Trustee Lead for Safeguarding Charles Tassell
The safeguarding lead and safeguarding officer have gained Safeguarding Children Levels 1 and 2 and keep their knowledge and understanding is reviewed at frequent intervals.
Do you have a complaints policy?
At Kent Wildlife Trust, we aim to work in partnership with parents to deliver a high-quality childcare service for everyone. 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. Our complaints policy is available on request. Records of all complaints are kept for at least three years.
What training have staff had?
All staff working with children will have received Safeguarding Level 1 training. Where relevant, staff will also have received First Aid training, Food Hygiene Level 1 and 2, GDPR training and Safer Recruitment training. Further details of specific staff members and dates can be made available upon request.
Who is in charge of first aid?
At Kent Wildlife Trust, we have two First Aid Champions – Liz Carr and Steve Weeks. Line Managers ensure that responsible staff and key volunteers have received up to date and suitable training, are equipped with suitable and sufficient First Aid equipment and have up to date competency records.
Do you have a parental consent and emergency details form that I need to return to you?
Yes, this form will be sent to you once you have made your booking and your booking will not be confirmed until we have received this information.
How will you securely store the information you hold on my child? Who has access to it and will you give it to anyone else?
All staff working in a full time and/or office administration role will have completed UK GDPR training and will adhere to rules and regulations. All information is stored electronically and is password protected. This information is never shared with third parties without your consent.
If a large or small provider, how are staff and volunteers recruited? What checks do you undertake to ensure that they are suitable to work with children? How recent were the checks?
All Wilder Holiday Club staff undergo a safer recruitment process, including robust safeguarding checks prior to employment. This begins with recruitment and pre-employment checks, ensuring they have the desired skills and experience to fulfil the role as well as being permitted to work in the UK. References are gathered for all successful applicants and upon their successful application, all staff working with children will undergo a full DBS check.
Will any adults besides yourself (if a lone provider), and staff or volunteers, be present while my child is there? If so, will they be there regularly?
During the hours of Wilder Holiday Club, there will be other staff and Kent Wildlife Trust volunteers working on site as well as members of the public using the visitor centre and nature reserves. All Kent Wildlife Trust staff will be identifiable by wearing ID badges and all volunteers will be identifiable by wearing high-vis vests with Kent Wildlife Trust branding. Children attending Wilder Holiday Club will not spend any time unsupervised nor with any adults who have not had a full DBS check completed by Kent Wildlife Trust.
Is my child allowed unsupervised access to the internet?
No. Your child will not have access to the internet whilst on site. If your child has brought with them their own device, these will be kept in their bags for the duration of the session and will not be allowed to be used.
What filtering and monitoring systems do you have for managing internet access?
Wilder Holiday Club will not provide access to any devices which can access the internet. If children bring their own devices with them, we ask that these are kept in their bags for the duration of the session.
My child has special educational needs (SEN) or a disability or both. How will you cope with this?
Our education officer would be more than happy to discuss the needs of your child and we will do what we can to accommodate their needs.
My child needs help with using the toilet, changing, feeding, their medication, or other needs. How will you cope with these personal care needs?
We have an Administering Medication Policy which can be made available on request. We do however ask that children are able to feed, change and toilet themselves as well as administer their own medication (unless a Permission to administer medication form has been completed in advance). Our Administering Medication policy is available to view upon request. We are not able to provide personal/hygiene care. If in doubt, contact our education team who will be happy to discuss your needs with you.