Safeguarding in early years settings: a practical guide

Children under six depend on adults for almost everything. Adults feed them, change them, settle them to sleep and hold them when they cry. That close contact is part of good care, and it is also where a school needs its clearest rules.

Very young children usually cannot tell you what happened. They may lack the words, or not know that something was wrong. Staff have to read behaviour, and parents have to trust routines they cannot see.

England's Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework is a useful reference even outside England, because many British curriculum schools abroad follow it. Your local law and regulator may add rules, so check with your authority or local counsel.

Intimate care means help with toileting, washing, dressing or changing. The EYFS asks settings to balance a child's privacy with safeguarding and support needs when changing nappies and toileting.

Two models are common: one adult changes the child in a space that other staff can see into, or two adults take part. Either can work when the routine is written down, known to parents and used every time.

Families in an international school may hold different views on who should change or wash their child. Ask early, record what the school can honour, and explain what it cannot. Your designated safeguarding lead (DSL) should approve any exception.

• Get written parent consent and agree a care plan for each child who needs help
• Let the child's key person do the changing wherever possible
• Place changing areas where staff can see in, without exposing the child to passers-by
• Talk to the child throughout and let them do what they can themselves
• Keep personal phones and cameras out of the area
• Log each change, and tell the key person about any mark, rash or soreness
• Let only staff with completed checks give intimate care, never volunteers or visitors

Calm, plain talk protects the child and the adult. It also shows any colleague who walks in that the routine is open.

Say what you are about to do before you do it. For example: "I am going to change your nappy now. Can you hold the wipes for me?" With an older child you can ask, "Would you like to try the toilet yourself, or shall I help?"

If a child says something that worries you, stay calm and listen. You can say, "Thank you for telling me. I am going to talk to someone who can help." Never promise to keep it secret.

If a colleague's practice worries you, you can say, "I think we should check this with the DSL." Then tell the DSL the same day. A staff code of conduct should name this as expected.

The EYFS says a setting's safeguarding policy must explain how mobile phones, cameras and other devices that can take or share images are used. Write that rule in plain words and teach it at induction.

Photos record learning and reassure parents. They also carry risk if the wrong person holds them or they end up online. Many countries treat a child's image as personal data, so check your local data protection law.

• Use school-owned devices only, and store staff phones and smartwatches away during sessions
• Get written parent consent for each use, such as the classroom wall, a newsletter or social media
• Never photograph a child during nappy changing, toileting or dressing
• Keep images on school systems and delete them when the child leaves or consent ends
• Post no full names beside a child's photo
• Tell visitors and volunteers the rule at the door

Ratios are a safety measure as much as a staffing one. Enough adults means children are supervised and no adult works alone for long. In England, the EYFS asks for at least one adult for every three children under two, and one for every five two-year-olds.

Other countries and accreditation bodies set their own numbers. Check your regulator, then set a minimum that your school will not go below. The EYFS also says children should usually be within sight and hearing of staff, and always within sight or hearing.

Ratios slip most often at these moments, so plan cover for each.

• Breaks and lunch, when one adult covers a whole room
• Nap time, when children sleep and adults tidy
• Arrival and collection, when parents and children mix
• Outdoor play and trips
• Days with new or agency staff whose checks are unfinished

Behaviour is a young child's main way to communicate. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) says young children rarely tell everything at once, so watch for a pattern and record it factually.

No single sign proves anything. Each one is a reason to write down what you saw and tell the DSL.

A child with special educational needs or a disability may be harder to read, because a change in behaviour can be wrongly put down to the condition. See safeguarding children with SEND, and always ask what has changed.

• Bruises on a baby who cannot yet crawl, or unusual bruises, bite marks or burns on any child
• Sudden changes in mood, sleep, eating or play
• Fear of one adult, or extreme distress at separation
• Sexualised play or behaviour unusual for the child's age
• Lost skills, such as toilet training, speech or feeding
• Recurring nappy rash or infections that seem untreated
• Missed sessions, or a changing cast of adults at collection

Follow your school's child protection procedure and tell the DSL the same day. UK guidance for schools in England, Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE), asks all staff to report concerns without delay. If a child is in immediate danger, call your local emergency services first, then tell the DSL.

Write what you saw in plain words. For example: "Tuesday 10:15, nappy change; coin-sized bruise, left upper arm; child is eight months, not crawling; I asked no questions; told the DSL 10:30". The guide on how to record a safeguarding concern shows more.

Do not question a young child, or photograph an injury yourself, unless your procedure says to. The DSL decides what happens next, including whether and how to speak to parents.

Your country may add legal reporting duties. Read the guide on mandatory reporting laws and ask local counsel what applies to you.

The Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) both publish safeguarding expectations for member schools. Your early years routines belong in the same evidence. Take this list to your next team meeting and tick what is written down.

Then ask two staff members to describe a nappy change from start to finish. Where their answers differ, the routine needs more work.

• A written intimate care routine, and a care plan for each child who needs one
• A device and photograph rule that visitors can read at the door
• A minimum ratio and a cover plan for breaks, naps and trips
• Key persons who know each child's usual mood, skin and habits
• Staff who can name the signs of concern in children who cannot speak
• A DSL and deputy that every early years adult can name