Safeguarding

Safeguarding at Pennywell Early Years Centre

At Pennywell Early Years Centre, safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that every child deserves to feel safe, loved and protected. Creating a secure and nurturing environment is not only our priority; it’s our duty.

💖 Our Commitment to Safeguarding

We are fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in our care. All staff members, volunteers, and visitors are expected to share this commitment.

We have a legal responsibility to act if we are worried about a child’s welfare. This means that if we have any concerns about a child’s safety or wellbeing, we are required to act and share this information with the appropriate agencies. We always aim to work in partnership with families and keep communication open and supportive.

🧑‍🏫 Meet Our Safeguarding Team

We have a strong and experienced safeguarding team who are here to support children, families, and staff:

  • Ruth Williamson – Headteacher & Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
  • Claire Leybourne – Safeguarding Manager & Designated Deputy Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)
  • Nicole Hunt – Lead Teacher & Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)
  • Jessica Cooney – Senior Practitioner & Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)
  • Margaret Parsons – Safeguarding Governor

If you have any safeguarding concerns or worries, you can speak to any of the team above in confidence.

🧰 What is Early Help?

Sometimes families need a little extra support, and that’s okay. Life can be challenging, and Early Help is here to offer guidance before things reach a crisis point.

Early Help is a way of working with you and your family to provide timely support. This might include:

  • Support with routines, sleep or behaviour
  • Help with housing, finances or food
  • Accessing speech and language support
  • Mental health and wellbeing services
  • Parenting workshops and groups

We can help you access these services or refer you to professionals who can offer the right support at the right time. You are not alone.

👮 Operation Encompass

We are proud to be part of Operation Encompass, a national initiative that helps schools and early years settings to support children who may have been affected by domestic abuse.

If the police are called to an incident of domestic abuse where children are present, the school will be notified before the next school day. This allows us to offer immediate support in a sensitive and appropriate way.

Only our Designated Safeguarding Lead (or Deputy) receives this information, and it is treated with the utmost care and confidentiality.

Learn more at: www.operationencompass.org

🗂️ What is CPOMs?

At Pennywell, we use CPOMs (Child Protection Online Management System) to securely record any concerns about a child’s wellbeing.

CPOMs helps us:

  • Track patterns of behaviour or concerns over time
  • Share information efficiently with safeguarding staff
  • Record actions taken to support a child or family
  • Work more effectively with external services

Everything logged on CPOMs is confidential and secure, and access is limited to key safeguarding staff only.

🤝 We’re Here for You

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. If you ever have any concerns about a child—or need support for your family—please don’t hesitate to reach out.

We’re here to work with you, listen without judgement, and help ensure that every child grows up safe, happy, and healthy.

📞 Contact Us: Click here to get in touch

Together, we can build a strong circle of safety and support around every child.

🌐 Online Safety for Young Children

At Pennywell Early Years Centre, we understand that even our youngest children are growing up in a digital world. Whether they’re watching cartoons, playing learning games, or using video calls to stay in touch with family; it’s never too early to start building good habits around staying safe online.

While nursery-aged children aren’t typically using the internet independently, we believe it’s important to work together with families to keep children safe, informed, and supported as they begin to explore technology.

🧸 Simple Tips for Online Safety at Home

Here are some helpful ways to support your child’s online experiences at home:

  • 🖥️ Use screens together – Sit with your child while they play or watch and talk about what they’re seeing.
  • 🔒 Use child-friendly apps and settings – Choose age-appropriate platforms with safety settings turned on.
  • ⏰ Set time limits – Keep screen time balanced with plenty of play, outdoor time, and rest.
  • ❤️ Talk early and often – Encourage your child to tell you if something they see makes them feel confused or uncomfortable.

🌟 Helpful Links for Parents & Children

Here are some wonderful, age-appropriate websites that support early learning about online safety:

  • 🐱 Smartie the Penguin (Childnet)
    A fun, interactive story to help young children understand how to stay safe online.
  • 🐭 Jessie & Friends (Thinkuknow)
    A series of animated videos and resources developed by CEOP to teach online safety to children aged 4–7.
  • 👨‍👩‍👧 Childnet – Parents & Carers
    Great advice for parents on how to introduce online safety and set up safe technology use at home.
  • 📱 Internet Matters – Age 0–5
    Advice for parents of young children using tablets, smartphones, and connected devices.

🤝 We’re Here to Help

If you ever have any concerns about your child’s use of technology or if you need help setting up parental controls, please speak to a member of our team. We’re always here to support you and your family.

Together, we can help children enjoy the benefits of the online world while staying safe, happy and confident.