Task a
DUTY OF CARE AND SAFEGUARDING
·1) duty of care is to keep children and young people safe and to protect them from sexual, physical and emotional harm. Children have a right to be safe and to be treated with respect and dignity. We as adults must take reasonable steps to ensure the safety and well being of pupils. Failure to do this could be regarded as professional neglect. Always act and be seen to act in the child’s best interests.
·2) Duty of care safeguards children by the setting having done risk assessments and precautions taken to avoid accidents or the spreading of infections. Follow the correct procedures if you have any concerns for the child’s well being, set clear boundaries for children depending on age, stage and development and discourage any behaviour, which could result in a child being harmed or upset. Assessments and observations on children can alert you to any problems that may need addressing and the discussions with parents and other professionals. Always listen to what children have to say and take any concerns they may have seriously. 1) Duty of Care includes the concepts:
• to keep individuals safe
• to keep individuals free from harm
• to give choice
Duty of care is a key concept in working with other human beings. It is a legal term for safeguarding self and others.
Children and young people are often vulnerable as they are yet to develop the physical and cognitive capacity to fully care for themselves; they need care and protection from the adults around them. Health and social care organisations have what is called a duty of care towards the people they look after. That means that they must do everything they can to keep the people in their care safe from harm.
‘Duty of care’ means a requirement to exercise a ‘reasonable’ degree of attention and caution to avoid negligence which would lead to harm to other people. Working with children and young people brings a