Balanced Approach to Risk Assessment
Q: Why is it important to take a balanced approach to risk assessment?
It is important you have a balanced approach towards risk assessments. You must always make sure that children are not at any risk but sometimes you may give them the freedom to do something knowing they won’t hurt their self but will learn from it. For example if a child was walking along a balancing beam that wasn’t very high with a soft surface underneath then they wouldn’t be at risk of any danger, they may fall but it wouldn’t cause any injury.
Q: What dilemma can you come up against when balancing a child’s safety with their right to choose?
When children are doing a new activity or using a new area it can create a dilemma between the duty of care and the children rights. As a practitioner I should always do risk assessments on the activities and the environment. There is a mix of adult led and children led activities throughout the nursery. Children need to explore their own levels of risk-taking but in safe environments. If we try to over protect children and prevent them from taking risks they will seek their own risk-taking when adults are not around. The EYFS states that we need to conduct a risk assessment and review it regularly, the guidance on play includes the advice 'through play, in a secure but challenging environment with effective adult support, children can take risks and make mistakes'
CS: on an occasion you have supported children to manage and assess their own risks
We have some stepping stones outside, it had been raining and they were wet. I seen a child begin to use them, i said to the child ‘don’t you think those steps are a bit slippery?’ the child ignored what I had said and carried on walking on the steps. The child didn’t fall but if they had of then they would of realised that the steps were to slippery and they should of got off when they had been
It is important you have a balanced approach towards risk assessments. You must always make sure that children are not at any risk but sometimes you may give them the freedom to do something knowing they won’t hurt their self but will learn from it. For example if a child was walking along a balancing beam that wasn’t very high with a soft surface underneath then they wouldn’t be at risk of any danger, they may fall but it wouldn’t cause any injury.
Q: What dilemma can you come up against when balancing a child’s safety with their right to choose?
When children are doing a new activity or using a new area it can create a dilemma between the duty of care and the children rights. As a practitioner I should always do risk assessments on the activities and the environment. There is a mix of adult led and children led activities throughout the nursery. Children need to explore their own levels of risk-taking but in safe environments. If we try to over protect children and prevent them from taking risks they will seek their own risk-taking when adults are not around. The EYFS states that we need to conduct a risk assessment and review it regularly, the guidance on play includes the advice 'through play, in a secure but challenging environment with effective adult support, children can take risks and make mistakes'
CS: on an occasion you have supported children to manage and assess their own risks
We have some stepping stones outside, it had been raining and they were wet. I seen a child begin to use them, i said to the child ‘don’t you think those steps are a bit slippery?’ the child ignored what I had said and carried on walking on the steps. The child didn’t fall but if they had of then they would of realised that the steps were to slippery and they should of got off when they had been