Duty of Care
Duty of Care
1.1
The term duty of care refers to the duties and responsibilities that someone in charge and authority has to those they are caring for. In the area of childcare and early years, teachers, nursery workers and other care workers have a duty of care to the children they are looking after and are responsible for.
There is a general definition for duty of care as well as different definitions in greater detail. For example moral and legal duties of care. Legal duty of care is where there are strict laws and guidelines that state what must be done when caring for an individual, such as health and safety matters. While moral duty of care is where there are no set laws or legal obligations, but it is what is the right thing to do in a situation morally, for example a care worker comforting a child that is crying.
In some senses we as human beings have a duty of care to one another when we are interacting.
1.2
Duty of care within the area of childcare and early years helps to contribute to the safeguarding and protection of children and young people. How this is, is that in working with children care workers, whatever their job in some way, their role is to protect and keep children safe from harm. However the workers with a duty of care to the children are responsible for the individual child’s/children’s welfare, safety and well being with greater effect. In having duty of care in place children are protected by having set authoritative figures in charge that are responsible for them and caring for them to a better degree. In having these figures the risk of neglect is much lower and children are greater protected through having someone responsible directly for them, allowing them to be better supervised and given more opportunities to thrive in a safe environment.
The younger the child the greater the duty of care, but by watching the child and providing attention and care, the child can be given the opportunity and chance to develop as
1.1
The term duty of care refers to the duties and responsibilities that someone in charge and authority has to those they are caring for. In the area of childcare and early years, teachers, nursery workers and other care workers have a duty of care to the children they are looking after and are responsible for.
There is a general definition for duty of care as well as different definitions in greater detail. For example moral and legal duties of care. Legal duty of care is where there are strict laws and guidelines that state what must be done when caring for an individual, such as health and safety matters. While moral duty of care is where there are no set laws or legal obligations, but it is what is the right thing to do in a situation morally, for example a care worker comforting a child that is crying.
In some senses we as human beings have a duty of care to one another when we are interacting.
1.2
Duty of care within the area of childcare and early years helps to contribute to the safeguarding and protection of children and young people. How this is, is that in working with children care workers, whatever their job in some way, their role is to protect and keep children safe from harm. However the workers with a duty of care to the children are responsible for the individual child’s/children’s welfare, safety and well being with greater effect. In having duty of care in place children are protected by having set authoritative figures in charge that are responsible for them and caring for them to a better degree. In having these figures the risk of neglect is much lower and children are greater protected through having someone responsible directly for them, allowing them to be better supervised and given more opportunities to thrive in a safe environment.
The younger the child the greater the duty of care, but by watching the child and providing attention and care, the child can be given the opportunity and chance to develop as