unit 208 Support children and young peoples' health and safety

[Loz207]

hi, can anyone offer any help with this unit please?

Think I have outcome 4 covered, but need help with the other 3 outcomes please.

*Updated

Outcome 2.1 demonstrate how to identify potential hazards to health & safety and security of children.

How do you show you can spot hazards and risks in your setting? What checks are done to do this?

How to identify potential hazards to demonstrate your knowledge of your workplace's policy and procedures.
p.162 Checking your environment

• Does any of the equipment have broken parts or sharp edges?
• Are large pieces of equipment and toys arranged to allow safe use by all children?
• Are the outside play areas free of broken glass, syringes and other dangerous litter?
• Are the toilets and washing facilities clean and supplied with toilet paper and soap?
• Are all locks, catches and so on that stop childen leaveing the building alone working?
• Are any dangerous items or substances (eg. knives or bleach and other chemicals) out of reach of children?
• Are procedures for dealing with spillages of urine, feaces, blood and vomit clear, and are facilities available to deal with them?
• Are the procedures for dealing with visitors to the setting clear?
• Do the alarms work and are visitor books and badges in place?
• Are all areas for the preparation of food and drink clean, and is suitable equipment present?

Outcome 2.2 demonstrate how to deal with hazards to minimise risks to health & safety and security

P.158 Responsibility and reporting.

Everyonen is responsible for health and safety in any setting. The manager or head teacher has the ultimate responsibility, with heads of departments or rooms responsible for their area. Any accident, incident or near miss must be reported to your supervisor.

Rooms, outdoor areas and equipment should be checked at the start and end of every session. You should also be aware of any faults or broken equipment during activities. If you find anything that is faulty or broken it must not be used. Faults should be reported to the appropriate person. Who is that in your setting?


Outcome 2.3 demonstrate ways of supporting children to take responsibilty for their own health & safety and security.

P. 160: Most accidents can be prevented. Thinking ahead about what you are planning to do, who with and what risks and hazards there might be can help to reduce accidents to those in your care.

Create a safe but challenging environment

Children learn by trying out new experiences and making choices. However they do not have the skills and judgement to always make safe choices. Carers have a responsibility not only to identify potential hazards in any situation, but also to judge when it is safe to allow a child to undertake an activity or make a choice.

It is important to make sure children are safe, but it is also very important to give them the chance to explore and experiment. Children learn their limits through experimenting and pushing their level of skill, and you have to help to support them to do that safely. There are many myths around health and safety that suggest children cannot do anything that is slightly dangerous. Risk itself won't damage children, but ill-mananged and overprotective actions could.


Outcome 3.1 outline the importance of taking a balanced approach to risk management

P. 160: A balanced approach to risk management
Any activity a hild does has some risk attached, even something as simple as painting. If the activity is planned and organised well, with thought given to possibkle risks, the liklihood of an accident or injury should be minimal. The secret is to balance the risk of an activity against the benefit to and safety of the child. Understanding the stage of development of a child is of paramount importance and their individual needs can help you to provide the right amount of risk in activities. For example, children under the age of eight cannot safely judge the speed or distance of a car on the road - so a child under eight should not be allowed to cross the road alone.

Risk and challenge are important to a child or young person's development. Avoiding them would result in a very timid adult lacking in many everyday skills and abilities. It would be easy to respond to all the risks to which children are exposed by not allowing them to explore or experiment. However, just think about how that would affect their development. Children need to explore their environment - it is one of the ways in which they learn - but it needs to be a 'safe' environment where adults control the risk. It is important that children are given the freedom to develop their skills, with adult support but not too much intervention.


Outcome 3.2 demonstrate ways of supporting children to assess and manage risk for themselves

Consider if you do any of this in your setting to support the children to manage risk:

• Be present to physically support a young child as they try out new skills, for example, standing behind a very young child to give confidence as they negotiate stairs and to be there if they fall.
• Be a postivie role model, for example, by holding a safety rail/wearing a bike helmet/ using safety belts and explaing to children why these are necessary.
• Be encouraging by praising effort and highlighting competence and achievement.
• Take part in opportunities that help children to practise decision making, such as, when crossing the road, suggesting a child tells you when they think it is safe to do so.
• Talk over the process of assessing risk as you are carrying out tasks, for example, 'I'll use an oven glove so I don't burn myself on the cooker'.
• Allow time for the process of risk assessment to take place properly - if you rush a child they may not think it through properly.
• Support a child's parents to see how they can also help their child to make more independent choices. For example by telling them about the day's activities and the choices and decisions their child made.

[lisaanderson2012]

Hi can any 1 help me on 3.2 give 3 exampleshow u cud support children to assess and manage risk . If any 1 can help it wud be brilliant xx

[Rosyred]

Originally Posted by lisaanderson2012

Hi can any 1 help me on 3.2 give 3 exampleshow u cud support children to assess and manage risk . If any 1 can help it wud be brilliant xx

How about using scissors correctly or moving in the classroom with scissors e.g. watching what they cut, holding them correctly when they walk etc.
You could mention the correct time and place to play with balls e.g. outside, not inside, in areas with space etc.
What about using PE apparatus safely? need a mat, are they confident or do they need support etc.
For all these things you would speak to the child and guide them in their safe use, hopefully allowing them to think about it and decide for themselves the levels of safety needed to keep themselves and others safe.
You do it all the time, you just don't realise it!