Health and safety

Your child's safety is our number one priority. From the team we hire to the environments we create, everything we do is focused on keeping children safe and giving you confidence and peace of mind.

To give you even greater peace of mind, Family First also has a dedicated health and safety team who work closely with our nurseries. Their role is to support our teams and help make sure every environment is as safe, secure, and welcoming as possible for your little one.

Robust recruitment for every team member

Every member of our team goes through a robust and thorough recruitment process. We follow all safer recruitment requirements set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and Keeping Children Safe in Education and are supported by a dedicated Safer Recruitment Lead.

Ongoing suitability checks for each team member

DBS checks are only legally required at the start of employment, but we renew and check them regularly as an extra safeguarding measure. We also carry out ongoing suitability checks and have regular supervisions which each team member throughout the year. Supervisions provide a valuable opportunity to reflect on each team member’s roles and responsibilities, while also supporting their ongoing growth. Through open conversations and access to training, team members can continue to build their skills, confidence, and professional practice.

Trained and confident in safeguarding

Every team member completes Level 2 Safeguarding and Child Protection training, which includes whistleblowing, every two years, supported by an annual refresher. Our teams also take part in additional training so they can recognise and respond to specific risks. We’re also lucky to have an Early Years Specialist team who visit our nurseries regularly. They work alongside our teams to help ensure we maintain the highest standards of safeguarding for our children, families, and staff, creating a safe and nurturing environment for everyone.

Specialist training for key roles

Each nursery has a dedicated Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) who oversees all safeguarding within the setting. They work closely with local authorities safeguarding boards, multi-agency partners and our regulators to make sure any concerns are handled quickly, confidently and appropriately.

We foster an open and transparent safeguarding culture where every team member understands that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. All concerns or disclosures must be shared immediately with the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), and all team members are supported to act without delay or hesitation. We also ensure team members have access to external reporting routes should they ever feel unable to raise concerns internally, including contact details for the NSPCC and an independent third-party whistleblowing organisation. This approach helps ensure that all concerns are raised, heard and acted upon in the best interests of children.

Our commitment to paediatric first aid training

We aim for every team member to hold a valid Paediatric First Aid certificate, which is renewed every three years, alongside annual refresher training. This training covers essential skills such as CPR, responding to choking, and managing head bumps and cuts, helping ensure our team feel confident and prepared to respond calmly and effectively in these situations

Our learning environment

Secure from the doorstep

Our nurseries have security systems to prevent unauthorised access and every family is greeted at arrival and collection times.

This helps us build relationships with you and be there for questions, advice, and support.

Keeping our environments safe

Our teams also carry out regular risk assessments across all nursery environments to keep spaces safe and suitable for children. Judging risk is a skill children need to develop in a considered and controlled way, therefore the team constantly assesses the risks in our environment. Sometimes children will still have bumps and falls, this is a normal stage in their development as they negotiate different spaces, other children, and their ever-growing little bodies. The team will always inform parents or carers if one of the children has had an accident whilst in nursery. Our teams regularly review and analyse all accidents and incidents to make sure we are doing everything we can to minimise risk and keep children safe.

Technology and safeguarding

The tablets we use to capture children’s learning are securely connected to our internal network only, meaning that photos and information cannot be shared or sent outside the nursery. We also have central systems in place, managed both within the nursery and by our support team, to monitor how these tablets are used and ensure they remain safe and appropriate at all times. To further safeguard our children and teams, personal mobile phones or other digital devices belonging to team members are not permitted in the children’s play spaces.

We invest in secure nursery management systems to protect your family’s information and handle all data with care. We are fully compliant with GDPR, ensuring personal information is stored and managed safely at all times.

Policies that support safe practice

Our Safeguarding and Whistleblowing policies and procedures, alongside training, are part of every team member's induction. Our Employee Code of Conduct sets clear expectations around behaviour, boundaries, and integrity.

We promote a culture of Safeguarding, wellbeing, kindness, and respect, and celebrate cultural differences.

Supporting families

Safeguarding children also means recognising when the adults in their lives may need a little extra support. We’re here to offer guidance on things like weaning, sleep, behaviour and developmental concerns, and are always happy to talk things through.

We pride ourselves on how we work in partnership with our families, building trust through open and honest communication. Your child’s safety and wellbeing is a shared responsibility, and we take that seriously every single day.

If parents or carers need more specialist support, whether for mental health or safeguarding reasons, we can sensitively signpost confidential services that are there to help.