Lessons to be learned from Plymouth Serious Case Review

Serious Case Review published following the allegations of abuse at Little Ted’s Nursery in Plymouth, makes recommendations to improve the safety of children in early years settings

The Early Years Foundation Stage should set out specific requirements for child protection training and require all early years settings to provide regular 1:1 staff supervision from a trained supervisor.

These are just two of the recommendations published in the Serious Case Review that was carried out following allegations of sexual abuse of children at Little Ted’s nursery in Plymouth. The purpose of the review, which was set up by Plymouth Safeguarding Children Board, was to establish what happened, why and how such an event might be prevented in the future.

A number of interacting factors came together to support a culture where abuse was possible at Little Ted’s, says the review. It highlights lack of training and supervision, an inadequate policy and procedure framework and poor management among the areas for concern.

Policies and procedures in relation to child protection, for example, had been lifted without adaptation from the Pre-School Learning Alliance documentation. The policy was signed by the manager but had not been properly adopted at a staff meeting. There was no evidence that staff knew where to go with any concerns about a colleague and no guidance in relation to nappy changing/intimate care. ‘And although this may not have prevented the abuse’, says the report, ‘transparency and discussion about the issue within the staff group will have given a clear message that potential risks were recognised, and child protection was a high priority’.

Vanessa George, who was jailed last year after admitting carrying out sexual assaults on children, was not formally interviewed for her job at the nursery. ‘Important lessons can be learned that might make similar abuse less likely in the future’, says the report. All those working within early years settings as well as those responsible for support and inspection must be mindful of the need for organisations to:

• Operate safer recruitment procedures
• Have effective policies and procedures in place which are communicated to staff, including child protection and intimate care
• Encourage open discussions amongst the staff group about good and poor practice and facilitate constructive challenge of each other
• Ensure that safeguarding is openly discussed and staff are aware of the possibility that abuse might happen within their workplace
• Have effective whistle blowing procedures
• Have safeguards in place where boundaries may be blurred through friendship networks amongst staff and parents
• Encourage communication and contact with parents and ensure they are kept well informed about their child’s say to day experiences.

Purnima Tanuku, Chief Executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) comments: ‘This case has demonstrated that settings need to ensure that their policies must work whether there are concerns about children internally within the nursery or externally at home. Safer recruitment is a key area, and the vast majority of nurseries understand that a CRB check is only part of ensuring that an individual is suitable to work with children. All relevant organisations will be looking at this report and investigating how support services and requirements can work more effectively.’

Voice, the union for education professionals, has urged nurseries to consider becoming mobile phone-free zones. Tricia Pritchard, Senior Professional Officer (Childcare), said: ‘We are concerned that mobile phones with integrated cameras enable anyone to take photographs without the knowledge of those being photographed. A “no mobiles” rule would protect children, prevent accusations against staff and reassure parents.’