Suffolk Early Years Safeguarding Self-Assessment (SSA)

Message from Christina Lewis, Head of Service Early Years and Childcare 

For Childcare providers who are members of Suffolk List of Providers (LoP) offering government funded early education places (EEF).

I’m grateful for your continued hard work and commitment to children, young people, and their families. It is our joint responsibility to safeguard the users of all services and I’m writing to you to ask for your help in completing this safeguarding questionnaire as it is an important indicator of the quality of safeguarding and related processes in your provision. 

I acknowledge that as a provider of early years provision you are required to be Ofsted registered or registered with a Childminding Agency and that along with the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (EYFS) you will already be paying specific attention to regulations that relate to safeguarding.

However, the council and the Suffolk Safeguarding Partnership must ensure all providers claiming grant funding early education completed this Safeguarding Self-Assessment document.

Failure to return this document to Suffolk County Council will result in a delay to receiving your grant funding and ultimately your ability to claim funding in the future. The template has been cross referenced to key documents to assist you in completing the sections.

Please note, the Early Years Safeguarding Self-Assessment is for nurseries, preschools, childminders with and without assistants. It is recognised that for childminders without assistants, questions relating to staff will not all be relevant. 

You may be asked to provide further evidence in support of your responses and the council’s Early Years and Childcare Service officers will routinely talk to you about your safeguarding arrangements in the course of working with you.  If you have any queries whilst completing this questionnaire, please see: 

·       Suffolk Safeguarding Partnership

·       Training & Continuing Professional Development (CPD) – Suffolk Learning

If you have any questions about this Safeguarding Self-Assessment, please email the Suffolk Family Information Service: Suffolkfis@suffolk.gov.uk 

Please note this Safeguarding Self-Assessment has been written in line with the following documents:

·       Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework - GOV.UK

·       Prevent duty guidance: England and Wales (2023) - GOV.UK

·       Working together to safeguard children - GOV.UK

·       Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings: online safety considerations - GOV.UK

·       Help for Early Years Providers - Safer Sleep

·       Contact the Family Support team - Suffolk County Council

·       Help for early years providers : Food safety

 Inspecting Safeguarding in Early years: 

·       Inspecting safeguarding in the early years – a reminder of the guidance and some commonly asked questions – Ofsted: schools and further education & skills (FES)

SSA Guidance notes and a preview of the questions can be found at the link: 

Safeguarding Self-Assessment (SSA) Early Years – Suffolk Learning