Lone Working Policy

Lone Working Policy

At Rabbit Patch Day Nursery, we aim to ensure that no member of the team is left alone working, in either a room or within the building at any time. However, there may be occasions when this isn’t always possible due to:

• Toilet breaks
• Lunch cover
• Nappy changes
• Comforting a child that may be unwell in a quiet area
• Following a child’s interest, as this may lead staff away with a child to explore an area
• Supporting children in the toilet area
• Individual duties of team members e.g. management, opening and closing the setting, carrying out cleaning or maintenance at the settings and staff operating outside operating hours.

On the rare occasions that lone working within a room does take place we ensure that a specific risk assessment is completed prior to this taking place, including:

• How staff can manage with a variety of tasks such as talking to parents and supervising children safely
• That each member of staff required to work alone holds the required qualifications, training and/or skills for the role e.g. holds a level 3 qualification, paediatric first aid, safeguarding and child protection training and basic food hygiene
• That staff members working alone are competent in their role
• That the staff member can call on others in an emergency, including evacuation or lock down procedures
• There are procedures in place to check in on the staff member and cover for breaks
• The member of staff and children are safeguarded at all times (according to our Safeguarding children and child protection policy)
• Ratios are maintained at all times.

Public liability insurance for lone working will be sought where applicable.

Staff members’ responsibilities when left in the building alone:

• To make a member of the management aware of when they are working and make plans to check in at their expected time of completion of the work
• To ensure they have access to a walkie talkie / telephone at all times in order to call for help if they need it, or for management to check their safety if they are concerned
• Ensure that the building remains locked so no one can walk in unidentified
• Report any concerns for working alone to the management as soon as is practicably possible.

Management’s responsibilities when left in the building alone:

• To ensure staff working alone are competent and confident to carry out any safety procedures e.g. evacuation or lock down
• To ensure that the employee has the ability to contact them or a member of the team event if their lone working is outside normal office hours (i.e. access to a phone, contact numbers of someone they can call)
• To check that the employee has someone they can contact in the event of an emergency and the numbers to call
• To ensure that employees have the ability to access a telephone whilst lone working
• If reporting in arrangements have been made and the employee does not call in, to follow it up.

Risk assessments are also completed for these occasions including hazards and risks and how these are controlled.