Lone Working Policy

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At The Norfolk Childcare Company Ltd, our goal is to ensure that no team member is left working alone in a room or within the building whenever possible. However, there may be situations when this is not feasible due to various reasons:

• Toilet breaks
• Providing lunch cover
• Nappy changes
• Comforting an unwell child in a quiet area
• Pursuing a child’s interests, which may require staff to explore a particular area
• Assisting children in the toilet area who may have had an accident
• Specific responsibilities of some team members, such as management duties, opening and closing the setting, performing cleaning or maintenance tasks, and staff working outside regular operating hours.

We will seek public liability insurance for lone working where applicable.

Employee and Manager lone room responsibility #

Employee and manager responsibilities when working alone in a room include:

• Conducting a risk assessment for solo work
• Ensuring that staff-to-child ratios are maintained
• Ensuring there is a point of contact in case of an emergency
• Safeguarding both the staff member and children in accordance with relevant policies.

Employee responsibilities alone in a building #

Employee responsibilities when left alone in the building include:

• Informing a member of the management when they are working alone and making arrangements to check in at their expected completion time
• Ensuring they always have access to a telephone for emergency calls or for management to check on their safety if concerns arise
• Keeping the building locked to prevent unauthorised entry
• Reporting any concerns related to working alone to the management as promptly as possible.

Management responsibilities alone in a building #

Management responsibilities when left alone in the building include:

• Ensuring that staff working alone are competent and confident in carrying out safety procedures, such as fire evacuations
• Ensuring that the employee can contact them or a team member, even outside normal office hours (e.g., providing access to a phone and contact numbers)
• Confirming that the employee has access to emergency contact information
• Ensuring that employees have access to a telephone while working alone
• Following up if an employee does not report in as planned
• Completing risk assessments for these situations, including identifying hazards and risks and outlining control measures.

Breach of Policy #

Any member of staff, student or volunteer found to be in breach of this policy will be subject to disciplinary action as a breach of this policy and our safeguarding policy. Any breach could result in termination of employment.

Policy Commencement and Review #

Date Commencement	Review Terms	Signed By
13/09/2023	Yearly	Jonathan Tricks, Operations Director