Nursery World - Nursery Management: Training

Early years expertise does not feature heavily in serious case
reviews, but there is much to be learned from these documents. Jessica Johnson, co-author of a report on the subject, explains.

It may come as a surprise to learn that the majority of serious case reviews (SCRs) - two-thirds - concern children under the age of five. Many practitioners will be aware of the Vanessa George abuse case, where the nursery worker was jailed for sexual abuse of children, as well as making and distributing indecent images of them. But how many practitioners pick up SCRs, look at them and learn from them as part of their professional development and training?

SCRs are not just important training guides. They have also directly influenced the policies that many early years practitioners work by. As a result of the Vanessa George case, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) changed. The catastrophic failures of management that were identified in the resulting SCR led to the recommendation that safeguarding and accountability procedures be strengthened in law.

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