Qualification: NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Educator
Unit: Unit 2.3: Use legislation relating to the health and safety of children
Learning outcome: Be able to manage risk within an environment which provides challenge for children
Assessment criteria: Describe how health and safety risk assessments are monitored and reviewed
Risk assessments are an important part of keeping children safe in an Early Years setting. They help us to identify potential hazards and put in place controls to minimise the risks.
Regular monitoring and review of risk assessments are essential to ensure that they remain effective. This can be done through a variety of methods, such as regular audits, observations, or feedback from staff and parents.
When a risk assessment is carried out, it will usually state a recommended time period within which it should be reviewed. The review frequency will be dependent on the circumstances. For example, a risk assessment for the storage of medication may only need to be reviewed annually, whereas the risk assessment for a member of staff that is pregnant will need to be reviewed regularly as the needs of the staff member change.