Over eighty complaints of assaults, neglect, and sexual abuse have been made about after-school clubs in the past five years. In one incident, an eight-year-old boy had to clean his younger sister who had special educational needs, after she soiled herself: see The Department for Education says every child should feel safe in such clubs. Parents rely on them, and breakfast clubs, to provide childcare outside school hours. Many are not regulated, as providers do not need to register with Ofsted unless they offer childcare for more than two hours. They can register voluntarily with Ofsted in England, but only 10% are inspected a year, meaning they might not be inspected for nearly a decade. The mother of the two siblings said it was difficult for parents to know about the quality of safeguarding, saying, ‘After-school clubs are blind spots that need to be addressed.’
After-school clubs safeguarding complaints
Written by David Fletcher 13 May 2022Additional Info
- Pray: for the Department for Education to strengthen legislative powers of safeguarding, health and safety, and premises regulations so that every child is safe. (Psalm 4:8)
- More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61325477