Recording & Responding to Safeguarding Concerns | Babies (Birth-18 Months)

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Recording and Responding to Safeguarding Concerns

Safeguarding guidance for baby rooms (0–18 months)

EYFS Curriculum & Pedagogy Membership (Professional)

(This pathway component will be available for download by: March 31st 2026)

What this document is

This document explains how safeguarding concerns are recognised, recorded and responded to in baby rooms, with specific attention to the developmental needs and vulnerabilities of babies aged 0–18 months.

It supports practitioners to understand their safeguarding responsibilities within everyday baby room practice, including how babies communicate distress, how concerns may present subtly, and how to act calmly, promptly and in line with statutory requirements.

This guidance is designed to strengthen professional confidence and consistency. It does not replace your setting’s safeguarding policy, local authority procedures or statutory guidance, but sits alongside them as a practical, baby-specific reference.

Who this is for

• Baby room practitioners working with babies aged 0–18 months

• Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) and deputies

• EYFS leaders, managers and safeguarding officers

• Childminders caring for babies

• Settings reviewing safeguarding practice for baby provision

What this document helps you understand

• What safeguarding looks like in baby rooms

• Why babies may communicate concerns through behaviour and cues

• How safeguarding concerns may arise during routines and everyday care

• The difference between observing, recording and investigating

• How to record concerns clearly, factually and respectfully

• When and how to share concerns with the DSL

• The practitioner’s role versus the DSL’s role

• How to work sensitively with families while prioritising safety

Key principles underpinning this guidance

• Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility

• Babies communicate differently from older children

• Small changes and patterns matter

• Practitioners observe, record and report — they do not investigate

• Confidentiality never overrides a baby’s safety

• Clear, factual recording protects babies and practitioners

Safeguarding in baby rooms is embedded in daily care, relationships and observation — not treated as a separate or reactive process.

How this document is used in practice

This document supports practitioners to:

• Recognise potential safeguarding concerns sensitively

• Understand what constitutes a concern versus a developmental variation

• Record concerns promptly and objectively

• Follow internal safeguarding procedures correctly

• Work confidently within professional boundaries

• Support consistent safeguarding practice across the team

It is particularly useful for:

• Induction and training

• Safeguarding refreshers

• Supervision and reflective discussion

• Inspection preparation

• Ensuring baby-specific safeguarding understanding

How this fits within our Baby (0–18 months) framework

This document sits within the Safeguarding, Assessment & Professional Responsibilities strand of the Baby Curriculum & Pedagogy framework.

It works in direct relationship with:

• Concerns & Referrals – Quick Form (Baby Room)

• Observation-led practice documents

• Adult Reference: Developmental Signals & Support

• Supporting Emotional Regulation in Baby Rooms

• Parent Partnership & Communication guidance

Together, these documents ensure safeguarding practice in baby rooms is developmentally informed, relational, legally compliant and clearly articulated.

Alignment with EYFS statutory requirements

This guidance reflects:

• EYFS safeguarding and welfare requirements

• The duty to act in the child’s best interests

• Observation-led identification of concerns

• The statutory role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead

It reinforces that the EYFS expects vigilance, timely recording and appropriate reporting — not diagnosis or investigation by practitioners.

This document is part of our EYFS Curriculum & Pedagogy Membership (Professional), which provides full access to age-specific curriculum frameworks, planning guidance, assessment tools and leadership support.

(This pathway component will be available for download by: March 31st 2026)

Related documents include:

Or read our ‘Little Owls Resources’ Curriculum Intent Statement’

Additional Documents | Professional Membership Contents (Babies 0-18 months)

Navigate our Curriculum & Pedagogy guidance documents here.

Pedagogical identity:
Relationship-led, care-centred baby practice where routines, interaction and sensory experience are the curriculum.

• 1. Welcome to the Baby Room (Start Here)

  👉 This section protects developmentally appropriate practice.

  • Baby Pedagogy Position Statement – How Babies Learn (0–18 Months)

  • Care as Curriculum: What This Means in Practice

  • How Our Baby Room Practice Works

  • Curriculum Language in Baby Rooms(Intent, Implementation & Impact Explained)

• 2. Baby Development & Adult Understanding

  👉 These documents support adult understanding — not expectations for babies.

  • Baby Curriculum Maps - Developmental progression across age bands (0–3 months | 3–6 months | 6-9 months | 9-12 months | 12-18 months)

  • Adult Reference: Developmental Signals & Support

  • Understanding Early Communication & Regulation

• 3. Observation-Led Practice & Responsive Care

  👉 Observation informs interaction, routines and environment.

  • In-The-Moment Narrative Observation Template for Babies

  • Micro-Observation Template (Checklist Format)

  • Pocket-Sized Observation Card

  • Using Observation to Respond to Babies’ Needs

  • In-the-Moment Prompt Cards (x17)

• 4. Environment & Continuous Provision (Baby Room)

  👉 The environment supports exploration, movement and communication.

  • Baby Room Environment Guide & Resourcing Lists

  • Baby Room Continuous Provision Maps

    • 0–9 Months

    • 9–18 Months

  • Labelling Pack | Baby Room (0–18 Months)

• 5. Routines, Care & Emotional Wellbeing

  👉 Care routines are central to learning and wellbeing.

  • Daily Routines as Learning Opportunities

  • Transition & Sleep Routine Record Pack

    • Daily Transition Record

    • Individual Sleep Routine Profile

    • Review Template

  • Supporting Emotional Regulation in Baby Rooms

• 6. Language & Interaction in Baby Rooms

  👉 Language is built through interaction, not instruction.

  • Five Sentence Stems Every Baby Room Practitioner Should Use (Baby Room Poster)

  • Responsive Talk, Narration & Imitation

  • Supporting Early Communication (Pre-Verbal & Emerging Speech)

• 7. Planning & Documentation

  👉 Planning supports adults — it never directs babies.

  • Weekly Care & Learning Planning Templates (x2)

  • Using Baby Room Planning Templates Responsively

  • ‘Intent - Implementation - Impact’ Reference Grids (Emotional, Communication, Physical, Sensory, Social, Problem-Solving, Independence)

  • Baby Responsive Planning Sheet

  • When (and When Not) to Plan in Baby Rooms

• 8. Assessment, Safeguarding & Statutory Responsibilities

  👉 Proportionate, sensitive and statutory practice.

  • Concerns & Referrals Quick Form

  • Recording and Responding to Safeguarding Concerns

  • Progress Check at Age 2 (looking ahead)

    • Report Template

    • Practitioner Guidance

• 9. SEND & Early Identification

  👉 Early support is relational, preventative and respectful.

  • SEND Identification & Next Steps Pack | Babies

    • What to Look For

    • What Evidence to Collect

    • Practical Next Steps

  • SEND & Inclusion Support Pack

    • A practical Toolkit for Early Years Practitioners

    • Inclusion Through Environment & Interaction

• 10. Parent Partnership & Communication

  👉 Strong partnerships support consistency and trust.

  • Daily Diary – Baby Room

  • Baby Room Welcome & Settling-In Pack

  • Supporting Babies at Home (Shared Routines & Communication)

  • Supporting Speech & Language at Home (0–3 Years)

• 11. Transition Beyond the Baby Room

  👉 Transitions are emotional, not academic.

  • Preparing for Transition to Toddler Room

  • Sharing Information with Sensitivity

  • Supporting Babies and Families Through Change

Additional Whole-Setting Guidance | for Professional Members

Explore our whole-setting guidance below, including overarching curriculum and pedagogy documents, early years schemas and EYFS setting policies.

• Curriculum & Pedagogy

  • Little Owls Resources’ Curriculum Intent Statement

  • EYFS from Birth to 5: Curriculum Coherence & Pedagogical Throughline

  • Whole-Setting Curriculum Map (Birth-5): Curriculum Intent & Progression

  • Pedagogy Guidance Document

  • Speech & Language Development - Setting Statement

  • EYFS Inspection-Facing Summaries

• Early Years Schemas

  Early Years Schemas - Practitioner Toolkit | EYFS Birth-5

  ↪ Schema Cards (definition, behaviours, age-related examples, enabling resources)

  ↪ Schema Observation & Responsive Provision Planning Template

• EYFS Setting Policies

  • EYFS Group Setting Policies Pack

    ↪ x 22 Policy Documents

    ↪ Policy Sign-Off and Confirmation Document

    ↪ EYFS Setting Policy Folder Contents List

  • Childminder Setting Policies Pack

    ↪ x 22 Policy Documents

    ↪ Childminder Assistant or Volunteer Policy Sign-Off and Confirmation Document

    ↪ Childminder Policy Folder Contents List

• EYFS Glossary

  EYFS Glossary

  ↪ Clear, practitioner-friendly explanations of key curriculum and pedagogy terms used throughout our guidance.

Looking for a different age group pathway?

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What is Professional Membership?

Find our more about our Professional guidance for confident, reflective EYFS practice (Birth–5)

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Content within the EYFS Curriculum & Pedagogy Membership is provided as professional guidance and support. It reflects current understanding of the EYFS statutory framework, Development Matters and inspection expectations at the time of writing. Practitioners are responsible for applying professional judgement and ensuring practice aligns with current statutory requirements and their specific context.

All resources, experiences and environment arrangements must be risk assessed by the setting and used in accordance with individual children’s developmental stages, needs and supervision requirements. Practitioners must apply professional judgement and adapt practice to their setting, cohort and current statutory requirements.

Safeguarding Notice
Safeguarding-related content is provided to support professional understanding and reflective practice. It does not replace a setting’s safeguarding and child protection policy, local authority procedures, statutory guidance, or the role and decision-making responsibilities of the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). All safeguarding concerns must be managed in line with current statutory requirements and local safeguarding partnership guidance.

Updated: January 2026