Keeping children safe in nurseries: A focus on culture and context

Abstract

There have been few reported incidents of sexual abuse within nurseries until recently, when abuse has come to light as a result of investigations into online sexual offending. This paper uses information from serious case reviews to compare two of these incidents with a view to understanding the factors that might contribute to abuse taking place within nurseries. Information from the reviews points to the context and culture of the nursery environment being of key importance, particularly the degree to which relationships and the emotional health of the setting allow the offender to assume a position of power within the group. This has implications for the way in which nurseries are managed and regulated.

Keywords:

• Early years
• internet abuse
• nurseries
• safeguarding
• serious case reviews
• sexual abuse