Moving and Handling of Children and Young People
Scope of this chapter
This guidance is for staff who deal with children with a disability to ensure safe working practices are in place. This includes lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, supporting, transporting and carrying.
Relevant Regulations
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
Management of Health & Safety at Work Act 1999
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998
Manual Handling Assessments in Hospitals and the Community
Safeguarding Disabled Children and Young People - Inter-agency Practice Guidance
Nottinghamshire County Council, Community Support Services (Children with Disabilities) recognises that, owing to the nature of the work undertaken in the execution of its duties, some employees may be exposed to the risk of injury due to moving and handling of children and young people. This policy relates specifically to the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992.
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 refer to the manual handling of animate or inanimate loads by human effort. This includes lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, supporting, transporting and carrying.
It is the responsibility of Nottinghamshire County Council, Disabled Children's Support Services to provide and maintain for its employees safe and healthy working conditions, a safe working environment, safe use of equipment and safe systems of work, as far as is reasonably practicable whilst at work. Disabled Children's Support Services also provides for the safety of others whilst on its premises. Under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, the Disabled Children's Support Service acknowledges its responsibility for assessing and controlling risks arising from moving and handling of children and young people. These include employees, those visiting the Disabled Children's Support Services premises and others who may be affected by the actions of the Disabled Children's Support Service employees whilst carrying out their duties.
It is important to the Disabled Children's Support Service that the strategies for moving and handling of children and young people are caring, sensitive and acceptable to the child or young person, and that they are also safe for the care worker involved. With this in mind, Disabled Children's Support Services will work with the child or young person and their parent/carer in agreeing a safe, acceptable way of moving and handling.
Risk Assessment and planning can eliminate almost every potential hazard associated with the moving and handling of children and young people. Where assessments indicate that moving and handling cannot be avoided, a detailed assessment of identified risks and safe manual handling systems MUST be undertaken and recorded. This process should be undertaken alongside the parent/carer, to ensure both Disabled Children's Support Services and the parent/carer understand and adhere to the assessment.
Hazardous moving and handling of children and young people is eliminated in all but exceptional or life threatening situations. Children and young people should be encouraged to assist with their own mobility whenever possible and handling aids must be used whenever they can help to reduce risk.
All moving and handling of a child or young person should be undertaken in a caring, sensitive manner, respecting their dignity at all times.
To implement a safer Moving and Handling Policy in accordance with identified legislation.
To minimise risks of injury from moving and handling activities arising from the execution of Disabled Children's Support Services duties.
To minimise muscular-skeletal problems sustained by employees through the moving and handling of children and young people.
The establishment of safer working environments for all employees undertaking duties involving moving and handling.
To ensure employees assess and control risks arising from moving and handling.
Disabled Children's Support Services only use equipment that has been identified by the Occupational Therapy Department and confirmed its suitability.
Disabled Children's Support Services only use equipment that has been appropriately maintained in accordance with manufacturer's instructions.
To ensure that risks to children and young people are minimised and that the highest quality of care is provided.
To ensure that Disabled Children's Support Services appoints competent persons to delivery relevant training.
To ensure employees have appropriate skills and knowledge of safe working practices.
To ensure the maintenance of training records.
To ensure a systematic audit of safe systems of work.
The County Wide Disabled Children's Support Services Team Manager will ensure that systems are in place to achieve the following:
- Identification of any risks associated with the moving and handling of children and young people with employee's duties and take steps to eliminate or reduce the risk as far as is reasonably practicable by complying with this policy;
- Ensuring that managers have provided adequate information regarding the Disabled Children's Support Services policy on Moving and Handling and the extent of the employee's responsibilities to children and young people;
- Ensuring that where moving and handling risks are identified, that cannot be eliminated, a formal risk assessment is conducted and safe systems of work are devised, recorded and implemented to ensure that risks are reduced to the lowest level reasonably practicable. To ensure that parents/carers are involved in the process;
- Having responsibility for the analysis and implementation of recommendations arising from manual handling risk assessments;
- Ensuring that systems to monitor safe working practices are in place and followed;
- Ensuring that staff attend training sessions arranged by the Disabled Children's Support Services in order to comply with this policy.
Managers/supervisors with day-to-day responsibility for the supervision of staff will:
- Identify hazardous moving and handling operations and eliminate these where possible.
- Ensure that where hazardous moving and handling operations cannot be avoided, a formal assessment of the risk(s) is made and steps taken to implement control measures will be reviewed either three monthly or when changes in circumstances occur;
- Ensure that the risk assessment if undertaken alongside the parent/carer and all parties agree on actions to be undertaken. A copy of this should be kept in the family home at all times;
- Monitor measures taken to control risks and regularly audit and review the process;
- Ensure that the risk assessment and control measures are available to all employees at risk;
- Ensure that staff attend training as required and that records of training are kept on a central record;
- Consult with safety representatives in achieving the Health and Safety Objectives.
Employees will:
- Take reasonable care to ensure their own health and safety and that of others and comply with the Disabled Children's Support Services policy and procedure on moving and handling;
- Participate in the risk assessment process;
- Attend training sessions organised by Disabled Children's Support Services;
- Report to managers any incidents, hazards or unsafe occurrences related to potential or actual manual handling tasks;
- Inform managers of any changes in their health or ability to perform their duties. This will include any change with a child or young person that may affect moving and handling;
- To ensure any moving and handling of a child or young person is undertaken in a caring and sensitive manner;
- Use any equipment provided as instructed and indicated in risk assessments;
- Report immediately to managers any defects or shortcomings in equipment and take other action as appropriate;
- Report immediately to managers any incidents, unsafe occurrences or injury sustained cac co-operate in any investigation.
Individuals such as Contractors, Suppliers and Service Personnel etc.
Individuals such as contractors, suppliers and service personnel etc, who work on Disabled Children's Support Services premises will take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others including where this related to manual handling issues. This will include reporting to the Disabled Children's Support Services managers any incident, unsafe occurrences or injuries relating to moving and handling. Where appropriate contractors working on site must produce risk assessments appropriate to the areas of work they are undertaking.
Other Agencies
Disabled Children's Support Services will communicate and co-operate with other agencies involved in providing services to children and young people, to help ensure that all individuals undertaking moving and handling tasks are not put at risk.
In order to comply with the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, Disabled Children's Support Services will establish and maintain suitable and sufficient risk assessments (see 6.1 and 6.2).
All risk assessments will be carried out by the Disabled Children's Support Services Manager who is suitably trained in the process (competent person). This will be undertaken alongside the parents/carers. Advice may be sought from other appropriate sources, e.g. Departmental Occupational Therapy Service, Health and Safety Section, Nottinghamshire County Council Safety Manual, Moving and Handling Team.
Risk assessments will be reviewed six monthly or when changes in circumstances occur, for instance following a change in a child or young person's abilities or development, personnel changes, changes in the nature of manual handling operations, reported incidents, injuries or unsafe occurrences.
Risk assessments are working documents and need to be accessible to Disabled Children's Support Services staff and parents/carers at all times.
In respect of children, young people and inanimate loads appropriate moving and handling equipment will be provided. Disabled Children's Support Services are not responsible for provisions of maintenance of equipment. This is provided by the occupational therapy team.
Staff should not use equipment until appropriate instruction and training has been provided and they are considered competent.
Risk assessments are carried out in accordance with this policy must consider equipment failure and identify appropriate action.
The Disabled Children's Support Services service ensure support workers are given appropriate instruction, training and supervision in the ergonomic approach to manual handling prior to working with any child or young person and on an on-going basis. The support worker will need instruction, supervision and adhere to the risk assessment pack each time they work with a child or young person they have not met before.
Disabled Children's Support Services must ensure that employees responsible for carrying out risk assessments and advising on moving and handling safely receive appropriate training and information.
Training and instruction in safe handling should occur in conjunction with other strategies for controlling risks, since sole reliance on training is not effective in controlling risks.
Training records will be kept at unit/team level and centrally on the Learning & Development System.
Training will be provided by the Learning and Development Service and supported by the Health and Safety Section and Moving & Handling Team.
Temporary staff will not be able to commence duties until appropriate training and instruction has been provided.
Staff will be expected to demonstrate safe practice learnt on courses. Staff who are unable to demonstrate the required skills and knowledge will be provided with further training and other support as required. Staff need to take responsibility for bringing to their line manager's attention any areas of manual handling that they are confident and/or competent in.
Training records will be retained by each employee. These will reflect an employee's knowledge and awareness of current safe working practice and will include manual handling legislation, risk assessment, acceptable and unsafe practice, assessing children or young people's needs.
To ensure that effectiveness of this policy and other safety measures, the following areas will be subject to monitoring:
- Attendance on moving and handling courses is mandatory, all attendances and non-attendances will be recorded;
- Line managers will be responsible for ensuring that training (including refresher training) is recorded on a support worker's file and kept on a data base;
- Employees who fail to attend training may be subject to the NCC's Disciplinary Procedure.
- Following any unsafe incident or accident the appropriate form must be completed by the employee and the line manager will enter onto the well worker system in accordance with the established procedure. Appropriate investigation will be undertaken.
- Prospective employees will be subject to pre-employment assessment by the Department's Occupational Health Team to ensure that the individual is fit for the job and that the job is suitable for them;
- Any change in an employee's health status, including pregnancy and the development or progression of an illness will result in an assessment of the competence being undertaken by the employee's line manager. If necessary, the matter will be reported to the Department's Occupational Health Team so that appropriate advice can be obtained;
- Any employee injured as a result of moving and handling will be offered early assessment by an appropriate service. The following action is also required:
- A suitable rehabilitation programme will be planned and monitored;
- The environment in which the injury occurred will be subject to assessment and review;
- Final Assessment of the employee's condition will take place before any return to duties.
Any employee, who fails to follow safe practice, or puts themselves, a colleague or child or young person at risk, may be subject to the NCC Disciplinary Procedure.
Last Updated: June 9, 2023
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