Last updated: April 2026

Review date: April 2027

It is vital that a child develops a relationship with at least one primary caregiver, in order for social and emotional development to occur. When parents or carers are not present such as at nursery or preschool, it is a legal requirement in line with the Early Years Statutory Framework that the same adult fulfils this role of a consistent carer as much as possible. The key person should help the child become familiar with the setting surroundings and help the child feel secure and safe.

At Paint Pots, whilst all staff working with a particular age group form relationships with all of the children who attend, we operate a key person system to ensure that children, parents & carers are able to build up a relationship with a specific individual member of the team.

At the admissions stage, a child is assigned an interim key person. This is a member of the team who will become their main point of contact within the Nursery / Preschool and who will have special responsibilities for their continued care and welfare. Parents are given the name of their child’s key person, on starting with us and will be kept informed of any changes that may happen.

Once the child is settled in the group, we review this allocation and the key person assignment is either confirmed or changed in consultation with staff and parents, taking into account any affinity shown by an individual child towards a particular member of the staff team.

Within our small teams covering each area, we operate a buddy system to cover breaks, training, sickness and holidays to make sure there is a familiar and trusted person who knows the child well and who can liaise with families in the absence of the primary key person.

The nominated key person must carry out personal care of their key child wherever possible, keeps records, observations, next steps and plans, covering the welfare and developmental needs of an individual child. They will also seek to engage and support parents / carers in guiding their children's development at home.

In the context of nursery life...

All information about a child’s daily routines, allergies, comforters etc. should be shared with the other staff members in the room/setting. The Manager has overall responsibility for each child in their nursery and specifically needs to know about allergies, individual needs, care plans etc.

Every member of staff at Paint Pots is a ‘Team Member’ and as such has a responsibility to work with and support each other to ensure the best outcomes for children. We would expect all staff to help each other out where a key person is tied up with one child and another child needs help.