Keeping Your Team Safe: Lone working in Early Years Settings
- Sally Gridley
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
If you're old enough to remember like I am, the risk of lone working became prominent in the late 1980's following the disappearance of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh. She had arranged to meet a potential house buyer at a property in Fulham, London but disappeared without trace and her body never found.
Her parents set up The Suzy Lamplugh Trust in 1986,. Much of the Trust's early work centred on the need for employers to protect their staff when they are working alone.
Lone working is something that happens more often than we realise in early years settings; a staff member staying late to finish paperwork, someone opening up the building alone, or a practitioner carrying out a home visit. These moments can feel routine, but they still carry risk.
Your team deserves to feel safe, supported, and confident whenever they are working alone and as trustees and managers you need simple, reliable systems that protect staff without adding unnecessary workload.
In this blog we'll look at practical tips and clear steps that you can embed into everyday practice.
What is Lone Working?
Firstly, it's good to establish what I mean by Lone Working. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) define a lone worker as someone who "works by themselves without close or direct supervision."
This doesn’t necessarily mean that the employee is physically alone, it means that they are in a separate location to the rest of their team or manager. To avoid confusion we are not talking here about staff who are momentarily left alone in the setting or staff such as managers who may be working alone in the office during opening hours.
Staff who are ‘working alone’ are those who, for example, may go out alone to do home visits, attend training, or open the building or stay late to finish late to finish something after everyone has gone home. These are just a few examples and there may be others in your setting depending on how you work.
As an employer you have a legal obligation to consider the health and safety risks of those who are lone workers. Having a Lone Working policy and risk assessment in place ensures that you are doing so and demonstrates your commitment towards your employee's safety.
Just because an employee isn’t in sight doesn’t mean their safety isn’t a priority.
There are a number of things you should do to protect any staff lone working and comply with legal health and safety obligations.
1. Strengthen Building Safety Procedures
Keeping the environment safe is the first step in protecting lone workers. If an employee is opening up/staying late in the building make sure:
staff know NOT to enter the building if anything looks unusual or unsafe.
external doors remain locked when only one person is inside;
emergency exits are accessible and clearly lit (especially during the darker winter months);
staff follow a simple sign in/ sign out system;
there is always access to a telephone and first aid kit;
Small changes like motion-sensor lighting, coded entry systems (that only staff have the code for) or automatic door closers can make a big difference.
2. Prioritise Personal Safety
Encourage staff to make safe choices and avoid unnecessary lone working. Practical steps include:
leaving in pairs wherever possible;
parking in well-lit, busy areas;
keeping mobile phones charged and accessible;
planning tasks so staff aren't left alone unexpectedly;
encouraging staff to trust their instincts and stop if something feels unsafe.
Creating a culture that prioritises safety over convenience is essential.
3. Use a Clear Check-In System
When I worked for the LA (and was often lone working) we had a 'safe and well' (SAW) system in place which when implemented is a great way to minimise risk.
You can use:
a WhatsApp group
text message
teams chat
a shared spreadsheet
a dedicated check-in app
Staff should check in when they arrive, start and finish lone working. If they don't check in as expected, a pre-agreed escalation plan should be followed immediately.
Example: a staff member is attending a full day training course and will be travelling to and from home without going into the setting.
The staff member would check in with the setting to say that they have arrived and confirm the start and end time of the course.
At the end of the course the staff member would use the preferred method to then check in again to inform they are leaving to go home. Simply saying 'Leaving' in a text is enough.
On arriving home the staff member should check in again. With the LA I used to text my line manager with HSAW - Home, Safe and Well.
If the staff member does not check in when arriving home an example of an escalation plan may be:
telephone call to the staff member by the agreed contact
if no answer, a telephone call to the next of kin/emergency contact
Hopefully at this stage the staff member is home and has just forgotten to check in. But if they haven't agree with the next of kin/emergency contact a time frame for further contact.
If after the agreed time you have not heard from either staff member or their contact call again.
At this point (and depending on the time that has passed since last check in) it may be necessary to escalate further to, for example, the police.
Useful document: Lone Working Policy
4. Strengthen Home Visit Safety
Home visits carry additional risks, with staff entering the homes of people they may not yet know. Your procedures therefore need to be clear and consistent.
Good practice includes:
collecting as much detail as possible before the visit (names, address, phone numbers, known risks);
scheduling visits during daylight hours where possible;
using the check in/check out procedure above;
consider the use of live location on apps such as WhatsApp;
using a code word staff can use if they feel unsafe. In this scenario they would make a call to the setting using this word. From experience, a child's name is a good one to use as it wouldn't seem out of place;
allowing staff to leave immediately if they feel uncomfortable.
Never expect staff to enter a home if they feel unsure or unsafe.
As a responsible employer you would know the length of time it would take to undertake a home visit and how long it would take the employee to get to and return to the setting. If they have been longer than you would expect, check-in with them. A staff member will be more grateful that you are concerned for their safety than being disturbed during a visit.
5. Complete a Risk Assessment Every Time
A Lone Working Risk Assessment should be completed for any planned lone working situation, including home visits, late working, or isolated tasks.
It should detail both the employer and the employees responsibilities, how and when to report incidents and the action that will be taken. As with all risk assessment the purpose is to identify the risk and then put in place measures to control or avoid them.
A risk assessment helps you consider:
the environment;
the nature of the task;
any individuals involved;
previous incidents;
any special circumstances.
If there is any doubt about safety, send a second person or rearrange the task.
Useful document: Template Lone working Risk Assessment
6 Provide Training and Build Confidence
Training doesn't need to be complicated. Focus on:
how to assess risk;
how to use the check in system;
what to if they feel unsafe;
how to report concerns;
when to stop and seek help.
Training builds confidence and confident staff make safer decisions.
You could also consider Personal Safety Training as a team using an external provider.
7. Encourage Staff to Speak Up
Staff should feel able to raise concerns without hesitation. You can support this by:
discussing lone working in team meetings;
reviewing any incidents and near misses;
updating procedures based on staff feedback;
making personal safety a standing agenda item.
Developing a culture of openness is one of the strongest protections you can offer.
Final Thoughts
Lone working doesn’t need to be complicated but it does need to be taken seriously. With clear procedures, simple check‑in systems, and a culture where staff feel safe to speak up, you can dramatically reduce risk and increase staff confidence.
Your team deserves to feel safe. These steps help make that happen.
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