EYFS Safeguarding and First Aid Requirement Changes from 1st September 2025
From 1st September 2025, the Department of Education (DfE) is making changes to the early years (EYFS) Safeguarding and Welfare requirements to strengthen policies around safer recruitment, child absences, first aid, and safeguarding training.
If you run a nursery, preschool, school, wraparound care service, or childcare setting, it’s crucial to understand these updates to remain compliant and best support children and staff.
To improve child safety, the new rules affecting first aid requirements state:
1. Early Years students and trainees must have paediatric first aid (PFA) training to be counted in staff: child ratios.
2. Providers must choose a recognised, accredited PFA training provider.
3. A staff member with valid PFA training must be present during meals.
All PFA providers will need to be registered to offer approved courses so you’ll need to ensure you are booking with a ‘registered’ paediatric first aid trainer.
Here at Child Matters we are accredited by ProTrainings UK and hold a Gold Approved Centre Badge.
This is the highest qualification possible. It is awarded only to the top centres that consistently meet and exceed the high quality standards set forth by ProTrainings.
We are proud to be regularly monitored and quality assured by ProTrainings.
A staff member with valid PFA training must be present during meals in line with new guidance on child safety. Meal and snack times must now include:
As well as being a registered paediatric first aid provider covering choking and allergies on our courses, we also run clinical skills courses that specifically look at the prevention, management and treatment of anaphylaxis, including the correct use of auto-injectors.
Find out more about clinical skills such as Anaphylaxis.
Did you know we also teach a Safeguarding of Children Level 2 training course? It is a 3yr nationally recognised certificate.
Find out more about the Safeguarding courses we run.
To get a quote and book any of these courses for your school, nursery or childcare setting please CONTACT US today or take a look at all our Paediatric First Aid Courses running this year.
