Liability cover can be complex
Liability claims can be varied and complex and when they arrive the allegations made can be quite a worry.
Employers Liability
It is widely understood that like all business, nurseries have a legal obligation to their employees. Employers Liability insurance is compulsory and is standard across the market with a Limit of Indemnity at £10 million.
Public Liability incorporating Medical Treatment and Breach of Professional Duty
Our legal advisors confirm that there is a grey area around how Public Liability/Medical Treatment and Breach of Professional Duty covers cross over. We therefore incorporate Medical Treatment and Breach of Professional Duty covers within our Public Liability section to the full policy limit of £5 million
Public Liability traditionally covers your legal liability for accidental loss or damage to third party property and death or injury to persons other than employees arising in the course of your business. In the case of nurseries, this will relate to children, parents and any other visitors. The majority of claims involving injury to people or property will fall within this cover.
Medical Treatment insurance is generally assumed to apply only to people or businesses working in the medical profession. However, more nurseries are providing care for children with specialist medical needs, which often means staff have to be trained in the use of EpiPens etc In addition, staff apply first aid and administer both over-the-counter medicines such as Calpol and prescribed medicines.
Breach of Professional Duty cover your legal liability for loss or damage to third parties arising out of your professional negligence. For nursery businesses, this cover applies to death or injury to nursery children alleged to be caused by the failure of nursery staff in their professional duties. We understand there is increasing pressure on nursery settings to educate children and also track their developments, which could increase their exposure to claims in this area. Claims would typically arise from allegations of inadequate supervision or training of staff or failure to identify a specific concern.
Get in touch
To find out more information and get a quotation that is unique to you and your business please get in touch by using the contact form below or speak to a member of our team on 01204 570390.
Guidance to help defend liability claims
Nurseries inevitably create a vast array of paperwork, while looking after the children in their care. So, completing the correct documentation is a necessary part of nursery life, both to comply with the sector’s regulatory bodies and as good business practice. However, it also plays a pivotal role in the defence of allegations of negligence.
In an event of a claim, a variety of documents are useful in defending a claim. For further detail, please refer to helpful documents section of the website.
No matter how good your day-to-day practices are, a successful defence is difficult without the necessary supporting documentation, and there is a risk of a claim being pursued some years after the incident. For example, with incidents involving minors (which can also include staff under 18), a claim can still be made up to three years after their 18th birthday.
For claims of a safeguarding nature this could be even longer. With this in mind 25 years is a minimum period for keeping documents recommended by dot2dot’s legal advisor BLM Solicitors.
The service provided is much more than insurance cover.
“The team offer guidance on all matters pertaining to the setting. We refer any issues or complaints that could have the potential to result in a claim to the team for help and support and to determine the best course of action. To date we have never had a claim and we believe this can be attributed to the high standards we operate in our setting together with the excellent working relationship we have with dot2dot and their partner Croner.”
Richard and June Bell
Directors, Birkenshaw Kindergatten
Your account handler
Good relationships are good for business. So at dot2dot we believe in really getting to know our customers. That’s why we provide you with a dedicated account handler, who’ll get to know you and your nursery on a one-to-one level.
Summary of policy details
At dot2dot tailoring cover for client’s individual requirements is very important and a member of our team is happy to guide you through this process. In the meantime, here is a summary of the standard cover provided which are adaptable.
Public and Products Liability
Standard Limit of Indemnity £5 million
Limit can be increased if required
Cover automatically includes Medical Treatment and Breach of Professional Duty at £5 million
Employers’ Liability
Standard Limit of Indemnity £10 million
Property Protection
All Risks cover including Accidental Damage, Subsidence and Full Theft which is tailored to suit individual requirements.
Business Interruption
All Risks cover for Loss of Revenue and/or Increased Cost of Working tailored to your individual needs.
Directors & Officers Liability
Limit of Indemnity £25,000
Increased limits available
Money and Assault
Included with various limits
Loss of Registration
£100,000
Employees Dishonesty
£25,000
Equipment Breakdown
£5,000
Personal Accident
Staff and children
Commercial Legal Expenses
Limit of Liability £100,000
For a copy of our full policy summary, please contact the dot2dot team.
Cover Guidance
A closer look at other sections of cover
For additional peace of mind all dot2dot policies include money cover. The amounts covered vary, with higher limits applying when your nursery is open…
Request full policy details
Added benefits
With your policy, you will gain access to:
- AVIVA is the UK’s largest general insurer; ultimately providing additional strength and expertise to dot2dot
- AVIVA share our passion to work closely with nurseries and will ensure we continue to enhance our insurance cover and provide additional solutions and services
- AVIVA has won many awards for service and innovation and has developed leading technology specifically designed to improve claims management
- AVIVA has a strong reputation for working closely with their customers to actively defend appropriate claims – an approach that has identified them as a market leaders
