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POLICIES - PAGE 1
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ACCIDENT OR INJURY POLICY
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Rational
I am committed to ensuring children are cared for in a safe environment that
reduces the chance of accidents and injury.
Procedure
I hold a current Paediatric First Aid Certificate.
My Paediatric First Aid Certificate is available for parents/carers to see upon request. A first aid box with appropriate content for the number and ages of children being cared for will be accessible at all times. This is regularly checked and re-stocked as necessary. I will obtain written parental permission to seek emergency medical advice or treatment so that
in an emergency, medical help can be accessed without delay.
If there is an accident or injury to a child I will reassure the injured child whilst making sure that the other children in my care are safe and reassured. I will assess the extent of the injury and will carry out any first aid procedures that are necessary and that I have been trained to do.
I will contact you straight away unless your child’s injury requires
emergency medical treatment, then I will contact the emergency services.
I will then contact you as soon as possible and accompany your child to the hospital.
I will either take the other children with me, or call my emergency back-up cover to care for them.
If I am outside of my premises your child may be treated or assessed by another trained professional such as the first aider within that premises or a first aid professional
organisation such as the British Red Cross at events.
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Accident records need to be completed with details of the accident or injury and first aid treatment given and parents will be requested to sign these records on the same day or as soon as reasonably practicable. I have a duty to inform Ofsted of any serious accident, injury to, or death of, any child whilst in my care and of the action taken. Notification must be made
as soon as practicable, but within 14 days of the incident occurring
otherwise I would be committing an offence.
I also have a duty to inform the local child protection agencies and Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) of any serious accident or
injury to a child in my care and act on advice given from the agency.
I will need to inform my insurance company of any details relating to a serious accident or injury. It is important that you keep me informed regarding your child’s condition following an accident or injury that has occurred whilst in my care and if you have sought medical advice. This will ensure I will continue to meet your child’s needs whilst in my care and enable me to make the
correct notification should it be necessary at a later date.
If I have an accident, I will get the nearest responsible adult to help, while my emergency back-up cover is being contacted. This is in line with my Safety on Outings Policy. After a significant
event I will seek additional support to maintain children’s well-being if needed.
ALCOHOL, DRUGS AND ADULT MEDICATION POLICY
Rationale
I am committed to keeping children safe while in my care and in order to do this effectively, it is important that I am not under the influence of alcohol, medication or any other substance that would affect their ability to care for or respond to children’s needs.
Procedure
If I am taking medication that may affect my ability to care for children, medical advice will be sought to ensure that the medication is unlikely to affect the ability to care for children properly.
If I have a reaction to medication during working hours then I will stop caring for
the minded children. This may result in the emergency back-up plan being put in place.
Parents/carers will be kept informed of any changes to the care
arrangements for their child under these circumstances.
I will not work under the influence of any alcohol or illegal drugs
whilst minding your child or immediately before.
All medication, drugs and alcohol will be securely stored out of the reach of children at all times.
BULLYING
Rationale
Bullying is always viewed and treated as unacceptable behaviour.
Bullying can be physical, verbal, emotional, racist or cyber-bullying.
Very young children are unable to regulate their emotions and this can result in undesirable behaviour that is developmentally appropriate to their levels of understanding.
These behaviours will be addressed according to our behaviour management policy.
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Bullying is carried out by individuals or groups over a period of time to intentionally hurt
others and is different and more severe than misbehaviour that happens
with all children as they learn the rules expected from them.
By providing a supportive environment where children learn to recognise their own feelings and the impact of their behaviour on others, they will learn to be kind to each other and
respect differences that will help to prevent incidents of bullying.
Procedure
I understand that there are many reasons a child will bully others and that some children
become temporary bullies after a traumatic event in their lives and others become chronic bullies. I also understand that some children perceive events as teasing while others perceive the
same event as bullying depending on their experiences or sensitivity.
All actions that are perceived as bullying by the person
receiving the behaviour will be treated as bullying.
I will ensure all children have the chance to talk to me about their worries about bullying.
I will give children enough time to discuss their concerns with me and will endeavour to help them to feel safe while in my care. I will make it clear that the child was right to discuss their worries with me and reassure them that the bullying is not their fault and that
I will take actions to prevent it from happening again.
I will work with parents/carers and the child who has been bullied to help develop strategies to help prevent further incidents. These may include saying ‘no’ loudly and walking away,
ignoring the bully or helping to increase their confidence by giving
them praise and responsibility to help them feel valued.
In order to help prevent cyber-bullying children are only permitted to access the internet in the main areas of my setting where they can be supervised and there are limits on the amount of time children spend online. Parental controls are in place to prevent access to unsuitable
sites and children are not permitted to visit chat rooms whilst in my care.
Children will not have access to mobile phones whilst in my care without my permission.
This is in line with my Safeguarding Children policy.
Children who bully will be treated with understanding while being given a clear message that the behaviour is not permissible and the reasons why. Bullies often need to feel some success to make them feel good about themselves, so I will work with parents/carers to find ways
of the child being able to achieve this without resorting to bullying others.
This may involve asking the child for suggestions of how they can make
amends for their behaviour and supporting them to achieve this.
I will work with parents/carers of a child who bullies to set firm realistic boundaries for the
child’s future behaviour. I would expect these to be implemented at home and in the childminding setting to ensure consistency and help the child
learn the wanted behaviour more easily and quickly.
If in extreme cases, it isn’t possible to change the behaviour of a child who bullies after working with parents/carers and the child, then in consideration of other children in the
setting the childminding agreement may be terminated.
CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY
Rationale
In order to fully cater for children’s individual needs and abide by the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the Childcare Register, I need to obtain personal information from parents/carers about their child. I respect parents/carers’ privacy and am committed to ensuring that parents/carers can be confident that information will only be used to enhance the welfare of their child and that any information collected will be stored to retain confidentiality according to the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
2018 and UK’s Data Protection Bill 2018.
Procedure
Both written and verbal information gained about children and their families will be treated as confidential and not shared without parents/carers’ permission
unless there are concerns regarding child abuse.
Sensitive conversations with parents/carers will be conducted outside the hearing of other parents/carers – this may be through an arranged meeting or phone call
if not possible when the child is collected.
To comply with my legal responsibilities, written information will be shared with Ofsted if requested. This can happen as part of an inspection or at any other time there is a reason for Ofsted to inspect it. Any requests for personal information regarding minded children or families by other parents/carers, childminders or members of the public will be strictly denied.
The GDPR requires me to keep and use all information in a safe and secure way. In the event of a data breach, (ICO describe a data breach as ‘A personal data breach means a breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, personal data’.) I will keep a record of the breach, and the actions taken to rectify the situation and to prevent it happening again. If it is a risk that is severe enough to risk
to people’s rights and freedoms I must notify the ICO within 72 hours.
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To comply with GDPR parents would be informed of any breach of their data.
Written information will be kept after a child leaves for the amount of time stipulated by Ofsted and/or the setting’s insurance provider before being shredded. General records relating to individual children will be kept until the Ofsted inspection
after the child has left the childminding setting.
Any Accident/medication records or records of safeguarding concerns will be kept until the child reaches the age of 21 or 24 respectively as recommended in the Limitation Act 1980.
Parents have the right under the GDPR to see any record of information kept about their child. You can ask to see your child’s records at any time or requests can be made in writing and I must provide the relevant access within 1 month. The only exception to this will be for information that is exempt (For example, information such as some child protection records that would not be in the child’s best interests to provide). To comply with the GDPR there will be no charge for this.
Any information or photographs that are stored on my computer will be protected by a strong password, firewall and virus checker. I have checked if I need to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and have the relevant registration if required. If I keep children’s records on a commercially produced system, I have checked that the site is a ‘secure site’.
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It is likely that you will also find out confidential information about my family through conversation and from spending time in my home. I request that you treat this information as
confidential and not share with others without permission.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES/ INCLUSION/SEND POLICY
Rationale
I value the individuality of all children and am committed to giving them opportunity to achieve their full potential irrespective of ethnicity, attainment, home language, religion, culture or belief, age, disability, sex or family background. I am committed to actively remove the barriers to learning and participation within my childminding setting. I aim to help children learn to value and respect people who are different to themselves. I am committed to treating all children and their families with equal concern, respect and I will ensure that I actively include all
children and families within my practice.
Procedure
I provide a range of resources that reflect positive images of the diversity of the society in which we live, in order to aid children’s self-esteem and to teach them about other cultures and lifestyles. All children will have access to toys that are traditionally for either boys or girls.
Festivals from around the world are celebrated by using crafts, cooking and tasting activities and I request that parents/carers share any information that would enhance these experiences for the children. I welcome parents/carers’ involvement to ensure I have adequate information to meet each child’s individual needs and to extend the opportunities I offer to all children.
Providing it is safe to do so, all children are given the opportunity to use all the toys
and experiences on offer - this may involve some reasonable
adjustments to ensure accessibility by all children.
I will observe and monitor individual children’s progress and share with the parents/carers following the Assess, Plan, Do and Review cycle. Where either a child appears not to be making progress generally or in a specific area of learning, I will discuss my observations and any proposed plans with the parents/carers. I will conduct this discussion in a way that encourages them to contribute their knowledge and understanding of their child and allows them to raise any concerns they may have about their child’s needs and the provision that is being made for them.
I will always include the voice of the child in any arrangements.
I will follow the procedures set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years (2015). I will work closely with parents/carers and other agencies, with parental consent where appropriate, to ensure individual children’s needs are met including writing any Action Plan with targets, Individual Care Plan (ICP), contributing to an Education Heath Care plan (EHC) if necessary and writing any Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEP).
I will work closely with parents/carers, the child’s social worker and other agencies where appropriate to ensure the individual children’s needs for ‘Children who are Looked After’
are met including writing and carrying out Personal Education Plans (PEP).
I will not discriminate directly or indirectly to children and their families. I will challenge any anti-discriminatory language or behaviour by children or adults and explain why this is
unacceptable because the achievements, attitudes and well-being of all children matter.
I regularly monitor the effectiveness of inclusive practices, record keeping, risk assessments and experiences offered to ensure that these procedures are up to date and the children’s individual needs are being met. I am committed to ensuring that relevant documentation is accessible. Parents/carers are invited to request documentation being presented in other formats where needed. This may be translating to another language, a different font style or
having the information explained verbally.
FEES POLICY
Rate of Pay
My daily rate is £35 for pre-school children or £4 per hour.
For before and after school my rate is £4 per hour (paid weekly or monthly in advance).
All fees are charged to the next nearest half hour.
I will provide all snacks and drinks. You are required to provide all meals baby milk, nappies, wipes, creams, sunscreen. I can provide 3 meals and snacks for a rate of £2 per day.
Playgroup and nursery sessions will be charged in addition to your fees,
should you choose to have your child attend these.
Your fees will be calculated on a weekly or monthly basis as agreed in your contract. Any fees due over and above your contracted hours will be calculated and invoiced to you.
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Retainer Fee
A Retainer Fee will be charged to secure your child's place in my childminding service, should your child not start immediately. The Retainer Fee is half of my hourly rate and is non-refundable.
Hours of business
Monday, Wednesday to Friday, 8am - 6pm
If you need care out-with these hours, please ask and I might be able to compromise.
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Absence/Illness
Illness (me/my child): no fees apply
Illness (parent/children): full fees apply
Holidays/Occasional days off (Me): No fees apply
Holidays/Occasional days off (children): Half fees apply
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Holidays
I take approximately 6 weeks of holidays per year unpaid.
Any occasional days off, later drop-off, earlier collection, or any holidays you wish to
take out-with these 6 weeks will be charged at full fees.
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Typically, I will take my holidays something like:
1 week early in the year, 2 weeks in the summer , 1 week later in the year.
I close over Christmas/New Year.
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How to Pay
Fees are to be paid in cash or standing order/bank transfer in advance, on a weekly or
monthly basis on the day/date agreed in your contract.
All contracted hours must be paid in full regardless of attendance.
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​Late Payments of Fees
I work as a childminder because it is a career I enjoy, however this is my income and like you, I have bills and expenses to pay and a family to support. Therefore, please ensure prompt payment of fees. If I have not received payment on the agreed due date, I will issue a gentle reminder. If I still have not received payment thereafter, I will implement a late fees charge
of £5 per day per child until the fees are paid in full.
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Late/non payment is classed as a breach of our legally binding contract on your part, and I reserve the right to end our contract with immediate termination if fees are repeatedly late or not paid
at all. Ultimately, it is the parent's responsibility to ensure fees are paid.
HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY
Rationale
I am committed to providing an environment where hazards and risks are identified and dealt with swiftly in order for children to play and learn in a safe environment. By ensuring the premises are kept clean and tidy and by including children in hygienic procedures, I believe children can develop healthy practices which they will abide by into adulthood.
Safety procedures
The front door is kept locked to prevent children leaving without adult supervision or unauthorised adults entering the house and the key is kept near the door for easy
access in case of emergency, but out of the reach of the children.
Safety equipment suitable for the age and development of minded children is in place and checked regularly e.g. safety gates, cupboard locks etc. All equipment is regularly checked and replaced if observed to be faulty. All buggies are fitted with 5-point harnesses and only car seats bought from new and suitable for the weight of the child and the car are used.
Cleaning products are kept in a locked cupboard out of the reach of children.
All toys are regularly checked and if broken or soiled are removed immediately. All toys and equipment are checked to ensure they meet British and European Standards of safety.
There is at least one smoke alarm on each level of the house and the batteries are regularly checked to ensure they are working. There is a fire blanket on the wall in the kitchen. An emergency evacuation plan is available for parents on request and exits that can be used in the event of an emergency are kept free from obstruction. Regular fire drills are carried out with all children so that they can respond and evacuate the house quickly in the event of an emergency.
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During nap time, all sleeping children will be checked regularly.
The garden is totally enclosed with bolts on the gate out of the reach of young children. Garden tools, pesticides are kept locked away. There are no poisonous or very prickly plants within reach of children. Pathways, steps and patios are maintained to ensure they are secure and level.
Health Procedures
I hold a current Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety Certificate. Foods are prepared, stored and cooked following the Safer Food Better Business for Childminders guidance produced by the Food Standards Agency. This includes storing foods according to the manufacturer’s recommendations and the use of fridge and freezer storage that has the temperature monitored regularly. Only food in date will be given to the children. Separate chopping boards are
used for raw and cooked meat and all food preparation surfaces are
cleaned with anti-bacterial cleaner after use.
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Children are encouraged to eat a healthy diet in line with the government healthy eating guidance. all children will be supervised while eating.
Children are encouraged to wash their hands before eating, after using the toilet, playing with pets, messy play etc. and children’s hand towels are regularly laundered to help prevent the spread of infection. Nappy changing mats are hygienically cleaned with anti-bacterial cleaner after each use. Toilets are cleaned and sanitised daily, and floors are kept clean by vacuuming, sweeping or mopping on a regular basis and as needed. Any spills or fluids including bodily fluids are cleaned up immediately and the area disinfected if appropriate.
Covid 19 will remain for a while. Government guideline will be followed regarding Covid 19, testing and isolation if a positive case is identified in the setting.
All pets have a space to rest in out of the reach of children.
Accidents are responded to and reported according to my accident and incident policy. Emergencies are responded to in accordance with my evacuation procedure policy.After a significant event I will seek additional support to maintain children’s well-being if needed.
ILLNESS AND INFECTION POLICY
Rationale
I am committed to providing an environment for children that helps prevent the spread of infection. This will entail children who are known to be infectious being kept away from my
setting in order to maintain the health of others.
Procedure
If your child is slightly unwell due to a simple cold, teething etc. and can join in and enjoy the normal routines of the childminding day, please discuss this with me because they may still be able to attend. However happy your child is here when well, when poorly s/he will be much happier
with their family, so if they are feeling really unwell, please keep them at home.
If your child is unwell with a high temperature and an infectious illness such as chicken pox, please keep them at home until the infection passes. If your child has sickness or diarrhoea, they must not return until 48 hours after the last bout in order to prevent the spread of infection to others.
Please feel free to consult me if you are not sure if your child’s
symptoms mean that they need to stay at home.
If your child becomes unwell during the day, I will contact you and it may be necessary for you to collect them. I will keep your child as comfortable as possible until you arrive, but will not
be able to isolate them from other children so a prompt collection is required.
Children with a notifiable disease must not attend until they have been cleared by their GP. If you are not sure if an illness is notifiable, please ask your GP or Health Visitor. I will inform you if any other child or adult has an infectious or notifiable disease. If a child who attends my setting has a notifiable disease, I am required to notify Ofsted as soon as reasonably practicable but always within 14 days. I will also contact Public Health England (PHE) and act on any advice given.
LOST CHILD POLICY
Rationale
I am committed to ensuring that children enjoy regular outings whilst in my care and can experience the freedom they need to enjoy co-operative play, decision making and risk taking in their play. I aim to keep all children within sight or hearing at all times to prevent them becoming lost in accordance with my Safety on Outings Policy. In the unlikely event that a child becomes lost,
I will follow the procedure below.
Procedure
If a child becomes lost I will immediately raise the alarm to all around and enlist any help available to search for the lost child giving a full description of the child and his/her clothing. I will comfort any child in my care that is distressed because of the situation and make sure the safety of other children is secure during the time we search for the lost child. If there is a lost child station or security staff station, I will alert them to the situation and follow their procedures. I will alert parents/carers
and the police to the situation and follow advice given.
Actions to be taken after the event
I will record the incident, gain parent/carer’s signature and review all arrangements for keeping children safe and amend as needed. I will talk with all the children in my care about the event and improvements we could make to how we look after each other when we are out and about. I will inform Ofsted of the incident and measures taken to try and prevent further incidents.
MANAGING BEHAVIOUR POLICY
Rationale
I believe that all children have the right to expect positive approaches to managing their behaviour, which foster self-esteem, respect, tolerance and self-control enabling them to develop to their full potential as individuals. By providing a happy, safe environment, where reasonable and appropriate limits to help manage the behaviour of the children are set, the children in my care will be encouraged to develop social skills to help them be
accepted and welcomed in society as they grow up.
Procedure
(How I help children to learn what is expected)
I agree methods to manage children’s behaviour with parents/carers before the placement starts. Wherever possible I try to meet the parent/carer’s request for the care of their child according to their beliefs. These are discussed with parents/carers during the initial visits to aid with consistency of behaviour management strategies, as children learn what is expected of them by copying the adults around them. I role model the positive behaviour I wish to see from the children including always saying please and thank you to the children. I always praise wanted behaviour as children love to please their important adults and praise the children to their parents/carers and other people when they have behaved as expected.
I set clear and realistic boundaries for children that are appropriate to their age and level of understanding, and apply them consistently. A consistent approach benefits the child’s welfare and helps to ensure that a child is not confused. I ensure that children have lots of attention so that they don’t need to seek attention by misbehaving and listen to what the child has to say so that they feel valued. I will discuss with parent/carers if the use of rewards i.e. star charts would be helpful for the child to be used at home and in the childminding setting.
I am aware of the different reasons why children misbehave and will endeavour to keep to routines so that the child feels safe, aware of what will happen next and are not over tired or hungry. I request that parents/carers inform me of any changes to the child’s home circumstances that may affect their behaviour such as a new baby, parents/carers’ separation or bereavement.
I hope to teach children a sense of right and wrong and to regulate their own emotions so that they act considerately to others not because they might be punished. I encourage responsibility by talking to children about their choices and the possible consequences. I always explain the reason for a rule. Reasons are usually about keeping themselves or others safe, to protect others’ property or because the behaviour requested is polite. I involve the older children in
agreeing the ‘house rules’ to encourage positive behaviour.
(How I deal with unwanted behaviour)
I do not expect young children to be ‘good’ at all times. They are in the process of learning what is expected of them and will make mistakes along the way that will be treated in a sensitive manner to increase the child’s understanding of the desired behaviour. In order to maintain a child’s self-esteem, I only show disapproval of a child’s behaviour and never of the child.
Distraction, explanation and removal of the child from the situation (time out) are strategies that may be used to calm a situation of unwanted behaviour according to the child’s
level of understanding. I may ignore the unwanted behaviour
providing it will not hurt themselves or others.
I never give corporal punishment to a child. I never threaten corporal punishment or use or threaten any punishment that would harm a child’s well-being. I will take all reasonable steps to ensure that corporal punishment is not given by any person who also has contact with the child whilst in my care. I will only physically restrain a child where absolutely necessary to manage their behaviour or when necessary to avert immediate danger of personal injury to the child, another person or damaging property. A written record will be kept and shared with
parents/carers on the same day or as soon as reasonably practicable.
If any sanctions are to be used they are always discussed and agreed with parents/carers first. Withholding food will never be used as a form of punishment for unwanted behaviour.
If a child is injured by another child’s behaviour, the injured child will be comforted and any first aid given as appropriate. The child who has caused the injury will be removed from the situation and be given an explanation of why their behaviour is not acceptable according to their level of understanding. A written record will be made and shared with both parents/carers retaining confidentiality. Parents/carers will be requested to sign this record on the
same day or as soon as reasonably practicable.
Significant or repeated instances of unwanted behaviour that are unable to be managed by the steps identified above are shared with parents/carers. I aim to discuss this with you out of hearing of your child. This may mean an arrangement is made to discuss this either by telephone or in person at a more convenient time. Discussions are held with the parent/carer on new strategies to support the child’s unwanted behaviour or obtaining advice from another professional
service in order to gain additional help for the child.