policies

Quality childcare set in a safe and friendly happy family home. Based in Alexandra Road, Benfleet, within walking distance of Benfleet train station.

Accidents and emergencies

Please refer to our Emergency Action Plan.

Bad weather

If we are able to open for business but you choose to keep your child at home with you then full fees are payable.

Behaviour management

By providing a happy, well-maintained environment, the children in our care will be encouraged to develop social skills to help them be accepted and welcome in society as they grow up. We lead by example, using good manners, showing your child how to behave in a socially acceptable way and to understand the needs and rights of others.

We do not, and will not, administer physical punishment or any form of punishment with the intention of causing pain or discomfort, nor any kind of humiliating or hurtful treatment to any child in our care.

We endorse positive discipline as a more effective way of setting limits for children, rewarding good behavior with praise and attention. If a child displays undesirable behavior we will explain to them why it is undesirable and show them the acceptable way to behave. We will speak to you confidentially about any unacceptable behavior or language.

Child protection

Your child’s safety is our first priority and we have a professional duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in our care. We have received training to enable us to identify the signs and symptoms of possible abuse (August 2008) and we understand that child abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional, neglect or a mixture of these.

If we have any cause for concern we will refer to “What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused” booklet (copies are available if you would like one) and if appropriate we will make a report following our local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. If we feel that a child in our care is at immediate risk of significant harm we are able to report our concerns without speaking to you first.

Please notify us of any pre-existing injuries that your child has when you arrive. We use an “Accident, Incident and Mediation Record” book to record any accidents, incidents and existing injuries which you will be asked to sign.

Any reports made are confidential and are directed to the Essex Social Care Access Point:

Mon – Fri office hours: 0845 603 7627
Out of hours: 0845 603 7634

We will notify Ofsted and the Children’s Safeguarding Service of any allegations of abuse, which are alleged to have taken place whilst children are in our care and take their advise on the way forward.

Collecting your child

If you are not able to collect your child, please let us know. We are able to let them leave with the alternative named person(s) as detailed on your ‘Child Record Form’ after they have given the correct password.

If you are late collecting your child and this has not been prearranged then there will be an additional fee of £2.50 per 15 minutes. If you have prearranged a late collection then this will be charged at our usual £4.50 per hour rate.

Under the Children’s Act 1989, parents in the process of separating or those already divorced retain rights of contact with their children unless the Courts have issued an order and we are made aware of this. Therefore we do not have the right to stop separated / divorced parents from collecting their child from our home.

If you have not arrived to collect your child and it is 30 minutes after the contracted collection time, we will:

• Telephone you and any other parent/carer as detailed on the ‘Child Record Form’
• If no response, telephone your emergency contact as detailed on the ‘Child Record Form’
• If still no response after 90 minutes we will contact the Social Services Department

Confidentiality

All information on children and their families is kept securely and treated in confidence. Information will only be shared with other professionals e.g. teachers, health visitors etc. if you give your written consent. In cases where we feel that a child in our care is at risk of significant harm we are able to speak to other professionals without parental consent – please refer to our “Child protection” policy.

Communications policy

You know your child better than anyone else so please talk to us about what they enjoy doing and any special routines they have at home. Being a ‘home from home’ and fully meeting the needs of your child as an individual are extremely important to us and a trusting partnership where we share information about your child will help us to achieve this.

At the end of each day we are happy to chat about your child’s day with us, what activities they have taken part in, anything special we have noticed about their learning and development, what they have eaten and sleep times. We will also keep records of your child’s development and evidence of their achievements, you are welcome to see this at any time.

• Telephone - you can call us anytime between 7am and 9pm on (01268) 565951 or 07941218769, if the phone is not answered please leave a message and we will call you straight back or when next convenient to do so.
• Text – you can send us a message on 07941218769 anytime. The phone is monitored between 7am and 9pm during the working week, however if it’s urgent please phone in case your message is not read immediately.
• E-mail – you can send a message to enquiries@benfleetchildcare.co.uk. We check our emails daily during the working week and randomly at weekends.
• We are always happy to meet with you, at our home or yours, to discuss any aspect of your child’s care and education, please let us know if you’d like to do this and we’ll make arrangements.

Complaints procedure

If there is any aspect of our service you are not happy with or you have any concerns or worries please do not hesitate to discuss these with us in confidence and we will do our utmost to resolve these as soon as possible. A written record of complaints is maintained and we have a mandatory duty to investigate all complaints and depending on the nature of the complaint we may pass it on to Ofsted for investigation. We will respond to the complainant in writing, within 28 days of receipt of any complaints.

We are regulated by Ofsted (0300 123 1231) and are members of the National Childminding Association (01245 440001) and you are very welcome to contact either of these bodies for impartial advice if you have a concern or complaint that you feel we are unable to resolve.

If at any time you have a suggestion on how we can improve any aspect of the care your child receives or the opportunities they have to develop and learn through play please talk to us either when you drop off or collect your child or alternatively give us a ring during the day or evening – whatever suits you. We are very approachable and would hope that any suggestions you have can be put into practice or any concerns resolved as soon as possible.

Early Years Foundation Stage

The Early Years Foundation Stage sets the standards for the learning, development and care for all children in England from birth to the 31st August after their 5th birthday. It’s compulsory for all schools and Ofsted registered settings. We will complete observation, assessments and planning records to ensure that each child gets the support they need in the way that is right for them.

The six areas of learning are:

• Personal, social and emotional development
• Communication, language and literacy
• Mathematical development
• Knowledge and understanding of the world
• Physical development
• Creative development

Play is vital for children and it’s through play that babies and young children learn, grow and have fun. It helps them understand the world and develop socially and emotionally. Singing songs, reading together, playing games with letters and numbers, and having fun with friends gives them the right foundation for life. We are happy to give you more information about this and regularly share with you our observations and plans for development.

Equal opportunities

We value diversity and ensure that we treat each individual as a person in their own right and with equal care. No child in our care will be discriminated against whatever ethnicity, gender, family background, sexuality, mental or physical ability – every child has an equal chance to develop and learn.

We are happy to discuss the needs of your child in more detail and aim to work alongside you to make sure the needs of your child are met in a supportive way. Where training is provided, we will endeavour to attend. We will not treat anyone less favourably and will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments so that all children can enjoy and participate in activities.

We are respectful of differing cultures, religions and family backgrounds and wherever possible share these differences, encouraging questions and embracing diversity.

Fees

Fees are due first monthly, unless stated otherwise on your contract and are welcome in the form of bank transfer, cash, cheque or childcare vouchers. If you ever need to change payment date please let us know in advance. Payments received late, without prior arrangement, will be subject to an additional fee of £15.

Holidays

4 weeks notice required. We do not charge for any time we take off as we appreciate that you will incur costs for making alternative arrangements as our service is not available. However, we do charge the full fees normally payable whilst you are on holiday in order to retain your child’s place with us.

Illness

It is not always possible to care for a sick child as it may put us and the other children we care for at risk of becoming unwell. We would ask that you let us know as soon as you can if your child becomes ill as we may need to notify other parents, keeping your child’s name confidential, if the illness is contagious.

We will refer to the Health Protection Agency (www.hpa.org.uk) and NHS Direct (www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk) for guidance on exclusion times where applicable and we reserve the right to exclude a child until we are confident that any risk of cross infection has passed. If your child has a ‘notifiable’ illness we will be unable to care for them until they are clinically well and any infectious period has fully elapsed. As with the normal policy for pre-schools and schools, if your child has experienced sickness or diarrhoea in the last 48 hours, we would ask that you make us aware and to minimise the risk of cross infection, your child must be clear for a full 48 hours before they will be accepted back into our care.

Full fees are payable whilst your child is absent due to illness.

If your child becomes ill whilst in our care we will contact you immediately, if you are unavailable we will call the alternative contacts until we are able to reach someone that is authorised by you to collect your child. If we feel that it is something serious then we will take your child to hospital and contact you on the way.

If your child is on medication we are happy to administer this whilst they are in our care. Together we will complete the relevant parts of our Medication Record and this becomes your signed consent. At the end each day that medication is administered you will have a written slip to take home with you detailing times and volumes administered whilst in our care.

If there is a contagious illness in our family and we are unable to open we will notify you by text, or phone if between 7am and 9pm, as soon as possible to allow you to make other childcare arrangements. Under these circumstances fees paid will be credited back onto your next invoice. If we are able to open and you choose to keep your child at home with you then full fees are payable.

Lost children

We will safely supervise children when we go on outings or trips and we will teach them about safety when we are out and about. In the unlikely event of a child in our care becoming lost we will:

• Reassure the remaining children in our care
• Thoroughly check immediate area
• Alert people close by that could help e.g. school assistants, shop security
• Contact the police, giving a detailed description of the child, clothing etc.
• Contact the parents giving a full account of current situation
• Contact Ofsted and Social Services
• Contact Ofsted and Social Services
• Record in ‘NCMA Accident, Incident and Medication Record Book’

Professional development

We both hold an ‘A’ Grade Diploma in Home Based Childcare and are ‘Accredited’ members of the Castle Point and Rochford Children Come First Childminding Network which means that we are able to offer nursery education for 3 and 4 year olds and accept the government funding towards payment of your fees.

We are committed to doing the very best we can for your child and will take forward relevant training to develop further.

Smoking

We are both non-smokers and parents and any visitors are not permitted to smoke in our home or in our garden.

Special educational needs

We are aware of the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice and have attended the relevant training. We will work closely with you to understand the needs of your child as to build on their previous experiences, knowledge, understanding and skills and provide opportunities to develop in the six areas of learning – outlined in Early Years Foundation Stage.

We will observe and monitor individual children’s progress throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage and where a child appears not to be making progress either generally or in a specific aspect of their learning we will present them with different opportunities or use alternative ways of learning.

If we identify that a child has special educational needs then we will use the graduated approach to learning as described in the code of practice, namely Early Years Action and Early Years Action Plus.

We are happy to discuss with you our observations and proposed plans and welcome your input as your knowledge and understanding of your child will ensure we meet your child’s needs in the best way and present them with appropriate experiences and activities.

With your permission we are able to use Individual Education Plans to record information about the short term targets set for your child, the teaching strategies and the provision to be put in place. These are continually reviewed and the outcomes recorded and shared with you for your input.

We will seek support from our Development Worker, who works for the National Childminding Association and the Area Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, who works for Essex County Council. We will continue to develop our knowledge of special educational needs by attending training where possible and by reading appropriate material.

Tax credits

As we are registered with Ofsted, you may be able to claim back up to 80% of your childcare costs through tax credits, providing you work more than 16 hours a week.
Visit www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits to find out more.

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