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 behaviour with praise and attention. We will speak to you confidentially about any unacceptable behaviour or language.
Child protection
Your child’s safety is our first priority and we have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in our care. If we have any cause for concern we will report it, following the local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. 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 understand that child abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional, neglect or a mixture of these. Parents must notify us of any concerns they have about their child and any accidents, incidents or injuries affecting the child, which will be recorded. We will notify Ofsted of any allegations of abuse, which are alleged to have taken place whilst children are in our care.
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.
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 a child in our care is not collected 30 minutes after the contracted time, we will:
· Telephone the parents as detailed on the ‘Child Record Form’
· If no response, telephone the emergency contact as detailed on the ‘Child Record Form’
· If still no response after 90 minutes we will contact Social Services
Confidentiality
All information on children and their families is kept securely and treated in confidence. Information will only be shared if the parents/carers/co-workers give their permission or there appears to be a child protection issue. All details will be kept confidential and records are kept secure. The details are easily accessible if any information is required for inspection by Ofsted.
Communications policy
· 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 are regulated by Ofsted (0845 601 4772) 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.
Equal opportunities / Disability and Discrimination Act
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 race, sex, mental or physical ability.
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.
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.
Learning as they grow
For children under 3 we use the ‘Birth to Three Matters’ framework which has 4 specific areas of development:
· A strong child
· A skilful communicator
· A competent learner
· A healthy child
For children aged 3 – 5 we use the first part of the National Curriculum called the ‘Foundation Stage’ guidelines, this is made up of:
· Personal, social and emotional development
· Communication, language and literacy
· Mathematical development
· Knowledge and understanding of the world
· Physical development
· Creative development
We are happy to discuss these areas of development in more detail with you.
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
· Record in ‘NCMA Accident, Incident and Medication Record Book’
Professional development
We are members of the ‘Castle Point and Rochford Children Come First Childminding Network’ and are working towards accreditation which means that we will be able to offer homebased nursery education for 3 and 4 year olds and be able to accept the government funding.
We are committed to doing the very best we can and taking forward relevant training to develop further. We are both working towards the Diploma in Home Based Childcare and are currently attending college in the evenings to complete our final unit.
Smoking
We are both non-smokers and parents and any visitors are not permitted to smoke in our home or in our garden.
Tax credits
Visit www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits to see if you are entitled to receive ‘Child tax credits’ or ‘Working tax credits’
Working in partnership with you
You know your child better than anyone else so please talk to us about what they enjoy doing and any special routines they have. 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, what activities they have taken part in, anything special we have noticed about their play and learning milestones, what they have eaten and sleep times.
