Nursery Policies

Charlie Caterpillars is committed to providing excellent quality integrated education and care for children from birth to 5 years old within the local community and beyond.

Children learn through play, in both structured and free play sessions by skilled Early Year’s Practitioners. We provide resources and play opportunities to ignite children’s curious, inquisitive minds tapping into their interests and provide a teaching and learning environment that is stimulating and challenging.

We are registered with Ofsted, EY548077 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary part of the Childcare Register. The number of places determined by our floor space is a maximum of 40 children during any one session. We offer a range of sessions to suit both working and non-working parents.

Charlie Caterpillars is open Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 6.00pm all year round except for Christmas week, for closures please see Term Dates found under Parent Information.

Allocation of Places.
We accept children all year round, applications are made via our website “New Enquiry” into a secure email. Places are allocated on a first come first served basis and are tracked by their enquiry date.

Government 15 Hrs Funding for 2-Year Olds.
We offer funded places for 2 year olds, parents are issued a letter from the Local Authority if they meet the eligibility criteria, funding is allocated from the term following their 2nd birthday to the term following their 3rd birthday.

A confirmation of attendance form will need to be completed each term

Universal 15 Hrs Funding for 3 & 4 Year olds.
All children are eligible for 15 hours of Early Years Free Entitlement from the term following their third birthday. Children already in attendance will automatically be allocated a funded place.

Extended Entitlement 30 Hrs Funding for 3&4 Year Olds.
We offer 30 Hrs funded places for 3 & 4 year olds, parents are issued 30 Hr code from the Local Authority if they meet the eligibility criteria, funding is allocated from the term following their 3rd birthday to the term following their 3rd birthday.

Equality Act 2010
We do not have a duty to all children and do not discriminate against any child or parent based on their age, disability, gender, gender identity, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation.

This policy is concerned with a whole setting approach to the health care and management of those members of the setting suffering from specific allergies.

Charlie’s are aware that children who attend may suffer from food, bee/ wasp sting, animal or nut allergies and we believe that all allergies should be taken seriously and dealt with in a professional and appropriate way.

Charlie’s position is not to guarantee a completely allergen free environment, rather: to minimise the risk of exposure, encourage self-responsibility, and plan for effective response to possible emergencies.

Charlie’s is committed to providing all food and drink, we cannot accept food in from home.

The Statutory Framework states that the provider must obtain information about any dietary requirements/allergy. As such parents are asked to provide details of allergies in the child’s Admission paperwork, which is completed before starting the setting. Dietary requirement cards will be created and displayed in the child’s base room and kitchen prior to starting the setting.

The intent of this policy is to minimise the risk of any child suffering allergy-induced anaphylaxis whilst at preschool.

An allergic reaction to nuts is the most common high risk allergy, and as such demands more rigorous controls throughout the policy.

The underlying principles of this policy include:

The establishment of effective risk management practices to minimise the student, staff, parent and visitor exposure to known trigger foods and insects.

Staff training and education to ensure effective emergency response to any allergic reaction situation.

This policy applies to all members of the setting:

• Nursery Staff
• Parents / Guardians
• Volunteers
• SOS cover staff
• Students
• Definitions

Allergy – A condition in which the body has an exaggerated response to a substance (e.g. food and drug) also known as hypersensitivity.

Allergen – A normally harmless substance that triggers an allergic reaction in the immune system of a susceptible person.

Anaphylaxis – Anaphylaxis, or anaphylactic shock, is a sudden, severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction to food, stings, bites, or medicines.

Epipen – Brand name for syringe style device containing the drug

Adrenalin,-which is ready for immediate inter-muscular administration.

Minimised Risk Environment- An environment where risk management practices

(E.g. Risk assessment forms) have minimised the risk of (allergen) exposure.

Health Care Plan- A detailed document outlining an individual child’s condition treatment, and action plan for location of Epipen.

Procedures and Responsibilities for Allergy Management

General

• The involvement of parents and staff in establishing individual Health Care Plans.
• The establishment and maintenance of practices for effectively communicating a child’s healthcare plans to all relevant staff.
• Staff training in anaphylaxis management, including awareness of triggers and first aid procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency.
• Age appropriate education of the children with severe food allergies.

Medical Information

The setting will seek updated information via medical form at parent consultation meetings every 6 months (November and May). Parent consultations are also held upon parent request in between official parent consultation evenings.

Furthermore, any change in a child’s medical condition during the year must be reported to the setting.

For students with an allergic condition, the setting requires parents / guardians to provide written advice from a doctor (GP), which explains the condition, defines the allergy triggers and any required medication.

The SENCO will ensure that a Health Care Plan is established and updated for each child with a known allergy.

Deputy Managers and Key Persons of those students and key staff are required to review and familiarise themselves with the medical information. Dietarty or allergies are identified with a red spot on the child’s self registration photograph for any children and dietary reports are printed for each room and the kitchen.

Where children with known allergies are participating in trips and outings, the risk assessments must include this information.

The wearing of a medic-alert bracelet is allowed by the setting.

Medical Information (EpiPens)

Where EpiPens (Adrenalin) are required in the

Health Care Plan:

Parents/ guardians are responsible for the provision and timely replacement of the EpiPens.

The EpiPens are located securely in relevant locations approved by the Room Leader.

Parent’s role

Parents are responsible for providing, in writing, ongoing accurate and current medical information to the school.

Parents to send a letter confirming and detailing the nature of the allergy; including:

The allergen (the substance the child is allergic to)

The nature of the allergic reaction (from rash, breathing problems to anaphylactic shock)

What to do in case of allergic reaction, including any medication to be used and how it is to be used.

Control measures – such as how the child can be prevented from getting into contact with the allergen.

If a child has an allergy requiring an epipen, or the risk assessment deems it necessary, a “healthcare plan” must be completed and signed by the parents.

It is the responsibility of the Parent to provide the setting with up to date

medication/ equipment clearly labelled in a suitable container.

In the case of life saving medication like Epi-pens the child will not be allowed to attend without it.

Parents are also required to provide up to date emergency contact information.

Snacks and lunches are provided by the setting; parents are asked not to bring in food. The setting is happy to purchase or make special dietary requirements.

It is the settings responsibility to ensure that the contents are safe for the child to consume.

Parents should liaise with Staff about appropriateness of snacks and any food-related activities (e.g. cooking)

Staff’s role

Staff are responsible for familiarising themselves with the policy and to adhere to health & safety regulations regarding food and drink.

If a child’s Enrolment Form states that they have an allergy then a “healthcare plan” is needed. It must be in place before the child starts attending sessions. A risk assessment should be carried and any actions identified to be put in place. The Assessment should be stored with the child’s healthcare plan.

Upon determining that a child attending Pre-school has a severe allergy, a team meeting will be set up as soon as possible where all Staff concerned attend to update knowledge and awareness of child’s needs.

All Staff who come into contact with the child will be made aware of what treatment/medication is required by the Preschool Leader and where any medication is stored.

All staff are to promote hand washing before and after eating.

Snack time biscuits and snacks are monitored by Staff and are peanut, nut free and other allergens depending on the children attending. All staff should know the procedures at snack and lunch time to ensure the safety of children with allergies.

However, Staff cannot guarantee that foods will not contain traces of nuts.

All tables are cleaned with an approved solution.

Children are not permitted to share food.

As part of the Staff first aid course, Epipen use and storage has been discussed.

We may ask the Parent for a list of food products and food derivatives the child must not come into contact with.

Emergency medication should be easily accessible, especially at times of high risk.

Staff should liaise with Parents about snacks and any food-related activities.

Actions

In the event of a child suffering an allergic reaction:

We will delegate someone to contact the child’s Parents.

In accordance with our Health and Safety policy, if a child becomes distressed or symptoms become more serious telephone 999

Keep calm, make the child feel comfortable and give the child space.

If medication is available it will be administered as per training and in conjunction with the “Medication Policy”.

If Parents have not arrived by the time ambulance arrives, a member of Staff will accompany the child to hospital.

Role of other parents

Snacks and lunches brought to the setting by other parents should be peanut and nut free.

The setting will ensure that parents are regularly reminded and will monitor the contents of lunchboxes and snack.

Bullying is defined as any conduct that humiliates, degrades or causes unwanted mental or physical injury to other, it happens in so many ways and can take many different forms, any form of bullying is wrong and is not acceptable in any form within Charlie’s.

Our aim to ensure that all children and staff attending Charlie’s are protected from any form of bullying, this includes supporting staff in dealing with any problems quickly and in the most effective way.

The child being bullied may feel unable to do anything about it. It is vital to remember that children accused of bullying may need support just as much as those that are being bullied. This may be as they are being manipulated by the influence of other children, or they may be falsely accused. Their behaviour may also be connected to a form of hidden personal or social problems.

Bullying is when an individual or group of people, do things to you that you don’t like.

A person may be bullied by:

• being called names
• being teased, insulted.
• being pushed or pulled about
• being hit or attacked
• having possessions taken or thrown about
• having rumours spread about you
• being excluded or victimised
• being forced to hand over money or possessions
• being attacked because of their religion or colour.
• It is essential that every member of staff does not ignore or dismiss any incident of bullying they see or is reported to them. The staff will be extremely careful when dealing with an allegation of bullying, so that they are not influenced by a child seeking attention or attempting to get others into trouble.
• Isolated incidents of name calling etc, may not constitute bullying, but if it continues on a regular basis, it might. Therefore, any incident of a continuous nature should be reported to management immediately, and the staff member receiving or seeing the bullying incident or complaint should make a written report that will be placed in the child’s file.

There is no definitive way of telling if a child is being bullied or is bullying other children.

However, the following signs if detected this may highlight the possibility of bullying:

• sudden changes in attitude, the child becomes withdrawn, or has an unexpected illness,
• depression, reluctance to eat or play normally, or they appear unhappy,
• miserable, moody and/or irritable.
• not wanting to attend Charlie’s
• frequent injuries to the child (Bruising, cuts etc.),
• items of clothing or other property is damaged,

However, it needs to be remembered that any of the above may have a simple explanation, but they may also be more serious. Any concerns will be investigated fully before taking any action.

If bullying is suspected the following procedure will be followed:

• the full facts from the child being bullied will be obtained
• discuss with the child doing the bullying, the unacceptability of bullying as a specific type of behaviour, i.e. how the other child feels etc.
• the initial incident will be dealt with by the staff member who saw or received the information
• a written account of the incident will be made as soon as possible, which will be given to management
• it will be the responsibility of management, to liaise with the parents and make them aware of the incident
• the matter will be kept strictly confidential and the names of the individuals involved will not be communicated to any third party, or disclosed to the other parents
• if there are repeated incidents, the parents will be invited to attend the Nursery to discuss the incidents and work together

Staff / Volunteers

The nursery does not tolerate bullying and any member of staff that is found guilty of bullying will face disciplinary action which, in appropriate circumstances, could include dismissal.

Any examples of bullying should be brought to the attention of the Manager. All employees are under a moral and Nursery duty to disclose any incident of bullying. The only way bullies escape detection is if other permit their behaviours. This does not prevent the use of any Grievance Procedure.

Children cannot remain in Nursery if they are unwell, we care for sick children the best we can but the environment is not a suitable for a poorly child. If the illness presented is infectious or presents a risk to other children and staff, further exclusion may be necessary.

If we have concerns about the wellbeing of a child, parents/carers will be informed immediately and asked to collect their child.

The most common reasons are:

• They develop a high temperature.
• They have diarrhoea and/or vomiting.
• They have a fall/bump in which they have received an injury.
• If a child becomes ill whilst at nursery, staff will inform the Deputy Manager who will further assess the child.
• The child’s key person will contact the parent/carer of the child. Staff will care for the child comfort and/or necessary first aid whilst waiting for the parents/carers to arrive. In the case of a medical emergency we will follow our emergency care procedure, below.

Injuries at Home:

If a child has received an injury at home, parents/carers are required to complete an existing injury record on arrival at nursery. Similarly, any marks that appear on a child during the nursery day that have not been caused by an accident or incident will be recorded on an existing injury form so that the staff can discuss with the parents in case it was an old injury where a mark has just appeared.

In order to deal with major and minor incidents effectively Charlie Caterpillars will ensure that:

• They adhere to Charlie Caterpillars Day Nursery policies and procedures at all times, including hot spotting in the moment and monthly audits.
• The majority of staff are first aid trained and first aid supplies are centrally stored in the nursery with stock stored upstairs in the stores.
• Staff record all accidents and incidents on iconnect with accuracy and attention to detail, all accidents/incidents are published to the parent zone app as they happen.
• Parents/carers are aware of the existing injury form and use it accordingly.
  Note: We call parents in advance if a child has a facial or head bump before publishing to parent zone.

Injuries/illness that require hospital treatment:

Any injury/illness that occur at home or within the nursery that requires hospital treatment will be recorded onto an existing injury form. Some injuries/illness require the setting to report to other agencies, this form will distinguish if any other steps need to be taken and if the setting needs to adapt any routines or care for the child to attend nursery.

Infectious Diseases:

At Charlie Caterpillars Day Nursery, we follow the guidelines produced by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) ‘Guidance on Infection Control in Schools and Other Childcare Settings’. Where an infectious disease affects the nursery, the manager will seek advice from the HPA and keep a record of absences/symptoms, which will lead to an immediate action plan for the management of the outbreak. Logs will be kept including time, date and details of all calls made and advice given from the HPA. These will be stored in the health and safety file.

These guidelines provide recommendations for exclusion times for specific conditions.

These guidelines are displayed in the Nursery and are available via our website.

The Nursery will notify parents/carers via poster on all main entrances and via email if there is an outbreak of an infectious disease.

Similarly, parents must inform staff if their child has been or is unwell in anyway.

Children will not be allowed back to Nursery until they have begun medication or have had 48 hours free from any contagious symptoms of sickness and diarrhoea.

Notifiable Illnesses/diseases: These are defined in the displayed HPA guidance. Any outbreaks of one of these will be reported in line with the instructions on the poster.

Emergency Care:

If a child becomes so unwell or hurt themselves in nursery and it is deemed an emergency the staff team will deal with the situation to the best of their ability. They will:

• Ensure that the child receives the full attention of staff throughout.
• Notify the nursery manager or the most senior person.
• The most senior person will call the parents/carers to let them know what has happened and ask them to collect or meet them at the hospital if applicable.
• The nursery manager and the parents/carers, if contactable, will make a plan specific to the needs of the child. This could include calling an ambulance or administering pain relief.
• In an emergency we will call an emergency ambulance immediately without seeking further consent.
• The nursery manager and team will do their upmost to keep the child comfortable until either the parents/carers arrive, and/or the child goes to a medical centre.
• The nursery manager will keep in contact with the parents/carers throughout.
• If the child leaves the nursery to seek medical help then a member of staff will accompany them and take the child’s information with them via the ipad, they will wait with the child until the parents/carers arrive.
• The nursery manager will ensure that written records are kept and that the parents/carers receive a copy of a written report in the form of a signed accident form.
• The incident will be thoroughly investigated.
  When the child returns to nursery, they will receive support from the team with any on-going issue and fill in the return to nursery forms.

Asthma:

At Charlie Caterpillars Day Nursery, we welcome children with asthma and recognise that asthma is a condition affecting many children. We will ensure that our nursery supports children with asthma by:

• Encouraging and helping children with asthma to participate fully in activities.
• Ensuring that all of our staff are appropriately trained and informed regarding each child’s individual needs relating to their asthma.
• Helping parents/carers to complete an individual health care plan detailing symptoms and emergency response procedures for their child.
• Reassuring parents/carers of children with asthma that their children are in a safe, caring environment.Ensuring that children have immediate access to their reliever inhalers.
• Accessing training and support, including training to support individual children. This includes receiving training from the child’s parent/carer themselves.
• Adhering to the administering medication policy at all times.
• Regularly checking the child’s health care plan with their parent/carer so that it is kept up to date.

Childhood Illness Observation record:

If a child has any health problems during nursery time, we will record this onto a childhood illness observation form. This may include:

High temperature
Nose bleeds
Asthma
Skin disorders
Rashes
Anything else deemed as not an accident or injury

The CCTV and all recordings are the property of Charlie Caterpillars Day Nursery and must never be taken from the nursery without prior permission from Joanne Morgan.

Operation of the CCTV System

This CCTV equipment and images recorded by it are controlled by Joanne Morgan, who is responsible for how the system is used and for notifying the Information Commissioner about the CCTV system and its purpose this legal requirement of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Joanne Morgan has considered the need for using CCTV and has decided it is required for the prevention and detection of accidents/Incidents, reflection and or any crimes, for protecting the safety of customers and staff, it will not be used for any other purpose other than the points stated.

There is a sign visible in reception making any visitors aware of the CCTV use on the premises.  Joanne Morgan’s details are also visible on this sign so any visitors are aware who is responsible for the system.

The recorded images from this system are securely stored and only Senior Management have authorised access to them.

All recordings are retained on the system for 7 days.

Recordings will only be made available to Law enforcement agencies involved in the prevention and detection of crime, and no other third parties.

Senior Management understands how to respond to requests from individuals for accessing images relating to that individual and who to seek advice from.

The equipment will be monitored regularly to ensure it is in good working order.

The CCTV is there to protect all parties, and the recordings are protected by Data Protection Act 1998.

• The CCTV system is checked by management every morning.
• The screen is switched off to support data protection when not being viewed.
• All downloads will be stored securely for 30 days, identity of the recorder and reason for recording will be kept in the daily hotspotting folder.
• Joanne Morgan will keep all downloaded recordings in a lockable cabinet.
• Staff use of CCTV is for referring to any accidents and incidents to use as a reflective tool by key persons

CCTV is for nursery use only and used for safeguarding and training purposes.

Footage will be replayed only in the following circumstances.

• A complaint
• An accident/incident
• Staff reflective training

Footage will only be viewed following a complaint when authorised by Management.

Designated Safeguarding Lead – Joanne Morgan
Deputy Safeguarding Lead – Karen Bennett

At Charlie Caterpillars Day Nursery, we respect and value all children and are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all our children, so they can learn, in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. We believe every child should be able to participate in all activities in an enjoyable and safe environment while protected from harm. This is the responsibility of every adult employed by, or invited to deliver services at Charlie Caterpillars Day Nursery. We recognise our responsibility to safeguard all who access the setting and promote the welfare of all our pupils by protecting them from physical, sexual, emotional abuse, neglect and bullying.
All staff at Charlie Caterpillars play a crucial role in shaping the lives of young people. All staffs are accountable for the way in which they exercise authority, manage risk, use resources and protect pupils from discrimination and avoidable harm. Induction for all staff includes Safer Worker Practice for Adults who work with Children and Young People

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility:
Child protection is a part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. This refers to the activity which is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering or are at risk of suffering significant harm. As adults and/or professionals or volunteers, everyone has a responsibility to safeguard children and promote their welfare.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children:
In particular protecting them from significant harm – depends upon effective joint working between agencies and professionals that have different roles and expertise.
Individual children, especially some of the most vulnerable children and those at greatest risk of social exclusion, will need co-ordinated help from health, education, children’s social care, and quite possibly the voluntary sector and other agencies, including youth justice services.
For those children who are suffering, or at risk of suffering significant harm, joint working is essential, to safeguard and promote welfare of the child(ren) and – where necessary – to help bring to justice the perpetrators of crimes against children. All agencies and professionals should:

Be alert to all 4 areas of potential abuse or neglect;
Be alert to the risks which individual abusers, or potential abusers, may pose to children;
Share and help to analyse information so that an assessment can be made of the child’s needs and circumstances;

Contribute to whatever actions are needed to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare;
Take part in regularly reviewing the outcomes for the child against specific plans;
Work co-operatively with parents unless this is inconsistent with ensuring the child’s safety.

FGM: Female Genital Mutilation
Any staff member who is aware of any ‘Known’ cases:
Where either a girl informs the person that an act of FGM has occurred
Or is present during a described conversation,
Or is aware that FGM has been carried out on her,
Or where the person observes physical signs on a girl appearing to show that an act of FGM has been carried out and the person has no reason to believe that the act was, or was part of, a surgical operation.

When a report must be made;
The FGM mandatory reporting duty is a legal duty provided for in the FGM Act 2003 (as amended by the Serious Crime Act 2015). The legislation requires regulated health and social care professionals and teachers in England and Wales to make a report to the police where, in the course of their professional duties, they either:

Are informed by a girl under 18 that an act of FGM has been carried out on her; or
Observe physical signs which appear to show that an act of FGM has been carried out on a girl under 18 and they have no reason to believe that the act was necessary for the girl’s physical or mental health or for purposes connected with labour or birth (see section 2.1a for further information).
For the purposes of the duty, the relevant age is the girl’s age at the time of the disclosure/identification of FGM (i.e. it does not apply where a woman aged 18 or over discloses, she had FGM when she was under 18).

When you might see FGM;
The duty applies to cases you discover in the course of your professional work.
If you do not currently undertake genital examinations in the course of delivering your job, then the duty does not change this. Most professionals will only visually identify FGM as a secondary result of undertaking another action.

For healthcare professionals, if, in the course of your work, you see physical signs which you think appear to show that a child has had FGM, this is the point at which the duty applies – the duty does not require there to be a full clinical diagnosis confirming FGM before a report is made, and one should not be carried out unless you identify the case as part of an examination already under way and are able to ascertain this as part of that. Unless you are already delivering care, which includes a genital examination, you should not carry one out.
The duty applies to cases directly disclosed by the victim; if a parent, guardian, sibling or other individual discloses that a girl under 18 has had FGM, the duty does not apply and a report to the police is not mandatory. Any such disclosure should, however, be handled in line with wider safeguarding responsibilities – in England, this is likely to include referral to children’s social services

(Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2015, DfES)

Responses from Parents
Research and experience indicates that the following responses from parents may suggest a cause for concern across all categories of abuse:
Delay in seeking treatment that is obviously needed or suggested by our setting or other professionals
Unawareness or denial of any injury, pain or loss of function (for example, a fractured limb)
Incompatible explanations offered, several different explanations or the child is said to have acted in a way that is inappropriate to her/his age and development
Reluctance to give information or failure to mention other known relevant injuries;
Frequent presentation of minor injuries;
A persistently negative attitude towards the child;
Unrealistic expectations or constant complaints about the child;
Alcohol misuse or other drug/substance misuse;
Parents request removal of the child from home; or
Violence between adults in the household; Domestic Violence
You should follow up the verbal referral in writing, within 24hrs.

Definitions of abuse and neglect:
Abuse and neglect are forms of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting; by those known to them or, more rarely, by a stranger. They may be abused by an adult or adults or another child or children.

Physical abuse
May involve hitting, shaking, throwing, burning, scalding, poisoning, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. It may also occur when a parent or carer feigns symptoms of, or deliberately causes ill health to a child whom they are looking after. This situation is commonly described using terms such as Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII) or Munchausen Syndrome by proxy

Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse is the persistent maltreatment of a child such to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to children they are worthless and unloved, inadequate or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or “making fun” of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children.
These may include interactions that are beyond the child’s developmental capacity, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyber bullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone

Sexual Abuse
Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing.
They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet). Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

Neglect
The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, failing to protect a child from physical harm or danger, or the failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs

Staff Expectations
In our setting staff, volunteers and visitors will:
Be familiar with our Child Protection and Safeguarding policies
Be subject to Safer Recruitment processes and checks, whether they are new staff, supply staff, contractors, volunteers
Be involved in the implementation of individual education programmes, child in need plans, child protection plans and early help assessments where necessary

Be alert to sign and indicators of abuse
Record concerns and give the written record to the Designated Safeguarding Lead
Deal with disclosures of abuse from a child in line with safeguarding procedures as defined in this policy – you must inform the Designated Safeguarding Lead immediately.

Staff awareness
Staff will be made aware of Charlie Caterpillar’s Policy and Procedure:
During regular staff briefings
During level one staff training on a three-yearly basis
Training

WSCB offers training in Child Protection, Safer Recruitment and other topics relating to safeguarding children and young people. Staff training is not only crucial in protecting children and young people, but also makes them aware of how they can protect themselves against allegations. Further information about these courses can be accessed via the WSCB website at www.wlscb.org.uk (click on the training tab on the left).

Reviewing the Policy and Procedure
Charlie’s policy and procedure will be reviewed every year, this will include checking telephone numbers, accuracy of personnel details, and any updates required by a change in local or national policy. This policy should also be read in conjunction with the following policies in school:

Anti-Bullying policy
E-Safety policy
Care and control policy
Behaviour management
Whistle blowing policy
Prevent Training
Mutualisation of female genitalia
Bomb Threat Training
Commitment to safeguarding;

The setting is committed to the safeguarding of children and young people and will work closely with other professionals to ensure that children are kept safe and prevented from suffering significant harm. This includes attending and contributing to Child Protection Case Conferences, Core group meetings, Child concern meetings and Looked After Children reviews alongside contributing to the development of Personal Education plans along with other colleagues

Procedure: What to do if you have concerns about a child
You may have concerns about a child because of something you have seen or heard, or a child may choose to disclose something to you. If a child discloses information to you:
Do not promise confidentiality, you have a duty to share this information and refer to Children’s Social Care Services.
Listen to what is being said, without displaying shock or disbelief.
Accept what is said.
Reassure the child, but only as far as is honest, don’t make promises you may not be able to keep e.g. ‘Everything will be alright now’, ‘You’ll never have to see that person again’.
Do reassure and alleviate guilt, if the child refers to it. For example, you could say, ‘You’re not to blame’.
Do not interrogate the child; it is not your responsibility to investigate.
Do not ask leading questions (e.g. Did he touch your private parts?), ask open questions such as ‘Anything else to tell me?’
Do not ask the child to repeat the information for another member of staff.
Explain what you have to do next and who you have to talk to.
Only inform professionals and named colleagues on a need to know basis
Take notes if possible or write up your conversation as soon as possible afterwards.
Record the date, time, place any non-verbal behaviour and the words used by the child (do not paraphrase).
Record statements and observable things rather than interpretations or assumptions.

Whatever the nature of your concerns, discuss them with Joanne Morgan, Designated Safeguarding Lead. If Joanne Morgan is not available for any reason please seek Karen Bennett or Collette Adams or call MASH: 0300 555 2866 during work hours, 0300 555 2922 or 0300 555 2836 Out of Hours who will guide you with your concern. In an emergency call the Police on 999.
Please follow MASH instructions carefully and record all conversations on the communication log, please take care to log Name, Date, Time contact details, Informing Joanne Morgan at every stage.

Click Are you concerned about a child to see appendix 1 & 2 for step by step guidance.
Children’s Services (Social Care) – Contact details
During the day
Monday – Thursday, 8.45am – 5.15pm
Friday, 8.45am – 4.45pm
The Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
The Quest, 2nd floor
139-143 Lichfield Street
Walsall WS1 1SE

Telephone: 0300 555 2866
Fax: 01922 658195

Evenings, weekends, bank holidays (out of hours)

Emergency Response Team
Telephone: 0300 555 2922 or 0300 555 2836

The Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is the first point of contact for any professional or concerned individual who has concerns about a child. MASH can be contacted on 0300 555 2866. Referrers can contact children’s social care for advice and guidance, early help support or to refer a child in need of safeguarding.

To make a child protection referral, please send all information to the MASH using the following Multi Agency Referral Form (MARF), this can also be downloaded from the Walsall Safeguarding Childrens Board link on the Safer Working Practices or Staff Policies.
http://wlscb.org.uk/concerned-about-a-child/

This form must be used to support all verbal referrals and be sent within 24 hours on a MARF form.

If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call the police on 999

What information will you need when making a referral? :
You will be asked to provide as much information as possible. Such as;
Child’s full name
Date of birth
Address
Setting/school
GP
Languages spoken
Any disabilities the child may have
Details of the parents.

Do not be concerned if you do not have all these details, you should still make the call.

You should follow up the verbal referral in writing, within 24hrs on a MARF form.

This organisation is committed to having effective recruitment and human resources procedures, including checking all staff and volunteers to make sure they are safe to work with children and young people. Key staff involved in recruitment processes will undertake Safer Recruitment Training offered by the WSCB.

However, there may still be occasions when there is an allegation against a member of staff or volunteer. Allegations against those who work with children, whether in a paid or unpaid capacity, cover a wide range of circumstances

All allegations of abuse of children by those who work with children or care for them must be taken seriously. Each agency is required to have a Named Senior Officer who will receive all reports of allegations. Our Named Senior Officer is name of head teacher

The following procedure should be applied in all situations where it is alleged that a person who works with children has:

Behaved in a way which has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child
Possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child
Behaved towards a child or children in a way which indicates that he/she is unsuitable to work with children

The allegations may relate to the persons behaviour at work, at home or in another setting.

** All allegations should be notified to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) within one working day.** (call 01922 654040)

Alan Hassall: 07432 422205

Appendix 3

Glossary of terms

Child – a young person under the age of 18 years
Child Protection Enquiry – A Child Protection Enquiry (usually referred to as a Section 47 Enquiry) is required if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm.
LADO – Local Authority Designated Officer – The Local Authority must appoint a Designated Officer (LADO) whose responsibility it is to be involved in the management and oversight of individual cases which fall within this procedure, providing advice and guidance to employers and voluntary organisations, liaising with the Police and other agencies, and monitoring the progress of cases to ensure that they are dealt with as quickly as possible, consistently, and with a thorough and fair process.
Named Senior Officer – agencies should appoint a Named Senior Officer to have overall responsibility for ensuring that their agency operates procedures for dealing with allegations against those who work with children in accordance with the guidance set out in Appendix 5 of Working Together to Safeguard Children (2006), resolving inter agency issues and liaising with the Walsall Safeguarding Children Board / LADO on the subject.
Significant Harm – The Children Act 1989 introduced Significant Harm as the threshold that justifies compulsory intervention in family life in the best interests of children.
Significant Harm is any Physical, Sexual, or Emotional Abuse, Neglect, accident or injury that is sufficiently serious to adversely affect progress and enjoyment of life.
Harm is defined as the ill treatment or impairment of health and development. This definition was clarified in section 120 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 (implemented on 31 January 2005) so that it may include, “for example, impairment suffered from seeing or hearing the ill treatment of another”.
Suspicions or allegations that a child is suffering or likely to suffer Significant Harm may result in a Core Assessment incorporating a Section 47 Enquiry.
There are no absolute criteria on which to rely when judging what constitutes significant harm. Sometimes a single violent episode may constitute significant harm but more often it is an accumulation of significant events, both acute and longstanding, which interrupt, damage or change the child’s development.
Walsall Safeguarding Children Board (WSCB) – Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children requires effective coordination in every local area. For this reason, the Children Act 2004 requires each local authority to establish a Local Safeguarding Children Board. The WSCB must coordinate what is done by each person or body represented on the Board for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in the area of the authority and ensure the effectiveness of what is done by each person or body for that purpose.

At Charlie Caterpillar’s we have adopted “The Key Person Approach” as stated in P.Elfer (2003 pg 18,19).  This approach is a way of working in nurseries in which the whole focus and organisation is aimed at enabling and supporting close attachments between individual children and individual nursery staff.  The Key Person approach is an involvement, and shared commitment between a key member of staff and a family.  It is an approach that has clear benefits for all involved.

The Benefits of a Key Person Approach

For babies and young children:  The Key Person makes sure that, within the day-to-day demands of a nursery each child feels special and individual, cherished and thought about by someone in particular while they are away from home.  It is as though the children were ‘camped out in the Key Person’s mind’ or that there is an elastic thread of attachment that allows for being apart as well as for being together.  The child in the nursery will experience a close relationship that is affectionate and reliable.

For parents: The Key Person approach ensures that parents have the opportunity to build a personal relationship with ‘someone’ rather than ‘all of them’ working in the nursery.  The benefits are likely to be peace of mind and the possibility of building a partnership with professional staff who may share with them the pleasures and stresses of child-rearing.  It gives parents the opportunity to liaise with someone else who is fully committed and familiar with their baby or child.

For the Key Person:  The Key Person approach is intense, hard work and a big commitment.  This relationship makes very real physical, intellectual and emotional demands upon the Key Person and these demands need to be understood, planned for and supported by the nursery policies and management.  One of the benefits of being and becoming a Key Person is the sense that you really matter to a child and to their family.  You are likely to have a powerful impact on the child’s well-being, their mental health, and their chances to think and learn.  These powers and responsibilities will produce feelings of pleasure and pain, the joy and relief of partings and reunions, and the satisfaction and anxiety of being a Key Person in a child’s early years.

For the nursery:  The Key Person approach leads to, improved care and learning for the children and parents as trusting relationships are developed with confidence and greater competencies.  There are indications that this approach reduces staff sickness and absence, and develops involvement and positive attitudes to professional development within staff team.

For Babies/Young Children and Parents:

• Admin will allocate a key person according to peer group, management will introduce the key person during show round and explain how our Key Person approach works.
• An introduction meeting will be arranged between the key person and parent prior to the first phasing in session, this will be an adult only meeting wherever possible in a meeting room away from the children to ensure that information is shared confidentially.
• Admin manager will email all correspondence via our Connect database, welcoming the child and parents, whilst introducing monthly fees and accounts procedures in line with our terms and conditions.
• The key person will be available to meet and greet the parent and child at their phasing in session.
• Further flexibility will be considered depending on the individual needs of the family.

For the Key Person:

• Admin will enter the child onto our Connect Childcare data base and add parent meeting and phasing in dates to iconnect reminders so that the Key Person can plan for the new key child.
• Admission paperwork will be entered onto the system following the parent and key person introduction meeting and ready for phasing in 1, this includes all about me, parent baseline, registration, consent forms, emergency contacts and terms and conditions and photograph for child’s self registration and personal belongings.
• The Key Person will greet the family as they will be greeted every day during their time at Charlie’s. Admin will create, labels for baskets, coat peg/box, tags for personal belongings, registration cards/self-registration picture.
• During parent meeting, the key Person will explain what shift they are on and what duties they will be responsible for. They will outline what the procedure will be when they are not within the nursery.

Key Person will take responsibility for;

• Mealtimes
• Nappy changing/toileting needs
• Individual preferences i.e. comforters, personal belongings, parent’s wishes…
• Accidents and injuries
• Medication
• Illness
• Planning, observation and assessment
• Parent’s evenings
• Prepare child and parent in advance of their annual leave
• Ensure that their new key child will have a picture for their coat peg, basket/box, tags for personal belongings and registration card/self- registration.

It is important to understanding parent’s wishes around individual routines. Key person’s will share day to day experiences with the parents via parent zone, however, being extremely sensitive in sharing first experiences, allowing the family to feel they experienced these amazing milestones first and shared this with us here at Charlie’s. We ask parents to share first via their parent zone app so we can then add them to the child’s personal learning journey.

For the Nursery:

When management are deploying staff to cover annual leave, sickness, secondment, lunches, meetings etc…  First and foremost the management will consider the needs of the key children.  Wherever possible Key Persons will not be used for staff deployment, set cover staff will be factored into shifts. Wherever possible, Key Person supports will be allocated to rooms providing consistency for the child and parents.

Where possible Key Persons will be on set shifts and lunches to ensure that continuity and routine is built into every day for key children and families.

The Key Person will remain with their key child throughout the child’s stay with us at Charlies offering a strong attachment for the child, the key person will transition in advance of the child to prepare for their transition to the next room allowing the children to flow between their previous and new room, key person support will remain in their current room.

Charlie Caterpillar’s philosophy behind mealtimes promotes this invaluable learning time through a social and healthy family group environment.  We aim to not only to provide the children with time to have a healthy and nutritious snack or meal but also to provide a social environment where manners and table etiquette will be promoted and encouraged. We will do this by following the procedure detailed below.

• Toileting and washing hands before and after snack/meal times is essential.
• We will ensure we have enough cutleries, cups and drinking water ready for each child’s individual needs. Water will be available inside and out.
• Children and the staff will remain in ratio and walk to a dedicated dining area. A quiet calm atmosphere will be encouraged.
• During mealtimes children and staff will be seated. A member of staff should be sat with each group of children and will engage in conversation with the children therefore promoting and enhancing their social development.
• Children will be encouraged to feed and serve themselves where possible.
• Bibs should be used if needed. After meals babies’ hands and faces are cleaned and older children are encouraged to wash their hands and face in the bathroom with support from staff members
• When children are finished eating and have cleaned their area away staff will lead simple relaxing activities until all of the children have finished eating and the area has been tidied by a member of staff. There will always be a member of staff sat with children who are still eating.
• At every mealtime the children are given a choice of what is on the menu.
• Each part of the meal will be offered in turn encouraging and accepting the child’s choice, even if you know the child doesn’t like what’s chosen
• If a child doesn’t like what is chosen from the menu, they can choose more of what he does like. (This may take a few attempts of making the wrong choice)

The aims of the above are that the children will learn to make choices and will discover their own likes and dislikes.

Please don’t worry if a child doesn’t eat a complete meal, as long as they have participated in the family setting and enjoyed the parts that they have eaten.  Adults must use their judgement as to whether the child has eaten plenty.

Do not serve a plate of food not chosen by the child; this process should be a social. Interactive and enjoyable time for both adults and children alike.

The above applies to breakfast, snack, lunch and tea time.

Staff will be consistent and support each other.

 

Children’s daily sheets should be filled in as each child completes their meal or snack and should be ready for the parent/carer when they arrive to collect their child.

All meals served at Charlie Caterpillars Day Nursery are homemade by us and are served by staff that have had food safety training.

Children are offered a healthy morning and afternoon snack, one of which always includes fresh fruit. Where possible we also include snacks made by the children and staff themselves.

Children will always have access to fresh drinking water.

We will not give food high in sugar or salt or processed foods however on occasion children will bake for each other and have birthday treats and special occasions where they may bring in cakes and other treat style foods.  When these foods are on offer staff will ensure that the portion sizes are relevant to the child and that children are also offered a healthy alternative should they prefer.

We cater for children with dietary requirements and all allergies and intolerances should be shared with the nursery staff as soon as possible.  Where possible we adapt elements of the existing menu for children with dietary requirements so that mealtimes are inclusive.  Purees can be requested for meals if required for young babies.

Charlie Caterpillars provide nutritionally balanced and healthy meals that are suitable for the child’s age and activity level. Our nutritional standards are based on published research. We ensure that all meals are nutritious, healthy and offer the children a balanced diet.

Charlie Caterpillars Day Nursery is a nut free zone.

As technology evolves, we have recognised that there is an increased risk around the use of watches, iPods, iPads and other portable music devices.  All portable devices that record either video or sound are prohibited on the nursery floor. Please see the following mobile phone procedure.

Please allow time to lock your device safely away in the staff area, whilst you are working with the children.  Please ensure that you do not enter the nursery floor with your mobile phone or portable device at any time.  All staff, students and volunteers will be given access to a safe place to lock all other personal belongings.

All visitors will be asked to leave their mobile phone locked away safely whilst on the nursery floor.

Parents are asked not to bring mobile phones onto the nursery floor however, if parents are seen with a mobile phone, staff will ask them politely to put it away in their pocket or handbag and supervise them whilst they do so.  Staff will remind parents that it is our policy not to bring mobile phones onto the nursery floor and management will circulate a safeguarding email and reminders of our policy.

Posters will be displayed on all entrances reminding parents and visitors of our mobile and portable phone procedures to safeguard children.

No mobile phones will be allowed on the nursery floor or staff bathroom under any circumstances.

During breaks mobile phones will be allowed in the staff area but must be back into the office at the end of break.

Company Mobile Phones

Where the company has issued a mobile phone, it is for business use only and at all times will remain the property of the Company. The user(s) will be responsible for its safekeeping, proper use, condition and eventual return to the Company. The user will also be responsible for any cost of repair or replacement other than fair wear and tear. If a replacement is required, the Company will organise this.

A mobile phone is provided primarily to enable the user to do their job, i.e. to keep the Company informed at the earliest opportunity of matters, which it needs to know about and to be similarly contactable by the Company, or to contact learners or colleagues when working away from the office. Therefore, it is the user’s responsibility to ensure that the mobile phone is kept charged and switched on whilst at work.

Users should not sign up to text-based information services, e.g. RAC traffic alerts, text voting. The use of the internet for anything other than authorised social media usage on Company mobile phones is strictly prohibited, except in the case where specific authorisation has been given by the director or IT Co-ordinator to designated Smartphone users. Smartphone users should only use the internet to access their Company emails and for other essential Company use.

Unless agreed by the Director or Business Development Manager, applications and other programmes may not be downloaded to any mobile phone under any circumstance.

The SIM card from Company mobiles should not be placed into any other mobile, unless to another Company issued mobile phone. Neither should the camera facility be used for anything other than official company usage such as photos of evidence/ID or an emergency, e.g. company car accident where evidence may be required.

The Company recognises that users may, on occasion, have to make personal calls or send personal text messages during working hours, or outside normal working hours. Where it is deemed that an unreasonable amount of personal calls/text messages have been made using the mobile phone, the Company reserves the right to deduct those costs, either through deduction from pay, or otherwise. The Company may, after formal investigation, take action under the Disciplinary Procedure if such use is excessive or unauthorised. Users will be expected to make payment for private calls made beyond reasonable usage.

If it is found, following investigation, that there has been excessive personal data use, then the user will be asked to reimburse the company for the cost of this and action may be taken under the Disciplinary Procedure.

The user agrees that upon termination of employment, should they not return the allocated mobile phone, or should the mobile phone be returned in an unsatisfactory condition, the cost of replacement, or a proportional amount of this as decided by the Company, will be deducted from any final monies owing, or the user will otherwise reimburse the Company.

Use of a Mobile Phone Whilst Driving

The user must ensure they have full control of any vehicle that they are driving at all times.

It is an offence to use hand-held mobile phones whilst driving or whilst the engine is turned on. The user will be liable for prosecution if they are holding a mobile phone, or any other type of hand held device to send or receive any sort of data, be it voice, text or pictorial images. The user will be regarded to be driving if they are in charge of a vehicle with its engine running on a public road, even if the vehicle is stationary. It is therefore strictly forbidden for the user to use a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving.

A mobile phone may only be used where there is an in-coming call or an out-going voice activated call through a hands-free device that is activated without a need to hold the phone at any time, in which case the call should be kept to the shortest possible time and only to effect essential communications. When the phone needs to be operated to make or deal with a call through the hands-free device for longer than receiving or giving a short communication, before doing so the user must stop and park the vehicle where it is safe and lawful to do so and with the engine switched off.

Whilst driving they must not use the text message facility on the mobile phone, or if available through such a phone, an image facility or internet access.

Individuals are personally responsible for the payment of any fine or fixed penalty (including any externally raised admin charges) incurred whilst in charge of the vehicle. Any conviction for driving offences, any driving endorsements and any fines incurred must be reported immediately to line management as this may affect the Company’s insurance.

It should be noted carefully that a breach of the Company’s rules on the use of a mobile phone whilst driving may render the user liable to action under the Disciplinary Procedure.

Lost or Stolen Mobiles

The user is responsible at all times for the security of the mobile phone and it should never be left unattended. A PIN number or pattern lock should be used at all times.

If the phone is lost or stolen, this must be reported to Director or Business Development Manager immediately so that the handset can be tracked, blocked and remotely wiped so that no information can be accessed from it.

In the event of theft of a mobile phone, the incident must also be reported to the police and an incident number obtained.  The Company reserves the right to claim reimbursement for the cost of the phone, or excess usage charges should the correct procedures not be followed, a user reports repeated loss of their mobile, it is deemed that the user has not taken appropriate measures to safeguard the equipment, or reported the loss thereof (which will be investigated by the Company and judged at its absolute discretion).

Support

Should there be any queries on the use of the company mobile, please contact Business Development Manager or Director.

Monitoring of Usage and Costs

The Company receives itemised billing for all Company mobile phones and this is monitored on a monthly basis. The billing system identifies all calls, texts and data usage (if appropriate) and the costs related to this, by user, destination, duration, frequency, etc. High or clear personal usage will be reported to line management for investigation (high usage is defined as usage which falls outside of the normal usage pattern for the individual, or outside of the usage pattern in comparison to other similar users).

This monitoring will allow the Company to identify any areas of potential misuse or training that may be required, or to negotiate with suppliers any necessary changes in tariffs to ensure cost efficiency.

If it is found the mobile has been misused, the Company may, after formal investigation, take action under the Disciplinary Procedure.

Mobile Phone Use Abroad

All Company mobile phones are barred from being used abroad unless the network provider has been specifically instructed by the Company. In the event that a bar needs to be lifted, please contact the Business Development Manager or Director in order that this may be considered.

It is particularly important on Smartphones to ensure that “data roaming” is switched off for any times other than checking Company emails. “Data roaming” charges from abroad (which includes the Isle of Man and Channel Islands) can result in very high-level charges, and if it is found that these have been incurred due to personal use or negligence on the part of the user, then the charges may be passed on to the user.

“Pool Phones”

Certain phones are allocated to groups rather than individual users. In this situation it is ultimately the responsibility of the group leader to ensure that all conditions (as noted above) relating to the use of the phone are complied with. However, individual staff that use, or could use such phones must ensure they also comply with the conditions.

Anti-Harassment

Staff must be aware that certain operations that may be performed on mobile phones may breach Company rules and procedures. The sending of text messages or digital images that are or could be deemed offensive is strictly prohibited.

The photographing or filming of fellow employees, residents, visitors or any member of the public without their consent may breach an individual’s right to privacy and could, in certain circumstances, constitute harassment. This is therefore strictly forbidden.

It is against the principles of this Company for any person to be harassed in such a way and will not be tolerated. Any instance that comes to the Company’s attention will be investigated. Should a staff member be found to have used a mobile phone in such a way they may be subject to the Disciplinary Procedure, which could include dismissal.

If an individual feels they have been a victim of this form of harassment, they should bring this to the attention of line management immediately.

Policy Review

This policy’s effectiveness will be monitored and may be reviewed by the Company at any time. Updates will be notified to all mobile phone users.

Any intimate care, such as nappy changing and toilet training, will be carried out with respect and regard to the child’s right to dignity and privacy. Wherever possible, their key person or key person support will carry out this care and ensure it is used as a time for positive shared interaction rather than just a hurried routine.

Staff will have regard to strict hygiene procedures by wearing disposable gloves and aprons and wash down with appropriate cleaning equipment. Babies should have their bottoms thoroughly cleaned from front to back and any soiled clothes should be changed. Soiled nappies must be placed in a nappy sack before disposing of in the nappy bin provided.

Older children will be encouraged to use self-help skills with regard to toileting, but their key person should be aware of their abilities in this area and be available to offer help if necessary.

At Charlies we understand that keeping children safe, clean and comfortable is essential. We also try and give children the confidence to be independent and develop self-care skills that will assist them with their future. This procedure covers nappy changing through to toileting.

Nappy Changing:

Nappy changing is vital in ensuring a child is comfortable. Key persons at the setting will all take charge of ensuring their key children are changed in accordance with their needs. Occasionally long-term students will support key persons with nappy changing as part of their training, parents should note all students will be DBS checked and supervised.

Nappy changing is done as part of the routine in the nursery and all children are checked and changed at least every 3 hours and in between if needed, If parents request more frequent changes due to soreness or personal preference, we are happy to change more regularly following parents wishes.

Children’s right to privacy and safeguarding are taken into consideration during nappy changing, with changing taking place in the baby changing or children’s bathrooms. The door to the changing area will be kept open during nappy changing at all times.

Parents are responsible for bringing their child into nursery with a clean nappy; if a child comes into the nursery soiled, we may ask the parent to change them if we are busy with the other children.

Parents are required to provide enough nappies, wipes and creams needed for their child during their stay at nursery, the nursery only have very few spares.

Parents are asked to avoid bringing in huge packets and instead keep a small supply topped up unfortunately we are unable to store them. Supplies will be requested via parent zone.

Nappies are changed throughout the day with the children’s individual needs and routines in mind.

The responsibility of changing the nappies falls to the child’s key person, in the absence of the key person a nominated key person support will fulfil this duty.

All nappy changes are recorded on parent zone and published for you to see.

Performance management is a vital tool for motivating employees and improving performance. The purpose of the performance management process is to develop people in the interests of both the Company and the individual.

Performance management should be viewed as a continuous process, as performance cannot be managed effectively by only meeting once a year. Employee’s rate involvement in regular performance reviews as one of the most important factors in maintaining their motivation and value the opportunity to discuss how they are progressing. Performance reviews can be useful to provide positive feedback and recognition and to plan development. When conducted properly they can identify and address performance concerns before they become disciplinary issues.

The process is a two-way discussion between the employee and the Manager. It is based solely on performance and the Manager should be careful that personal values and assumptions are not allowed to unfairly influence or prejudice discussions.

The Performance Review Process

The performance review process consists of three stages:
1. Setting objectives
2. Progress reviews
3. Annual performance appraisal

Setting Objectives

Objectives are the criteria used to measure and evaluate performance and therefore they must be measurable and/or quantifiable to allow the Manager to determine the extent to which they have been achieved. They provide a valid, objective measurement of an employee’s performance.

In addition, this results-orientated approach is job-related and less subjective, and therefore will form a sound legal basis for any business decisions taken as a result of it i.e. (redundancy selection criteria).

The agreed objectives are the standards expected for performance.

Every objective set needs to be S.M.A.R.T.:

Specific about what must be achieved
Measurable in terms of quality, quantity and time
Achievable realistic but challenging
Realistic in terms of resources available and factors within the employee’s control
Timed with an agreed timescale or turnaround time

The number of objectives set depends on existing opportunities, the ability of the individual and the complexity and nature of the employee’s role. However, up to six is normally sufficient – if too many are set, they may become unrealistic and unachievable.

What objectives should be set?

The objectives set for an employee reflect their individual contribution to the achievement of the Manager’s/team’s business plan and/or the SLAs which affect their team.

Setting objectives can also give an opportunity to challenge an employee and help them improve their performance. Objectives should be reviewed across the year to ensure that employees continue to work at optimum levels and where necessary meet changes to business needs.

Objectives can encompass productivity, meeting of team targets, as well as ‘soft’ skills such as team work, adaptability, responsibilities relating to team projects, and so on.

When to set objectives:

For new employees, during the probationary period
Upon completion of the probationary period
On promotion or at commencement of a new role
For employees who have recently transferred under TUPE or acquisition
For employees returning to work after a long absence
For all employees in annual appraisals and regular reviews

In order to be valid, the objectives will need to be agreed and recorded in writing, with copies to the employee, Line Manager and the personal file. These objectives then form the basis of subsequent reviews.

Rating Objectives:

To review the achievement of objectives effectively, Managers need to measure the standard of achievement. We use a rating system because:

It is easily understood

It offers an analytical view of performance by asking appraisers to think about what is involved in achieving the objective

It enables comparisons between people with the same objectives

It is essential to be honest and objective when measuring the achievement of objectives and so the reasons for a particular rating need to be explained and documented. If problem areas exist, they must be tackled and discussed, see the poor performance section below.

Progress Reviews

An annual performance appraisal can be made time-consuming and ineffectual if it surprises the employee in respect of feedback on performance that has not previously been discussed. In addition, circumstances frequently change, and the objectives set one year ago can become inappropriate. By reviewing performance and progress at regular intervals during the year in less formal discussions, Managers keep in touch with their employees and both parties keep abreast of changes.

It is recommended that progress reviews are held at least once every three Months although in some business’s monthly reviews are necessary.

Progress reviews are carried out to monitor performance, assess training needs and to re-set or amend objectives where the needs of the business or the role have altered. Again, copies of any amendments to objectives need to be recorded, with copies to the Manager and employee.

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Charlie Caterpillars Day Nursery will adhere at all times to the General Data Protection Regulation 2018.  We operate a very strict policy with regard confidential information, the very nature of the nursery is that certain information remains confidential, such as:

• Customer (parent and child) information
• Accounts and budgets
• Staff remuneration
• Staff information

The affairs of the nursery’s parents / carers are also private and any information obtained about clients must be regarded as confidential.  The nursery will regard any breach of confidentiality as a disciplinary offence and any breeched may lead to dismissal.  Accordingly, it is agreed that during and after employment, an employee will not disclose any confidential information that has come to their attention during the course of their employment.

When working with children and their families we will come across confidential information, in ensuring that those who use and work at Charlie’s can do so in confidence confidentiality will be respected by:

Code of Conduct

• Staff will remain professional at all times, treating any information discussed in the setting as confidential and not to be discussed outside of the setting.
• Staff will not discuss individual children other than for purposes of curriculum or group planning with anyone other than the relevant staff and the child’s parents/carers, with two exceptions:
  • If there are concerns regarding a child’s welfare, information will be shared with the relevant agencies if we have consent to do so. If we believe the child is in danger, we will act on the behalf of the child and consent is not required.
  • Where the parent/carer has provided permission for us to share information with another setting, school or other agency.
• Individual children will not be discussed by staff, unless for the purpose of planning or nursery meetings
• Any information received by staff by parents / carers will not be passed onto anyone else without their permission

Children’s Records and Files

• Charlie Caterpillar’s Day Nursery will electronic files on our Connect Childcare Database and paper file stored in a locked office. These are held confidentially and will not be made available to any other persons who do not have a statutory authority to view them.
• Parents with parental responsibility will have access to their child’s file and records via their parent zone app.
• Information given by parents/carers to the manager or child’s key person will not be shared without the parent’s permission (and even then only to those who need to know).
• When staff are recording any information about a child they will ensure that it is factual and objective. Staff will not include hearsay or personal opinion of any form. Staff will consider how they write about children and the impact this can have on parents.
• Staff recruitment whether paid or voluntary will only be kept to those people involved in the process
• Any concerns / evidence in relation to a child’s safety and wellbeing will be kept in a locked file in a locked office and electronically on a password protected cloud storage system. These will only be shared with the necessary staff who are DBS enhanced.

CCTV footage

• Access to recorded images of CCTV wil be restricted to the senior manaement team, the system is not a webcam facility, for data protection purposes parents will not have access to view recordings. In the event of a parent request to view footage, this will be made available to a local authority representative, the police department and ofsted. (Please refer to our CCTV Policy for further information).

Passwords and Security

• All confidential information will be kept securely. Electronic information will be kept on our IT systems using agreed access permissions. Paper information will be kept in locked cabinets with designated staff only having access.
• Joanne Morgan, Managing Director, Amanda Vaughan, Administrator, Deputy Managers Sophie Gough and Karen Bennett have access to Connect Childcare the data base containing all of the children’s personal details and booking information. The data base is password encrypted.

The employee will, at all times, protect and maintain the confidentiality of the nursery’s information and that of its clients and may only disclose such information as required by law and as paramount the safety and well being of the children, please refer to the Safeguarding policy.   It is understood that this obligation will continue at all times, both during and after the termination of employment unless and until the information has come into the public domain.

Archiving

The guidance for how long information should be kept for each child varies between 2 and 21 years.  In line with common practice and Ofsted recommendations, we will normally keep archived information for a period of 3 years after a child has left nursery and the information will be destroyed according to schedule after this point.  Information relating to child protection or safeguarding will be kept for 21 years.

Employee’s

The Nursery Management have a statutory duty to ensure that all personal information relating to employees is kept confidential under the General Data Protection Regulation 2018.  The Nursery may require employees to provide certain personal information in order that the Nursery may properly carry out its duties, rights and obligations as an Employer.  The Nursery will process and control data principally for personnel, administrative and payroll purposes.

The Nursery will take all reasonable steps to ensure that personal data is secure and is only made available to those persons who require access in order to perform their role in the course of the Nursery business.  Personnel information will be kept on file during an individuals employment with the Nursery and for a period of up to six years following the termination of their employment.

The employee is entitled to request a description of the personal data held on their personnel file, the purpose for which the data is being processed and the persons to whom the data may be disclosed (e.g. Inland Revenue).  The request should be made to the Directors together with the appropriate fee.

It is statutory duty under the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 for the Nursery to maintain accurate personnel records.  It is the employee’s responsibility to inform the Nursery of any changes in their personal details.

As outline in the General Data Protection Regulation 2018, we are registered with the ICO (Information Commissions Office).

In line with Behaviour Management Policy no parents are allowed to know the identity of any child accused or alleged to have hurt their child in any way. We follow a strict policy of supporting behaviour and inclusive practice at Charlie Caterpillars Day Nursery.

Charlie Caterpillars is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. In this context Charlie Caterpillars will apply this recruitment and selection procedure and processes that identify people who are unsuited to work with children.

AIM

To help deter, reject or identify people who might abuse children or are otherwise unsuited to working with them by having appropriate procedures for appointment of staff.

To operate such procedures consistently and thoroughly while obtaining, collating, analysing and evaluating information from and about applicants.

To seek to secure an on-going safe and secure environment for children by operating post appointment induction procedures.

The following recommended procedure will be completed for all positions within Charlie Caterpillars Day Nursery and Charlie’s Training Academy

Interview stage – A broad balanced approach to holistically assess applicants using a variety of methods are adopted as follows;

An interview panel will be established prior to the vacancy being advertised. This will consist of not less than 2 people and no more than 4 people. The Directors will be the main interview panel; a non- scoring panel member will ask questions and engage the interviewee.

A closing date, panel short listing date and interview date will be set prior to the vacancy being advertised.

Selection criteria will be established and will relate to the person specification.

Candidates will be made aware of closing date and interview dates.

The interview panel will agree a task that will be submitted prior to interview or presented as part of the interview to assess knowledge and understanding of a related subject.

A practical interview supervised and scored by the Deputy Managers and Key Persons will be undertaken given the applicant the opportunity to demonstrate practical abilities of communicating with both the children and the team.

A set of formal questions will be agreed to assess candidate’s depth of understanding relating to the role applied for, these will form part of the assessment alongside the information provided in the application form and/or reference (if available).

Advertisement

Charlie Caterpillars will use several forms of advertising to recruit and select staff/volunteers and will ensure that when a post is advertised, the advertisement makes clear our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

The advertisement will also include the following:

Job Title and responsibilities of the role

The minimum level of experience or qualifications required.

A statement that the position applied for is an exempted post and requires a DBS (enhanced disclosure and barring service) check and ISA (independent safeguarding authority) vetting and barring scheme will also apply.

All applicants will be requested to complete a self -declaration section on the application form. The purpose of this is to obtain from the applicant relevant details for the position including information on past criminal behaviour, records or investigations. A Disqualification by Association declaration is completed with staff SAT file paperwork.

References

Details of two referees will be requested on the application form. Where possible at least one of these referees will be a current or last employer.

We will withdraw the offer of employment in the event that no references are obtainable.

References from relatives/friends will not be accepted.

Referees will only be contacted prior to interview where the applicant gives consent. Where consent is not given, the references will always be taken up prior to any formal offer of employment.

Short Listing candidates

Once the closing date is reached, all applications will be subject to ‘sifting’ by the interview panel.

This ‘sifting’ will determine who meets the criteria for the position and will include:

Looking for fully and completed application forms

Information provided is consistent and does not contain any discrepancies or gaps in employment.

Assessed against the required criteria on the person specification.

All short-listed candidates will be assessed equally against the same criteria without exception or variation.

New staff

Finger print will be registered on the security system on first day of work.

Key code to the nursery and CTA building will also be issued on first day of work.

Note: Deputy Managers will be responsible for the above.

Leavers

Finger print will be removed from the security system on last day of work.

Key code to the nursery and CTA building will be changed the day after the staff member leaves.

Note: Deputy Managers will be responsible for the above.

SOS staff (agency/casual);

Short term contracts

Long term contracts

Students;

Short term

Long term

Work experience

Volunteers;

All volunteers will be issued a voluntary agreement in the form of a letter.

All volunteers will undergo DBS check, if not that under no circumstances will they be left unsupervised.

Contractors;

A risk assessment will be prepared prior to the works taking place.

All contractors will carry out work outside of nursery hours, if under any extreme circumstances that this is not possible then under no circumstances will they be allowed to be unsupervised during their time in nursery.

We are committed to meeting the special educational needs of all children ensuring that they make progress.  We believe that children with emerging or an identified special educational need or disability has the right to be educated and to develop to their full potential alongside other children.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets out what most children will achieve in early years settings. Children will progress at different rates during the EYFS and it is important to remember that at the end of this stage some children may still be working towards the Early Learning Goals.  Such children will need differentiated learning opportunities to help them progress and regular monitoring of their progress but do not necessarily have specific special educational needs.

Monitoring of individual children’s progress throughout the EYFS is essential.  Where a child appears not to be making progress then it may be necessary to use alternative approaches to learning. Ongoing difficulties may indicate the need for help above that which is normally available for children within the same group.

The SEN Code of Practice does not assume that there are set categories of special educational needs however children will have needs and requirements which may fall into one or more of the following broad areas of need:

• Communication and interaction
• Cognition and learning
• Social, emotional and mental health
• Sensory and/or physical needs

When there is evidence that there is a delay in learning and development then further action needs to be taken. 

If a child appears to be behind expected levels or gives a cause for concern, then SEN support will be put in to place in partnership with parents to establish the right support for the child.  We follow the graduated approach using the four stages of assess, plan, do and review.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Managing Director has oversight of our special educational needs provision in the nursery and to ensure that the setting meets the statutory requirements.  Joanne Morgan will meet regularly with SENCO Sophie Gough to ensure the effectiveness of this policy, they will identify areas for development in special educational needs and contribute to the nursery development plan.

All key persons are responsibility for differentiating activities and resourcing the environment and to monitor the progress of key children.  

Identification, Assessment and Reviews

In line with the statutory guidance set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0-25 years (2014), our processes for identifying, assessing and tracking children’s progress are;

Initial Concerns

• Key person will undertake careful observation on entry, forming a starting point assessment within the first month including a parent baseline across all areas of learning. Each child will have a starting point assessment completed by their key person in relation to their age-related expectations.  Children are identified as SEND when achieving below or above in 2 or more areas of learning.
• Initial concerns support strategies identified, “Notification of concerns” form is completed with parents to begin our graduated approach.
• Strategies implemented by Key person for 4 weeks before a review of initial concerns meeting takes place.

Outcome will be dependent on the progress of the child, next steps will be either, 1. No further action, 2. Continue to monitor for 6 weeks, 3. Parental agreement to move to Early Response or 4. Parental agreement to refer to external agencies for advice.

Early Response

• Plan a specific individual intervention.
• SEN Support Plan written by SENCO, Key Person and parents to support the child.
• Add child to SEND register.
• SEN Support Plan reviewed after minimum of 4 weeks. SENCO to lead and chair reviews.
• Outside agencies may be contacted/involved in an advisory capacity.

Outcome will be dependent on the progress of the child, 1. Early Response no longer necessary, SENCO to monitor for 6 weeks, 2. Early Response continues, 3. Parental agreement to refer to external agencies for advice, 4.  Consider movement to SEN Support triggers for intervention.

Early Response Plus

• Decision taken at Early Response review or when SENCO, key person and parents agree that pupil has not made sufficient progress at Early Response and requires involvement of outside agencies.
• Parents involved in the decision and agreement sought and recorded at review.
• SENCO takes overall responsibility. Consults with Key Worker/Child/parents/outside agencies.
• SEN Support Plan written and implemented in consultation with support services for a few specified length of time prior to next review.

Outcome will be dependent on the progress of the child, next steps will be either, 1. SEN Support no longer necessary, 2. SEN Support continues, 3. Parental and agreement after discussion with SENCO and external agencies to refer to Educational Psychology Service for involvement, 4. Discussions regarding SEN Inclusion Fund to support additional learning needs or Education, Health and Care Plan request once two cycles of SEN Support have been completed.

Key Person Approach

Children are allocated a key person upon enquiry, so they have an allocated key person before their initial parents meeting and phasing in sessions.  The key person begins to gather information about the child and family at the earliest possible opportunity.

Our SEND Co-ordinator is Sophie Gough supported by Joanne Morgan

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We are committed to the welfare and safeguarding of all children and our staff team. All visitors are asked to sign in and are identified before entering the nursery. Visitors are individuals not employed by Charlies and are not parents/carers accompanying their child to and from the setting. The staff member meeting and greeting the visitor is responsible for checking the following;

• Establishing the nature and purpose of the visitor, any visitor attending a show round appointment must provide photo ID and child’s birth certificate
• Ensuring the visitor signs into the building, register is kept in the reception area
• Issue the visitor with a badge, entering the date of the visit
• If appropriate, ask for identification i.e. Ofsted, other professionals visiting the setting etc…
• Pointing out our Health and Safety guidelines for visitors
• Locking away in the cupboard provided their mobile phone and personal belongings
• Explaining our no mobile phone or digital device policy
• Supervising the visitor at all times

Under no circumstances will a visitor be unsupervised or alone with the children in the setting.

Charlie Caterpillars has a “Zero Tolerance” attitude towards use of bad language, verbal threats or violence of any kind, any of the above will not be tolerated within our organisation.

Charlie Caterpillar’s provides the opportunity for all children attending the setting to have access to both the indoor and outdoor space, providing a broad and balanced learning environment.

The opportunity for the development of skills and practical experiences is vital and Charlie’s has created a climate for learning, which is inspirational, safe and secure while still providing challenging experiences. Learning is done through structured planning and unstructured through spontaneous play and staff will provide opportunities to reinforce and enhance learning.

The aesthetic appearance of the nursery will contribute to the continual learning and will display the children’s work. The furniture is organised, so it is easily accessible with resources clearly labelled and in homely woven baskets to enable easy access

There is opportunity for effective learning by:

• Children to learn, contribute, reflect, encourage independent thinking and independence which develop skills in making informed choices
• Investigation, problem solving and encouragement to share their personal experiences and to increase their knowledge base
• An environment to enhance the learning experiences through natural curiosity as well as structured learning.
• Activities are planned around individual needs, abilities, learning levels and group experiences
• Opportunities to develop thinking
• Developing appropriate language and skills
• Learning through quality teaching
• Encouragement in making positive contribution
• Celebration of achievement and for children to be proud.

Independence:

The culture of Charlie’s is that we encourage children to develop into independent learners through:

Appropriate resources being readily accessible

Encourage the use of appropriate resources and materials

Self-discipline – listening skills / taking turns / concentration

Opportunity for the children to contribute to room management – selecting materials / tidying up

The encouragement of life skills – dressing themselves / looking after their own belongings

Opportunity for children to behave responsibly

A safe environment which encourages confidence to ask questions and to learn from mistakes that are made allowing reflection

We acknowledge that children learn in different ways and learning strategies will be used that will enable children to learn in the way that best suits them but also encourage and support new ways of learning. Children are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and to learn from obstacles and challenges they may face.

At Charlie’s our learning is based and built around children’s next steps and individual interests (Schemas), learning objectives are used to plan focus/adult led activities to introduce new concepts and experiences for children with further opportunities to allow them to experiment and explore with their new-found knowledge.

It is imperative that learning is a partnership between our self, parents and the wider community that will encourage lifelong learning. Parents have a fundamental role in helping and supporting their child’s learning, this is encouraged through daily communication through our parent zone app where parents can respond to observations, and mutually send in photos to add to their child’s journey. Charlie’s encourage bed time stories and provide family bears that go home with the children. Parents are invited to contribute to their child’s planning using the Parent Zone iConnect app.

Our Planning Process

All children regardless of physical, emotional, ability, gender, religion or race will be treated equally and equal opportunities at accessing all areas of the nursery.

We will still have our own focus children on our own cycle which need to be written on the whiteboard on Monday morning. This will ensure that none of our children get missed. We discuss each evening what can be added to the environment the next day to promote and enhance further learning.

We resource for the next day before we leave, evaluate the day’s activities in our planning diary and explain how we plan to extend them the next day. We note any new interests (Schemas) that we have observed that can be added to tomorrows planning. We try to match Schemas (children’s knowledge, interest or experiences) with Schemes of play observed (their action of play i.e emptying, transporting, organising).

Our environment is enriched always, according to our key children’s interests and individual learning needs. Our adult lead (planned) activities are written in the diary on Monday with the child’s initials. These activities are planned around next steps which have been identified through our observations, and from using our cohort tracking.