Reflecting_on_Your_Own_Practice_in_a_Childcare_Setting

Children from poor families are less likely to be able to afford fruit and vegetables in their budgets. As Thurlbeck 2000: 809 maintains “If the child refuses what is offered there may be no money in the budget for an alternative” (Reader 1, Angela Underdown, Chapter 9, page 107). The government is very keen to have Healthy Eating in all schools and this is where practitioners and other colleagues can promote healthy eating through their setting by providing fruit and vegetables each day. Another way to keep the children healthy is to ensure that all equipment is cleaned properly to prevent the spread of infection and take the necessary precautions when they are ill. If the child has health problems this will affect their development, learning and play and practitioners need to think of ways to adapt so that they can participate in the activities and experiences on offer. If there is a child with additional or complex needs then it is important that practitioners are fully trained to deal with these needs. It will also involve liaising with a range of other professionals to make sure they get consistency and continuity. If a child needs medication for long term medical needs the Leader needs written permission from parents for them to administer the medicine and keep a record of all the medication that has been administered. The Leader also needs to talk to the parents about the medication the child needs to take and ask the parents to inform them of any change in the medication. This information will then need to be relayed to the rest of the staff as this needs to be a team effort because all qualified staff should have their first aid qualification and any staff member is then able to administer the medication. The medication then needs to be kept in a locked cabinet and a record of the medication and what is being used each day for audit and safety purposes. It is also important for the Leader to ensure all practitioners have a valid first aid certificate and have an accident and incident book on site to record any accidents and what first aid was administered. The practitioner then needs to let the parent know about the accident and get them to sign the accident form to say they are happy with the first aid administered. It is also the Leader’s responsibility to ensure the Medication Policy is updated and reviewed annually and ensure staff read it and understand it. DCSF, 2007, pp 1-2 states “Children therefore need to have healthy choices in a setting which is welcoming, calm, clean, comfortable, accepting and affirming” (Course E105, Book 2, page 100). Setting the standards – children should be given the opportunity to learn at their own pace and given consideration if they need extra help. All children are entitled to experience an enjoyable and challenging programme to learn and their religion or culture, learning difficulties and disabilities, family background or home language should not inhibit them. To ensure children learn to their maximum potential practitioners could have continual observations and base their planning on these observations. It is also important that the practitioner follows the curriculum from the NEELB for the children in their pre-school year as it helps the children get ready to start school the next year but the learning should be play based. At the playschool I work at we would make up the plans together as a team as we each have a group of children that we observe and we know what they are capable of and if they are ready to move on to the next level, which can be interpreted into the plans. DCSF, 2009a, p. 5 states learning through play is “a mixture of child-initiated play, actively supported by adults, and focused learning, with adults guiding the learning through playful, rich experiential activities” (E105 Course, Book 2, page 26). The Leader needs to ensure that all staff has the appropriate qualifications and the required health and police checks done for everyone who comes into contact with the children. All practitioners must make sure all equipment that is used with the children is safe for them to use and suitable for their age. It is also necessary to have written copies of policies and procedures for the playgroup and all staff members should have a copy and they should be explained to them and copies should be accessible to the parents. The Leader needs to liaise with the local Social Services and their Early Years Specialist for the setting. As it says in Course E105, Book 2, page 118 “It is vital that you have a sound understanding of your own national, local and setting’s child protection procedures”. If a practitioner has any concerns that a child is being maltreated they need to start recording what they see and hear and if it continues then report it to the appropriate person, which is the Leader. The Leader could then ask all the staff team to observe the child and if everyone is in agreement then the Leader would either talk to the parents, if appropriate, or if it is more serious then the Leader would report it to Social Services, which is how we would handle it in our setting. “Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or failing to act to prevent harm”, (HM Government, 2010, p. 38) as stated in E105 Course, Book 2, page 113. It is just as important for the practitioner to recognise the indicators and report the abuse in order to protect the child. If a practitioner needs any advice about any concerns they have about a child they can liaise with UNICINI Assessment Framework (understanding the needs of children in Northern Ireland). “Careful and sensitive observation of a child’s role play, for example, may help you gain a better understanding of their experiences or perceptions of other people’s behaviour. This listening may play a part in helping you identify and respond appropriately to maltreatment” (E105 Course, Book 2, page 127). When taking children on outings a risk assessment needs to be done, have the correct adult child ratio and make sure to have written permission. It is important for the practitioner to have the enrolment book, first aid box, a mobile phone and contact details of parents along with them when they go on the outing. Before a child starts the practitioner needs to promote safety of that child by getting emergency contact numbers, special dietary requirements or any food allergies, special health requirements, who has legal access to the child, if necessary. It is important to release the child back to the parents or to whomever they have requested. Also, to promote the child’s safety, it is important to make sure they don’t leave the room unsupervised and ensure that no intruders enter the premises. To avoid this from happening the practitioner could have a policy on arrivals and departures which outlines the security procedures for the building, eg outsiders use the intercom if they need to come in. If the building is being used by someone else then the practitioner needs to know their whereabouts. If visitors are in the playroom it is important to have a sign in sheet for the visitor to sign when they arrive and leave. The practitioners need to do risk assessments for the equipment, playroom, the outside equipment and area to promote children’s safety by ensuring the hazards are minimised. It is also important to have fire safety precautions by having regular fire drills, a clearly defined meeting point. There should be fire extinguishers, smoke blankets, smoke detectors and fire alarms in place and in working order in case of a fire.