Our Child Care Policies
Our Childcare Policies & Service Statements
We are Registered with Ofsted, our Registration number is EY304554, we can care for no more than 5 children under 8 years, of these, not more than 2 may be under 5 years, and of these, not more than one under the age of 1 at any one time.
We also do not provide overnight care.
Open Hours 7.15am – 6.30pm
Monday – Friday Closed Saturday & Sunday
Relevant child care training for Charlotte Barton:
- Paediatric First Aid Qualified
- Child Protection Awareness Training
- NVQ Level 2 & 3 in Childcare & Education (3 year course)
- Cache Level 3 in Childminding Practice.
- Qualified Support Childminder.
- Qualified Network Community Childminder.
- Experience with working for the Social Services caring for terminally ill & disabled children,
- Nannied for two years for a family, caring for their new born baby & 2 year old daughter.
Child care fees
Hourly Rate - £5.25 per hour (7.30am – 6.30pm)
Late Fees - £6.00 per hour (or part hour)
Child/Parent’s Sickness/Absence – Full Fee
Childminder Sickness – No fee
Child/Parent occasional days off – Full Fee
Childminder occasional days off – No Charge
Childminders Holiday – No Charge
Child/Parents Holiday –No Charge (only charge in the school holidays, when I actually care for the child)
Health & Hygiene
We ensure that the working place has a high standard of cleanliness to prevent the spread of infection. We encourage the children to wash their hands, not to share cups or beakers; we also make sure the toys are kept to a certain standard.
Safety
As a Registered Childminder we promote safety within our environment and make sure we have taken the correct precautions to avoid accidents. Children in our care are supervised at all time within our sight or sound!
All accidents & incidents are recorded, we carry out our own risk assessment on a regular basis, toys & equipment are regularly checked. We have the appropriate cover of vehicle insurance which allows the children to go on outings with us and our public liability insurance covers all children whilst in our care.
We provide a cot for sleeping babies, and a mattress for other sleeping children. We hold a valid Paediatric First Aid Certificate.
Before a child is due to start, the parent/s would have filled out many permission slips:
- Permission to apply suncream
- Permission to them in our vehicle
- Permission to take photos
- Permission to administer certain medicines
- Permission to seek emergency Medical assistance
- We also would have all necessary details on every child in a secure folder.
- We keep all the children's parents phone numbers with us, in case we need them whilst out.
Working in
Partnership with Parents
Before a child starts, an NCMA contract is
completed, this sets out the expectations of
both parties as to the care and business
arrangements. Any concerns we have with the
child/children would be discussed with parents,
and if parents have any concerns we are always
happy to listen & discuss.
We are happy for parents to call us during the day if they have any worries or if they just want to see how their child is.
Escape Routes
Downstairs
- The front door
- The back door
- Out through the garden
- Or out any downstairs window
Escape
Route upstairs
Out of our daughters bedroom which is at the
front of the house, onto the porch and down to
the ground, prior to this we would have thrown
all our bedding and mattress down.
The steps we would take, in the event of an
emergency.
We have a book on each child which is the kitchen
cupboard, the book contains what they have
eaten, and on the back page important numbers in
case we cannot get to their files in time. We
would collect both children's book & files if
possible, then take all children outside to call
for an ambulance, then notify parents on route
to advise of situation.
Emergency Plan
We have all the important numbers we need:
- Either in our mobiles
- Diary
- In the childrens individual files
So which ever is easiest to get to in an
emergency.
The important numbers we have are:
- Mum & Dads (home & work)
- Childrens GP
- Emergency Contact numbers (if weI cannot get hold of mum & dad)
- Our GP
The children's files are best to take with us if we need to take them to hospital, as it has info on them, and a consent letter for emergency treatment.
Child Protection
Children we
care for are under our supervision the majority
of the time, to meet the National Standards of
today…..
We do have to……..
Keep written & accurate records of any accidents
or incidents that happen whilst the children are
with us, and in our care. These written records
the parents have to sign. All our records are
kept confidential in a file. If we notice any
marks or bruises we will log them if they become
regular, but as we all know children do get
bumps so if a child turns up to us with bumps,
marks, cuts we will bring it to the parents
attention, just to make them aware.
Any MAJOR concern we would contact the child
protection team on 08458 247247 (24 hours) or
01622 694856 for advice.
Equal Opportunities
Our policy is to treat each child as an individual and with equal concern.
- Take into account each Child's age and stage of development, gender, ethnicity, home language and disability.
- Encourage the children to develop a sense of their own identity & culture.
-
Help learn about cultures different from our
own, and develop positive attitudes towards
people who are different.
To make sure all this happens we ensure all our children have access to developmental appropriate range of toys & activities.
Settling In
Depending on the age of the child, we would invite the child around prior to starting for dinner or lunch with or without mum & dad.
Childs Departure
Children in our care are only to be released from our care to the individuals named by the parents in writing.
- We would like to meet every person that may collect the child, or at least see a good photo.
- We will use emergency passwords, in case it was a last minute change.
- We will ensure all our records are kept up to date with all the important numbers.
Non
Collection of a child
If a child has not been collected, say half an
hour after pick-up time, and we cannot contact
the parents, we would check the Childs record
forms and start ringing the next contact.
Behaviour Management
Unwanted behaviour would be dealt with in a positive way.
As Childminders we never:
- Slap
- Smack
- Bite
- Shake
- Or humiliate a child.
We give
praise and encouragement especially when a child
lives to expectations. We respond to unwanted
behaviour appropriately, according to the childs
age and level of understanding.
We have time out for excited children, which is
time to rest and calm down.
For
younger children sometimes distracting them is a
good divert, it is important to have the
relevant toys that are age, stage related, to
avoid boredom.
If at any time we thought the behaviour was
becoming a challenge, we would have kept a diary
note and recorded it, and would discuss it with
parents.
Sick
children
If a child becomes sick in our care we would
contact the parent to make them aware, depending
on the illness would depend whether we require
the child to be collected, this would be
discussed.
- We have a fully stocked First Aid Box.
- We would have had written permission to either administer medicine or seek medical advise.
- All discussions & written comments would be confidential.
Special Needs
Some special needs children have difficulties or disabilities, this can make a difference in their development such as communicating with others, physicals skills, learning and their behaviour. It is important that these needs are identified, if we had any concerns we would raise this with the parents, and discuss the support that maybe needed to promote the child's development.
Non-Smoking
We have a no smoking policy which is enforced 24/7
Accidents
On the premises we hold an accident Book, any knock, bump or graze goes in this book, so when the parent arrives to collect they get to see this and keep a copy of the logged accident/incident, if we feel the accident is more severe i.e. a bang to the head, we would call mum or dad to notify.
If it was extremely serious we would dial 999 and call either parent on route to the hospital, taking all information with us on the child. Charlotte Barton is also First Aid Qualified to deal with many situations that may arise.
Confidentiality
We hold a file on each child, all information is
keep confidential from other parents and stored
away from the children.
*We have a duty of care to protect the child from
significant harm, this will always override to
requirement for confidentiality*
Health & Diet
We pride myself in my home-cooked food ensuring
all our children get a good balanced diet, we
provide breakfast, lunch & dinner, and healthy
snacks in-between such as fruit. I am happy to
adapt to certain dietary requirements. Children
are offered & encouraged to drink regularly
through the day.
*it is the parents duty to inform
us of
any allergies the child may have*
Complaints Policy
If any parent feels unhappy with anything at
all, we would like them to discuss it with us first, in case
we can resolve the situation.
If you feel totally unhappy with the practice
you can call the Ofsted Helpline on 0845
6404040.
If you feel you would like to put it in writing,
then contact:
South Region
Freshford House
Redcliffe Way
Bristol
BS1 6LX
Email : enquires@ofsted.gov.uk
Read more: Building better children’s services:
Concerns and complaints about
childcare providers
Charlies Child Care has a complaints file on the
premises, which we show to all new parents, it
gives you more in depth advice. If you have
concerns, enclosed in the ‘Parents Information
Packs’ is a very informative section for you to
keep.
Please contact us with any questions or requirements.
Charlotte Barton