Premises and security and medicines are two of the ten requirements grouped under 'Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare' within the Statutory Framework for the EYFS (see box).
PREMISES AND SECURITY
Links to:
- Every Child Matters Outcome: Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe
- Former National Standards: 2 - Organisation, 4 - Physical environment, 6 - Safety, 12 - Working in partnership with parents and carers, 13 - Child Protection, and 14 -Documentation
Overarching general requirement
The provider must take necessary steps to safeguard and promote the welfare of children
Specific legal requirements
Policies and procedures that need to be in place:
- Security policy
- Arrival and departure policy and procedure
Operational issues
- An effective arrival and departure policy, which ensures that staff are aware of who to release the child to.
- Security measures need to be effective and all visitors' identification are checked and recorded in a visitors' book.
- Staff deployment and security arrangements need to ensure that children do not leave the premises unsupervised.
- Parents must provide the setting with the name and details of any other individual who is authorised to collect their child, and be aware of the arrival and departure policy
- Note: It is an offence not to notify Ofsted, without delay, of any changes to the premises that may affect the care of children
Statutory guidance
Policies and procedures that need to be in place:
- Security policy
- Visitor policy
Operational issues
- Security arrangements need to ensure that children are kept safe in the setting. Security systems are fit for purposes and regularly reviewed to ensure how effective they are.
- The importance of communication - if the building is shared with other users, it is vital to ensure the children's safety in all areas, especially if communal areas are used.
- Children and staff will need to be made aware of security issues and how this impacts on their safety and the safety of others
- The names of all visitors are to be recorded, with the following information logged: name and organisation that they are from, purpose of visit, arrival and departure times, and the member of staff who is supervising the visit. All visitors have a visitor badge. It is also important that all visitors' identification is checked and the fire drill is explained.
- The names and arrival and departure times of children and staff need to be logged on a daily basis.
- Specific information on who is authorised to collect children and their relationship to that child, for example, uncle or friend.
- Robust procedures are in place for children who stay overnight.
MEDICINES
Links to:
- Every Child Matters Outcome: All of the outcomes
- Former National Standards: 2 - Organisation, 6 - Safety, 7 - Health, 12 - Working in partnership with parents and carers, 13 - Child Protection, and 14 - Documentation
Overarching general requirement
The provider must promote the good health of the children, take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection, and take appropriate action when they are ill.
Specific legal requirements
Policies and procedures that need to be in place:
- Medication policy and procedure
Operational issues
- An effective policy and procedure in administering medicines must be in place.
- A robust management system needs to be in place, which details how you support children with medical needs.
- Administration of medicines written records are in place.
- Procedures will need to ensure that parents give their signed consent before any medication is given.
Statutory guidance
Policies and procedures that must be in place:
- Medicine audit procedure
Operational issues:
- There needs to be sufficient information in place about any medical condition or long-term illness that a child may have.
- Effective review of children's medical needs are in place and parents should be asked if there are any changes to the prescription of the individual child.
- Adequate training needs to be in place to ensure that any technical/medical prescription is administered by trained staff who have received training by a qualified health professional who has the appropriate expertise.
- Regular audits of medicines need to be in place to ensure that:
- information has been recorded accurately
- the name of the medicine has been cross-referenced with that of the child
- parents have given signed permission
- parents are able to cross-reference whether the medicine has been administered
- the frequency of medicine prescribed to children is checked
- dates and times have been recorded
- name and signature of member of staff and witness is clearly stated
- who has prescribed the medicine -doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist - can be checked
- the medicine has been stored safely in a fridge or in a locked non-portable container.
Next month: Illness and injury; food and drink
Laura Henry and Jeanette Phillips-Green, managing director and senior consultant/trainer, Childcare Consultancy Ltd, info@childcareconsult.co.uk
CASE STUDY
St Mark's nursery is based in a crypt in a church. The children and visitors gain entry into the nursery via steps. Security arrangements are reviewed all the time to ensure that unwanted visitors do not gain entry into the nursery. Senior management ensure that all visitors' identification is checked and their details are logged.
Ms Parson, headmistress at St Marks, says, 'Children's safety is paramount and where possible, we inform the children of visitors to the setting, for example if prospective parents are visiting.' Staff regularly remind parents about the security arrangements and check with the parents who is authorised to collect the child and the appropriate emergency contact details.
WELFARE REQUIREMENTS
SAFEGUARDING AND PROMOTING CHILDREN'S WELFARE
'Safeguarding and Promoting Children's Welfare' is the first of five groups of welfare requirements contained in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (pages 24-25).
Each requirement is split into three sections:
- The overarching general legal requirements - a general statement of requirements
- Specific legal requirements - which providers must comply with
- Statutory guidance - which providers should have regard to.
Parts of the requirements apply only to group provision, but these are clearly indicated.
FURTHER INFORMATION
- www.nhs.uk
- www.hse.gov.uk
- www.teachernet.gov.uk/publications (download EYFS)
- www.everychild matters.gov.uk
- www.ofsted.gov.uk
- www.dcsf.gov.uk
- www.dh.gov.uk.