The Child
Attachment needs: By knowing the background of a child, having a good relationship with his/her parents/carers and learning about the child’s interests all adds to aid the bonding. Each child is allocated a key worker but all staff should be able and available to engage with a child. Listening to them builds the trust and confidence they will have with you and therefore are more likely to come to you with any problems or concerns e. g. child in the nursery has quite a distressing time when his parent leaves him so (whenever possible) the same member of staff always greets him, helps him sort out his bits and bobs and then takes him to the modelling table (his favourite thing). Over time he has helped him with his negative reaction to being left. This routine is also beneficial if that member of staff is not available as another staff member can do the same things? Supervision: A child needs to learn and explore so we need to always be mindful of Risk V Challenge. The opportunities must be there but in a way that does not endanger the child. Children should be given the opportunity to use the P. E equipment but staff must keep an eye and mats must be placed on the floor. If supervision is lacking a child could have accidents. Staff must always remember that they’re role models, also a good home/school link is again important as home background may have an impact on a child’s behaviour etc. By being aware of anything that is wrong at home e. g. Neglect and can put the welfare of the child in rectifying the problem?
Safe Arrival and Departure: With both arrival and departure staff, need to be warm and friendly to both children and parents/carers.
The children need to see a good relationship between home/school to help reinforce their feelings of safety. By getting parents/carers in this way they’re more likely to have a word if there is anything going on at home e. g. a parent took met outside to explain a family pet had died and their child may be a bit tearful. This then allowed us to keep an extra eye on them and be ready to talk about it when the child wanted to. At departure time it is important for staff to be well informed on who is able to collect the children e. g. there may be a court order disallowing a parent from collecting the child. It is also important to keep a register in both am and pm sessions in case of emergencies (headcount) and it is a good way to keep a check on regular absentees which may give a cause for concern?
Outings: There are many things to consider when taking children on outings. Prior to any outing parent/carers must know and a permission slip is required for every child. A risk assessment must be done, the route planned and all relevant insurances must be up to date. Extra staff or volunteers will probably be required along with a qualified first aider. On the trip, the staff need to know that they have a list of emergency contact numbers. All staff need to know of any allergies or medical conditions. Headcounts must be done on a regular basis – double checking each time. At our setting, all the children would also be wearing a high visibility jacket as well?
Play opportunities: In order to help protect and child’s safety and well being and to prevent a setting from being overcrowded there is a minimum space ratio for every child i. e. 3-5-year-olds: 2. 3 square meters of space per child. Children need to go outside every day (weather permitting) and if the setting does not have an outside area there must be on the setting can access e. a field over the road. At my setting, there is an outside shared area that both F1 and F2 can use. Part of the area is covered so even if it is raining the children can still be in the fresh air. Any theme/topic currently in the class is carried on with equipment and play opportunities outside e. g. shapes – the sandpit may have different shapes in it for the children to find?
Nutrition: Within my setting, there are snack tables and a snack area in both F1 and F2. The children know that to eat there it has to be a ‘healthy’ snack e. g. a piece of fruit, carrot stick etc.
Fresh fruit and drinks of squash, milk or water are available for all in case they do not bring any from home. The children bring in a packed lunch or have a hot Scholl dinner, so I would assume that the school has looked into the catering company and that they fulfil any requirements to provide a nutritious meal. ? Medical needs: We would need to know if a child has had all of the relevant vaccinations and date of the last tetanus jab. It is a parent’s choice whether to get a child vaccinated but we need to know either way. Within the setting, there needs to be a first aider, school nurse or someone with relevant training on hand at all times. Any medical conditions that require treatment or medicine during the day need to be administered by one of the above. Signed consent must be given by the parent and/or doctor if required e. g. one child at our setting bought in some ‘Puritan’ and we were asked by the parent to administer it more than the dosage stated. To protect the child (which is our duty) the school nurse would not do this until a doctor letter said that this was ok. The authorisation did not come – so she didn’t do it! Although it is not usual to go against the parents’ wishes in some cases it will be done to protect the child (‘duty of care’).
Risk Assessments: this is required by law as part of health and safety. The setting equipment and things like outings all need to have the paperwork done. At our setting the lead practitioner must sign it off and then give it to the headmaster, copies must also be kept. ?
Hygiene: This is a huge aspect of keeping children safe and healthy. With regard to the children themselves, all children are taught and reminded of how to wash their hands after each toilet visit and before eating. They are also shown and reminded on how to cover their mouths if they cough and to wipe their noses! If there are any toileting accidents the member of staff dealing with this needs to wear latex gloves and nappies have a separate bin. Dirty underwear gets placed into a special bag ready for the parents later. In the staff toilets, there is a separate bin for any sanitary or tampon waste. As for the setting itself, the kitchen and snack areas are wiped down regularly. Play equipment and toys (wherever possible) are washed or wiped down at regular intervals. The children’s toilets are checked several times a day with professional cleaners coming in every evening. Also, in my setting, the water tables are drained and sprayed with a sterilising solution at the end of every day?
Health surveillance: This is why it is important to know the children as it is easier to see when a child is poorly or ‘out of sync’. You will notice any weight loss or gain, any bruises from ‘regular accidents’ or change of moods and then be able to act accordingly. At our setting, we also check with the lunchtime staff and check lunchboxes to keep an eye on what and how much the children are eating. If there is a sickness bug and 2 or more children go down with it then Ofsted must be informed within 14 days.
Food hygiene: All people that prepare or serve food to children should have attended a food hygiene course and attained a certificate. In our setting we have a small kitchen area and all the area is wiped and cleaned regularly. The ‘laws of the fridge’ are abided by e. g. it is regularly cleaned and any fresh meat is stored below cooked meats etc. Aprons, tea towels, clean cloths etc are always available. A list of hygiene rules is also displayed in the kitchen?
Safeguarding: Every set will have written policies and procedures to help ensure the safety and wellbeing of every child. These will include Health and Safety, Confidentiality, Data Protection, Bullying etc. When it comes to staff, all must have a CRB check and there will be a policy on ‘whistleblowing’ for any member of staff concerned about the actions of another. Any changes to staff etc must be reported to Ofsted?
Cultural needs: This goes back to the ‘Equality, Inclusion and Diversity’ law. Every child as part of their happiness and wellbeing needs to feel important and worthwhile. Children should be made aware of different types of cultures and celebrations. Staff need to know the different cultures and parents need to be informed of any topics or celebrations that will be covered at the setting e. g. a Jehovah boy’s parent didn’t want him attending the Christmas party so they were informed so she could collect him before it started? Physical care routine: All of the topics covered on this task aid the physical well being of a child so I shall just cover ‘Intimate’ physical care e. g. nappy changes – the staff allowed to do this at my setting have to be a full-time member of staff, with a CRB. Also, the only children who would require this at my setting would have a ‘Statement’ and written permission from their parent/carer would have been attained. Any allegation of inappropriate behavior would be reported following a chain of command, documented and given to Ofsted within 14 days?
Physical activity: physical development and activity are so important to a child that it is a prime area in the EYFS. It helps children develop coordination, motor skills, balance, control and movement. At my placement, they do a ‘wake and shake’ activity, which involves music and dance, after both am and pm registration along with P.
Sleep and rest: By the time the children attend my setting they no longer have naps in the day – however, there are areas they can go, e. g. book corner, if they want some quiet time or are feeling a little unwell. Children’s health and well being are also enforced by the EYFS, ECM, Childcare Acts and UN Rights of the Child.
- Doctor: The family doctor is there for a wide range of health issues from a short -term viral infection to long-term health issues. They will treat, advise and make referrals if necessary. Usually, they will know the family history and background of a child so can be able to notice if things are a cause for concern.
- School nurse: The school nurse works in partnership with the school and can be called upon for any concerns about a child. He/she also treats, cares and monitors any children with an ongoing medical condition. He/she can administer medicines and may also keep an eye on any children who have other agencies involved in their care e. g. social worker.
- Dentist: In most cases, children are taken to the family dentist who will check, treat and care for their child’s oral health care. He/she will also offer advice on a child’s diet and dental care. Usually once a year a school dentist will visit and check at school with parents being advised of any concerns.
- Dieticians: Dieticians provide advice to families with regard to healthy eating and choices along with life-style choices. Often Doctors will refer families to a dietician if they have concerns over a child’s weight. TAC 5. Please note we would need to check the ingredients of the cottage pie and check whether nuts are used in the vicinity of the preparation of this meal. Noah = could have a small reaction e. g. minor swelling to his lips or face or a severe reaction e. g. an asthma-like reaction with swelling of the throat (anaphylaxis). Isabel = could develop symptoms of wheezing, diarrhoea or vomiting. Abra = we would be going against his (& his parents) culture and not giving him the respect, knowledge and understanding of his ethnic group. John = if he is a vegetarian by choice we would be going against his wishes and life-choices to which he has a right.
- Parents (I would presume) know their children best. If the advice is ignored you could cause their children to have an allergic reaction, whether mild or severe, cause harm or discomfort, or endanger their lives. This would have to be done quite sensitively and tactfully when it comes to the parents as some may take offence if we make them feel that they ‘don’t know best’. With regard to my setting, we do not cater to the children ourselves as they go into school to eat a hot dinner. These are provided by a catering company who produce a 4-week menu which is available to parents. We do provide ‘healthy’ snacks for the children to have whenever they wish. The children know that crisps, biscuits etc that may be in their lunch boxes are not suitable to eat at the snack table. What could be done is a topic/theme of foods to incorporate the criteria from the EYFS – Understanding the World, obviously the other areas of the EYFS can be covered within it because of the interdependency. Also, the children sometimes have a small homework challenge to complete over a term or term. It could be to make a list of foods at home on a traffic light i. e. ed – unhealthy through to green – healthy. This would then give the children the chance to talk to parents/carers about the foods they have and may help to promote parents/carers into changing their diet slightly if they see ‘too many reds’. Perhaps the children could make a ‘food plate’ on which they could draw, stick pictures etc of their favourite foods. They could then make a bigger plate for mummy or daddy thus helping to reinforce the fact that children do not need to eat the same size portions as adults. Weight is very often a sensitive subject and misconceptions of a slightly overweight child being described as ‘looking healthy’ don’t help the issue.
Any weight gains or losses that are quite extreme would have to be talked about with their parent or carer. Hopefully, this would result in visiting the doctor (who may then refer to a dietician or give life-style advice) to check that there isn’t any underlying medical condition. At the present time I only know of children who have intolerances or allergies to certain foods – I have not had the experience of talking to a parent about their child’s eating habits, because, I presume, the fact that we do not do the catering. But I would hope that because of the good home/school link at our setting any ‘food’ concerns noticed at home would be shared with us and then we could give advice and get together some information to help them.
