I have found a document that summarizes all the articles of the uncrc and outlines the right of children (see appendix 7), article 24 states that “all children have the right to be in the best possible health”, all child care settings should be aware of this piece of legislation in order to support and protect children’s rights to a healthy lifestyle.
New legislation was established on account of the UNCRC being taken on by the UK, the Children act (1989), it focused on the welfare of children, and it covered areas such as parental responsibility and safeguarding children. The act also protected children from discrimination and stated that diversity and inclusive practice was very important, meaning that children’s individual needs were to be considered and met.
Bruce T etal (2010) “the act states that the needs of children are paramount (i.e. the most important). Local authorities must consider a child’s race, culture, religion and languages when making decisions. Childcare services must promote self-esteem and racial identity”
The Education Act 2002 outlines standards that must be met by all educational facilities; it focuses on child protection, health and safety practice, and promoting overall health and wellbeing for children. It incorporates procedures for identifying and reporting abuse as well as measures to support children who have been abused, for example pastoral support. It states that staff should have training of safeguarding children; this makes them more effective at protecting children. This legislation supports children’s right to be protected from abuse and to be physically and emotionally healthy.
E3 + E4
There are many factors which may affect children’s health and wellbeing at different times in their lives, even before children are born, the poor choices of their mothers can have a massive impact on their health. The mothers diet in particular can have an effect on the child in later life, for example the lack of folic acid during pregnancy can be severely detrimental, it can cause spina bifida; A defect of the spine in which part of the spinal cord are exposed through a gap in the backbone. (See appendix 8) certain drugs, legal or otherwise, can be harmful to an unborn baby. Teratogenic is the term given to drugs or other substances that are able to interfere with development of the foetus and cause birth defects. As well as drugs, alcohol has severe consequences for unborn babies. Children born to mothers who drank excessively during pregnancy are at risk of foetal alcohol syndrome. (See appendix 9)
The age span from birth to four years is a crucial developmental period and factors like neglect, poverty (see appendix 10) and poor nutrition can have an especially significant effect on their development and learning. Children whose basic needs are not being met, either through poverty or neglect are not able to advance and progress to their full potential, if a child is hungry or tired how they can be expected to concentrate on learning. Lack of good nutrition can also cause poor growth and development as well as ill health as if a child is not getting adequate vitamins their immune system is likely to be lower. Different types of nutrition also has different benefits for the body and children need good food to be energize and function properly in school. (See appendix 11)
Parents who smoke can also have an effect on their children’s health, passive smoking can put children at risk (see appendix 12), when someone smokes, it immerses into the air around which the child then breathes in, due to the fact that children are still growing they are especially sensitive to the resulting effects of passive smoking, they also breathe faster that adults which means they are likely to breathe in more smoke. Passive smoking can result in children being more likely to suffer from bronchiolitis, asthma and chest infections. The increased chance of infection also means that these children are likely to be absent from school more often causing them to be at risk of falling behind and thus affecting their learning the chance of reaching their full potential.
E5
Nappy changing (in my placement)
- Nappy’s are changed as and when children need it but also before lunch and tea time
- First we put gloves and plastic apron on then get children’s nappies and wipes from their tray
- Put the baby on the changing mat, do not walk away from mat while child is on it
- Remove any clothes from the child that is necessary
- Undo nappy and wet wipe child and remove dirty nappy
- Put on new nappy and apply any cream necessary and according to parents’ wishes
- Remove gloves and dress child, be sure to wash both your own hands and the babies
- Return child to play area and dispose of nappy, gloves and apron appropriately
- Sanitise changing mat and put away child’s wet wipes and cream
Snack time (in my placement)
9.45 am: Prepare snacks - fruit or vegetable such as carrots, cucumber, melon or grapes. Children also get rice cakes or bread stick.
9.55 am: wash children’s hands and sit them at the table or high chair
10.00: hand out bowls and their labelled cups of water; give out snack into children’s bowls. Encourage children to eat and drink, if they finish offer more snack.
10.15 am: when all children have finished, wipe the children’s mouth and hands with wet wipes, get them down from the table and play.
10.20 am: wash up bowls and put cups aside for later, put left over food in the compost bin and sanitise tables and high chairs
E6
There are many ways to promote a healthy life style for children, the easiest way to incorporate this into everyday life is to offer children activates that both educate them and introduce them to healthy choices, both nutritional and physical.
A suitable activity that both promotes healthy eating and teaches children about the outdoor environment is growing vegetables which they can then go onto cooking or eating raw. As it is more of a long term activity it can be included in all sorts of areas of learning and in the daily routine, for example; measuring the growth of a runner bean and daily watering. A good way to start this process is by tasting and exploring different fruit and vegetables so the children can decide what they would like to grow, this also allows children some control over the matter. After decisions are made a vegetable garden can be prepared and seeds can be planted, children can then watch them grow and maintain then. Eventually after vegetables are grown, the children can then taste what they have grown.
Swimming is a great means of exercise as you generally use all the muscles in your body and for children it’s a great way to explore their abilities. A great water based activity that use frequently in children’s parties (at work) is treasure hunt. You start by divided the children into teams of about 3-4 depending on how many children you have all together. Then you put as many, floats, balls, sinkers and water toys you can find spread out over the whole pool. The children have to try and collect as many items as they can but they are only allowed to one person away from their base at a time and are only allowed to bring back one item at a time. Different items are worth different amounts of points and they are counted at the end. The games finishes when all the items are collected. This game is best for 6 – 10 year olds based on swimming ability.
D1
Routines allow children to feel secure and incorporate good habits, good behaviours, healthy choices and structures there day to day life. Having a routine also enables parents and carers to cater to children’s need and ensure that all individuals’ needs are met.
Within a routine several aspects of a healthy lifestyle can be encapsulated, for example; hygiene, self-help skills, self-esteem, healthy eating and exercise.
It is important that children get into the habit of being hygienic, hand washing is essential in preventing the spread of infection Children should be encouraged to wash their hands before eating, after using the toilet, after handling animals and if they are ill such as after sneezing. In my setting even the babies have their hands washed after a nappy change; this reinforces the importance of it from an early age. Ensuring this is a concrete part of routines means children get into a good habit and knows the importance of being hygienic. When a child is ready to go to school or nursery, they are expected to be able to use the toilet themselves and wash their own hands; so enforcing it from an early age can make such things an easier thing to grasp when they are expected to be independent.
Making sure children get some form of exercise daily is important so making it part of the routine is essential, this can mean parents take their children to the park or play a game in the garden each afternoon after school. It is important that children get fresh air as well whether the weather is good or not. It is also a big part of the routine at school; children generally have a short break time in the morning where they are allowed to play freely outside and one at lunch time. PE is also an activity within the school routine that promotes a healthy lifestyle, making PE fun is especially important as it encourages children to join in and maintain their physical fitness.
Mealtime routines support a healthy lifestyles because the children are then encouraged to wash their hands before they have their snack or before lunch. For example in my primary school setting part of the lunch time routine was washing hands. At snack time children were provided with fruit and water which encourages them to try new things and reinforces the importance of drinking water, we also talked about healthy eating at snack time. Children who have school meals are introduced to lots of different healthy meals and seeing other children eating different things encourages children to try things and eat well. Therefore children all eating together at lunch can be very beneficial.
C1
It is of paramount importance that practitioners plan and implements activities which promote and maintain a healthy lifestyle as not doing so can have a detrimental effect on both children’s health and capacity for learning. Also children have rights and these rights must be endorsed.
The United Nations convention on the rights of the child (UNCRC) lays out the right of the child and the responsibilities of the government, parents and carers in ensuring that all children have the best possible start to life. Article 3 states:
Unicef.org “the best interests of children must be the primary concern in making decisions that may affect them. All adults should do what is best for children. When adults make decisions they should think about how their decisions will affect children.”
Therefore practitioners should put the children into consideration and plan for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle as that is in their best interests. Under the convention the government have a responsibility to protect children and their rights, children have a right to live and be healthy, therefore it is important for all adults involved in the child’s life to carry out anything necessary to promote good health and wellbeing, this may include ensuring all children have access to quality health care, this could include schools planning for children to have regular health checks and immunisations when appropriate. Article 24 OF THE UNCRC says:
Unicef.org “children have the right to good quality – the best health care possible – to safe drinking water, nutritious food, a clean and safe environment, and information to help them stay healthy.”
Activities should be planned around health so children grow up knowing how to keep them healthy, nutrition particularly is a major concern in children as a poor diet can have long term effects as well as putting children at a disadvantage developmentally and educationally. Therefore it is important to plan to introduce children to healthy food and encourage a balanced diet. The change 4 life initiative draws attention to the importance of a healthy lifestyle which can be used as guidance for practitioners and parent in promoting a healthy lifestyle. It also highlights the importance of physical activity, which is important for both physical health and wellbeing as it allows children to let off steam and increases concentration. Additionally it encourages physical development and is essential for staying fit as part of a healthy lifestyle so it should be included in planning.
Another key reason for planning and implementing activities which contribute to promoting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is to abide by legislation and government framework, such as the early years foundation stage (EYFS) framework. This acts as guidance for those who work with children from birth to five. The EYFS says that the environment is key in supporting and developing the children’s learning, development and health. The EYFS states that each child should have a key worker which means they get individual attention and their development is recorded, a key person is someone there to support them and enable them in their learning, they also support their care needs, through these care routines a practitioner can plan to encourage healthy living, for example; hand washing, trying different healthy foods and talking about brushing teeth. The EYFS encourages practitioners to provide a range of activities which allows children to experience different things and enables them to explore. The EYFS includes standards which nurseries should comply with which creates a safe and enabling environment.
B1
The National Health Service Act 1946 (NHS) is an excellent provision as it offers free health care to all UK citizens, children especially are entitled to free dental care, prescriptions and Optometry care. Without this many children living in poverty or from low income families would be at risk of poor health and may not get the treatment they need which may result in more serious illnesses. However the NHS often has long waiting lists for treatments such as physiotherapy which may mean pro longed discomfort.
The care standards act 2000 sets out the standards that must be met by settings that care for children; this is good as it means that children get good quality facilities. It also establish a regulatory body for care providers, which means that all people working in the sector are CRB checked, meaning they are all suitable to be working with children, ensuring their safety.
The United Nations convention on the rights of the child (1989) is the main piece of legislation that is in place to protect the rights of children. The UNCRC applies to all children from birth to 18 years; it outlines the basic rights children are entitled to. This act covers all sorts of things and means that children are protected in all areas; I also set children’s rights out in a clear way so that they are easily understandable and cannot be misinterpreted.
The Education Act 2002 outlines standards that must be met by all educational facilities; it focuses on child protection, health and safety practice, and promoting overall health and wellbeing for children. It incorporates procedures for identifying and reporting abuse as well as measures to support children who have been abused, for example pastoral support. It states that staff should have training of safeguarding children; this makes them more effective at protecting children. This legislation supports children’s right to be protected from abuse and to be physically and emotionally healthy. This is an effective way in preventing and protecting children from child abuse and promoting their overall wellbeing as long as professionals from different facilities and professions communicate together affectively and pay attention to signs of abuse. If a multi-professional team does not work together efficiently the children are over looked and their needs will not be met and safety not be promoted.
A
When promoting and maintaining a healthy environment for children, the role of the practitioner is vast and includes all three environments; inside, outside and social and emotional.
Practitioners must plan and provide plenty of outside experiences for children so that they can explore the natural world, get lots of fresh air and physical activity in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Before unleashing children into the outside environment it is first the practitioner duty to ensure it is safe. Practitioners can promote a healthy environment when put side by ensuring they have safe and interesting activities to get involved in, for example growing vegetables which also supports healthy eating and is a great way to teach children about how things grow, and what plants need to thrive. In my primary school placement we grew runner beans and the children loved planting them really intrigued about their growth and measured them every couple days, so as well as promoting healthy living the teacher was able to incorporate understanding of measure.
It is an important that practitioners consider hygiene throughout practice, as failure to do so spread infection. They should ensure that all surfaces are clean and sanitised before children play or eat on them and afterwards, toys should also be sanitised regularly, especially in settings with young children, in my baby placement they disinfect all the toys once a month and when children put them in their mouth, they also change cots daily and sanitize the changing mats every time they are used. Feeding equipment is especially important to keep clean and sanitized; my placement has a dishwasher which effectively sanitizes all cutlery, bowls and cups.
Making physical activity fun is essential when it comes to promoting a healthy lifestyle and environment, therefore filling the environment with fun things such as bikes, climbing frames and stilts is a great way to encourage exercise without children even realising, my primary school placements playground had lots of challenging but safe equipment which encouraged children to develop physically and grow in confidence as they eventually managed something like balancing along a plank without adult help.
Bibliography
Bruce T et al, 2010, child care and education, 5TH edition, horder education, London
Tassoni P et al, 2007, child care and education, 4th edition, heinemann
Unicef.org, 20/12/12
Children’s rights alliance for England, 2010, a summary of the UNCRC
Appendix