E4 - Care plan for a 3 year old.
Childs name: Jane Smith Age: 3.
Special Requirements: Lactose intolerance (no dairy) No sweetcorn and no Bepanthen.
E3 - Care Routine for a 1 year old.
Childs name: Noah Turner Age: 1
Special Requirements: No Wheat.
E5 - “Article 31 – all children have to right to relax and play and to enjoy a wide range of activities” (United Nations convention on the rights of the child)
Within a childcare setting there may be areas where you cannot see all children at one specific time and place where you are stood, such as you being in an ‘L’ shaped room. Such scenarios may occur if the space was not designed for the sole purpose of being for a childcare setting, for example a pre-school being held in a church. This may mean that you have to employ another member or staff to cover that area or you may have to tell the children that they are unable to play in that area at certain times of the day when you are busy with other children.
If the setting has multiple uses then one challenging issue would be that you would have to set up and pack things away every morning and night. This may mean that models and children’s creative work has to be dismantled and put away. Also if the childcare setting has a child or children with Down syndrome, OCD or autism, the smallest change to the layout could have a large effect on their emotion.
The equipment should be suitable for the children’s needs, age and developmental needs. You must also implement inclusive play, for example if there are children playing on bikes and scooters and a child in a wheelchair wants to play then you should encourage the child not to shy away. Encourage the child to join in by asking them to imagine that their wheelchair is a mode of transport, for example a tractor or a car.
Within a childcare setting you must also ensure that the setting has enough space to house all the activities you need to set up. If there are too many activities in a small environment there may be health and safety issues, however if there are not enough activities then the children may not have enough motivation to reach their full potential.
E6- Kindergarten produced an initiative to creating challenging environments for children. Fredrick Froebel stated that children should be able to interact with nature. Therefore Froebel produced a Tri-partite model for his Kindergarten. The first part was the toys; Froebel called the toys gifts as they were all made from natural materials (gifts from nature) such as wooden shaped blocks. Froebel believed in creative play, therefore the kindergarten environment was highly challenging. The second part was the learning games, He believed that dance was a healthy activity and without it the children would not learn. This is another reason why the setting would be a challenging environment; they would need a large space with no obstacles in order to dance without risk. The third part of the model is that the children should observe and nurture plants, this should be stimulating and raise awareness of nature, therefore to meet the criteria for this part of the model the setting must have a large grass area, this must be maintained in order to keep the children safe. A groundskeeper should be employed to make sure that there are no harmful plants, broken bottles or any hazards.
Another initiative is Forest Schools. The philosophy of Forest Schools is to encourage and inspire individuals of any age through positive outdoor experiences. Very much like Froebel’s Kindergarten. By participating in engaging, motivating and achievable tasks and activities in a woodland environment each child has an opportunity to develop natural motivation, sound emotional and social skills. These make the child develop self awareness which in time will help them to reach personal potential. Children use full sized tools, play, learn boundaries of behaviour; both physical and social, establish and grow in confidence, self-esteem and become self motivated. Children, and more and more adults, need time to thoroughly explore their thoughts, feelings and relationships.
This time and reflective practice develops understanding of the world, the environment and everything within it through the use of emotions, imagination and senses.
E7-There is a fine line between what a challenge is and what a risk is when it comes to children’s environment. According to the oxford dictionary challenge means ‘a task or situation that tests someone’s abilities’ This means that a challenging environment such as a forest school motivates and tests a child’s motivation and personal potential without the child being injured or at risk. A challenging environment can often become a risk without the correct care and upkeep. Kindergarten grass area must be kept free of weeds and broken bottles that may harm the child. The practitioner should stress the importance of the children being able to spot a risk. The practitioner, before the children go outside, should run through anything that the children may see that is a risk, for example, low hanging tree branches may injure the children’s eyes. Therefore the children should report the branches to the practitioner and warn the rest of the group. The same thing should happen if there are raised tree roots. The groundskeeper should make sure that there are no harmful plants or animals within the grounds where the children are or surrounding the area. Animals leave faeces, which, if the child is to fall on may cause illness. Harmful plants may cause the child injury. Plants such as nettles should be cut down or kept to one area where the children know to be sensible around.
D1 - One legislation that supports strategies to establish and maintain healthy, secure and safe environments for early years settings is The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the employer is responsible for maintaining the health and safety of everyone who is in the setting. Everyone within the setting has some responsibility when it comes to the Health and Safety Act though. For example the teachers must care for their own classrooms and the cleaners must take care of the halls and toilets. COSHH 2002 includes a step by step approach to the precautions to prevent injury or illness from dangerous substances such as cleaning products and bleach. Substances must be correctly labelled and must be correctly and carefully stored. The Smoking Ban 2007 is a legal requirement to ensure that children are healthy in a smoke free environment. Practitioners must not return back to the setting for 20 minutes after finishing a cigarette, however most settings have a zero tolerance on smoking, therefore you are not allowed to smoke within your working hours or near the setting. The Childcare Act 2006 is statutory framework for the EYFS, section 3 of this framework looks at the welfare requirements under 5 main areas. Which are:
- Safeguarding and promoting childrens welfare.
- Suitable people. (CRB and qualifications)
- Suitable premises, environment and equipment (all have been checked for faults)
- Organisation (files and lesson plans)
- Documentation (medical forms)
The Data Protection Act 1998 plays a big part in ensuring safe and secure environments for children within the setting. The information given to the setting by parents or guardians is on a strictly need to no basis access. No other person is able to access the files and information. The information given should be stored correctly and not left somewhere where a parent or child may pick it up, this may hold highly confidential and the practitioner would be breaking confidentiality laws if any information was lost or was known to others that should not know. RIDDOR states that serious workplace accidents, occupational diseases, dangerous occurrences and accidents in schools should only be reported to RIDDOR if the child is killed or taken into hospital as a direct result of poor organisational skills or poor supervision arrangements from the practitioner. Such as the equipment being set out incorrectly or the practitioner the child ratio is incorrect or due to the condition of the premises such as holes on the tarmac. If however the pupil is taken into hospital as a precaution, however no injury is found, e.g. a bump to the head, then RIDDOR would not need to be informed.
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D2 – Establishing a safe environment can support the procedures necessary for accidents, illnesses and emergencies such as keeping all fire exits clear. In the case of a fire or a fire drill all exits must be kept clear of toys, children playing or of any other objects such as tables or chairs. This will help practitioners and children to exit the building safely and securely without injury. Children are notorious for trapping their fingers in doors, it is one of the most common injuries amongst children under the age of 5 other that bruises and grazes. In settings there must be covers over the hinges to prevent this accident from occurring. Most settings also have slow shutting doors so that children are not able to trap themselves in the door as it shuts. All harmful substances should be kept in cupboards out of the way of children, such as paint. Highly harmful substances should be locked away in a care takers cupboard where no children have access to. The setting should have regular checks to ensure that the flooring and walls are safe and secure. Unsecure floors may mean that children fall over more often and injure themselves. And unsafe walls may mean that the children may receive cuts from flaking paint or plaster. When preparing food the kitchen staff or anyone else who is preparing food should use the correct chopping boards for the correct foods.
Red = Raw meat.
Blue = Raw fish.
Yellow = Cooked Meats.
Green – Salad and fruit products.
Brown = Vegetable products.
Grey = bakery and dairy goods.
This will prevent cross contamination through foods, this in turn will reduce the likelihood of sickness and diarrhoea being passed through the setting, started by their own preparation of food.
B1 – “You should, where possible respect the wishes of children, young people or families who do not give consent to share confidential information, You may still share information if in your judgement on the facts of the case, there is sufficient need to override the lack of consent”
(Every child matters “information Sharing: guidance for practitioners and managers” 2008)
“Every child has the right to be heard” This piece of legislation means that regardless of how minor you believe the incident to be that a child is telling you about seems, you should always take it seriously. It may be something a parent or carer has said or something that they have done, the practitioner must listen to the child. If you believe that what the child has said seems off or inappropriate then either speak to the parent (if the parent was not mentioned by the child) or another member of staff that is closely linked to the child. Use your gut instinct when it comes to the child’s safety. Try and keep certain situations, such as a child wetting themselves as quiet as possible when informing the parent or carer. Do not shout it across the playground or make a big scene about their change of clothes. Talk to the parent directly and privately as the child may feel embarrassed about the incident and they don’t want the other children or parents knowing.
One of the outcomes for the Every Child Matters green paper is emotional wellbeing. Emotional Wellbeing is key to a healthy educational experience. The child should feel safe at their childcare establishment and the staff should be friendly and be willing the listen to anything the child has to say, regardless of how minor or obscure the information may be to the practitioner.
A1 – If a child has individual needs, then the parent and practitioner should make them known to anyone who comes into contact with the child. Every time medication is administered it must be documented and signed for by the person administering the medication. At the end of the day that form must be handed to the parent for them to read and it must be signed by the parent. Every member or staff that comes into contact with a child with any allergies or dietary requirements should be told as soon as they begin work, they should be made aware of what the affects are, how to tell if the child is having a reaction and how to deal with the reaction safely and calmly. The practitioner must also be told what they can and cannot be whilst around the child, for example if a child has severe asthma and eczema then the practitioner may not be allowed to wear perfumed or aerosol deodorants and they may not be allowed to wear perfume. The day to day activities of the setting may alter to meet the childs individual needs as well, therefore the practitioner must make sure that the children with disabilities or allergies are about the participate fully or to an extent in activities such as PE. If the child is in a wheelchair for example, then the practitioner should make sure that the child participates as much as he can. The practitioner could make dancing more inclusive by using more arm movements in the routines. If a child has any allergies then make sure that these are dealt with e.g. if a child has a wheat intolerance then the practitioner could not put a wheat based product into the sensory/malleable area as the child may eat it. The practitioner should find a substitute because if she did use a wheat based product she would not be showing inclusive practice and would not be meeting the childs needs. The lessons plans would also differ if a child is above or below the developmental norm, the practitioner would have to plan extra for their lessons. This may be extra work for the child who is gifted or less complex work for the child who is below the developmental norm.
Bibliography.
- Children’s care, learning and Development. Tassoni 2008.
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Cache Level 3 Childcare and education 4th edition. Tassoni 2007.
- Every Child Matters green paper.
- Every Child Matters “information Sharing guidance for practitioners and managers” 2008
- Oxford Dictionary.
Word count. 3,166.
Samantha Mclean 428535 Page
