RIDDOR (Reporting of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences) 1995 - This legislation act was created in 1995 and it is used to keep employers and young children safe. It is a legal requirement to report any accidents and ill health at work. The information given helps enforce authorities to identify where and how risks arise and helps them investigate serious accidents. The legal requirement for a nursery and other places, if a child and/or is seriously injured or has died then the employer would have to report the incident and sign the papers regarding what happened. The HCT Policy looks at:-
In the event of any accidents they deal with it quickly and efficiently as they try to keep all accidents to a minimum in the nursery, garden or on any outing. In the nursery at least one member of staff in each classroom has first aid training along with the manager and the deputy so that there is always someone to deal with a situation that occurs. In each room they have a separate accident book and all the accidents are recorded on separate pages for confidentiality. On each accident record page contains the child’s full name, date, nature of accident, type of injury, treatment given and is then signed by the staff that dealt with it along with any witnesses. If the incidents are serious then the parents are contacted immediately and necessary further or hospital treatment will be sought and RIDDOR forms will be completed.
Disability Discrimination Act 1995 - This act protects discrimination against people with physical and mental disability that affect their day to day life.
The HCT nursery policy – Special Education Needs Policy
“The nursery follows the DFEEs code of practise on the identification and assessment of special educational needs”.
Children with special needs that go to this nursery are entitled to equality of opportunity in the aspect of the early year’s childcare and educational provision. The staff work closely with parents and other agencies to monitor a child’s progress carefully and provide effective and additional support to meet the child’s needs.
Protection of Children Act 1999 - This act involves a system of identifying people that are considered to be unsuitable to work with children and is intended to ensure that when such people have been identified, they are prevented from gaining access to children through their work.
“This new Act enhances significantly the level of protection for children. However, it remains of paramount importance that all organisations entrusted with the care of children practise the full range of pre-employment checks. This includes interviews, the full investigation of applicant’s employment history and taking up references” ()
The HCT nursery policy – Safe guarding and Promoting Children’s Welfare policy
“At HCT nursery our main priority is to promote the safe guarding and welfare of the children in a safe and secure environment”.
Before any new staffs are employed or student / volunteer applies to work in the nursery a police check is done by the Criminal Record Bureau to ensure the safety of the children.
Race Relation Act 2000 - This act was introduced to try stopping discrimination against a person’s race, colour, nationality, citizenship & ethnic origin. It is against the law to discriminate a person. It makes a child feel protected & equal if a person were to discriminate against them to be punished.
The HCT nursery policy – Behaviour/Discipline/Bullying policy
“HCT nursery believes that children and adults flourish best in an ordered environment in which everyone knows what is expected of them and children are free to develop their play and learning without fear of being hurt or hindered by anyone else”.
If any child is bullied because of their race or any reason (gender or colour), the nursery gives full attention and deals with the matter in the best possible way immediately and they try to make sure that the victim feels listened to and supported.
E5 & D2
Strategies to empower children to develop independence and self reliance
Giving children the independence of free play
It is important to give children the independence of free play because during that period they have a choice of doing what they feel like doing. The children choose their own play activities this helps them gain independence and self reliance. The children can also choose whether they would like to play indoors or outdoors. They choose to play with the toys that they want in the classroom without having to ask the practitioner. They could also gain a next step in their development by doing things themselves. E.g. they can learn a new skill by dressing themselves. During free play the children who are normally set alone have a chance to mix and play with the other children. Free play allows the children to disengage from the world of adult and adult rules. It gives an opportunity for the child to function in their own world rather than the world of an adult.
Giving children responsibilities - lay table, choosing snack
It is important to give children responsibilities as the child becomes more independent and can learn to do things themselves. If a child is given responsibilities it allows them to build character and they develop self confidence and they learn that they are capable of doing things at a young age. A practitioner should eencourage a child to perform age appropriate tasks on their own like - picking up his toys, lay the table or choosing a snack from his bag that he would like to have. The practitioner should praise and encourage the child's efforts even when their decisions do not result in the correct answer. This empowers the child making them feel valued and gain self reliance.
These strategies are linked to the theory of Lev Vygotsky – The zone of proximal development.
He described this as the stage in which children develop certain skills and understanding but which with sensitive adult support can be stretched further.
"Is the distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers." (Vygotsky, 1978) (https://sites.google.com/site/onlinegeocaching/key-ideas-of-scaffolding-in-the-design)
“Learning is more than the acquisition of the ability to think; it is the acquisition of many specialized abilities for thinking about a variety of thing” (http://susanlucas.com/it/ail601/vygotsky/index.html)
E6 & D1
A transition is the act of passing from one stage or place to the next.
It is important that parents / practitioner gather as much information about the new school to support the child in the transition. Some ways of gathering information is through - websites, brochures, leaflets, word of mouth, letters and phone calls.“This is important as sometimes adults can inadvertently raise expectations or mislead children in some ways” (Tassoni 2007)
A child may show signs of distress or anxiety that indicates that they require more support during the transition.
The child should be spoken to about the transition for a fair amount of time before the changes take place and he/she should have visits to the new school where they have a chance to play and explore their new environment and meet with their new practitioner and then taken round to see the school e.g. toilets. They should be provided with settling days where the parents stay with them for a short session to make them feel comfortable and allowing the child to have a comfort objects e.g. teddy, favourite toy and blanket. The setting could encourage the child and do some activities that the new class would do. The child should be encouraged to be more independent. The new school should encourage the child to make new friends by splitting them in groups to do activities. They should know the fears of the child so as to offer comfort. The child should be allowed to do half day and then later move to longer periods to comfort the child. It is important for the parent to provide all information about the child to the school so that they are aware of the likes/dislikes of the child. The parents should encourage activities at home, they should encourage and support the child’s emotions and comfort the child. The child should be given an opportunity to talk about how they feel. They should be praised when they are doing well. They should be allowed to make mistakes as they learn from mistakes. The child should be given responsibilities e.g. chores.
The parents should provide stimulating activities at home that are age appropriate and to promote the child’s language development. It is important for the parent and practitioner to support and encourage the child during the toilet training period, to understand the child development stage and approach the potty training sensitively and gently (not forcing). Both the parent and practitioner could work together by setting boundaries and goals for good behaviour. They should also discuss wrong and good behaviours with the child so that they learn.
This is linked to the Attachment theory of John Bowlby.
An Attachment is a special emotional relationship between a child and its cares, in this relationship they exchange, comfort, care and pleasure.
John Bowlby believed that if an attachment is not formed at a young age, it may have an effect on the child in future. They may find it hard to form relationships. If a child is separated from their carers when they are young, they suffer with psychological problems in future.
"The propensity to make strong emotional bonds to particular individuals [is] a basic component of human nature" (Bowlby, 1988, 3) ()
“Children who were, at an early age, deprived of a relationship with their primary carers were more likely to have behavioural problems in later life” (Tassoni 2007)
E7 & B1
“Diversity means responding positively to the differences and valuing all people, not just the children and families you feel closet to”. (Tassoni 2007).
Discrimination is unfairness, it is not getting the same right or service or opportunities as others get. Families or children are discriminated because of - age, gender, family structure, disability, religion, race, culture or income. E.g. Samira’s friends all go for dancing lessons but she is interested in boxing, all her friends tease her so she decided to give it up. Diversity is understanding that all children come from different family backgrounds. They also speak different languages; have different cultural beliefs but all the needs are the same, the physical care, affection, love etc.
It is important to respond to diversity positively and to value all children and their families.
There are two types of discriminations; Direct discrimination & Indirect discrimination. Direct discrimination is when something is said actively and deliberately e.g. we do not allow wheel chairs. Indirect discrimination is when something is said less obviously e.g. no facilities for a disable person – steps at entrance. Children develop attitudes and values from their parents, teachers or anyone around them. This could lead to discriminating a person e.g. if Sara’s mother says to her friend that she won’t talk to Zahra’s mother because she is from a different race – this is all said when Sara is listening, watching and learning. This can have an effect on Sara as she will grow up discriminating and not speaking to people from other races as for Zahra she may have effects of not having many friends because she is from a different race. Discrimination affects the society and not only the individuals in the society. Some effects are: – Jobs or position of powers are not given to the best people.
When a child is discriminated it damages their developing sense of self worth and self esteem. They may achieve less in school. (Tassoni 2007)
Children get affected when they are discriminated and will not be able to try out new activities in future as they will fear failing and they could face serious social and mental problems – find it hard to meet and speak to new people. All children should be treated fairly & equally.
Settings can prevent and challenge discrimination by encouraging religions and different cultures through activities e.g. cooking, role play (have different cultural dressing up clothes), welcome displays in different languages so that all feel welcomed, talk about different stories.
All children should be treated equally and fairly in the setting - If any child has a physical or mental disability, they should have the same right to enjoy a full and decent life e.g. The child has a choice on how he understands his expressions using pictures to show you his expressions – picture of food if he/she is hungry or a picture of a toilet if he/she needs to use it.
“Anticipate the best from each child, and be alert for evidence of their strengths' (EYFS: Self-confidence and self-esteem, p28)”
It is important to understand that every child is unique. Identifying children needs through observations and assessments this links to differentiation which ensures inclusive practice by modifying and adapting activities. The setting is required to plan activities that the needs of all children are met and that they don’t have to learn or play separately or away from the other children, if they are not met, it prevents the child from the care and education in the setting. If the setting wants the inclusion to be successful then the child, parents and family must be at the centre of the processes, practices and decision-making. E.g. involving the parents and carers in policy and procedure decisions and by personalising learning through building on individual children’s interest, skills and strengths
It is important that all children and their families feel included.
“Children Act 2004 - This act brought a radical reorganisation of children's services in England with a duty on local authorities to improve children's outcomes through the Every Child Matters agenda. Co-operation was required to improve children's well-being” (http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/848739/Inclusive-Practice-guide-fully-inclusive-setting---Part-1-Unique-Child/)
The practitioner should be a good role model – linked to the theory of Bandura, as he believed that children did what they saw adults doing. “Bandura has explored further the type of cognitive elements required for learning through modelling to take place, particularly memory and retrieval of memory” (Tassoni 2007). They could set rules, goals and boundaries for the children to follow because children need to know what they are doing are right or wrong. The setting could reinforce rules & boundaries that indicate discrimination is not acceptable e.g. if a child is discriminating another child, they could face suspension or expulsions. It is important for the setting to have a good communication with parents - to know the progress of the child. The practitioner could use passona dolls and books to help the children express their feelings. Children have different views and concerns, therefore it is important to listen to them and if not followed it’s against the law of UNCRC (UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD 1989). It is important to ensure that children understand that we are all different but we should all be healed and treated in the same way. EYFS theme of A Unique child states that the need for all aspects of provision to be responsive to the needs of each child.
“The Data Protection Act 1998 was passed to protect individuals’ rights and to prevent breaches of information” (Tassoni 2007)
C1
Jerome Bruner - Scaffolding Theory
“The term “scaffolding” describes the support structure teachers, practitioners, carers and parents routinely provide children during the learning process. This theory states that “learning takes place actively as children build new ideas upon their current and prior knowledge”
This theory empowers children by providing them with support and scaffolds the learning. It is a temporary support structure that is built by parents around their children for them to learn and understand new information. There are two types of scaffolding – Oral scaffolding is when something new is introduced to a child and they are asked what they already know about it. Visual scaffolding is the support that includes images and words that can be seen as well as heard.
In this theory observing a child is important because the practitioner/adult needs to know when to intervene but also when to take down the scaffolding and to give the control back to the child. It is important to give the child back the control because the practitioner can be a distraction for the child as the child will not be able to progress in their learning.
In my setting after we plan an activity, we demonstrate it to the children and then we give them a chance to have a go. It is important to ask the children questions and to praise and encourage them so that they can do more & more.
E.g. if an activity of cutting & sticking is planned, we gather all the children round the table, and show them an example of how to do it and ask them if they can do it, the children do it themselves but if a child is not engaging in the activity, the practitioner will then try to support the child by showing them how to do it and then know when to take down the scaffolding.
In this theory it is important to know when to intervene because a child may not be engaged in the activity, not concentrating, or is distracted or is not using the resources provided incorrectly as these do not stretch learning or it is a hazard to the children. E.g. putting glue stick in their mouth.
“Bruner's belief is that scaffolding can ultimately help a child to become a self-regulated, independent learner” (http://www.ehow.com/facts_7589113_bruners-theory-scaffolding.html)
“Bruner's theoretical framework is based on the theme that learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon existing knowledge. Learning is an active process. Facets of the process include selection and transformation of information, decision making, generating hypotheses, and making meaning from information and experiences”
(http://www.lifecircles-inc.com/Learningtheories/constructivism/bruner.html)
“Bruner believed that children have an innate capacity that helps them make sense of the work and that cognitive abilities develop through active interaction”
()
A
The legislations that influence working practices within early year’s settings are; Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 - These are the regulations that place a duty on employers to make adequate first aid provision for their employees, in case they become ill or injured at work. The EYFS states a theme of A unique child – this theme is to ensure that the child is kept safe from any harm and supporting the health and well being of a child. It is important for the setting to provide appropriate first aid equipment at important places such as – kitchens, bathrooms and classrooms. There should be at least on staff in the classroom that is a qualified first aider. The first aid boxes in the nurseries must comply with the OFSTED guidelines requirements. In each room within the setting they should have a separate accident book and all the accidents to be recorded on separate pages for confidentiality. The staff should have rotas to ensure they do their fair share of cleaning and maintain the rooms, bathrooms and the kitchens to keep the nursery clean. There are signs that are put when the floors are wet to notify the parents, visitors and staff as a precaution on slippery surface. The children that need to sleep during the day are put in cots or pushchairs depending on the wish of the parents. The cots are cleaned and the sheets changed after every sleep, the cot room has a monitor that helps the staff hear when the children are awake and are also checked on every 10 minutes. The nursery should have a fire drill practise every month so as to ensure the staffs are up to date with the procedure. The procedures should then be recorded and kept in the fire drill folder.
RIDDOR (Reporting of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences) 1995 legislation act which was created in 1995, this act is to keep employers and young children safe. It is a legal requirement to report any accidents and ill health at work. The information given helps enforce authorities to identify where and how risks arise and helps them investigate serious accidents. It is a legal requirement for a nursery and other places, if a child and/or is seriously injured or has died then the employer would have to report the incident and sign the papers regarding what happened.
Disability Discrimination Act 1995 - This act protects discrimination against people with physical and mental disability that affect their day to day life. The EYFS has a theme of A unique child – in this theme it is important to identify who the disable children are and understand and address their needs. A setting should have disable facilities – e.g. disable toilets, a ramp for wheel chair access. If there are no disable facilities it is an in direct discrimination that is against the law.
Protection of Children Act 1999 involves a system of identifying people that are considered to be unsuitable to work with children and is intended to ensure that when such people have been identified, they are prevented from gaining access to children through their work.
Further to my research I found that some practitioners don’t have an understanding of their role, they need to understand that if they go against the law they could lose their jobs and face charges of abuse.
Looking at the case of Vanessa George who photographed children in her care as she abused them and shared the images with her accomplice through the use of her mobile phone. She should have known that in the first place it is against the law and the nursery policies to use a mobile phone during working hours.
The Data Protection Act 1998 was introduced to protect children and adult’s rights to be protected from breaches of information. If the setting knows any information about the child or the family, it should not be kept for longer than necessary or passed to anyone who is not concerned without permission from them. The information should be processed lawfully, accurately, fairly and secure.
“Data Protection Act (1998) - everyone has the right to view records that are kept about them, whether on computer or hand written. The Act requires everyone who keeps records to register with the Data Protection Commission who ensure that the principles are followed” (www.mulbartonchildrenscentre.co.uk/.../Confidentiality-information)
E9
References & Bibliography
Child Care and Education level 3 (Penny Tassoni 2007)
HCT Policy
http://www.birthtofive.org.uk/pdf/EYFS%20Disability%20Discrimination%20Act.pdf