CACHE Level 3 Award, Certificate and Diploma in Child Care and Education
The current legislation for home based childcare and the role of the regulatory bodies (Ofsted)
Task 1
What current legislation is relevant to home based childcare?
The Children’s Act 1989
This legislation was to reform the law relating to children, when it was introduced it superseded the eight Acts of Parliament. This is the most influential legislation for children up to the age of 18 and how they are treated,( it is so powerful that it has an impact on other legislations and no form of childcare can be discussed without referring to this Act). The Act has 12 main sections to which it covers all areas which could be deemed to be “children’s issues”, adult issues are covered by a different legislation although if there are any family disputes, divorce or contact issues, then this act has an effect on adults too. The Act was put into place to make sure that children’s welfare was paramount and to protect services for children and their families in need and with the aim to protect them from harm. In 1999 a document entitled “working together to safeguard children” was published to reinforce the message to all professionals that they have a duty of care to all children who are at risk. In 2004 the Act was updated due to the horrific death of Victoria Climbie, which showed a lack of communication between local authorities and organisations which were responsible for her safety.
The Childcare Act 2006
This legislation introduced the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in England and Wales, for everyone who is responsible in all the different aspects of child care, this Act reinforces the Children’s Act 1989/2004 for local authorities. In the last ten years there has been a large investment for children aged 3-4years for free placements in nurseries and Pre-schools so that they can have a better start in their educational needs, this is in line with the “Every Child Matters” Act. This also helps parents to go back out to work as they are able to get free
Task 1
What current legislation is relevant to home based childcare?
The Children’s Act 1989
This legislation was to reform the law relating to children, when it was introduced it superseded the eight Acts of Parliament. This is the most influential legislation for children up to the age of 18 and how they are treated,( it is so powerful that it has an impact on other legislations and no form of childcare can be discussed without referring to this Act). The Act has 12 main sections to which it covers all areas which could be deemed to be “children’s issues”, adult issues are covered by a different legislation although if there are any family disputes, divorce or contact issues, then this act has an effect on adults too. The Act was put into place to make sure that children’s welfare was paramount and to protect services for children and their families in need and with the aim to protect them from harm. In 1999 a document entitled “working together to safeguard children” was published to reinforce the message to all professionals that they have a duty of care to all children who are at risk. In 2004 the Act was updated due to the horrific death of Victoria Climbie, which showed a lack of communication between local authorities and organisations which were responsible for her safety.
The Childcare Act 2006
This legislation introduced the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in England and Wales, for everyone who is responsible in all the different aspects of child care, this Act reinforces the Children’s Act 1989/2004 for local authorities. In the last ten years there has been a large investment for children aged 3-4years for free placements in nurseries and Pre-schools so that they can have a better start in their educational needs, this is in line with the “Every Child Matters” Act. This also helps parents to go back out to work as they are able to get free