Hannah Sherriff
1.1 Outline the current legislation covering home based childcare, and the role of the regulatory body.
Currently the legislation regarding home based childcare are, The Children Act 1989 and The Care Standards Act 2000, these laws relate to the registration and inspection of childcare and early years providers. These laws are in place to ensure childcare providers treat all children “with equal concern”. The Children Act 2004 saw the implementation of the Every Child Matters (ECM) as a national frame work following high profile abuse cases. The ethos of ECM is that regardless of a child’s social, financial, racial status, whether they are disabled and regardless of where they have the right to get off to a good start in life and importantly reach their full potential. The 5 key areas are ;
To be healthy
To be safe
To enjoy and achieve
To make a positive contribution
To achieve economic wellbeing
The data protection act 1998 is important in a childcare setting as it relates to not only personal data held in manual files but also any computerised information held. This act also effects the use of photographs as a means to evidencing learning and development and how things are stored. In 2006 the Children Act 2006 came into force, this put the onus on local authorities to improve the five ECM outcomes for all preschool children.
Also in 2006 legislation was passed that saw all childcare businesses classed as food business. This means a food hygiene certificate is needed to ensure food safety is not compromised.
RIDDOR governs the law regarding the reporting of workplace injuries, diseases and illnesses. They have a list of reportable illnesses, disease and accidents on their website. As a child carer it is important to keep an accident book and record all accidents and illnesses.
The Equality Act 2010 links to ECM well as it provides a legal framework to ensure equality for all. It protects