Describe some of the factors you need to consider when planning the indoor and outdoor environment; such as meeting individual needs, any specific risks to individuals, what you aim for children to achieve from exploring the environment, staffing etc.
There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration whilst planning indoor and outdoor environments. Indoor environments need to ensure that they cover individual needs such as someone in a wheelchair will need room to move their wheelchair around the room so that they can use the same resources as a child not in a wheelchair, the indoor environment will need age suitable resources if it is a setting that is for 4-11 year olds there would not be 12 rated DVD’s and if it was a setting for 0-3 year olds then there would not be small resources laying around as they are choking hazards. The displays will have to be appropriate and safe no sharp objects should be left on display, The resources, displays and activities indoors will have to ensure that they are non discriminatory ensuring that anyone can be …show more content…
involved and that they displays are not just swayed towards one culture. The outdoors environment will also need to be planned carefully and safely but still allowing children to take risks so they can risk assess themselves, the outdoors area will also need to meet individual needs ramps will need to be installed for people in wheelchairs and young babies in prams. The equipment will have to be age appropriate and be able to be adjusted for children that have special needs. The outdoor area and indoor area both need to be planned to ensure that the children do not get bored they must easily be changed to ensure the children and young people stay stimulated but ensuring that they are safe and that the adults within the setting can see the children at all times and keep them safe.
How is health and safety monitored and maintained in your setting? How are staff, children and visitors made aware of risks and hazards and encouraged to work safely? I.e. risk assessments, golden rules and visual signs.
Health and safety is monitored and maintained in the setting in which I work by a health and safety checklist this covers all aspects of safety and cleanliness including inside and outside, kitchen, toilets and fire safety this checklist is done daily. Risk assessments are done every six months these cover all the areas in which risks can occur such as the kitchen area, outdoor play area, school pick ups etc. We have a fire folder this is where we keep record of our fire drills that we practice every three months. There is a kitchen folder, which is where we keep records of our kitchen checks such as the temperature charts of the fridges and freezers. We have rules in the club, which all children are aware of, and each child has opportunities to create rules that they feel need to be in place if there is an issue that arises during a session at club then a circle time is arranged to ensure all children are aware of what has happened and the consequences and what can be done to avoid this happening again. Staffs are made aware of the risks and hazards and are encouraged to work safely as they are shown and talked through all aspects of safety checks before they start and get regular practice at doing them.
The children are made aware as we involve them as much as we can in the safety of the club for example doing regular fire drills with them allowing them to risk assess themselves. Visitors are made aware by having a chance to look through our risk assessments and health and safety checklists, as they are stored on the main desk in folders. Everyone is encouraged to work safely along side each other by following the rules and ensuring policies and procedures are up to date.
What sources of information is available for planning healthy and safe environments? I.e. Every Child Matters, EYFS
The sources of information that are available for planning a healthy and safe environment are every child matters this has five outcomes these are; be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well being. This allows settings to go through ways they can help to achieve these outcomes, this may mean by having a more enjoyable outdoor are encouraging children to play outside staying healthy. The EYFS framework is split into six different areas it outlines standards for learning, development and care of children we can plan healthy and safe environments based on this as we can use the aims to plan activities and the layout of the room to encourage the devlopment.
Identify and explain some of the principles under the Health and Safety at Work Act; such as COSHH and RIDDOR
The health and safety act at work 1974 is the primary bit of legislation covering health and safety within the work place it has many principles that cover different areas at work such as COSHH this is control of substances hazardous to health this is a principle that ensures that companies are controlling substances that are a hazard it goes through how to control substances, what a hazardous substance is and different risk assessments on this. Another principle under this act is RIDDOR this is the reporting of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences, this principle ensures that companies report any serious accidents that happen at work and any occupational diseases. Management of health and safety at work is another regulations this one ensures that risk assessments are carried out as well as correct training and that all staff that are employed have the correct skills and training they need. Personal protective equipment at work regulation means that employers are to provide appropriate protective equipment and clothing at work. There are eighteen different regulations within this act.
027 Outcome 2
How do you monitor and review risk assessments? What happens to risk assessments when complete? Why do they need to be reviewed?
Monitoring risk assessments is done by making sure that what is wrote is carried through the layout of our risk assessments ensure that all risks are identified in all areas and ways to overcome and ensure that harm doesn’t come to anyone. For example in the kitchen there is hot water this could cause burns and slippery surfaces to overcome this we block the kitchen off from the children and ensure that areas are sign posted and cleared up. When complete the risk assessments are filed away and new ones are added when needed for example if a child has crutches a risk assessment for this has to be wrote up these need to be shown to all members of staff so that they are aware and if any have been missed they will be added. Risk assessments are reviewed every six months.
027 outcome 3
Explain why it is important to safeguard children whilst allowing for risk and challenge, taking into account there needs and abilities?
It is important to safeguard children but still allow them to take risks and challenge as if we just said no to them doing things they would like to do they will never learn how to overcome these obstacles throughout life, for example a child wants to climb to the top of a climbing frame they will have to think of how the safest way to get up is if we say no the child may climb it out of protest without planning in their mind this would be more dangerous for them. It is important that we still safeguard the children and young people, as they will not be able to think through all the risks associated with what they are going to do they still need to feel protected as this will allow them to be willing to try new things for example if a child is learning to swim they may not want to try alone without an adult being beside them in fear of going under the water with an adult present they will use this as a safety cushion and be more willing to try. Children all have different needs and abilities so need to be safeguarded in different ways a child in a wheelchair will have different risks to a child not in one each risk assessment will be different. Some children will have more confidence than others this will also be a factor in how we safeguard them a child with more confidence is more likely to succeed in what they are doing so the way we risk assess them will not be as much as a child who is not confident in trying new activities may have to do something a few times in order to get confidence.
Identify and explain some of the dilemmas practitioners can face when giving children the right of choice but also taking into health and safety requirements e.g. choice of toys too big for space allocated, outdoor play and weather being poor
How do you encourage children to assess risks around them?
The dilemmas practitioners can face whilst giving children the right of choice are the choice of toys a child may have a toy with a camera this may mean they may take photos of other children this may not be done to harm but other children may not like this to keep other children safe a no camera policy is in place. Some children may have small toys especially the older ones this may not be appropriate if you are in a setting which also allows younger children as if these toys are left around then parts may become a choking hazard. Getting the older children to think about factors like this will help to encourage them to do this with any item.
027 Outcome 4
Say what you would do in each of the following:
A security incident
Fire
Missing child
A child becoming unwell, including recognition of signs of illness
A security incident –If a security incident happened at work depending on the incident is how I would react, for example if someone that was unknown or someone who was dangerous got on the premises I would secure the building making sure all the doors and windows were secure, I would call the police and make sure that all the children are safe and calm and try to avoid panicking.
Fire – If a fire occurred I would evacuate all the children, there is a member of staff that goes first ensuring that all children follow and a member of staff that goes after to check the toilets and take the register out. Once assembled at the fire point a register is taken to ensure all children and members of staff are out of the building. The children will be prepared for this by doing regular practices ensuring they all know where to assemble.
A missing child – If a child went missing then I would make sure to shut all doors and windows in the setting just to check if they were hiding and to stop escape routes then I would check the inside and outside area checking with the other children if the child still was missing then the police and parents would need to be contacted straight away.
A child becoming unwell, including recognition of signs of illness – If a child started to look unwell or complained of not feeling well then depending on the illness and symptoms is how I would respond, for example if a child was complaining of a headache I would give them a drink of water and get them to have a lay down, I would keep an eye on the child’s conditions and keep a record in the accident book of what has happened and what care has been given to them. If it was sickness or a bug then I would contact the parents to arrange pick up to avoid contamination in the club of the other children.
What procedures do you follow for recording and reporting accidents, illness and any other incidents?
The procedures that are followed to record and report an accident are we have an accident book this is where all records of any accident that has happened at club or in school that have got worse at club are kept it states the date time and location of the accident, what happened during the accident and then if any treatment was given for the accident it is shown to the parents and signed by the staff present and the one who gave the treatment and the parent to show that they are aware. The same is recorded for an illness. Other incidents are recorded on our incident forms or medical forms an incident will state what happened and where and what was done following the incident this is shown to the parents and signed by both the employee and the parents then a copy is given to any parties involved. A medical form is used for when a child has a medical condition and need medicine administered in will have the dose and at what time it was given this is pre signed by the parent to give us permission to give the child the medicine.
066 Outcome 1
Explain Every Child Matters
Every child matters is five outcomes these outcomes are; be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well beings.
It is set by the government. It has a detailed framework this requires that all parties working with the children work together to make sure these aims are worked towards.
Explain your setting procedures on reporting and line of responsibility in regards to meeting the welfare of children i.e. Senco, Safeguarding Officer, Health and Safety Co-ordinator
The settings procedures on reporting and line of responsibility in regards to meeting the welfare of children are, if a child is at risk the deputy manager and manager are informed then social services are contacted. In regards to SENCO the child’s key person will have the responsibility to report their observations with
them.
066 Outcome 2
Explain your procedures for each of the following:
The arrival and departure of children
Taking children on outings/visits
The arrival and departure of children. – The procedure of the arrival of children is different depending on each school they all have an individual pick up these are all risk assessed the schools such as cherry tree and Fairhouse the children are collected from their schools and walked to the setting where as the other schools are collected and bought on the mini bus. Once all children have arrived they hang up their belongings and are signed in and counted on the register. The departure of children is when they are collected by their parent/carer. The parent has to be recognized and stated on the registration forms as to be the collector they have to be signed out of the register if the parent states that someone else is picking their child up a password has to be given to the collector and us so that we know it is the correct person.
Taking children on outing/visits. – These are all risk assessed before hand. The children are counted and given a fleece cap and badge with the setting logo on so that we can recognize the children wherever they are. They are then walked or bought on the bus to the trip whilst on the trip all children are watched and have rules that have to be followed.
Explain why it is necessary that there are minimum requirements:
Space why are there space requirements?s
Staff ratios why do ratios differ for children of different ages?
In order to maintain children’s safety.
There are minimum requirements in place in regards to the space in the setting and the ratios to adults and children to maintain children’s safety. There are space requirements because there are fewer accidents and there is not a risk such as fire risks. Children need to have the ability to move around without the requirement the setting may be over crowded this not only makes the setting unsafe it makes it less appealing for the children. There are staff ratios in place as if there is not adequate staffing the children may be overlooked and this is when children go missing it will impact the children’s safety. The staff to child ratio is currently 1 adult to every 8 children that are under 8.
066 Outcome 3
Explain how you promote children’s health and well being in your setting; healthy eating, outdoor play, personal care.
In the setting where I work we promote children’s health and well being by doing many things, for example we ensure that we include fruit and vegetables in our menu, we ensure that fresh water is available at all times, outdoor play and activities are planned for everyday. In our setting we have posters around the club that encourage physical movements and healthy eating. We make sure that children’s hygiene within the club is monitored so that they wash their hands before they eat and drink and after being to the toilet and after outdoors play. We make sure that if a child is showing symptoms of being ill they are treated and the parents/carers are called to collect to ensure that the other children do not catch the illness, this is to prevent infections and cross contamination within the setting.
Describe some of the roles of key health professionals and sources of advice that are available to support the health and well being of children and their families; nutritional advisors, health visitors.
There are key health professionals and sources of advice that are available to support the health and well being of children and their families, for example nutritional advisors their role is to educate families and children into a healthy lifestyle they will go into schools and do groups with children and for parents and encourage children to change what they eat to a more healthy plan they will give advice to parents on how to make vegetables and fruits more appealing for children who may not want to try them. Health visitors main role is to prevent illness and promote helping people to stay healthy, they cover a wide range of health areas such as growth and development, infections, behavioural difficulties, problems involved with new babies such as breastfeeding, Some health visitors run groups for advice and support. School psychologists also are key health professionals they provide emotional support for children they will consult with all parties involved with the children such as the parents and teachers to find ways to help children they will cover educational difficulties and any other difficulties that children may be having at home or school.
066 Outcomes 4
Identify some of the principles of safe food handling
Safe food handling is a vital part of food preparation; some of the principles of this are; sanitizing all food preparation equipment before use, heat and cool foods correctly for example do not cook a chicken and put it in the fridge until it has cooled to the correct temperature. Checking expiry dates on food to ensure that they are not gone off as this can cause serious illnesses. Whilst preparing raw meat hands must be washed after and before touching anything else. Washing hands is an important principle to avoid contamination. s
How should formula and breast milk be prepared and stored?
Formula and breast milk need to be prepared within regulations this means it needs to be thoroughly cleaned and sterilized and as always hands need to be washed. Formula should be made up before each feed and not stored as this increases the chances of a baby becoming ill. Fresh tap water should be boiled in a kettle the water should not cool to less that 70 degrees centigrade, the water that has been boiled needs to be poured into the bottle, following the guide on the packet of formula the correct amount of formula needs to be added. After re adding the lid the bottle needs to be shook to mix the formula with the water it then needs to be left to cool testing it by using your wrist it needs to feel lukewarm and not hot. If the formula needs to be stored it should be stored at the back of the fridge below 5 degrees centigrade the feed should not be stored any longer than 24 hours and to reheat it should be placed in a bottle warmer or a container of warm water.
Breast milk should be expressed into a clean bottle once this is done and at the setting it should be stored for only up to 24 hours, if it is to be used after this it can be frozen for up to 6 months if it is kept in a 0 degree freezer. It needs to be stored the same way as formula at the back of the fridge and not at the front; it should be prepared by placing it in a bowl of warm water.
066 Outcomes 5
Why should you recognise children’s dietary requirements? How do you make sure that this information is shared with those that need to know?
Dietary requirements include allergies, intolerances, vegetarians, and religion. It is important that we recognise these requirements so that we do not make a child ill a child who has a serious allergy may have a anaphylactic shock if given the wrong food this can make them seriously ill. Another reason why we should recognise these are so we do not offend a child for example a Muslim child may not be allowed to eat pork to give this to the child may upset them. In the setting in which I work we have a list that is on show in the kitchen, a list that is in the kitchen folder which is checked everyday, when a new child enrols we make sure parents inform us of any requirements so that they can be added to the list this is updated as and when we are informed.
What are the government guidelines on healthy eating? What is considered to be balanced meals, snacks and drinks? Include cultural variations and its principles.
The government states that we should have five portions of fruits and vegetables every day, but children also need to know what a balanced meal is this should consist of food that contains essential vitamins, sugars for energy and other food groups needed to help children develop. The government website shows that we should consume a diet of; • Plenty of starchy foods • 5 portions of fruit and vegetables • Moderate amounts of protein-rich foods • Moderate amounts of milk and dairy • Less saturated fat, salt and sugar.
Cultural variations may be that they may view what some view as healthy such as pork as unhealthy, in different cultures they may use different ingredients. Some cultures do not eat cold foods during the cold months.
How can you educate children in healthy eating and food management; such as:
Portion control
Food phobias
Tackling under and over-weight children
Portion control – we can educate children in this by using smaller plates children will be less likely to put loads of food on their plate this way. By letting children serve their own portions will encourage them to realise the sizes of servings. By providing a bit of food from each food group and encouraging them to take a scoop of food from each one. There are many activities that can also be done such as designing your own plate that is split into segments. Meal planning games and stories.
Food phobias – We can educate children in this by showing that we don’t have food phobias if a child is around people who never eat fish then they will have never tried this and may only have one opinion on it. By encouraging the children to try it with you may help. Activities such as guessing what food they taste may help to move their food phobias. Children who have phobias of certain foods may need it to be mixed to make it look taste better children like dips so this may encourage them. A child may have seen on television that models are size zero and may be pressured into only eating very little this could make them ill by boosting their self esteem this may help.
Tackling under and over weight children –These both could be a part of an illness but also a part of not enough education in this field. Under weight children need a balanced diet, by allowing them to help to prepare meals then they may be encouraged to eat more as they have made it, it is important that we do not encourage them to eat the wrong types of foods. Overweight children need to be educated in a healthy diet and physical play this can be done through activities and posters and letting them be involved in planning.
066 Outcome 6
How is medication given in your setting and how is this recorded? How is medication stored?
Medication is only given within the setting if a parent/carer has signed a medicine consent form this will state what the medicine is called and the amount to be administered. If a child needs medication then it has to be administered by a first aid qualified person and correctly, then the child needs to be watched to record how they are feeling as well as what dosage they have recovered the time and date and who administered it. Medicine is either stored in the fridge or in a filing cabinet depending on the medication it is easily accessed and labelled clearly as to whose it is.
What do you need to consider when lifting and carrying children also include moving large pieces of equipment? What measures are put into place in your setting to prevent injury?
What regulation covers this?
When lifting and carrying children and moving large pieces of equipment you have to take into consider the age of the child for example if it is a baby it needs to be fully supported especially its back and neck. Where as if it is an older child then it is able to hold its head. When lifting a child the physical abilities of the child need to be took into consideration as this could cause injuries to both child and staff member. If there is a need to lift children on a regular basis then appropriate training should be given. In certain cases lifting hoists may be available. The same rules apply to when carrying large pieces of equipment, spinal and back injuries can be caused if lifting is not done correctly it is easy to make mistakes so by following correct procedures then both yours and the children’s safety are put first. In the setting where I work the measures that are put in place to prevent injury are ensuring all the employees have the correct training that they are required to have, health and safety checks are done daily to prevent accidents and that constant observation is a necessary by knowing where all the children and staff are means that if an injury does occur then it can be treated straight away. The regulation that covers this is the health and safety at work act, In this act is a section called the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 this states that if the task shows a possibility of injury it should not be done, it also states that if a worker is in pain they should not carry out the usual tasks such as lifting. It states that you need to communicate with other employees you should not ask them to do a task such as lifting a child if you know they are at risk of injury you should inform your manager and fellow employees of any injury you may have so that they can do the lifting and give you other duties, it states that the employee must follow company rules on manual handling and that you should take care to ensure that you do not put any others at risk for example if you were to lift a child you should do so in a way that does not put them at risk of injury.