It is my policy to keep children safe when they are in my care.

My premises have been checked by Ofsted to ensure they meet the requirements set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  We practice regular fire drills and I check to make sure that we are up to date with our procedures.  All fire drills are recorded on my daily sign in sheets.

Me and my assistants are fully qualified pediatric first aiders and can confidently administer basic first aid treatment.  My first aid kit is stored in the kitchen.  It is easily accessible and clearly marked.  A copy of all parents contact details are kept within easy access at all times.

If there is an accident or any illness (including covid or covid symptoms) affecting any child in my care I will,

• Reassure and calm the affected child/children and all other children that I am looking after.
• I will make sure all the children are safe; this may involve strapping a child into their buggy or sitting an older child where I can see them.
• If the accident/illness is a minor one, I will deal with it myself.  If not then I will call 999
• If I have to accompany or take a child to hospital, I will either take the other children with me, or call my emergency back-up cover. This will be a registered childminder or a known responsible adult. These people will be made known to parents.

If there is an accident/illness (including covid or covid symptoms), my emergency back-up cover may contact you and you will be expected to collect your child straight away. 

If it is a minor accident/illness that has not required the help of the emergency services then I will inform the parents and it will be recorded in my accident folder and signed by the parents/carers.

If I accompany or take a child to hospital, I will attempt to contact the child’s parent and ask them to meet me at the hospital.

If I have an accident or serious illness (including covid or covid symptoms), I will get the nearest responsible adult to help, while my emergency back-up cover is contacted. 

At all times I will do my best to make sure that the children in my care are kept safe, calm and reassured.

Any time we are away from my home I will carry parents contact details so that these procedures may be put in place should any accident/illness occur off-site.

If your child has vomiting/diarrhea I will expect you to collect them as soon as is reasonably possible.  If your child has any vomiting or diarrhea during a session or at home I will expect you to keep them at home until 48 hours after it has finished.  This is to protect myself, my staff and the other children in my care and will apply to ALL children in my care.  Therefore, if another child is unwell in this way, your child will be protected as well.

In this case, vomiting is defined as a medium to large amount of stomach contents (either food, bile or mucus) expelled from the mouth or nose.  This could be as a result of a virus, an ongoing condition or something stuck in the throat, and determined by the discretion of myself and my staff.

If myself and/or my staff become unwell I may need to close my setting until I have recovered or until 48hrs after I have had any vomiting or diarrhea.  I will always try to avoid closing my setting but at times it may be unavoidable. 

If your child has a high temperature this is indicative of illness.  If your child’s temperature reaches 37.5 degrees Celsius on any part of their body you will be required to collect your child and keep them at home until 48 hours after their fever has returned to normal. As anyone who has experienced a fever will understand, it can make you feel extremely unwell and disoriented, it is kinder for your child to be with you in this circumstance so that you can give them the comfort and reassurance needed in order to ensure that they feel safe and do not suffer traumatically in a setting where we cannot guarantee your child the necessary care an unwell child requires.  We ask you to collect your child at this point so that they are in your care well before any emergent care is required.  If your child’s temperature exceeds 38 degrees and does not respond to the age-appropriate dose of paracetamol (such as Calpol) then it is advised that you seek medical advice.  If a young child’s temperature exceeds 40 degrees, then we advise you to seek urgent medical care such as the accident and emergency department at Broomfield hospital, CM1 7ET (what3words /// roofs.ducks.drat)

All medication will be stored in line with manufacturer’s instructions and, where possible, all medication will be stored in a locked cupboard in my kitchen or bathroom, out of reach of children.

Any medication that I am required to administer will only be done with written consent (including electronic means such as WhatsApp or email) and only after any necessary training has taken place.

Certain illnesses are classed as notifiable diseases, such as (but not limited to) covid, mumps, measles or scarlet fever.  Should your child suffer from any such disease I will need to report this to the Health Protection Agency.

Should a child show symptoms of covid I will ask them to be collected and your child will not be permitted to return until after 5 days isolation, and no further symptoms.

Should any other emergency occur, I will contact parents as soon as possible. 

If parents are in an accident or otherwise unable to collect their child, I expect them to contact me as soon as possible.  If it is not possible for them to contact me then I will try to make contact with someone else with parental responsibility to collect the child.  In any case I will keep your child safe until contact has been made.

If you are running late to collect your child please inform me immediately.  If you are later than the agreed collection time and have not informed me, I will try to make contact with you. If I cannot reach you, I will then attempt to ascertain why by contacting the emergency numbers you have supplied. The hourly rate will remain in place until you collect your child. 

I will keep accurate records of all incidents and make sure parents sign these records.

If the incident is significant, I will inform Ofsted, the local child protection agency, the Health and Safety Executive and my insurance company (as applicable) as soon as is reasonably practical but in any event within 14 days of the incident occurring.