At The Co-operative Childcare we aim to safeguard and promote the children’s welfare, safety and health by fostering an honest, open, caring and supportive environment. The children’s welfare is of paramount importance. All children deserve the opportunity to reach their full potential in the five outcomes for children’s well-being which are to stay safe, be healthy, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being.

At our nurseries we fully recognise the contribution we can make to protecting children and supporting their development whilst in our care.

At our nurseries we intend to establish and maintain an ethos where children feel secure and are encouraged to talk and are listened to.

To achieve this we:-

• Provide a safe, secure and child centred environment in which children feel valued and supported
• Encourage staff to develop trusting relationships with the children, parents and carers
• Encourage staff to regularly observe their key children to ensure every aspect of the children’s development is monitored and acted upon
• Develop effective working relationships with interagency staff
• Promote an equal environment that respects diversity, including culture, race and disability
• Encourage the participation of children and families in safeguarding processes
• Have a procedure for recoding all visitors

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

All adults working with or on behalf of children have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

There are key people within The Co-operative Childcare who have specific responsibilities under safeguarding children procedures. These are:-

Senior Nominated Officer (SNO) - Operations Manager
Child Protection Co-ordinator (CPC) - Nursery Manager
Deputy Child Protection Co-ordinator (DCPC) - Deputy Manager

If a member of staff has referred concerns about a child’s safety or welfare to their Child Protection Co-ordinator and is not satisfied that their concerns are being handled appropriately, they must refer directly to the Senior Nominated Officer.

If that member of staff feels that having referred the matter, the Senior Nominated Officer is not responding appropriately, they must uphold their right to refer directly to the local Social Services / Social Care / Children’s Services.

ADMINISTRATION

The nursery administration system is fully computerised and includes all bookings, registers and waiting lists. Any allocation of places is on a first come, first served basis. An application form must be completed to book a place on the waiting list. When a place becomes available or nearer the start date, a registration form is completed before the child may attend the nursery. A registration fee is payable when the form is completed.

Our Equal Opportunities Policy applies to our Admissions and Settling in Policy.

SETTLING IN

Admission to nursery should be planned with two free trial sessions which can be flexible and nursery staff should have advanced knowledge of the expected child.

This will include an understanding of any specific personal needs, diet, medical history and cultural background.

The key person, room senior and staff in the child’s room must be fully conversant with this information and be ready and prepared to give any new child the reassurance they may need. Parents may be anxious and it is vital that they get the support and information they need.

We encourage parents, where appropriate to separate from their children for brief periods first, gradually building up to longer absences

At Co-operative Childcare we feel that parents are the children’s first educators. By encouraging our staff to work in partnership with parents it has a positive impact on the children’s development and learning. Children in the nursery and their parents are our customers, and as such should be treated with the utmost courtesy and respect at all times.

At the nursery we provide a welcoming atmosphere and understand that all families are important and should be made to feel welcome and valued at all times. We respect the diversity of families and the contribution they can bring to a child’s learning and development.

The sharing of information between the nursery and the child’s parents is vital for the identification of the children’s individual learning needs and to ensure that if a child has a difficulty in any area, we can respond quickly and meet that child’s individual learning and development needs.

We employ approachable staff who endeavour to guide or advise parents when they ask for suggestions on the best ways in which to care for their child and offer them support to continue their child’s learning at home. Effective communication between parents and staff ensures there is a two-way flow of information, knowledge and expertise. Parents are highly valued and respected and without them children’s needs could not be wholly met.

During staff inductions we ensure that employees understand the importance of partnership with parents. We also provide customer care training for all our staff, which focuses on the important role that a parent plays in a child’s life and how they can effectively communicate with parents from different backgrounds. All employees, regardless of their job description, have a responsibility to maintain the high standards that the nursery expects at all times.

PROCEDURES

The nursery will ensure that all prospective parents are made to feel welcome on their first visit to the nursery. All staff should be aware that prospective parents are visiting the nursery and which room their child will be registering to.

On their first visit, parents will be given as much information as possible about the nursery to ensure they make an informed decision when choosing childcare. Parents will be encouraged to ask any questions they wish in a relaxed environment, which will be answered honestly and accurately. If whoever has been asked the question, does not know the answer, they must endeavour to source the correct information.

We will offer complimentary settling in sessions for the parent and child before their first day at nursery. During these sessions we have the opportunity to get to know the parent and child in a relaxed and informal manner. At this time we will also gather information on the child through talking to the parent and asking them to complete questionnaires. This information will help us to ensure that the child receives the individual learning and development they need.

Each time a child moves to a new room, the parents will also have the opportunity to complete an Information From Home Sheet, through which we learn more about the individual child in order to plan effectively for their development.

We will ensure all parents are aware of our aims and the policies and procedures we follow, including complaints. All parents receive a Welcome Pack during the first settling in session at the nursery, which includes copies of important policies and procedures. A Parent Policy and Procedure File will also be provided in the entrance to the nursery, with copies of important policies and procedures to be accessed discreetly at any time.

The nursery encourages parents to contribute towards their child’s learning through regular communication and exchanges of information. Parents’ information evenings are held twice a year and all parents are encouraged to come into the nursery and chat to their child’s key person about their child’s learning and development and raise any questions or concerns they may have. Parents are also provided with Wow Vouchers on which they have the opportunity to observe their child whilst in their care and contribute further to their child’s development records. Full guidance is given on completing the Wow Vouchers and parents are encouraged to take part.

We will give feedback to parents on their child’s progress, using specific examples of achievement or behaviour. Feedback is most often encouraged verbally through regular communication. Progress reports also give a detailed account of each child’s progress and are completed by the key person to ensure thorough and accurate information is given. Parents are given the opportunity to respond to any comments that have been written.

Where a child attends more than one setting, we will endeavour to maintain a regular two-way flow of information between ourselves and the other providers. We will do this through sharing relevant information on the child’s learning and development with the child’s parents and the other providers.

We encourage parents to be involved in events that take place in the setting, such as fetes, carnivals or charity events.

The nursery ensures that we pass on information to parents through newsletters and parents’ notice boards. Parents will be encouraged at all times to approach staff or the Manager if they cannot access the information they require.

We will inform parents about training that might interest them and aim to be a contact point for access to the local community, offering literature on community events, useful phone numbers etc.

Where families and children use languages other than English, we will ask parents to contribute a list of key words and greetings in the home language, which can be used by staff and other children in the nursery. This will ensure that the child and parent feel involved and valued. We will also provide appropriate support for those parents that do not speak or understand English when talking about their child’s learning or progress.

RECRUITMENT

At Co-operative Childcare we aim to promote an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated and prejudice and discrimination are challenged through positive reinforcement. We are committed to promoting an environment where everyone receives equal opportunities. We do not discriminate on the grounds of age, gender, sexuality, class, family status / background, disability, learning difficulty, ability, ethnicity, culture, religion or home language.

At The Midcounties Co-operative and within The Co-operative Childcare we have various policies in place which can be seen on request. These are:-

Diversity Policy Statement
Equal Opportunities Policy
Respect in the Workplace


The following outline our key priorities when promoting equal opportunities within the setting.

CHILDREN

We accept all children from the age of 3 months to 5 years regardless of their age, gender, class, family status / background, disability, learning difficulty, ability, ethnicity, culture, religion or home language. Part of our First Settling in Session Procedure is to gain all the relevant information from parents to ensure we meet each child’s individual needs.

When a new child is settling into the nursery, we will endeavour to provide resources that reflect an individual child’s home life to make the child feel safe and secure.

At Co-operative Childcare we recognise all children have rights and entitlements and we work in partnership with parents to make sure their individual needs are met. Please also refer to our Partnership with Parents Policy.

All children in our care will be treated fairly and will have an equal right to be listened to and valued in the setting. We encourage all children to recognise their own unique abilities and to gain an understanding of themselves as individuals with their own beliefs. We also encourage all children to celebrate their differences within the group and encourage them to play together and make friends, as well as encouraging them to value and respect each other.

We recognise the effect we have on children’s thinking and aim to create an honest learning environment in which children’s questions are answered accurately and one which is sensitive to their individual needs and feelings.

We aim to provide an environment and resources that celebrate diversity. We understand that all children have a need to develop and by providing the appropriate range of resources, children can explore and discover the things and people around them. This will enable them to develop their awareness of the diverse community they live in. All children in our care will receive equal access to all resources and those that have difficulty accessing the resources, will be given the support they need.

At our nurseries we focus on child initiated play and will provide the support, equipment and resources the children need to develop their individual ideas to their full potential.

We will use posters, pictures and other resources to display positive attitudes towards disability, ethnicity, cultural and social diversity to ensure all children and their families feel valued. We aim to make religious and cultural festivals that are celebrated in the local community a key part of the children’s time at nursery. We take a multi sensory approach to any festival we celebrate, encouraging children to dress up, dance, eat and drink in order to fully immerse themselves in the culture they are experiencing. We welcome visitors of all faiths and abilities to the nursery and value their contribution to the curriculum.

Our menus are developed to take account of the dietary requirements of all children in the setting and give each child the opportunity to experience foods from other cultures.

At The Co-operative Childcare we aim to provide an inclusive environment that values the individuality of all children in line with our Equal Opportunities Policy. Each nursery has a SEN Co-ordinator (SENCO) whose role is to provide support for any children with Special Educational Needs (SEN). The SENCO is named on the Co-ordinators list, which is displayed on the parents’ notice board.

We accept all children between the ages of 3 months and 5 years, without exception.

At the nursery we feel it is important to identify children that need additional support as early as possible to ensure their individual needs are met. We have a commitment to working in partnership with parents and during their child’s first settling in session, we will endeavour to find out if their child requires any special services, equipment or support to meet their needs. We also carry out regular observations on all children in our care and if we feel that they need additional support, we will work in partnership with the child’s parents to ensure they receive this.

We feel a child is seen to have SEN if the learning they have requires additional provision to be made. This provision can be seen to be any which is additional to, or different from, provision made generally for children of that age. A learning difficulty can be seen as a child having a greater difficulty in learning or acquiring skills than the majority of children within their peer group, or indeed has a disability which may hinder them in using the facilities at the setting. A learning difficulty does not include children with English as an additional language.

Good record keeping is an important part of SEN. At the nursery we keep clear and accurate records on relevant forms. These records will be stored securely in the child’s individual file and are easily retrievable.

PROCEDURES

All children that attend the nursery are able to attend complimentary settling in sessions. The timescale of these sessions are dependent on the child’s individual needs. Parents are encouraged to be an active part of this process, where necessary, staying with the child until they are secure. Each child is assigned a key person who will observe their development within the nursery. The child’s key person will establish a relationship with the child’s parents and will regularly share information to ensure the nursery is meeting the child’s individual needs.

We aim to identify a SEN as early as possible. If from our observations and assessments, the key person or any other staff member suspects a child needs additional support, they will inform the nursery SENCO. In cases where the nursery SENCO is not the Manager, they must also be informed and will, in turn, contact the parents.

We will work closely with the parents of a child with SEN, seeking their input and advice. With their consent we will contact an Area SENCO for their advice if they are available, or in areas where it is applicable, we will go through the Common Assessment Framework Guidelines. We are committed to working with external agencies in order to ensure that the individual child’s needs are met.

The child’s development will be carefully monitored and evaluated through a programme of observation, assessment and consultation with relevant professionals, including the Area SENCO, speech therapists, psychologists, paediatricians, social workers and health visitors.

All staff who will be involved with the child will undertake relevant training to ensure they are able to support the individual needs of the child.

We will regularly review, monitor and evaluate the programme of support for each child with SEN to ensure it is effective in meeting the child’s individual needs.

We want you to be completely confident in our service, but should you have cause to complain, or request that something in your child’s care routine be changed, we operate the following procedure:-

In the first instance approach your child’s key person and ask that the issue be discussed and steps taken to resolve the problem.

If this is not possible, please speak to the Nursery Manager.

You will be asked to complete and sign a Complaint Form. The nursery investigates all complaints and we will inform you of the outcome within 20 days of the initial complaint. Your concerns should be addressed and you should be happy that the right outcome has been achieved. A copy of the Complaint Form goes to the Operations Manager, who will check to make sure that the complaint has been dealt with satisfactorily. The company’s Complaints Procedure is available upon request.

All complaints will be treated confidentially and all corresponding records will be stored securely.

Should you feel that the issue is not properly resolved, you can contact Ofsted at:-