Our Policies

PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS & CARERS

The principle behind our Partnership with Parents and Carers Policy is taken from the Policy for Early Years Provision in NI (1994) which states that: “Parents are the first educators of their children and should be involved at all stages in their education and development”.

At Bumbles Day Care, we recognise the importance of keeping in close contact with parents in order to meet the needs of each individual child most effectively. Parents are the most knowledgeable people about their children and are also their first and most influential educators.

Children will be more likely to benefit from their time at Bumbles Day Care when staff and parents work in partnership. We hope that parents will feel free at any time during the year to make any recommendations or ask questions about any aspect of our provision, or to suggest any ways of developing better links between parents and Bumbles Day Care.

Bumbles Day Care has an Open Door Policy whereby parents can call in at any time. Should a parent wish to speak to a member of staff specifically then it would be advisable to call in advance, so that alternative arrangements can be made to ensure appropriate staff to child ratio is maintained at all times.

Parent Meetings: These are usually held annually, and are an opportunity to introduce new and reinforce existing policy and procedures, provide timely information with regard to increased fees. We will also provide updates on group activities/play provision and notify of any upcoming events, as well as giving feedback on evaluation questionnaires as appropriate.

Parent Notice Board: This is usually updated monthly and will highlight specific pieces of policy and related articles alongside detailed information about a particular activity. In addition, registration and insurance information will always be displayed.

Apart from having the formal opportunities to air views, outlined above, we hope that parents will feel free at any time during the year to make any recommendations or ask questions about any aspect of our provision, or to suggest any other ways of developing better links between parents and Bumbles.

At Bumbles we value parental input and appreciate their support. If parents have any special talents, or interesting jobs we encourage them to participate in sharing those talents with our children and staff. For example we have had:-

• A parent with hearing impairment, demonstrate the use of sign language.
• A parent, who was blind, visit with their guide dog.
• The parent of a child with a severe nut allergy delivering awareness training of this to staff.

At Bumbles we celebrate children’s cultures and traditions and encourage parental input in this area is promoted.

CHILD & ADULT PROTECTION

In Bumbles the welfare of the children in our care is paramount. We are committed to creating an environment in which children are safe from abuse, and in which any suspicion of abuse is promptly and appropriately responded to.

At Bumbles we will endeavour to safeguard our children by:-

• Ensuring safety procedures are adhered to Bumbles childcare staff team are committed:-
• Sharing information about child protection and good practice with children, parents, staff and volunteers.
• Report concerns to statutory agencies who need to know and involve parents and children appropriately
• We have a Designated Officer and Deputy Officer who are responsible for safeguarding children’s issues
• Effective management for staff and volunteers through support and training
• Pre-employment police check and vetting (POCFA – October 2005) (ensures we exclude known abusers)
• Applying rigorous recruitment, selection and interview procedures
• Following Health & Social Service guidelines on child protection
  • To protect and ensure the well-being of the children in their care
  • To develop awareness of issues that can cause children harm
  • To report any concerns following Bumbles child protection procedures

Code of Practice

All Bumbles staff have gone through an induction process which includes an awareness of key Policies & Procedures as well as an agreement to a code of conduct aimed to ensure good practice that includes valuing and respecting children as individuals, and the adult modelling of appropriate conduct – which will always exclude bullying, shouting, racism, sectarianism or sexism.

MANAGING CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOUR

The standards and principles of our policy take into account the U.N Convention on Rights of the Child which states “that the child should be fully prepared to live an individual life in society, and brought up in the spirit of the ideals proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, and in particular in the spirit of peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and solidarity.”

At Bumbles Day Care we believe in young children’s growing ability to control their own lives, to make choices and accept responsibility for their actions. We also believe that all children have the right to expect positive approaches to managing their behaviour, which are consistent with these goals.

Managing children’s ‘behaviour’, is about helping children to make judgements about what they can or cannot do, so helping them control their own behaviour through developing in them an awareness of other people’s needs as well as their own, and some understanding of the consequences of their actions on others. Giving explanations, for the reasons certain behaviour is encouraged or discouraged is a key way in which children can develop self-control and come to appreciate the need to respect, tolerate and co-operate with others around them.

Any form of punishment that humiliates and attacks children’s sense of self and makes them feel helpless is damaging and is NEVER permitted in Bumbles.

COMPLAINTS

At Bumbles, we aim to provide a stimulating, safe environment for all children. We are committed to delivering the highest standard of care and to foster good relationships with all parents and carers. We aim to provide a service that is accountable to parents and to encourage parental involvement we welcome all comments and suggestions to help us improve our group.

We believe parent’s views and concerns should be respected and acknowledged, and understand that on occasion circumstances may result in a parent or carer wishing to make a complaint.

We aim to bring all concerns about the running of Bumbles Day Care to a prompt, satisfactory and amicable conclusion for all of the parties involved.