Principle and statement of intent
In formulating this policy we refer to the following principle:
U.N Convention on Rights of the Child article 24 states that – “Children have the right to be as healthy as possible, live and play in a safe healthy unpolluted environment and benefit from preventative health care and education”
At Bumbles Day Care we are committed to the health and well-being of the children in our care, our staff and the parents/carers and visitors who come to our setting. By putting an exclusion policy and procedures into place we aim to cut down the spread of infection and therefore the amount of illness, which can affect those attending Bumbles.
In relation to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are following advice from relevant bodies and keeping up to date with current recommendations. Advice is ever-changing and we are doing our best to keep abreast of any updates and implementing them immediately.
We will continue to keep parents up to date via the famly app. Please contact us for any further details.
Procedures
Exclusion of sick children / staff
Children who are unwell with an infectious disease should not attend Bumbles Day Care. Parents are required to sign a form whereby they agree with Bumbles Day Care Policies and Procedures, for the exclusion of sick children. The Management team ensure that all parents/carers sign this digital exclusion contract for their child/children. This is vital to minimise the spread of infection within the setting and has been effective since 1st April 2007.
Parents and staff members are provided with exclusion times for common infections. The HSC Public Health Poster – Guidance on Infection Control in Schools and other Childcare settings is displayed in all of our settings.
Upon registration, we check with parents to make sure that the child’s immunisation schedule is up to date. Once the child is attending Bumbles, it is important that parents let us know if any additional vaccinations are being given so records can be updated.
Even with the preventative measures such as good health promotion practices and immunisation, infections are very common among young children who are still in the process of developing immunity to the many viruses and bacteria that cause them.
In the best interests of your child and the other children and staff at Bumbles, children should not attend when they are sick. Should a child become ill whilst in our care, we would contact parents/carers and ask them to collect their child as soon as possible. Parents should therefore consider the type of back up service to Bumbles they can arrange should their child become sick.
First aid
In accordance with the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, amended 1990, Bumbles provide First Aid kits. A First Aid kit is located in each of the play rooms, as well as in the kitchens. A travel First Aid Kit is also carried by staff on outings with the children as well as in Bumbles own vehicles. Anyone who uses an item from the First Aid box should replace it immediately from our store of extra supplies or advise the manager to restock that item. It is the Co-ordinator’s responsibility to check the contents of the First Aid box on a regular basis and restock if necessary.
A list of staff holding current First Aid Certificates is always on display on our notice-boards.
Any first aid administered should be approved by a first aid certificate holder.
Any incident involving First Aid treatment, however minor, must be recorded on Famly for digital sign off by child’s parents / carers as soon as possible. At collection, if the parent / carer has not acknowledged the accident form, then a member of staff will remind them to log on and acknowledge it. The Management team have access to all completed accident forms and are kept informed in this way. Staff must make the Management team aware of any accidents / incidents that require more core complex First Aid administration.
Dealing with sick child / medical emergency
Please see separate COVID-19 procedure for exclusion due to COVID-19 symptoms.
If a child becomes ill whilst at Bumbles and it is deemed that they are too unwell to stay, the parent(s) or other appropriate person (as indicated on famly) will be contacted and asked to collect their child as soon as possible.
Should a more serious incident or accident occur, the parents must be contacted immediately, so that the child can be taken to the doctor or hospital as soon as is possible. If the parents or a person named as an emergency contact on the famly profile cannot be contacted, the nursery staff will act in locus parentis and take the child to the appropriate place for treatment, while the management team attempt, at regular intervals, to contact the parents/carers. On registration, digital consent is given to transfer a child to hospital either by staff car or ambulance, whichever is most appropriate.
In the event of a serious accident occurring at Bumbles Day Care, it is also the Manager’s/Deputy’s responsibility to inform the registering social worker.
Dealing with sick adult / medical emergency
If a member of staff takes ill and is deemed too unwell to continue working, they will either:
- Make their own way home
- Arrange for another member of staff to escort them home
- Contact a relative to come for them. (A next of kin contact is recorded on own famly profile.)
- Management will arrange appropriate cover so that the adult : child ratios are still maintained.
On return to work after a prolonged infection period, staff may be asked for a ‘fit to return to work’ certificate from their doctor.
Recording of infectious diseases
If any child in our care contracts an infectious disease, all parents would be informed by placing a notice on the entrance doors and notice boards. Parents/carers should notify Bumbles immediately if a child is off due to illness or becomes ill with an infectious disease whilst they are on holidays from Bumbles.
In the case of German measles, chicken pox or hand foot and mouth being present in the setting, any mothers who may be pregnant should also be advised to consult their doctor. If there was an outbreak of meningitis or swine flu, advice would be given by the Department of Public Health Medicine, depending on the type of meningitis/flu.
Our staff team are trained to spot signs of illness and how to deal with them. However it must be pointed out that Bumbles staff members are not medically trained to diagnose illnesses, but give an honest opinion that a child is not well.
Parents are asked to be vigilant when it comes to letting us know that their child is unwell and what illness has been diagnosed by a medical professional. This way we can keep a record and try to ensure we minimise the risk to others.
If a child appears unwell when they arrive with parents/carer’s or it is reported that the child is unwell, they will not be allowed to attend Bumbles Day Care for that day or for the relevant amount of time, which will be indicated in the exclusion procedure table.