Accident policy

At Tiddly Toes Family Fun Pre-School, our main aim is to keep children safe at all times, while we understand that allowing them to take measured and careful risks is essential in their development. Tiddly Toes Family Fun Pre-School recognise that accidents and incidents may still occur, in all cases we will fill out an accident sheet detailing where the accident or incident took place and what happened. These forms are reviewed monthly to see if there is anything we as a setting need to look at in order to reduce the risks in a particular area. All accident forms are kept in the office area of the kitchenette. They are also reviewed in order to check that it is not the same child having accidents, as this may be an indication of something else going in.

Accidents

Tiddly Toes Family Fun Pre-School any member of staff who witnesses an accident is responsible for writing up an accident form, if there was another member of staff witnessing the accident, they must countersign the form. In cases of more serious accidents then the staff involved will need to write a statement explaining in their own words what they saw, and how they responded. These statements should be written as soon as possible to ensure they are as accurate as possible. At the end of the child’s session the parents must be made aware of the accident and shown the accident form, signing at the bottom to acknowledge they were told about the accident.

HOWEVER, IN CASES OF HEAD INJURIES, a phone call will be made to the parent(s) to inform them about the accident. The child will be closely monitored and if there are any changes in behaviour or condition the parent(s) will be asked to collect the child and seek medical advice immediately. Where medical treatment is required from a medical professional, the parent(s) will be informed as soon as possible, while the child is being cared for by staff or medical staff. In all cases where medical treatment is sought outside the setting Tiddly Toes Family Fun Pre-School will inform the insurance company, following their reporting procedure.

Any accident that is deemed a serious accident will be reported to RIDDOR (Reporting of injuries, diseases, dangerous occurrences regulations) and OFSTED as soon as possible so if they feel a further investigation needs to be carried out they can do this in a timely manner.  All accident and incident forms must be kept for at least 21 years and 3 months

Head injuries

If a child sustains a head injury at the setting we will follow the procedure below

1. Calm the child down
2. Assess the child’s condition to determine whether they need to be seen at the hospital or an ambulance called for them.
3. Check if the skin is broken, if it has not been broken then a cold compress will be applied to the area they have bumped. If the skin is broken it will need to be treated as an open wound and any bleeding taken care of.
4. Parent(s) must be contacted and made aware of what has happened and the treatment plan and arrange collection.
5. Whilst awaiting collection the child should be kept calm and quiet and under supervision at all times. An accident form must be completed.
6. If the child requires attention at the hospital and the parent(s) are going to be a while then an ambulance will be called, and a member of staff will accompany the child taking all information about the child and the accident with them. The member of staff will remain with the child until their parent(s) arrive. Remember that other children may have witnessed what has happened and will be scared, upset and need comforting.

First aid

The first aid box is kept in the kitchenette and is always made accessible to staff trained to use it.  The first aid kit is checked monthly to ensure everything is still in date and everything that may be needed is available. The appointed first aider is Jessica Cooper, who is paediatric first aid trained and this training is renewed every 3 years. When the children are taken on any outings away from the setting, Jessica Cooper will accompany them as the lead first aider.

Medication policy

At Tiddly Toes Family Run Pre-School, we promote the children’s health and take steps to stop the spread of infections and illness. If a child requires medication, we will collect information about the need for the medication and ensure this information is updated regularly.

Medication prescribed by a doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist.

• Prescription medication will only be given to the child named on the label and given the dosage stated on the label.
• All medication must be in the original packaging, with the original label of prescription from the pharmacy.
• Parents should hand the medication to a member of staff who will fill in a medication form with all the appropriate information. Parents will need to sign to say they want the medication given at the times stated on the form.
• At the end of the child’s session the parent must sign to acknowledge the time and dosage of the medication is given, before they collect the medication to take it home again.
• A new form must be completed if a new medicine is brought to the setting, if the dosage changes or the number of times the medication must be given in a day.
• Parents MUST tell the staff if any of the medication information changes immediately.
• When a parent drops their child in to the setting with medication, they must be asked what time the child last had the medication and how much they had, this information must be noted on a medication form. When the child is collected, whoever collects them must be told what time the child last had the medication and sign as acknowledgement of this information.
• If a child is started on anti-biotics for any reason, then the child must stay at home for 48 hours to allow them time to settle with the medication and to make sure they do not have any reactions to the medication.

Non-prescription medication – such as Calpol and Ibuprofen

• Tiddly Toes Family Fun Pre-School WILL NOT give any child Calpol and Ibuprofen in the same day. It will be either one or the other.
• Tiddly Toes Family Fun Pre-School will only administer non-prescription medication in the short term, no longer than 3 days, this time frame will also depend on the medication and the health of the child. After this the child must be taken to see a medical professional for further advice.
• If a staff member or I believe that a child should be seen by a medical professional, we reserve the right to refuse care for the day or until the child has been seen by a medical professional.
• If a child within our care shows signs and or symptoms of being unwell, and the parent has already given permission for non-prescribed medications to be given, we will still need to give the parents a call for verbal permission before giving the child the medication. The prior permission is in case of an emergency and no parent is able to be contacted. At this point the child must have been in our care for at least 4 hours.
• As Tiddly Toes Family Fun Pre-School provides all nappy creams for the children, a list of children will be kept by the nappy unit informing staff which creams children can not have use on them.

Staff medication

All staff at Tiddly Toes Family Fun Pre-School have a responsibility to work with children, only where they are fit to do so. Staff must not work with children if they are infectious or too ill to carry out the day-to-day care of the children. This includes any medication that affects their ability to meet the children’s needs.

If any staff member believes that their condition, including any conditions caused by medication is affecting their ability they must inform the management for advice.

When staff may occasionally need medication or on a more regular basis this must be always kept in the kitchenette and stored out of sight of the children in the proper way.

Medication storage

All medication must be stored in accordance to the directions on the original packaging of a medication. The medication must still have the prescribing sticker/label displaying the name of who the medication is for, the dosage and how may times it is to be administered throughout the day, all this information must be legible and unchanged.

Behaviour policy

At Tiddly Toes Family Run Pre-School, we know and understand that children can behave in a variety of ways in order to communicate their needs and feelings with us.

As a setting we do not like to use negative language to describe a child or their behaviour, instead we draw attention too and praise positive behaviour instead. However, if an incident occurs that needs addressing we will follow these steps:

1. Remove the child from the area and into a calm and quiet place.
2. A member of staff will sit with the child and talk through what happened and why they acted in the way they did.
3. Explain why the behaviour was wrong and discuss how they might react next time.
4. If the child is distressed or angry the staff member will try calming them down by talking to them or doing some simple deep breathing techniques.

When a child is displaying positive behaviour or listening well to instruction then it is important to praise ethe child, describing what they have done well. E.g. well done Charlie you’re doing really good tidying, thank you. If a child receives praise when displaying positive behaviour, they are more likely to repeat the behaviour.

Children will not be made to apologise to another child as if they are forced to do this it has no meaning. Instead, children will be asked to apologise and discuss why we say sorry.

Complaints policy

In the event that a parent or carer would like to make a complaint, they should ask to speak to either Sam or Jessica Cooper. This is so the complaint can be dealt with as quickly and effectively as possible.

Any complaint made will need to be put into writing at Info@tiddly-toes.co.uk, even if the complaint is made verbally in the first instance. This is so there is a paper record of the complaint. Once the written copy has been received a copy and summary of the compliant will be sent to the parent or carer as well as kept on file at the setting for our own records.

Tiddly Toes Family Run Pre-School is OFSTED registered, therefore if the parent or carer feels that the complaint has not been dealt with in a timely manner or are dissatisfied with the way the complaint was handled they can contact OFSTED on 0300 123 1231 to speak to someone directly.

The complaint will be dealt with as quickly as possible and a satisfactory resolution will be presented to the complainant within 28 days.

If the parent or carer does not feel that they can make the complaint directly to Tiddly Toes Family Run Pre-School, then they can contact LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer) directly for advice:

The LADOs for West Sussex are Miriam Williams and Donna Tomlinson.
Consultation Contact Number:  0330 222 6450  (Available 09.00 – 17.00)
LADO Service Contact Number: (Available through the MASH)  01403 229900
LADO Service email address:  LADO@WestSussex.gov.uk

Fire Policy and procedure

In the case of a fire at Tiddly Toes Family Run Pre-School, we would gather the children in their daily groups (1 staff member to 5 children) and Sam would do a check of the toilets and bring any children from in them out to join the others. We will all then walk calmly in a line down the stairs and out of the back door that leads to the car park. Once we are all out of the building we will walk to the furthest point from the building where the children will stand in a line along the fence wile a member of staff completes a head count and another calls 999.

Staff member 1 – Sam Cooper – Check the 2 bathrooms for children bringing any children to join the others. Sam will take the mobile phone and dial 999.

Staff member 2 – Jessica Cooper – Help the children out of the building and complete a headcount once out of the building. Jess will take the first aid kit, start to call parents when the children are safe and it is safe to do so.

Staff member 3 - Help the children out of the building and keep them calm when lined up awaiting further instructions.

When the fire brigade arrive Sam will liaise with them and pass on information to the rest of the staff. If the fire brigade say it is safe to return, then a member of staff will enter first ensuring there is a safe place for the children to be whilst we wait for the parents to collect.

If the fire brigade say it is not safe for us to return into the building, then we will keep all children in a safe area, telling stories or playing games while we wait for the parents. It may not be possible to collect children’s belongings from the setting, but they will be kept safe until they are able to be collected.

Procedure

1. Fire alarm rings, all children gathered in 2 small groups.
2. We exit the building as quickly but as safely as possible.
3. On the way out of the building staff will grab what they are responsible for (see above)
4. Once out of the building we will move to the furthest point of the carpark and line the children up ready for a head count.
5. Sam will call 999, and then Jess will begin calling parents.
6. We will await instruction from the fire brigade.
7. If it is safe to return inside, we will do so, gathering children on the carpet talking about what happened, waiting for the parents to collect. If it is unsafe we will stay in the car park and wait for parents.

Nappy and toilet policy

At Tiddly toes family run pre-school we provide all nappies, wipes and barrier creams for all children who require them. Throughout the day the children will have a minimum of 2 nappy changes if attending for a school day (at 11.30am and 2.30pm) and a minimum of 3 nappy changes if doing a full day (at 11.30am, 2.30pm and 5.30pm). If any child needs to be changed in between these times then they will be.

Nappy changing procedure

1. Where possible the child’s key person will change their nappy, talking to them and describing what they are doing whilst they are doing it, also what the child has done in their nappy.
2. The child will be taken to the bathroom and lifted up onto the nappy change unit. The child MUST NEVER BE LEFT UNATTENDED ON THE NAPPY UNIT.
3. The staff member will put a pair of disposable gloves on before removing any clothing or the nappy from the child.
4. A clean nappy will be placed underneath the child before undoing the nappy and cleaning the child with the wipes provided. This is to help reduce cross contamination on the nappy mat.
5. Once the child is clean the used nappy and any used wipes will be placed into a nappy sack, leaving it open for when the gloves are finished with
6. Once the clean nappy has been done up the gloves can be removed and placed into the nappy sack, then being placed into the bin.
7. The child will then be re-dressed and lifted down from the nappy unit, the nappy mat will then be sprayed and wiped down before the staff member washes their hand or uses the alcohol gell provided.

As Tiddly Toes Family Run Pre-School is a “pre-school” one of our many objectives are to get the children prepared to start school, and being able to use the toilet and clean themselves properly is a requirement for them to begin school. We understand that all children will start toilet training at different ages and stages of development, but to ensure all children are ready for school, if they have not already begun toilet training, we will introduce this at at 3 years 6 (unless there is a medical reason why they still require nappies). We will of course work closely with Parents and carers to make sure the child is supported consistently between home and the setting.

Toileting

As the toilets are withing the room children will have access to them when they need to, the toilets will be checked regularly to make sure they are kept in clean and safe conditions. Staff will also check to make sure the children in the bathroom are using the toilets appropriately and are not being silly.

When the children first begin toileting staff will accompany the children to help and support them while they use the toilet and will help them to clean themselves after using the toilet. As they get older and are more confident in using the bathroom staff will encourage the children to clean themselves in order to be school ready. After using the toilet staff will also make sure all children wash and dry their hands

Accidents

When children begin toilet training it is inevitable that they will have accidents while learning to use the toilet. Children who have had an accident will be taken to the bathroom and into a cubicle to give them privacy as they get changed.

• Staff will wear a pair of disposable gloves to help the children get changed. However, staff will actively encourage the child to remove the wet or soiled clothes themselves
• If the chid is just wet then staff will support the child in cleaning themselves to begin with giving them a final wipe over. However, if it is a soiled accident then the staff member will clean them to ensure they are clean and do not get sore
• Children will be helped and supported to get into clean clothes before washing their hands and returning to play.