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Acknowledgement Liz Hodgman

In Practice

As Childminders work from their own homes it is vital that they ensure their premises are safe and secure each day before they start work. If you live with other people they may not be as safety conscious as you are. Designing a daily checklist may help.  See Downloads Below

 

It is not necessary to go to the expense of buying a proper visitors book. A printed sheet (see downloads) or an exercise book would be fine. All visitors to your setting during minding hours need to be recorded, including friends visiting, workmen etc.

 

The EXACT times of the children’s arrivals and departures must be recorded on an attendance record. This is not the contracted times. If you are providing wrap around care, dropping and collecting children from pre-school and school, then you must also record the times that they leave your care and when they return to it. The NCMA have an Attendance Book to purchase or you can use your own. A sample one is available to Download at the bottom of this page.

 

A robust procedure must be in place to ensure that Children are only collected by those authorised to do so. It is important that you establish who has parental responsibility for the child especially if Parents are separating and/or divorcing. If a parent requests that you do not give children to the other parent check whether you can legally withhold the child from them. The NCMA legal line will be able to offer you free legal advice.

The provider must take necessary steps
to safeguard and promote the welfare of children

PREMISES AND SECURITY                                 

Premises and security

The premises, both indoors and outdoors, must be safe and secure.

 

Providers must notify Ofsted of any change in the facilities to be used for care that may affect the space and level of care available to children. An early years provider who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with this requirement, commits an offence.

 

Providers must only release children into the care of individuals named by the parent.

 

Providers must ensure that children do not leave the premises unsupervised.

 

Providers must take steps to prevent intruders entering the premises.

Downloads

 

Daily Checklist

 

Visitors to the setting Policy

 

Childminding Guest Book

 

Attendance Register

 

Arrival and Collection Procedure

 

Collection permission form

 

 

A larger selection of policies, procedures , charts and forms is available to download from the Policies and Procedures page and the Other Downloads Page.

Statutory guidance to which providers should have regard
Providers should take into account where relevant:
 

• general indoors and outdoors security, such as which doors are locked or unlocked, door alarms, the use of security systems, intercoms and name badges;
   
• staff awareness of the whereabouts of other people in the building and of other users on the premises;
   
• information about the need for security and the systems in place, for example, posters and reminders displayed for parents and visitors;
   
• what additional security measures may be necessary where children stay overnight;
   
• the use of a system to verify the identity of any visitors, record their names, the purpose of the visit, and details of arrival and departure times;
   
• arrival and departure procedures for staff, children, parents and visitors;
   
• except where there is reasonable excuse, obtaining written permission from parents where children are to be picked up by another adult.