Child Records

We keep records of your child’s development here at Chuckles.  The records are completed regularly by the team when specific milestones are reached.  They are not available to any outside agency or third party without your approval.  They are freely available to you only, at any time.

Behaviour Management Policy

At Chuckles, the team have a belief that a child should grow up to respect the environment in which they live and the people around them.  This is introduced to the child through guidance and example and positive behaviour techniques

On some occasions where a child’s behaviour becomes unacceptable, it is necessary to adopt a time-out policy.  The aim of time out is to remove the child from the activity they are disrupting, enabling them to reflect on what they have done and for the nursery nurses to explain why their actions were unacceptable.  A younger child will be distracted with an alternative activity.  If the problem persists, issues of discipline are discussed with parents to reach a solution.

Participation Policy

Participation is when people are given the opportunity to express their views effectively and for those views to be listened to and taken account of. At Chuckles we encourage children, parents and the team to participate in the areas of the Nursery which affect them. There are a variety of ways that children can participate, such as picture questionnaires, circle time and through group question and answer sessions (mind mapping).

Anti- Bullying Policy

No person should feel they are victimised/bullied because of their colour, race, religion, disability, gender, age or for any other reason.  If at any time a member of the team feels a child in their care is being victimised/bullied they will report it immediately to their Team Leader.  The matter will be dealt with immediately and in confidence and the necessary parents will be contacted.

Child Protection Policy

At Chuckles the well being of all children must come first.  We are committed to working in partnership with families and other agencies and feel that this is in the best interest of children who use our services.

Members of the Chuckles team have a responsibility to use their professional judgement in how to act upon concerns which arise over the health or welfare of any child in their care, and this may, on some very rare occasions result in a referral to Children & Family Services for advice or investigation.  They will be honest with parents about any action that they undertake, except in cases where this may affect the safety of the child concerned.

On no account will any information regarding concerns about a child be shared with any other nursery user.

Should a member of the Chuckles Team become under suspicion of harming any child whether it be in the work place or outside in their personal lives, the Nursery Manager will inform Children & Family Services immediately, and that member of the team will be suspended from work until they have been fully cleared.  

The Protection of Children Act 1999 created a single system for identifying people unsuitable to work with children,, which combined the previous Department of Health’s "Consultancy Index List" and the Department of Education’s “List 99” with police criminal records. Any person employed by Chuckles Nursery will be checked against this list when undergoing their CRB check (Criminal Records Bureau). It is an offence to employ anyone on this list.

If a member of the team suspects that the person collecting a child is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the child will have to remain on the premises until another member of the family is contacted. This will be recorded and Children & Family Services notified. Children under the age of 16 will not be allowed to collect a child from the Nursery with or without the parent’s permission.

Special Needs Policy

Children with special needs are very welcome within Chuckles.  We would point out, however, that the following should be considered:-
(1) The geographical nature of the building is suitable for the disability
(2) Whether the needs of the child can be met within the general day to day routine.
If additional trained personnel are required we will have to discuss any costs.

Additionally the team should have

1. As much information as possible concerning the child
2. Help and support from the caring agencies
3. The parents commitment to work in partnership with the nursery team
4. The support of the parents and the caring agencies in an agreed system of continuous assessment and records.

 

Equality Policy

This policy refers to person’s that have “protected characteristics” (PC). These are the groups previously protected by equality legislation; they are age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity.

Chuckles Day Care Wales is committed to ensuring that anyone directly involved with the company will not be subjected to any types of discrimination

The Manager is responsible for ensuring that information, guidance, advice and support  is given on any issues regarding equality all person’s involved with Chuckles in order to prevent discrimination occurring

For full details on the types of discrimination that may occur and how the management will prevent them occurring please request a copy of the full equality policy.

Confidentiality Policy

It is Chuckles policy to treat all parent/child information with the utmost confidentiality.  Information is:-
Personal records relating to the parent/child
Medical records relating to the child
Progress reports relating to the child
Discussions with and relating to the parent/child
If it is necessary for health/progress information to be used by someone outside Chuckles, it will be released only on written authorisation from the parent/carer.
Should there seem to be a risk to the child’s safety a breach of confidentiality may be necessary; however this will only be done with proper consultation and will be a joint not an individual decision.

Left / Lost Children

Chuckles closes at 6pm each day.  If an emergency arises and you cannot
collect your child you must contact the Nursery to let them know and to tell
them who will be collecting your child in your place. Any child left after 6pm
will be charged at a rate of £6.00 per 15 minutes. (This fee will be given
to the member of staff who has to remain behind.) If no call has been received
by this time and we cannot contact you ourselves, we will notify firstly Children
& Family Services and then the local Police.  May I remind you at this time
that Chuckles licence runs from 6am to 6pm.  Our insurance does not cover
your child outside these times.

Should a child become lost whilst on a trip outside the Nursery we will contact the Police if your child is not found within five minutes and then yourselves and Social Services immediately after.

Complaints Procedure

Should you ever feel it necessary to make a complaint about our Childcare procedures, please contact the Nursery Manager who must address your issue within 14 days. (which can be extended a further 28 days on agreement from all parties involved)  However, and I hope this never has to happen,  if you feel the need to make a complaint about the Manager or are not happy with the response from the Manager, please contact myself, Lisa Owen (telephone number can be obtained by contacting Tara Owen the Nursery or by email on lisa@chucklesnursery.com. 

All complaints will be dealt with confidentially and a copy of the outcome will be forwarded to the CSSIW.  

Should the matter remain unresolved, the complainant can contact the nursery who will arrange for an impartial advisor to hear the complaint, if this advisor still fails to resolve the issue then the complainant can request formal consideration of the complaint by the CSSIW.
The contact details for the CSSIW are:

Inspection Officer for Under 8’s
Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales (CSSIW) South East Region
6th Floor, Civic Centre
Pontypool,  NP4  6YB
Telephone 01495 761200

You also have the right to contact the Welsh Assembly Government and their details can be obtained by requesting a copy of Chuckles complaints procedure

Sickness / Illness Policy

Part of growing up means that the child will go through a whole of series of illnesses, all quite common and in most cases nothing to be feared. For the parents of a child, it must seem that their children are constantly suffering from something or other whether it is a common cold or an ear infection.
When children first attend nursery, they are coughed over by infants with a multitude of viruses, and this is frequently their worst year for infections. Eventually some immunity is acquired and the number of illnesses gradually decreases each year until adulthood. At Chuckles we have an obligation to children to minimise illnesses and infections so even though the child may be quite happy to come to nursery, we reserve the right to refuse admittance.

Collecting your child from Nursery

We understand it is difficult, but it is imperative you collect your child as soon as possible after being contacted. We have to act quickly to reduce the spread of infection within the Nursery.

Common Cold

Colds are caused, not by one but a number of viruses, which explains why one infection may follow straight after another, giving the impression of a non-stop nose run. As they are viruses, they do not respond to treatment with antibiotics but cure themselves, usually within four to five days. A common cold can often start with a sore throat; slightly pink eardrums and a slight cold. When all these symptoms come together it shows that the child has indeed contracted a common cold. Individually they indicate tonsillitis, ear infection or bronchitis. There is no specific treatment for colds, although Calpol may make the child more comfortable.   

Gastro-enteritis (Diarrhoea due to infection)

If your child has gastro-enteritis this can pose considerable risk at the Nursery since such infections spread easily among other children.
Please keep your children home from the Nursery for 48hours after their last symptom. In order to find the cause of diarrhoea you are advised to consult your own doctor. This is especially important if you suspect food poisoning, if your child has recently been abroad, or if your child has been in contact with someone else who has had a similar illness recently.

Antibiotics

If your child receives antibiotics from your doctor, they need to remain home for a period of 24hours. After that time, should they feel happy enough in themselves, please feel free to bring them along to Nursery. We can administer the medicine if the correct medicine charts are completed and signed.

Mumps

General feeling of being unwell, fever, headache, muscle swelling and pain especially in front of ears. Dry mouth and pain on eating.
Incubation period – 2/3 weeks. Infectious from 6 days before swelling to 3 days after swelling has gone.

Eye Disorders

Sticky eyes/conjunctivitis etc is highly infectious. If drops are given the children should have a minimum of 48 hours antibiotic treatment before returning to Nursery. Generally, colds do not cause sticky eyes.

Ear Infection

Many doctors say that the child’s illness is not infectious, but if the child has been given antibiotics they need to have at least one day’s full course and rest before returning to Nursery.
Weeping ears however are infections and need to be treated.

Thrush

This is easily treated and it is usually fine for a child to attend after 24 hours, but it is very important that they have their own cups, cutlery and flannels etc.
For children under 2, who are constantly putting objects into their mouths, the period away from the Nursery may be longer.

Rashes

These are usually contagious and parents will be notified so that hey can take the child to the doctor to check.

Measles

Starts with a bad cold, temperature, spots are red and raised, maybe blotchy. Infectious period – until rash disappears, needs rest to recover.

Chicken-pox

Headache, fever, swollen lymph nodes, blotchy rash which 2 days later appears as small pimples over the trunk. After a few hours they will blister, then dry and fall off after about 10 days unless they become infected.

Hand, Foot and Mouth

This is a very mild infection and is very rare! There is no serious illness but it is HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS. It is a viral infection with an incubation period 4 / 6 days. Small blisters can form on palms of hands, soles of feet and in the mouth. It is carried in stool and nasal discharge and can remain in the body for up to three weeks. The child must stay away from Nursery until fully recovered. The child can have a cold, headache and be irritable. Blisters in the mouth can cause a loss of appetite.

Herpes Simplex

This is a highly infectious virus usually brought on when the immune system is run down. It has an incubation period of 2 – 10 days.
Symptoms – blisters inside the cheeks, ulcers on the tongue and cold sores around the mouth.
This is a very nasty skin infection and children should not attend Nursery until all traces have disappeared. 

Meningitis

Meningitis is very rare but recognition of this very important.
Look for: High fever, Headache, Vomiting, Irritability, Dislike of Light, Stiff Neck, and Rash. If you are concerned about any of the above, seek medical advice urgently.

Impetigo

This is a highly infectious skin condition caused by bacteria. The symptoms are red spots that gradually enlarge until they are anything up to 2cm in size and turn into fluid filled blisters, which then break, form a crust and the rash spread. The child should be kept away from other children until rash clears

Chart to show the period of time your child should be kept away from Nursery if unwell.

ILLNESS	2 days	3 Days	Able to attend	Completely Recovered	Managers discretion
Gastro-enteritis		X
Sickness and/or Diarrhoea			48 hrs after last symptom
Ear infection	X
Eye Disorders	X
Temperatures					X
Viral Infection	X
Thrush	X
Measles				X
Rubella				X
Impetigo				X
Chicken Pox				X
Meningitis				X
Allergies			X
Hand, Foot & Mouth				X
Scabies				X
Roseola Infantum			X
Mumps				X
Scarlet Fever				X
Slapped Cheek syndrome				X
Whooping Cough				X
Herpes Simplex				X
Eczema			X
Ring Worm				X
Head Lice	X
Tonsillitis	X
Chest Infection	X
Common cold					X

 

Where the above illnesses state:-

‘Completely recovered’ this means they can return to Nursery when the Nursery Manager is satisfied there will be no risk of infection to the other children.
‘2 days or 3 days’ this means after they have received treatment for the condition, which will usually mean with antibiotics.