Written in accordance with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (2024): Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements: Safety and suitability of premises, environment and equipment:
Organising premises for confidentiality and safeguarding
3.72 Providers must ensure:
• There is an area where staff may talk to parents and/or carers confidentially.
• Children are only released into the care of individuals of whom the parent has explicitly notified the provider.
• Children do not leave the premises unsupervised.
• They take all reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised persons entering the premises and have an agreed procedure for checking the identity of visitors.
Open door policy
Little Squirrels nursery operates an ‘open door policy'. The idea of this is to make parents feel that they can come and talk to the team whenever they wish. The ‘open door policy’ helps to build a sense of trust because they feel that they can pop in and have an informal word whenever they wish. Parents are encouraged to communicate regularly with their child’s key person to discuss their child’s learning, development and express any concerns that they have. We have an office so that any confidential conversations can be had in a private space. There is someone from the management team available to always speak to.
Little Squirrels recognises the importance of having robust systems in place to ensure the safe arrival and departure of the children in our care.
The managers will ensure that an accurate record is kept of all children in the Nursery, and that any arrivals or departures are recorded in the register. The registers are always kept in an accessible location in each room.
Security
We have a porch area where parents let themselves in, we then have a doorbell which is linked to the phone system, this enables us to identify the person before opening the door. The door is only opened by a member of the team.
Arrivals
Our team will greet each child warmly on their arrival at the Nursery and will record the child’s attendance in the daily register straightaway, including the time of arrival.
This is the time to pass over any messages, updates about the child. Any accidents at home they may have had, medications they may need ect.
We will always do our best to ensure the child’s key person greets your child at the door.
Departures
• Children are collected by an adult who has been authorised to do so on their registration form.
• In exceptional circumstances, if the parent requires another person who is not listed on the registration form to collect their child, the child’s parents or carers must inform the Nursery in advance and provide a description of the person and a password that they will use. If the managers have any concerns regarding the person collecting he/she will contact the main parent or carer for confirmation.
• In all circumstances, children must only be collected by an adult (over 18) even if it is an elder sibling.
• The parent or carer must notify the Nursery if they will be late collecting their child. If the Nursery is not informed, the Uncollected Children policy will be followed.
• We will do our best to ensure that the child’s key person hands over when they collect.
Absences
• If a child is going to be absent from a session, parents must notify the Nursery in advance either by email to shrawley@littlesquirrelsltd.co.uk or by telephone 01905 620498
This policy was adopted by Kylie Jones
July 2016
This policy was renewed by Kylie Jones
September 2024
• The Nursery will try to discover the causes of prolonged and unexplained absences. Regular absences could indicate that a child or their family might need additional support.