Eymp 3 promote children’s welfare and well being in the early years

EYMP 3 — Promote Children’s Welfare and well being in the early years 1. 1 Explain the welfare requirements and guidance of the relevant early years framework Each of the nations within the United Kingdom has a set of welfare requirements or standards that must be met by the provider of early years care. There are three general legal requirements and each of these include specific legal requirements. These specific requirements include statutory guidance informing the provider exactly what is required of them in the early years setting. They are compulsory for all providers of early years care and education. The Early Years Foundation Standard sets out the general welfare requirements and guidance for children and young people as follows. A) Provider must take steps required to safeguard and promote the well being of children. Specific legal requirement areas are: Safeguarding Information and complaint Premises and security Outings Equality of opportunities B) Provider must promote good health of the children, taking necessary steps to prevent infection and the spread of it and to take appropriate advice when children are ill. Specific legal requirements are: Medicines Illness and injuries Food and drink Smoking C) Provider must manage children’s behaviour effectively taking into consideration the stage of their development and their particular needs. Specific legal requirement is: Behaviour management 1. 2 Explain the lines of reporting and responsibility within the work setting All practitioners are responsible for health and safety in any setting. As a childminder I am responsible in my setting for all aspects of health and safety. My responsibilities include: a) Taking reasonable care for my own safety and that of others. (b) Knowing the policies and procedures in my place of work. (c) Recording and reporting to parents or carers all accidents and incidents even near misses, and also incidents of sickness and diarrhoea, especially if you are handling food. (d) Taking note of any hazards as soon as they are discovered and making steps to prevent or correct them. Apart from the legal responsibilities, it is also a good thing to know how to act in differing circumstances, to remain alert and vigilant at all times, as this can prevent accidents, injury, infections and even death in relation to me and children in my care. 2. 2 Explain systems for supporting children’s safety when: Receiving children into the setting On arrival to the setting, children are registered which is essential to ensure staff to child ratio and also in case of any emergency evacuation. Children are met and greeted at the door and taken into the setting. The door is firmly closed and latched. The key is placed away out of the reach of the children. Ensuring their safety on departure On leaving the setting, children are signed out. In the front hall area, coats and shoes are put on and children handed over to parents/carers. A password system is used with parental permission if any other person other than the parents/carers collects the child. A relevant safe guarding policy should be in place for uncollected children. During off site visits Safety during offsite visits is maintained by forward planning and risk assessments carried out regarding the area for visiting. The area should also be checked before hand by visiting or finding out about the place by corresponding with suitable persons at the site. Any particular requirements can be met, i. e. what to do if it rains, lunch arrangements etc. Parents permission should be obtained prior to outings and they should be informed of what is involved in the visit so the child can be properly prepared for the outing . A copy of children’s contact information should be taken on the outing and regularly checked against the attendance list. There should be trained staff on the outing and adult to child ratio followed. 1 adult to every 4 children, more staff will be needed if there are under 2 aged children or children with special needs. Untrained staff must not be left alone with children. If a coach is used for transport, it must have sufficient seatbelts and the driver must have an adequate driving licence. A simple first aid kit, medication such as inhalers, sun cream, nappies, spare clothes, extra drinks and medication also need to be taken. 2. 4 Explain, giving examples, why minimum requirements for: Space Each home nation sets out the minimum standards and requirements for use of space of children’s settings. This is because each setting space requirements are different according to the needs of the children attending and to ensure their safety. On observation of the children’s plan within the setting, practitioners can assess and evaluate the current provision and work out ways of improving the provision if necessary. For example, in my setting the children often like to push around their buggies, so I have moved one of my settees to the side of the room to allow more space for play. I have also introduced a system where the children take it in turns to use the buggies; (two at a time), to ensure safety in play. Staff ratio Specific minimum requirements for staff ratio are given by the Early Years Foundation Standards in England and the equivalent framework in each home nation. The ratio requirements set out the minimum number of staff that must be present with the children at any given time. Every setting is responsible for considering at all times whether there is adequate supervision for the needs of all the children to be met. Ratios relate to staff time available to work directly with the children. There should be enough suitable staff to cover all areas such as breaks, holidays, sickness and time spent with parents to ensure that adequately qualified staff are in place to meet the needs of the children. Ratios also include the children of staff and any volunteers, under the Early Years Foundation Stage welfare requirements there must be at least 2 adults on duty at any time when children are present. 3. 1 Explain how to promote children’s health and well being in an early years work setting Looking in a holistic way at health and wellbeing in each setting is essential for provision to be made to promote healthy and well balanced children. There are six aspects of health in each child and when they are all taken into consideration are important components that determine a child’s health and well being. The six aspects of health are physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual and environmental. Children’s health and well being in an early years setting can be provided by the following practices. a) Providing nutritious food and drink, not processed or junk food. b) Providing real play opportunities which stimulate their senses and provide their learning experiences involving physical activities and exercise. c) Giving love and support regularly to a child as a significant adult in their life is important for their emotional and social well being. d) Providing a healthy and hygienic environment with fresh air, sunlight and encouraging the children to practice good hygiene routines. e) Giving protection so children are in safe surroundings, that allows encouragement for them to make choices and take risks. f) By providing appropriate accommodation, clean and ventilated areas and appropriate and adequate clothing for the weather and activities they will be involved in. g) Providing pockets of time where children can engage in physical activities, rest or sleep. 3. 2 Describe the roles of key health professionals and sources of professional advice in promoting positive health and well being for early years children and their families and carers. The roles of key health professional are to maintain children’s health and to give support to their families. They provide general advice and also specific professional guidance to ensure that children’s holistic health needs are met. Sources of professional advice can be found in specialist health services which vary from one local community to another, for example, local NHS trusts. These NHS services sometimes employ their own health professional such as paediatricians and health visitors. More information regarding the services of NHS can be found online or in a reference library. The first professional contact however is usually the GP or family doctor who will refer the family to the necessary specialist. Referral however can only be carried out with the permission of parents or carers of the child. Examples of these key health professionals are: a) An audiologist who carries out hearing tests and explains the results of those tests. If a child needs hearing aids, they will identify the best type and arrange for them to be supplied. b) A dietician who advises on diet related matters. c) School nurse who visit a number of main stream schools to monitor children’s health and development. They may also be employed in special schools to supervise routine medical care of children with disabilities. 4. 3 Explain how to prepare and store food, formula and breast milk safely according to health and safety guidelines Food According to health and safety guidelines, food should be kept cold in a fridge that has a temperature of 1-50C or 34-410F. Food needs to be covered or wrapped with food wrap or microwave cling film. Food that has begun to thaw must not be refrozen. Frozen meats need to be completely thawed before cooking. Foods must not be used if they have reached their best before or sell by dates. Instructions on food labels should be read before storing. Opened tin food should be stored in a covered dish in the fridge. Raw foods should be stored at the bottom of the fridge, so that juices cannot drop onto cooked food. Formula and Breast milk Department of Health guidelines state that storing formula milk for any length of time increases risk of infection. Formula feeds should be made up as necessary; where feeds are needed on an outing, it is recommended that ready to use liquid formulas are used. Breast milk in sterilized bottles can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days at 40C or lower for 2 weeks in the ice compartment of the fridge or up to 6 months in a freezer. Frozen breast milk should be defrosted in the fridge and given to baby straight away, never to be refrozen once thawed. 5. 1 Identify balance meals, snacks and drinks for children in their early years, following current government guidance on nutritional needs Current government guidance states that a healthy diet must be maintained to ensure that young children’s body’s grow and develop normally and continue to function well. In order for this to happen they need a wide variety of foods which contain enough nutrients (fats, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and fibre) as well as water to maintain the body’s most important functions. Because toddlers are growing rapidly and are extremely active they need more fat and less fibre in their daily diet than adults and children over 5 years. Different foods can be categorised into five groups according to their nutritional values. To ensure a healthy, balanced diet for a young child, foods from the five food groups should be included in their daily menu. Five food groups Carbohydrates — Foods in this group provides energy and also contain vitamins and minerals — breads, cereals and potatoes, pasta rice and couscous. Fruits and vegetables — full of vitamins, minerals and fibre needed to maintain good health, they are also low in fat — carrots, cucumber, tomato, sweet peppers, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi fruit, fruit juice. Milk and dairy foods — full of vitamins, calcium and fat needed to provide energy, helps the body to store energy in the body and insulate it against the cold, helps to resist infections and to promote healthy skin and eyes – whole milk, full fat dairy products, goats milk, calcium enriched soya milk, yoghurt, cheese, fromage frais. Meat, fish and alternatives — contains protein and iron needed to grow and develop, also zinc which promotes the healing of wounds and making many of the body processes function properly – meat, fish, eggs, nuts, pulses, (beans, lentils, peas) and food made from pulses, ie tofu, hummus and soya mince. Meat, cheese and some vegetables contain fat and oils to provide toddlers with energy. Fatty and sugary foods — all high energy foods with little nutritional value – sweets, cakes, chocolates, crisps, biscuits and sweet drinks. Limited amounts of these foods can be offered to the children, but not to replace foods in the other four categories. Water and milk are the best fluids for the children to prevent dehydration and reduce the risk of constipation. Unsweetened, diluted fruit juice can be offered to children, but ideally only at meal times. Sample Weekly Menu | | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | | Breakfast | Cereal | Cereal | Cereal | Cereal | Cereal | | | Milk/juice | Milk/juice | Milk/juice | Milk/juice | Milk/juice | | | | | | | | | Mid Morning Snack | Fruit | Fruit | Fruit | Fruit | Fruit | | | water | water | water | water | water | | Lunch | Ham salad sandwich | Fish finger | Spaghetti bolognaise | Pasta & cheese | Chicken | | | Yoghurt | Potato wedges | Fromage frais | Jelly | Salad | | | water | Peas jelly | water | Water | Yoghurt | | | | water | | | water | | Snack | Crackers & cheese, | Rice cakes | Breadsticks & tomato dip | Crackers & cheese, | Rice cakes, water | | | water | Juice | water | juice | | 5. 2 Explain why it is important to follow carer’s instructions in respect of their child’s food allergies or intolerances Every child is unique and will slowly develop likes, dislikes and preferences for certain foods at meal times, and their needs should be respected, however it is most important that practitioners take care in following a carer’s instructions in respect of their child’s food due to there being up to 5% of children now having food allergies and intolerances to certain foods. Also many children cannot eat certain foods due to a particular illness. In planning balanced meals, snacks and drinks, carer’s wishes need to be paramount in order to prevent unnecessary reactions to wrong food or drink being administered to children. A food allergy is an abnormal response of the immune system to otherwise harmless foods, for example, anaphylaxis, whereas food intolerance is an adverse reaction to some sort of food when eaten, but particularly if large quantities are consumed. The only way to manage food allergies is to strictly avoid the foods to which the child is allergic. It is important to learn how to interpret ingredients on food labels and how to spot high-risk foods. 5. 3 Identify the dietary requirements of different cultural or religious groups In England there are many multicultural and multi-ethnic people. The Asian community represents the largest ethnic minorities in the UK. Asian dietary customs are mainly related to the belief of three main religious groups; Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs. Due to the wide range of multicultural and multi-ethnic people, it is very important to find out from parents or carers about any specific dietary requirements concerning the foods that can be prepared and served for children. Other considerations of specific dietary needs are foods required for religious needs and also those children who are vegetarians, vegans and children who are only allowed to eat organic foods. The following chart shows the differing dietary needs according to the religious or cultural groups DIETARY CUSTOMS Food | Jewish | Sikh | Muslim | Hindu | Buddhist | 7th Day Adventist | Rastafarian | Roman Catholic | Mormon | | Eggs | No blood spots |( |( | Some | Some | Most |( |( |( | | Milk/Yoghurt | Not with meat |( | Not with rennet | Not with rennet |( | Most |( |( |( | | Cheese | Not with meat | Some | Some | Some |( | Most |( |( |( | | Chicken | Kosher | Some | Halal | Some | X | Some | Some | Some still prefer not |( | | Mutton/Lamb | Kosher |( | Halal | Some | X | Some | Some | To eat meat on |( | | Beef | Kosher | X | Halal | X | X | Some | Some | Fridays particularly |( | | Pork | X | Rarely | X | Rarely | X | X | x | During Lent |( | | Fish | With scales, fins and back-bone | Some | Halal | With fins and scales | Some | Some |( |( |( | | Shellfish | X | Some | Halal | Some | X | X | x |( |( | | Animal fats | Kosher | Some | Some halal | Some | X | X | some |( |( | | Alchol |( |( | X | X | X | X | x |( | X | | Cocoa/tea/coffee |( |( |( |( |(no milk | X |( |( | X | | Nuts |( |( |( |( |( |( |( |( |( | | Pulses |( |( |( |( |( |( |( |( |( | | Fruit |( |( |( |( |( |( |( |( |( | | Vegtables |( |( |( |( |( |( |( |( |( | | Fasting(where not specified, fasting is a matter of individual choice) | Yom Kippur | | Ramadan | | | | | | 24 hours once monthly | |( Accepted X Forbidden 5. 4 Describe methods of educating children and adults in effective food management Having a good Healthy Eating policy in place ensures adults can see exactly what you are providing meal wise and that you are following government guidelines in order for children to eat and drink to maintain healthy growth. Involving the children in making a menu teaches them to choose the right foods, allowing the children to help prepare certain foods and watch you cooking explaining to them all the while how important it is to choose the right foods and how important it is to eat them. You can also involve the children in the shopping for weekly food, allowing them to choose vegetables and fruits they prefer, letting them observe you choosing healthy options over unhealthy ones. Also to explain the negative effects of unhealthy foods. 6. 2 Explain the regulations concerning management of medicines and how these are interpreted in the work setting Some children have illnesses or chronic medical conditions, which can only be controlled by the giving of medication. Children suffering from asthma or allergies will need to have their medications on site in case it is needed. Procedures for the storage and giving of medications must comply with the regulations of England. The EYFS provides a guidance document which requires each setting to have a policy about: 1. The management and administration of medicines. 2. A written record of every medicine given to children which is shared with parents/carers. 3. Parents consent forms being completed and giving permission for each and every medicine before it is given. If administration of medicine needs technical or medical knowledge individual training should be given to the practitioner by a qualified health professional. The Control of Substances Hazards to Health Regulations, 1994 (COSHH), states that medicines should be kept in a safe place, preferably in a locked cupboard, clearly labelled with the child’s name on it, in a place easily reached by an adult, yet out of reach of other children. 6. 3 Explain how to protect themselves when lifting and handling children and equipment in the work setting. Lifting and handling children and moving equipment in an early years setting could lead to injury if not managed effectively. Manual handling injuries such as sprains, strains and back injuries can be prevented by having a relevant settings policy which gives guidance on how to manage lifting, handling children and equipment. A risk assessment should be carried out to cover situations where the lifting and handling of children and setting equipment are needed prior to the event. If you think something or someone is too heavy for you to personally lift then it is best not to do it on your own. But if you do have to lift someone or something from the ground, certain rules can be followed to prevent injuries in the setting:- 1. Keep your feet apart 2. Bend your knees and keep your back upright 3. Use both hands to get a secure hold 4. Keep your shoulders level, your back upright and slowly straighten your legs 5. To put the load down, take the weight on the legs by bending your knees