Revised EYFS - some advice lovely people :0)

[MUM2BLESS]

I have been looking at UK Childminding Association website. Bril.

I would like to ensure that my p & P reflects these changes. I will continue to use my P & P as I think its a good base to work from.

I now need to incude a Risk assessment policy. I want to keep it to the point. Any wording suggestions?

When I amend my P & P do I will email this to my parents. Do I need to get them to sign this P & P every time I do an amendment?

Could you let me know if I need to include anything else. Most of the things I have already included ie Behaviour management policy etc.

Sorry one more thing. Do I need to have a paper copy of my p & p or is it ok on the computer?

Thank you for your time

What I have done (not necessarily what you may want to do):
I have a folder on the table containing all P&P. I told parents via my newsletter that I had revised my P&P and they could read them from my P&P folder on the table.

have you remembered to include physical intervention in your revised behaviour policy?
my risk assessment policy is rather long winded ;)

EYFS says
Information for parents and carers
3.72 Providers must make the following information available to parents and/or carers:

? how the EYFS is being delivered in the setting, and how parents and/or carers can access more information (for example, via the DfE website);
? the range and type of activities and experiences provided for children, the daily routines of the setting, and how parents and carers can share learning at home;
? how the setting supports children with special educational needs and disabilities;
? food and drinks provided for children;
? details of the provider's policies and procedures (all providers except childminders must make copies available on request) including the procedure to be followed in the event of a parent and/or carer failing to collect a child at the appointed time, or in the event of a child going missing at, or away from, the setting; and
? staffing in the setting; the name of their child?s key person and their role; and a telephone number for parents and/or carers to contact in an emergency.

HTH

It does help. Thank you so much.

I did read the bit about physical intervention, thanks will include that in my policy, not in at present.

requirement 3.51 clarifies how physical intervention might be
used to support a child and keep them safe.

It states that childminders must keep a record of ?any occasion where physical intervention is used? and inform parents. This means that you might produce a ?physical intervention? document for your files which you will complete and ask parents to sign if you have had to physically intervene to keep a child safe

should i include something like the above?

Physical intervention for the following reasons:

Child proceeding into the road, when vehicle coming
Child attacking another child/adult
Child in dangering themselves

Any other reasons?

If you look at the EYFS 2012 it will tell you which policies you need to update...child protection is one to include use of digital cameras and mobile and following your LSCB rules

On the Foundation Years website you can download the document that tells you what has change since Sept 2012

No you do not need a risk assessment...look at EYFS page 25, very clear how to interpret this...risk assessment is a long policy you need to decide if you want to invest time in doing one
All policies should be shared with parents...how you do it is up to you, newsletter? yes share every time you update

If you have paper policies you can show them to the inspector otherwise you have to log on and show her? a bit time consuming. Put them in your Welfare Requirements portfolio

physical intervention should be in your child protection policy already...when and why you would use it

I review my p&ps every six months and email the revised pdf to parents, but so they don't have to plough through all 26 pages or whatever it is I put the actual text amendments in the email to them. Then they sign an acceptance form to say that they've seen and accept them.

ZuleikaD Policies need to be updated only when there is a change required...all they need is the date of update...every 6 months must add to your paperwork ?
very good that you highlight the changes...unfortunately many parents do find reading policies (or ploughing through them as you say) time consuming even when they sign them I notice that they have not read them

I know that in theory they only need to be reviewed when there's a change, but my CM network considers it best-practice to review them regularly. So do I, for that matter. It's only a case of reading through them to check they're still up to date and making any changes (for example I updated my late-payment policy on the review six months ago because I'd had a late payer and wanted to make the policy clearer).

Ah...the network says!!!! and adds red tape to it...as long as you are happy doing it
I used to belong to one, I was Accredited but it became so 'cloned'...all c/ms had to be the same, now to rejoin I would have to sign a contract with my LA and comply to numerous Terms and Conditions that add to beaurocracy
Since I left I got a Foundation Degree, got outstanding and get on well independently

As non network c/ms my LA spends very little money on us and we are often excluded from attending meetings and equal opportunities

May I ask if your network is open to all c/ms? are you Accredited and how much is your funding for the FE if so?

I am trying to build a picture as to why networks cannot have some uniformity and be all 'inclusive' but on the other hand I believe they should be restructured so that those with outstanding c/ms use these c/ms as 'peer support' and mentoring, reduce the money spent on the competent ones and give support to the newly registered or those with satisfactory grades until they too become competent and require less support...hope it is clear?

I'm not accredited, though I could become so. There's no difference (Oxfordshire) in the way the LA treats the network CMs. They get invited to CM evenings and free training. It may be a different picture from the network's point of view, of course - presumably they get more money the more CMs they have.

From my perspective, I felt completely isolated once I'd got my certificate and didn't know how to meet other CMs or where to get help with my paperwork stuff. After my first inspection in February (when I'd been minding for a grand total of eight days) being really gruelling and disappointing I wanted to make sure it didn't happen again and get myself some support. I feel much better prepared for the next inspection and generally more competent having had all my stuff gone over. The thing I find with Ofsted is that they're so vague and subjective about what they want to see - the network was much firmer about this is best practice and this is what we expect. I like clear goals and boundaries.

Hi Mumtobless - I've not looked at the UK Childminding Association website, must do this.

I've had a risk assessment policy since the EYFS came into force in Sept 2008 so don't know why you have not? Anyhow it's a simple one page thing and like all my policies and procedures, I give a copy of it to my parents, get them to sign and then give them a copy to keep.

My policies and procedures include things like child protection policy, behaviour management policy and equal opps policy and then ones like permission to use public transport, take photos, use outdoor play equipment etc.

I received an Outstanding a year ago and I'm not accredited, have not got an NVQ 3 even though my local council still seem to pay more attention to getting these lately.

I went to my local council's annual childminding conference a few months ago and mentioned that in previous years, all good/outstanding childminders had been mentioned/congratulated. This year they were not but anyone getting an NVQ were.

It seems like you can't win sometimes and as Italiana says a lot of us get on independently without any help.

Yes independence would be great...have just written to Gove this morning asking him where all the funding that DfE gives to LAs and various other organizations is going?

So far money for peer support networks, 2 year old expansion and the latest £60m announced last week has not touched me or many c/ms...so why do they give it to those who remain unaccountable as to how they spend it rather than funding settings individually to use moeny for training etc?

Thanks everyone. Very useful info much appreciated!!

Mum2bless...may I ask how long you have been childminding and do you have any childminding support in your LA or a network?

I have been cm for over four years. I get support from two children's centre, cm group which is run every now and then and also networking meetings, a couple of ladies come from younginherts and offer advice etc.

Sorry for delay in replying.