My Motives are being doubted.........should I do this?

[Katymac]

Hi - sorry to hijack your "bit" but I need a bit of advice

You have all heard be whittering on about my nursery, well the tale goes on......

I have been approached by a local college who have adult with special needs. These guys (or gals)want to study horticulture/agriculture so they can get supported employment in a field that interests them.

They want to come to the nursery site for about 3 hrs a week (maybe 6 or 8 plus supervisors in the college minibus - they will have up-to-date CRB's) and design, plan, create & maintain the nursery grounds.

They had arranged this with another business who pulled out for H&S reasons.

I think it's a FAB idea. It's good for the children I will care for. It will be good for the students. It's great for the nursery as it is a link with the community.

I have been told I am putting publicity (there is none) before the safety of the children (not sure there is an issue - adults supervised, children supervised?)

So am I being short sighted or if this scheme is managed effectively will it be the success I anticipate?

?

At ds3's nursery (ds3 doesn;t have SN) there has been a work experience student with learning difficulties there for the last 6 months. He recently won an award for his hard work- work experience student of the year I think. He has been brilliant. DS3's childminder sometimes has an adult with learning disabilities getting involved. I think its great.

Whoever said you weren't thinking of the safety of the children sounds like a bigot and you can tell them I said so. What on earth does he/she think the adults are going to do to the children? Sounds like complete and utter ignorance.

Thanks - it is useful to know other nurseries have done something similar

i can't see how the safety of the children will be compromised.

what a nasty attitude

they have a similar gardening scheme here and I think it's brilliant

H&S? oh ffs. And meanwhile because of inclusion there's no bloody access to specialist schemes. I wish someone in Whitehall would wake up to the fact that inlcusion policies are actually excluding those with complex (esp learning) disabilities. Grrrr mutter, grumble.

Well I am assuming (but I will check) that my employers liability Insurance will cover people with health problems (otherwise I'm stuffed basically as my current team is only 33% healthy )

I cannot see a risk to either adults or to the children everyone will be supervised

ooh I've just thought ds1's ms nursery's insurance tried to charge the owner more because she had ds1. She went ballistic and changed insurers!

How mean is that?

when our surestart centre has volunteers working on teh garden the kids don't use teh garden at teh same time, kids use play ground which is fenced from garden. So- kids can see gardening on regular bais, but only " join in" if its a suitably supervised planned activity for the kids.
Volunteer groups have built our wendy house, 2 round benches, a bug home, raised beds etc and planted apple trees. the kids have used teh raised beds to plant seeds and will be picking apples to eat at snack time in a few months.
Much routine gardening wouldn;t be suitable to have kids in garden when it happening- mowing etc. but kids don;t use garden 10 hours a day surely.