Parents/Carer's Page

Welcome to your page. Here you can your interest and submit your information to be added to our mailing list. Below is a list of our policies and procedures. Parents who have attended our schemes please complete an Evaluation form and submit a testimonial about your child’s experience.

AIMS & OBJECTIVES
The Play Shelter aims to: Work within the parameters set out by the Every Child Matters national framework and build our services around the needs of children and young people in order to maximize opportunity and minimize risk’. Provide a structured and well organized quality child care provision with a difference. Provide a wide range of informal educational strategies to suit children’s needs and a range of opportunities that enable children to develop socially, physically, morally and intellectually. Provide opportunities that enable children to progress and explore their worlds imaginatively and creatively. Increase and build upon children’s strength, self-esteem and confidence.

MISSION STATEMENT
The Play Shelter provides high quality Play provisions that are accessible, free from unacceptable levels of risk, yet stimulating and challenging. Employing qualified staff, we provide a program of activities that extends children’s learning through fun experiences and varied educational opportunities, whilst recognizing and responding to children’s individual needs. All children are encouraged to make choices and learn good practices through interaction with other children and adults to develop socially, physically, morally, intellectually, emotionally and creatively.The Play Shelter provides safe and reliable childcare within appropriate facilities, using appropriate resources so that parents/carers have peace of mind when their child/children are in our care.

POLICIES & PROCEDURES -
Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety and Child Protection Procedures are put in place in order to protect children, parents and the staff team. The welfare of your children is of paramount importance Discrimination is challenged immediately and all children are treated with equal concern. Our Behaviour Policy encourages good behaviour and identifies

Equal Opportunities.
The Play Shelter is committed to working to anti discriminatory practices.Every child has the right to be happy, respected and valued. She/He should enjoy the freedom to be and express themselves within a secure and stable environment. Gender mixed sessions, junior and infant sessions encourage children to interact socially, which increases their own abilities without any pressure within their own common bond group. Our program has been developed to recognise and celebrate children’s and adult’s racial origins, cultural backgrounds, gender, family groupings and abilities. Discriminatory behaviour is unacceptable and will be challenged immediately and recorded for monitoring purposes.

The Play Shelter adheres to the Health and Safety Policies set out by Local Authorities.

This is achieved by:
Carrying out Risk Assessments of all hazards and the elimination or control of associated risks. Safe systems of work and system reviews to protect children, parents and staff teams Safe equipment for children and staff to use Safe and healthy workplaces and secure environments for children, parents and staff teams Appropriate employee training, information, instruction and supervision Children are not permitted to leave the premises without an authorised adult. A ratio of 1:8 is maintained for children under the age of 8 years old.

All accidents and incidents involving your child will be reported to you and recorded. Parents will be asked to sign the accident book when collecting their children from the scheme as proof of being told about the accident/incident and having the accident/incident explained.

Child Protection
The Children Act 1989 states that children who are at risk of “significant harm” must be protected and this includes abuse of any kind.
The Play Shelter has high standards when employing our staff teams. We have procedures in place to ensure that our staff team and volunteers are safe people to work with children.Our PlayLeaders are experienced and trained in recognising signs & indicators of abuse and adhere to child protection procedures. The Play Shelter listens and responds to all children’s needs. We liaise with Social Services to ensure that children are not exposed to any form of potential risk. The Play Shelter believes that children should be taught ways of keeping themselves safe from harm and we have a clear policy of working with parents where there is concern about a child’s safety.

This policy sets out agreed guidelines
relating to the following areas:

-Responding to allegations of abuse, including those made against staff and volunteers
-Recruitment and vetting of Staff and volunteers
-Supervision of organisational activities

THE WELFARE OF THE CHILD IS PARAMOUNT;
All children, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin religious beliefs and/or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse; All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately; All staff have responsibility to report concerns to the Designated Person with responsibility for child protection.