Silkysteps early years forum - planning ideas for play

Hiya,

I did this one as a professional discussion and i talked about the National Standards for under '8's day care and childminding, which include

Full day care
sessional day care
creches
out of school care
childminding

There are 14 National Standards, which you can write about. Ofsted in England is responsible for regulating settings, you can find out the requirements in EYFS.

There are many laws that and regulations covering the provision of environments for children. You can go on to write about:

The Children's Act 1989 - this law covers the equality of access and opportunity for children in addition to health and safety.

Every Child Matters - contains the government agenda which sets out five major outcomes for children.
*being healthy
*staying safe
*enjoying and achieving
*making a positiven contribution
*economic well-being

Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulation - under these regulations an employer must provide all protective equipment that their employees need to do their jobs safely. For example disposable gloves and aprons when handling bodily fluids and waste.

Health and Safety (Young Persons) Regulations - these regulations require employers to conduct special risk assessments for employees or volunteers under the age of 18, as they may be less aware of health and safety issues than more experienced workers.

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and 1992 - this Act is relevant to all places of work. Employers have to ensure that the workplace and equipment in it are in a safe condition that does not pose a risk to health. Employees and volunteers have a responsibility to take care of themselves and others in co-operation with the employer.

Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 - while most childcare settings will have several members of staff qualified to carry out first aid (and you have to have at least one trained first aider), these regulations set a minimum standard that applies to the workplace.

Disability Discrimination Act 1995 - this law covers equality of access and opportunity for disabled people (adults and children) including those with special needs.

Children Bill 2004 and Protection of Children Act 1999 - these laws cover child protection.

Race Relations Act 1975 - this law covers equality of access and opportunity by legislating against racial discrimination.

Human Rights Act 1998 - this Act allows people in the UK to enforce in the British courts rights given under previous laws.

Food Safety Act 1990 and regulations of 1995 - this Act and the regulations cover how food should be prepared and stored, how food areas must be maintained and how staff who prepare food must be trained.

COSHH The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1994 - under these regulations, settings must assess which substances on the premises are potentially hazardous to health.

Fire Precautions (workplace) Regulations 1997 - these regulations apply to all workplaces.

RIDDOR Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 - Under RIDDOR regulations, workplaces must have an accident book. All accidents that occur at the workplace should be recorded in the book.

Policies and Procedure arrangements within the settings - Legislation and regulations tell practitioners what they must or must not do. But generally they do not tell the practitioners how things should be done. So settings must interpret the law and regulations that apply to them. Settings do this by developing policies that explain how the setting will work in line with the law and the regulations.

I hope this helps, you can also look up each law/regulation on the internet if you need more info. :smile:

Fluffy bunny