Policy

Nursery MOKSLIUKAS believes that the health and safety of children and nursery practitioners is a matter of paramount importance. Nursery MOKSLIUKAS has developed procedures and safe practices to ensure children’s health and safety is maintained, promoted and prevent the spread of infection. Nursery practitioners are committed to providing a safe, healthy environment where children can learn and develop. Practitioners work closely with parents and health care professionals to ensure all children access nursery facilities safely.

During Covid-19 outbreak, we aim to ensure:

Staff moving between areas to collect supplies and resources :

• Staff to ensure materials and resources required is prepared prior to the start of their shift.
• Staff to wash/sanitise hands on entering a new area/bubble
• Supplies of first aid equipment, PPE,cleaning materials & hand sanitiser to be kept in areas/bubbles and restocked as necessary.
• A system of on call/runner staff who can deliver resources and materials required is developed. This is done by adhering to social distancing requirements.

Children sharing toys and resources:

• Toys & resources will be kept for use in a single bubble.
• Toys & resources will be cleaned regularly (at least once per day and/or between sessions.
• Water will be changed hourly/regularly and may use soap based products as enhancements.
• Outdoor toys & equipment will be cleaned with sanitiser between groups.

Procedure

In order to ensure the nursery maintains a high standard of health and safety the nursery has developed the following procedures that all nursery practitioners follow:

• Fire evacuation procedure
• Toilet and nappy changing procedures
• Sickness policy and procedure
• Medication policy and procedures
• Procedures for the arrival and collection of children
• Lost child procedure

These policies and procedures can be found in detail at the nursery’s office.

This procedure covers:

• Supervision of children
• Risk assessments
• Recording accidents
• Food
• Allergies
• Fire safety
• Manual Handling
• Toys, resources and equipment
• Electrical appliances
• Nursery practices
• Responsibilities
• Working in partnership with parents
• Staff training

Supervision of children

Nursery practitioners ensure all children are supervised at all times, this includes children sleeping in beds and on mats in quiet areas. Children in cots must be checked every 10 minutes.   However a practitioner must be aware of the child’s whereabouts and remain in the main playroom at all times in readiness to assist the child if necessary.

The manager or person in charge must ensure staff to child ratios and required space per child is maintained at all times when grouping children and deploying practitioners. It is essential that there are always two nursery practitioners present when children are on the premises.

In the event of children leaving the nursery for an outing, an adult to child ratio of 2 children to 1 adult must be maintained and a risk assessment must be carried out prior to the outing. Practitioners must take emergency contact numbers for parents on outings, along with a first aid kit and a mobile phone. Small groups of children may be taken on outings providing there are a sufficient number of practitioners remaining on the premises to maintain appropriate staff to child ratios. Practitioners must seek written permission from parents to take children out of the nursery.

Adults can only be left unsupervised with children once all relevant checks have been cleared. This includes Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, health checks, identification checks and references.

The nursery has visitors and students visiting the nursery. In order for nursery to be able to ensure all visitors are accounted for the nursery maintains a visitor’s book that all visitors must sign themselves in and out of and provided details of the purpose of their visit.

Students are asked to complete a student placement form which provides the nursery with contact details of the college or university they attend and their personal details. Students must document the date and hours they attended the nursery.

All visitors and students must be accompanied by a nursery practitioner. Children must never be left unsupervised with a student or visitor that has not been cleared of all relevant checks by Nursery Manager.

Risk assessments

Nursery practitioners identify and manage risks to children and adults through carrying out risks assessments. A risk is a likelihood of a hazard occurring and the hazard is anything that could cause harm to others. All activities need to be considered, significant risks are identified, measures are put in place to control or eliminate risks and all hazards and measures are recorded. Other risks that are identified must be controlled appropriately. For example a child standing on a chair is a risk and must be controlled; however this would not necessarily be recorded. All risks are dealt with promptly by the manager or person in charge. Risk assessments are required to be “suitable and sufficient”, therefore all risk assessments are carried out in accordance with the nursery guidance which can be found at nursery office.

Each room is checked at the beginning of the day for hazards, in accordance with each rooms risk assessment. These assessments are reviewed once a year or as a result of change to the room. In the event that a risk is identified throughout the day or when opening the nursery, a risk assessment is carried out to determine the severity of the risk and an appropriate course of action to control or eliminate the hazard.

The garden area is checked for hazards before children go out for outdoor play. This check is carried out in accordance with the nursery outdoor play risk assessment that is reviewed once a year or as a result of change to the area. A risk assessment must be carried out prior to practitioners taking children on outings.

 Accidents

The nursery maintains an accident book that must be completed in the event that a child sustains an injury at nursery. Details of the nature of the injury, the treatment that was given, when and where the accident happened, must be recorded signed and dated. Parents are given a copy of the aforementioned details.

In the event that a child sustains an accident at home, parents are asked to inform the nursery and complete an accident at home form. Details of the nature of the injury and when the accident happened must be recorded, signed and dated. This is to assist the nursery to ensure all injuries are accounted for.

In the event that a member of staff or parent sustains an injury at nursery, an accident/dangerous occurrences form must be completed and returned to the Safety, Health and Environment office.

The nursery will ensure that the first aid equipment is kept clean, in date and replenished. Sterile items will be kept sealed in their packages until needed. It is essential that staff clean up bodily fluids such as urine, faeces, blood, vomit, and eye discharge immediately, wearing disposable gloves and an apron. The bodily fluid should be absorbed with Sanitaria emergency clean-up powder. Traces of the contaminated clean-up powder should be removed and disposed of immediately in the yellow clinical waste bag along with gloves and aprons then disposed through the medical unit. The area should be cleaned with detergent first followed by Milton. In the event that a child bites another child or adult and draws blood both parties should seek medical attention. An accident report form must be completed to reflect this. The manager or person in charge must notify OFSTED and the office of any serious injury that the child sustains at nursery. These injuries include; dislocations, broken bones, cuts or bumps that require medical attention.

Food

In order to ensure the food children are offered has been stored, prepared and served safely nursery practitioners attend training in Basic Food Hygiene and/or ensure they follow hand washing and food handling procedures.

In the event of a member of staff having suffered from food poisoning, occupational health must be informed to determine the period of time that the person cannot handle food.

Allergies

In the event that a child suffers from an allergy the nursery will refer to its Medication Policy in order to develop a Health Care Plan for the child and make arrangements for any necessary training.

Fire safety

Nursery practitioners ensure all children evacuate the building safely and promptly by following the nursery’s fire evacuation procedure, and practices this evacuation at least four times a year.

The Nursery manager carries out a fire prevention checklist every day and submits the checklist to office. This checklist assists the manager in maintaining all fire precautions that are in place. All fire extinguishers and blankets are checked annually in accordance with the nursery procedure.

Manual handling

As it is possible to eliminate manual handling altogether, correct handling techniques must be followed to minimize the risk of injury. A variety of injuries may result from poor manual handling and staff must all be aware and adhere to the nursery’s manual handling policy.

Preventing injuries

As with other health and safety issues,the most effective method of prevention is to eliminate the hazard – in this case,to remove the need to carry out hazardous manual handling.

Where manual-handling tasks cannot be avoided,they must be assessed as part of the risk assessment. This involves examining the task and deciding what the risk associated with them are, and how these can be removed or reduced by adding control measures.