Safety tips for Childcare Providers and Parents
7 March 2019
We would all love to spend our time with our kids but unfortunately thats not always feasible for everyone. Childcare is an option for many parents however we can all appreciate the worry of leaving your children with strangers for the first while.
The best way to levitate some of the parents worry is to have strict safety policies that all childcare providers follow and educate parents on these policies Having this in place for day to day activities and routines and also for emergencies will have everyone, both parents and the childcare providers, ready for any event and reduce potential accidents.
According to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents ROSPA – On average 62 children under the age of five died as a result of an accident and over 76,000 under the age of 14 are admitted for treatment of which over 40% are under 5 years of age.
We have listed some of the top safety concerns and solutions to each;
Staff undertrained for medical emergencies
Concern
Parents want to feel like they are leaving their children in a safe environment. An environment that will act fast and effectively if any injuries or emergencies occur. The single beat way to improve the safety procedures in a childcare facility is to put processes in place to prevent injury. Prevention is key to a safe environment.
Solution
All staff should undergo Paediatric First Aid training. Legislation requires that all registered childcare providers are trained in First Aid for children and are readily available to the children. Paediatric first aid is also a very informative and useful course to have if you are a parent of young children. All creches should have regular checks and drills to make sure all staff are up the date with training and following procedures. A refresher course in Paediatric First Aid training should be taken at least once a year so staff are confident in emergencies.
Please see our Paediatric First Aid training course here.
Food Safety
Concern
Accidental poisoning is the leading cause of illness and death in young children.
Solution
Understanding the legislation and importance around food hygiene, how to identify food safety hazards and understand proper waste management and cleaning procedures.
Please see our Food Safety training course here.
Fire Safety
Concern
Failure to properly prepare for a Fire Emergency. Where do the children go? Who is responsible for leading them out and who is responsible for doing a head count etc..
Solution
Every child care facility should have a fire emergency procedure plan. This should cover fires starting from all areas of the facility and to have multiple fire exits routes in place and kept clear. Child care facilities should;
- Have regular fire drills for evacuation practise and keep a log of them
- Have multiple fire extinguishers and smoke detectors- these should be inspected on a regular basis
- Keep fire doors closed
- Fire first aid kit on hand
Please see our Fire Safety training course here.
Here at Elearn we have put together a childcare training package for your convenience. Our childcare package offers to those who work in the industry and to those who have young children at home. This package includes an introduction into the four core safety training modules that are required when working with and looking after young children.
This package includes the courses listed above and also Manual Handling for your staff to prevent staff injuries which is a safety concern for your employees and also leads to sick leave. For more information on our childcare package click here.