To establish Club attitudes and procedures relating to:
All children attending the Club will be treated as equal regardless of sex, ethnic origin and religion. Staff will be sensitive to the age, interests and abilities of individual children and will ensure a variety of activities are on offer to meet the needs of all children attending the Club.
Staff will be recruited on the basis of their experience, qualifications and suitability for the post, no other criteria will be used.
The protection of every child in our care is our primary responsibility. All staff will be aware of the signs of abuse and of procedures to follow if concerns arise about possible abuse or neglect. These procedures include the possibility of an allegation of abuse by a member of staff and are based upon procedures issued by the Area Child Protection Committee. Hobbyhorse is legally obliged to abide by the Child Protection Procedures and to report any serious concerns to Social Services. The Hobbyhorse child protection policy forms a separate document.
Where possible the Club will be flexible in its management style and practice and will promote specific needs in all staff development activities.
The management will increase the awareness of coping strategies for different situations.
Staff will be sensitive to changes in mood and characteristics and will take appropriate action.
Staff will take all reasonable steps to increase and/or adapt resources, equipment and facilities to overcome barriers.
Staff will challenge offensive behaviour and language in an appropriate way.
Staff will take into account long term needs, for example permanent disability, when planning club activities to ensure individuals are not excluded.
Staff will monitor and review the effectiveness of this policy.
The club is open to any child of aged 4 - 14 years. Admission will generally be on a “fist come, first served” basis but special consideration will be given to siblings of existing club members. Children will be expected to maintain the minimum standard of behavior as detailed in the Behavior Policy document.
Children of staff may attend the club while there are spaces available. Staff will be required to pay a percentage towards the session fee as the child(ren) will be using a place which cannot be given to another child.
A child newly arrived at the club will be guided through the behavior requirements and will discuss an outline of a typical session with a member of staff. Health and safety issues and procedures for evacuating the building will also be discussed. Depending upon the age of the child someone of similar age, perhaps known to the child, will then be asked to be a special friend for a minimum of three sessions. This special friend will introduce the child to toilet facilities, guide the newcomer around the various activities, explaining any systems such as limiting of popular activities eg booking time on computer or the football tables. The special friend will encourage the child to join in and will form a point of reference for the newcomer. For young children this function may be carried out by a member of staff.
Medicines will not usually be administered unless they have been specifically prescribed for the child by a doctor.
All medicines must be stored in the original container and in accordance with the instructions on the label. The container must be clearly marked with the child’s name and must be kept out of reach of all children.
A medication form must be completed. The parent must give written permission for the administration of the medicine and must include details such as dosage and frequency on the medication form. This form must be signed by the parent before medication is administered and upon collection of the child to acknowledge that medication has been given in accordance with their instruction.
Medication which requires specialist technical or medical knowledge will not be administered.
A child may complain of feeling ill or it may be noticed by someone else that a child appears ill.
The first priority will be to determine whether the child may be suffering from an infectious disease. If this is the case attempts will be made to isolate the child from other children.
Whether or not the illness is infectious attempts will be made to make the child as comfortable as possible. This may mean moving the child to a quiet area, giving suitable hot or cold drinks or allowing the child to lie down.
Attempts will be made to contact the parent by telephone. The parent will be advised of the child’s condition and will be asked to collect the child as soon as possible. Where parents have designated another adult to be contacted in the case of the child becoming ill, the designated adult will be contacted and asked to collect the child.
Only the Play Leader and Club Owner have the authority to allow a sick child to remain on the premises for the remainder of a session.
The child will remain under observation until the parent/designated adult arrives.
A child may complain of feeling ill or it may be noticed by someone else that a child appears ill.
The first priority will be to determine whether the child may be suffering from an infectious disease. If this is the case attempts will be made to isolate the child from other children.
Attempts will be made to make the child as comfortable as possible. This may mean giving suitable hot or cold drinks or allowing the child to lie down.
Attempts will be made to contact the parent by telephone. The parent will be advised of the child’s condition and will be asked to collect the child immediately. Where parents have designated another adult to be contacted in the case of the child becoming ill, the designated adult will be contacted and asked to collect the child.
The child will remain under observation until the parent/designated adult arrives.
The health and safety of the child is the first priority. If any member of staff believes a child requires professional medical help they should:
Inform the member of staff who is certified to deal with first aid matters
If there is time the parent must be contacted and informed of the child’s situation. A clear statement will be made that in the opinion of the club staff the child needs urgent medical attention. Parents will be asked for their permission to allow staff to seek medical help.
A member of staff will seek medical help, if necessary using the emergency services. That member of staff will then be released from any other duties to deal with the child emergency. The child’s registration form will give details of family doctor etc.
Once the child’s condition is stabilized or the child is in the care of medical professionals a medical emergency report must be completed.
Hobbyhorse will strive to promote respect for self and others by commitment, responsibility, loyalty, trust and self discipline. The Hobbyhorse behaviour policy forms a separate document.
An outing may be suggested by a member of staff or by the children.
The safety of the children is our first concern.
A member of staff will prepare an outline plan to include:
The play leader will discuss the outline plan with staff and carry out a risk assessment for the outing. Staff will be invited to contribute to the risk assessment which should begin at the point where the children leave the club and end when the children return to the club or are collected by the parent.
A member of staff may carry out a “dry run” visit either prior to preparation of the outline plan or following the assessment of the trip by the play leader.
If the play leader is satisfied that the outing should take place a detailed plan will be prepared to include a full costing and any contribution to be requested from parents and the name of the staff member to assume control of and responsibility for the outing.
Parent permission will be sought for the children wishing to take part in the outing.
An “Outings Form” will be completed.
If free play is to be allowed at any point during the outing, eg to the park, the physical boundaries of an agreed play area will be discussed with the children and staff will position themselves to ensure that no child is out of sight. Each member of staff will be responsible for a small group of children.
A head count of children will take place at intervals not to exceed 15 minutes.
If a child is missing staff will collect together the remaining children for ease of supervision but will not alarm the children. Parents of the missing child will be informed immediately. Staff may seek information from the children as to where and when the missing child was last seen. This will be carried out giving consideration to the feelings of the children.
An immediate search will be carried out of the area where the missing child was last seen.
If the search is not fruitful the senior member of staff will contact police.
A period of not more than 10 minutes will elapse between the first observation that the child is missing and the senior member of staff contacting the Police.
Complaints will always be listened to and discussed in an objective manner.
The need for confidentiality will be discussed and an appropriate course of action will be agreed and taken.
Minor concerns should be raised immediately with a senior responsible adult, so an arrangement can be made for a future meeting to review the matter. If possible, notification should preferably be made in writing.
Parents will be given regular progress reports, but can pre-arrange private discussions at any time.
Staff concerns should be raised with the club owner as soon as possible.
All concerns raised will be noted by the recipient and should include:
The note should be signed and dated by the recipient and brought to the attention of the play leader or club owner.