Winter News Update!

Our seasonal news updates summarise the latest childcare news plus which MindingKids resources have been added or revised so you can easily keep on track and up to date.

We are now approaching the end of January, the excitement of Christmas is now a distant memory and we can focus on the year ahead.

Welcome to all our new visitors, and a BIG THANK YOU to those who have recently purchased resources or signed up for Gold or Platinum Membership. We hope our resources are helping with the amazing work that you do.

So what’s in the news?

Sugar Smart App

Shocking results from a government survey have revealed that children are consuming three times the recommended amount of sugar in their diets. This excess sugar is leading to tooth decay and obesity in our youngsters who are then at a greater risk of being bullied, having low self-esteem and in many cases skipping school.

As childcare providers, we have a duty of care to ensure we provide children with healthy, nutritious, balanced meals and snacks and to support parents in making healthy choices for their children. It is important that we follow guidance from the Nutritional Guidelines for the Under 5’s or Setting The Table – Nutritional guidance when planning meals and snacks.

Change4Life have released a Smart Sugar App to help us see exactly how much sugar is in the food we are eating. The App is free and works by scanning the barcodes of products to reveal their sugar content. Find out more here!

MindingKids Healthy Eating Pack can also assist you with planning meals and snacks, obtaining and managing ALLERGEN information, teaching children about healthy choices, cooking safely and maintaining good food hygiene.

Fake Fire Blankets

It is a requirement for all childcare settings to have an emergency evacuation procedure in place that can be followed in the event of a fire or other emergency. It is also essential that a fire blanket to British Standards (BS EN) safety standards is kept in a suitable location.

The BBC program Fake Britain recently uncovered that thousands of fake fire blankets are being sold online. These fake blankets are untested and could be putting thousands of lives at risk.

It is essential that we purchase these items that could potentially save our lives from a reliable source. You can double check whether the fire blankets in your setting are genuine by looking at the label attached to the blanket itself. The label should include the manufacturers name, the manufacturers address and a model reference. If it doesn’t have this, then it has not been approved by British Standards.

Emergency First Aid Videos from St Johns Ambulance

Is your first aid training up to date. Do you feel confident that you would know what to do if an infant in your care were to stop breathing?

Watch this 2 minute cartoon from St Johns Ambulance about infant CPR.

Sadly there have been more tragic stories in the news about children who have died as a result of choking. Remember to always quarter things like grapes and cherry tomatoes to help reduce this risk.

Watch this animation and video from St Johns Ambulance.

Watch these videos with children and share with parents to ensure everyone knows what to do in an emergency.

In the North (Care Inspectorate)….

New inspection models piloted

Two new inspection models are now being piloted within a selection of high performing services. These new inspections focus on what quality assurance systems are place rather than the previous emphasis on quality themes and statements.

Validation Inspections seek to confirm whether or not a service is maintaining the standard achieved on previous inspection. Inspectors will explore the experience of service users and their families.

Themed Inspections will focus on how services ensure good outcomes for children and will look at two key elements under each quality theme relating to the eight SHANARRI wellbeing indicators.

It is hoped that the targeted approach of these inspections will help to assure the public that high standards are being maintained and will allow more time to be focussed on helping poorer performing services to improve. Further information can be found on the Care Inspectorate website here.

£1million for Early Learning & Childcare Trials

Following a report into what more the Scottish Government and others can do to tackle poverty in Scotland, the First Minister has announced that £1million of funding will be used to test out different early learning and childcare delivery models. As part of the government’s plan to increase free childcare allowance up to 1140 hours per year, the trials will consider how to increase flexibility, better meet the needs of parents and children and meet local requirements. Read more about this story on the Scottish Government website here.

In the South (Ofsted)….

Childcare & Education Funding Review

At the end of November the government announced that it intends to offer 30 hours free funding for 2, 3 and 4 year olds from Sept 2017. The hourly rate for 3 and 4 year olds will increase to £4.88, including any eligible EYPP (Early Years Pupil Premium), and £5.39 for 2 year olds.

There are still uncertainties as to how this funding will be implemented. A consultation will take place later this year on the proposed ‘fair funding formula’.

Further information can be found on the Early Education website here.

Watch a video from Sue Robb of 4Children about the role of childminders in delivering the 30 hours entitlement.

New Early Years and Childcare Registration Handbook

Ofsted have published a new registration handbook for those looking to register as a childcare provider. The new handbook includes information on the registration process, how Ofsted assess the suitability of applicants and also explains the difference between the Early Years Register and the Childcare Register.

As of 1^st January this year childminders and and childcare on domestic premises (CDP) can provide childcare on non-domestic premises (i.e. outside of their homes), for up to 50% of the time. The new handbook also includes a section on Approval of Additional Premises. Download the handbook here.

Reporting Incidents

Are you recording everything you should be? As well as accidents, incidents, visitors to the setting, medication administered, existing injuries and concerns about a child, the Early Years Inspection Handbook requires us to record incidents of racism or poor behaviour and how we are dealing with these incidents. By law, under the Prevent Duty, we are also required to record and report incidents of extremism or if we suspect that a child may be at risk of being radicalised.

For more help with recording incidents, please refer to the Logbooks & Forms Pack. Incidents can also be recorded using the MindingKids Web App.

And what’s been happening in MindingKids?

It is now almost a whole year since the launch of our new and improved website and what a year it has been! The positive feedback we have received from our customers has been incredible. We are so pleased to hear how our resources are helping you! Feedback is extremely important to us as it helps us to see which types of resources are most useful and where we could make future developments.

Since our Autumn News Update the following resources have been added, updated or improved…

Remember MindingKids Members have unlimited access to all MindingKids resources immediately as they are added or updated! Click here for further details!

New Resources