Family Information Service Volume 4, Issue 1 September 2013
FAMILY INFORMATION SERVICE NEWSLETTER
CITY & COUNTY OF SWANSEA
Children’s Commissioner for Wales What does the commissioner do? Those of you that attended our tri-county childcare conference back in March 2013 will have heard Eleri Thomas – Chief Executive Officer speak about the important work of the Children’s Commissioner for Wales.Lots of countries have Commissioners and all of them have slightly different jobs, but they all work to make sure that children and young people are safe from harm and that as many people as possible know about children’s rights. Here are some of the things that the Children’s Commissioner for Wales - Keith Towler and his staff do for Wales’ children and young people: • • • • • •
Telling everyone, including children and young people, about the Commissioner and about children’s rights Meeting with children and young people and listening to what they have to say about issues that affect them Talking to children and young people about the Commissioner’s work, what else they think he should do and how he should do it Looking at the work of organisations like councils and health trusts to see if they are thinking about children’s rights Telling people who can make a difference what children and young people think is important and how to improve things Giving advice and information to children and adults who contact the Commissioner's team.
Do you know any children/young people that might be interested in being a Community Ambassador? These are children / young people nominated by their local community groups to take on 3 main jobs; 1. To tell others about the UNCRC (United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Child). 2. Tell others about Keith and the Children Commissioners Team. 3. Be a voice for the Children’s Commissioner on the ground and share the great things happening in local communities, as well as things that need to be improved so that the Commissioner can tell others. For more information on the work of the Children’s Commissioner for Wales please visit http://www.childcomwales.org.uk/ Telephone 01792 765600 or e-mail post@childcomwales.org.uk 1
Never Too Young
A workshop for childminders in Swansea run by Elinor Stafford from PACEY Cymru To explore: • • • • •
How young children can take responsibility and make decisions Why? What are the benefits of involving young children How? Lots of simple, easy to use ideas to try out and take away Plus, ideas how to record and evidence for CCSIW reports. What Next? Have a go and see the difference it makes.
You will also have the chance to discuss and feedback the benefits, changes or challenges that you see in your service in a follow up meeting with Elinor. Date for your diary: Thursday 19th September 2013 Time: 7-9pm Venue: Committee Room 5, The Guildhall, Swansea, SA1 4PE Places are limited, please contact the FIS team on 01792 51722 to reserve your place, or contact Elinor on 01792 572073 / 07734 734162 / Elinor.stafford@pacey.org.uk to discuss further. Did you know? Swansea City Council is the first local authority in the UK to commit to all Schools, both Primary and Secondary, becoming Rights Respecting Schools
Swansea Day Nurseries Meeting – Please Come and Join Us
Swansea Family Information Service will be hosting its first monthly Swansea Day Nurseries meeting on the 7th of October 2013 in the Civic Centre, Oystermouth Road, Swansea between 1 and 2 pm. The meetings are an opportunity to network, improve links, share good practice and discuss a range of pertinent topics. One meeting per quarter will be dedicated to National Day Nurseries Association(NDNA) members. Please feel free to contact the FIS Team on 01792 517222 should you require further information.
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Childcare Sufficiency Assessment By now you will be aware of the duty placed on all Local Authority’s by the Welsh Government to undertake a complete Childcare Sufficiency Assessment every 3 years, conducting regular reviews as new childcare data becomes available and – as a minimum - at least every year. We would like to ask all registered childcare providers to help us undertake the next full Childcare Sufficiency Assessment by completing a quick survey which can be found at http://swansea.gov.uk/fis . Alternatively should you require a hard copy of this questionnaire then please contact the Swansea Family Information Service Team on 01792 517222 and one of our team members will be pleased to send this out to you. Your comments are greatly valued and your responses will provide us with the fullest picture possible in relation to the current supply of childcare in the area. Every completed questionnaire will be entered in to a prize draw when the randomly selected winner will win £100.00. The closing date for the submission of this questionnaire is 1st November 2013. We are also keen for as many parents as possible to have their say regarding their experiences of accessing childcare in the area so please make all parents accessing your setting aware that a questionnaire for parents will soon be made available on our website shortly.
Do you have your copy of Safer Food Better Business for Childminders?- If you have any questions relating to this or how to obtain the pack then please contact the Family Information Service Team on 01792 517222 who will be happy to help. Alternatively further information can be obtained from the following links: http://www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/caterers/sfbb/sfbbchildminders/ Or please find the link below for the print friendly version which can also be completed electronically: http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/publication/sfbbwebfriendlychilminders0513.pdf This pack is for registered childminders or childcarers on domestic premises who usually provide meals and drinks for the children in their care. If childminders provide meals, snacks or drinks (apart from mains tap water) for children or babies and/or reheat food provided by a parent/carer, or cut it up, they must now comply with food safety and hygiene regulations. ‘Safer food, better business for childminders’ will help them do this. If you are not sure whether this pack is suitable for you, contact the environmental health service at your local authority for advice
Just a gentle reminder to all registered childcare settings about the importance of ensuring that all visitors are asked to sign in and out of your setting on a visitors book. Point 24.5 of the National Minimum Standards states: ‘There is a system for managing access to the premises and a record of visitors kept’. 3
INFECTION CONTROL AUDIT TOOL – EARLY YEARS SETTINGS Have you heard about the Infection Control Audit Tool – Early Years Settings?. This has been developed to help childcare professionals review their premises, policies and procedures in relation to infection control, helping you to make sure that your setting meets current best practice standards. By downloading and submitting the document to foodandsafety@swansea.gov.uk officers will review your responses and offer advice and guidance to you on various issues relating to infection control. http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=55166 The aim of the audit tool is to reduce the potential for cross infection within childcare settings and therefore reduce the likelihood of illness. In general, the view is that the audit tool reflects best practice and it should be used in conjunction with the following documents which can be used as reference for further detailed information. (where there are differences between the audit tool and the reference documents the information in the audit tool takes precedence); Welsh Assembly Government (2006) Mind The Germs. Infection Control Guidelines for Nurseries, Playgroups and other Childcare Settings http://wales.gov.uk/topics/health/protection/communicabledisease/publications/mindthegerms/?lan g=en
Swansea Childcare Providers Networking Event We would like to invite you to join us for the sixth annual Networking Event. This years event will focus on ‘Language & Communication in the Early Years’. The event will take place at The Grand Theatre Swansea on Thursday 26th September 2013 between 6-9pm. Please find the booking form enclosed and we would ask that these are returned no later than Thursday 12th September 2013. We look forward to seeing you on the evening.
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Congratulations to the Flowers Day Nursery in Swansea who were awarded NDNA Nursery of the Year 2013 for Wales at the NDNA Nursery Awards in Peterborough. The nursery was voted for by mums and dads and selected after a rigorous judging process which recognises the contribution good quality nurseries make to the lives of children and parents.
Bizzare, wacky and unique days to celebrate at your setting http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/october.htm SEPTEMBER 2013 9th – Teddy Bear Day 10th – Swap Ideas Day 13th – Positive Thinking Day 15th – Make a Hat Day 16th – Collect Rocks Day 16th – National Play – do Day 16th – Working Parents Day fourth Saturday in September – International Rabbit Day OCTOBER 2013 5th – Do Something Nice Day 6th – Mad Hatter Day 7th – World Smile Day 16th – Boss’s Day 25th – World Pasta Day fourth Saturday in October – Make a Difference Day 27th – National Tell a Story Day. The NSPCC have launched the Underwear Rule campaign, to help parents and carers speak to their children about keeping safe from sexual abuse. Information on the campaign, including the official video, can be found on the campaign webpage http://www.nspcc.org.uk/conversations The Underwear Rule - Talk PANTS and help keep your child safe The Underwear Rule is a simple way to help parents keep their children safe from abuse. Simple conversations can help protect children from abuse. Talk PANTS and you’ve got it covered. Learn the Underwear Rule at http://www.nspcc.org.uk/underwear
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Swansea Family Information Service Training Programme The April – September 2013 Training programme saw an increase in the number of available spaces on the First Aid for Childcarers course, and the October 2013 – March 2014 Training Programme continues this trend with a total of 155 First Aid places available. A recent consultation with Childcare providers identified the demand for an increase in the number of Level 2 Food Safety, and Level 2 Child Protection courses, to this end we are now running six of each of these courses over the next six months, offering an overall total of 350 delegate places on mandatory courses. Some courses to look out for in this booklet are; ‘Introduction to Forest School’ which will be running in March at Bishopwood Countryside Centre, bring your wellies for this one! ‘Positive Ways of Changing Behaviour’, which is running on a Saturday in November, and ‘An Introduction to the Foundation Phase’. Gower College are providing an exciting course designed to promote the use of numeracy skills in the 0-5 age range – ‘Fun with Numbers’ and Menter Iaith have designed an afternoon session to promote Welsh in Childcare Settings. All are expected to be busy, so book early. This programme also sees the introduction of a Management Section, with a number of exciting courses on offer that are specifically designed for Managers or owners to attend. Finally it is also worth noting that each setting/Child-minder will need to complete a new copy of the Terms and Conditions situated at the back of the booklet.
Swansea Family Information Service 5th Floor – Oldway Centre 36 Orchard Street Swansea SA1 5LD 01792 635400 / 01792 517222 E-mail: fis@swansea.gov.uk www.swansea.gov.uk/fis
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