Assessment, approval and reassessment of approved Family day care venue/ residence

Purpose
To provide clear guidelines to the approved provider and other stakeholders about the requirements for assessing, approving and reassessing a FDC venue/residence, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children.

Scope
These guidelines will apply to the Approved provider, nominated supervisor, educational leader, supervisors, educators, staff, students on placement, volunteers, parents/guardian, children and others attending the service.

Objective
To do assessments before education and care is provided to children to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of children is protected.

Policy
We at FIRST IDEA FAMILY DAY CARE SERVICES, are committed to ensure that we conduct an assessment and/or reassessment (including risk assessment) of each residence and approved family day care venue of the service before the commencement of education and care and at least annually for reassessment, to ensure that the health, safety and wellbeing of children is protected. This process is called as Annual Safety Check. The educators those cannot provide a safe environment that meets all regulatory standards will not be offered the registration to work with us.

Procedure
Approved provider is responsible for:

  • Conducting an assessment (including a risk assessment) of each proposed residence and each proposed family day care venue of the service before education and care is provided to children at the residence or venue as part of the service to ensure that the health, safety and wellbeing of children who are educated and cared for by the service are protected.
  • Conduct an assessment (including a risk assessment) of each residence and each approved family day care venue of the service at least annually to ensure that the health, safety and wellbeing of children who are educated and cared for by the service are protected.
  • The following matters must be considered as part of an assessment—
    • the matters relating to family day care services in Division 1 and regulation 117;
    • the suitability of the residence (and areas within the residence) or venue according to the number, ages and abilities of children attending, or likely to attend, the service at the residence or venue;
    • the suitability of nappy change arrangements for children attending, or likely to attend, the service at the residence or venue, who wear nappies;
    • the existence of any water hazards, water features or swimming pool at or near the residence or venue;
    • the risk posed by any animals at the residence or venue.
  • Ensure each family day care educator educating advise the provider of:
    • any proposed renovations to the residence or venue; and
    • any changes relating to the residence or venue affecting any of the matters set out in sub regulation (2); and
    • any other changes to the residence or venue that will affect the education and care provided to children at the service.
  • Ensure not to provide registration to the educators whose family day care venue or residence does not meet the requirements.

Fencing and security

Any outdoor space used by children at a family day care residence or venue must be enclosed by a fence or barrier that is of such a height and design that children of preschool age and under, cannot go through, over or under it.

Family day care educators should ensure that the placement of any outdoor play equipment or permanent structures (such as a shed) in relation to the fence or barrier, nothing that some equipment may provide potential foothold to scale a fence.

Where possible the fence should be designed to allow children to view the outside world. The construction of the fence should be appropriate to any additional safety concerns

Furniture, materials and equipment

At FIRST IDEA FAMILY DAY CARE SERVICES, Service we ensure that each child at our service has access to sufficient furniture, materials and developmentally appropriate equipment, whilst ensuring the safety, age appropriate equipment and materials.

Laundry and hygiene facilities

We ensure that laundry facilities at the family day care residence or venue or access to laundry facilities for dealing with soiled clothing, including access to hygienic facilities for storage prior to laundering or disposal

INDOOR SPACE REQUIREMENTS

We ensure that the specified indoor play space for family day care children must be exclusively available to the children while they are being educated and cared for, to facilitate a safe environment free from overcrowding, and reduces the likelihood of health risks associated with cramped and confined spaces

We ensure that the indoor space must be well ventilated, has adequate natural light, be maintained at a temperature that ensures the safety and wellbeing of children

We ensure that adequate and appropriate hygienic facilities are provided for nappy changing, including adult hand washing facilities within the nappy changing area.

OUTDOOR SPACE REQUIREMENTS

The outdoor space must be enclosed by a fence or barrier that is of a height and design that children pre-school age or under cannot go through, over or under it.

Ensuring that the outdoor space includes adequate shaded outdoor play space to protect children from harmful exposure to the sun

Ensure adequate supervision even if there is a corner in the outdoor play space
Have barriers or enclosures around stairways, ramps and balconies to ensure that the children cannot become trapped, fall through or climb up

TOILET AND HYGIENE FACILITIES

We ensure that adequate, developmentally and age-appropriate toilet, washing and drying facilities are located and designed to enable safe and convenient use by children.

GLASS SAFETY

If a glazed area of a family day care residence or venue is accessible to the children, and situated 1 metre or less above the floor level, the following is required

  • Safety glazing, if required by the Building Code of Australia, or
  • Treatment with a product that prevents glass from shattering if broken (such as safety film),or guarding with barriers that prevent a child from hitting or falling against the glass
  • Family day care educators should ensure placing easy-to see stickers at adult and child height on glass panels or doors, and ensure that glass areas are well lit

National Quality Frameworks
National Regulation- 169(2),116(1)(a), 116(1)(b)

REVIEW

POLICY REVIEWED

July 2018

NEXT REVIEW DATE

July 2019

MODIFICATIONS

Policy created for First Idea Family Day Care Services, inclusive of changes to the National Quality Standards and Education and Care National Regulations

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